Michael Tracey joins me to talk about the latest saga in the moral panic over pedophilia and its intersection with antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The most interesting part of the conversation is when we discuss how the concept of “prostitution” has disappeared from the culture. Everything is “trafficking” or must involve minors. I note that, with the collapse of social conservatism, we no longer have any basis not to allow legalized prostitution. To justify the current state of the law, then, in addition to the grant money involved, we need a new angle, which exaggerates or invents the coercive aspects of most sex work.
Michael brings up the point that if Elliot Spitzer were arrested today, the women involved would unquestionably be treated as helpless victims.