That they aren't all Iraqi men. There is nothing in the article to suggest that.
Which is why I'm "going out on a limb" and "guessing" that. Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that 100% of the solicitors of prostitutes in Iraq are natives of Iraq. I don't see how I'm "making something up".
Quote Archimago
"Good thing we went over there and made sure they didn't have to wear those burkas anymore!" implies that you believe America caused this.
No, it doesn't. I'm juxtapositioning an earlier heralded benefit of the invasion of Iraq, which was the liberation of its women, with their current situation. However, a quote from the article:
Quote Yanar Mohammed
There is a huge population of women who were the victims of war who had to sell their bodies, their souls and they lost it all.
Seems to me she thinks that the war is at least related.
I don't think I'm "juicing up" the article at all, merely commenting on it.
That some portion of the "johns" are non-Iraqi seems a safe (and honestly uncontroversial) assumption here. That the war is largely responsible for the rise in prostitution is also a safe assumption.
I guess my issue with the comment is mainly why are you making the assumption. I take away from the article that the situation is the cause, not the Johns. If it were rape, the situation would be different.
It's like looking at figures for highway deaths for the year and commenting "I think Volkswagen Jettas were involved."
Maybe there were Jettas involved in accidental deaths, but it's an unnecessary assumption and gets in the way of the real problem.
The real cause of prostitution is the 40%-50% unemployment rate
It's like looking at figures for highway deaths for the year and commenting "I think Volkswagen Jettas were involved."
I take it that the "highway deaths" = "prostitutes" and that "Volkswagen Jettas" = "Johns"? If so, this is uncomprable. Edit: Even if it were, the response would not be, "I think Volkswagen Jettas were involved" but rather, "I'm guessing that they weren't all Volkwagen Jettas".
It would be more akin to looking at figures for drug sales in a city and making an assumption about the purchaser. In which case I would say, "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that they're not all ethnic minorities."
Quote Archimago
The real cause of prostitution is the 40%-50% unemployment rate
I refer you to page 41 of this PDF. As of May the unemployment rate in Iraq is 25% - 40%, down from 50% - 60% in June of 2003. According to the article, prostitution is increasing, in opposition to your theory. Also, one of the subjects in the article wasn't unemployed, she just wasn't making enough to cover her family's expenses.
To be completely transparent, the reason I am "making the assumption" is that I got sick of everybody talking about how we were freeing Iraq's women, and the big to do about them not having to wear Burkas anymore after the invasion. You'd think it was a god-damn bra burning to hear the media go on about it.
Now, however, these women are saying that they're being forced to sell their bodies to make ends meet in their war ravaged country. I have to wonder which situation they find more oppresive.
I don't know. I'd rather sell my body than wear a burka. Wait... maybe I'm not the one to ask.
I might also point out the (obvious) fact that the unemployment rate (and the poverty it entails) is very likely an effect of the invasion. Most sources I've seen suggest that Iraq had a bustling economy and great growth rates prior to having their infrastructure blown up.
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