Decriminalize Prostitution?

I completely agree with the post on Azure’s blog about prostitution. I find it ridiculous that people are becoming uncomfortable with the fact that prostitution is illegal. Azure’s post mentioned how Amnesty International claims that sex workers are often harassed and beaten and that because of this, the sex trade should be decriminalized. However, although they may be victims of harassment, many of these workers are aware that this is a risk of what they choose to do for a living.

The post also mentioned how Amnesty International believes that decriminalizing the sex trade would decrease violence towards prostitutes and make it easier to reach out to the police if a crime is committed on one of them. This may be true, but the only reason prostitutes aren’t willing to reach out to the police is because they know they are committing a crime as well. It is also true that these people probably wouldn’t be harassed in the first place if they didn’t choose a “job” with such risks. I agree that although decriminalizing the sex trade may fix one or two problems, it definitely has the potential to lead to many more issues, including the perception of women. Overall, I too believe that the government should leave the debate over prostitution alone and treat it like a crime because it is one.

Christmas Cup Controversy

This holiday season there has been a controversy over Starbucks removing the “symbols of the season” from their cups.  The cups used to display things like reindeer, snowmen and snowflakes. However, this year Starbucks has traded those designs for a simple two- toned red cup featuring their logo.  The new design has angered many Christians and has everyone buzzing about whether or not Starbucks is in the wrong for this decision. Even though Starbucks has never had the phrase “Merry Christmas” on their cups, people are going so far as to claim that Starbucks is insulting Christ and Christmas itself with the new cup designs. Even Donald Trump recently commented on the situation, adding to the insanity. He gave a speech on Monday in Springfield, Illinois strongly disagreeing with the company’s actions.  He presented the idea of boycotting Starbucks and stated “If I become president, we’re all going to be saying Merry Christmas again.”

His reaction, along with many others, is absolutely ridiculous. Attacking a company for removing animated snowflakes and animals from their cups is absolutely absurd. Those things don’t even represent the true meaning of Christmas. Trump’s input on the situation is more than likely just a ploy to win the votes of those who share this unreasonable opinion. If it’s not, and he actually believes that boycotting Starbucks is relevant to the country’s well-being, then the idea of having him as our president is just laughable.  There are certainly much more pressing matters that he could be worried about, preferably some that might actually better our country as a whole.