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You couldn't make it up dept. no.58: I am tempted to say, politics as usual
From today's Sky News:
An Independent councillor who sold a woman with learning difficulties for sex has been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence.
Alan Burkitt, of West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, advertised the woman on the internet to help pay his mortgage.
More than 20 men paid for her services at his home while he sat in the room next door.
Prosecutor Stuart Clarkson told Wolverhampton Crown Court the woman had mild learning disabilities and an IQ of 52.
He said men paid her £50 for intercourse and over several months she earned around £1,300.
Burkitt, of Beaconview Road, claimed the woman, who cannot be named, consented to the work.
He also claimed he advertised himself on the same website, but did not attract much interest.
The 47-year-old represents Charlemont with Grove Vale ward for Sandwell Council.
He pleaded guilty to causing or inciting prostitution.
An Independent councillor who sold a woman with learning difficulties for sex has been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence.
Alan Burkitt, of West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, advertised the woman on the internet to help pay his mortgage.
More than 20 men paid for her services at his home while he sat in the room next door.
Prosecutor Stuart Clarkson told Wolverhampton Crown Court the woman had mild learning disabilities and an IQ of 52.
He said men paid her £50 for intercourse and over several months she earned around £1,300.
Burkitt, of Beaconview Road, claimed the woman, who cannot be named, consented to the work.
He also claimed he advertised himself on the same website, but did not attract much interest.
The 47-year-old represents Charlemont with Grove Vale ward for Sandwell Council.
He pleaded guilty to causing or inciting prostitution.
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Well, while it's rather sick, it's not suprising. Over on our side of the Atlantic prostitution is such a big problem in many major cities that the police routinely ignore it to focus on crimes that they feel they could actually make a dent in.
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Besides, they get to carry a badge, a gun, and boss people around. That alone attracts hordes of the wrong kind of people to the law enforcement profession.
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I don't think I can find a person (even a cop) who wasn't sickened by a mother selling her child for drugs. I'd reference more, but that's the one which made me sick most recently. I worked with the Boston cops a few years ago mentoring a teen prostitutes (boys and girls) to stay in school. The police found them after-school jobs and safe housing. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes they died. The police ran the program because it mattered.
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revolted indeed!
"Learning Difficulties"
This line is a good illustration of why PC-speak is bad.
Why? Because neither this, nor any other line in the article, explains why her "learning difficulties" enabled him to "sell" her for sex.
Based on what happened in the story, I could guess that the woman in question was mentally retarded, or at least subnormal, but the phrase "learning difficulties" could mean anything all the way down to minor dyslexia or numerical spoonerism, either case of which is compatible with any level of intelligence, from profound idiocy to supergenius.
A similar idiocy is the term "Asian," which tells one absolutely nothing about the race of the individual save that he is probably not Negro (he could, of course, be white, since Russia is one of the major Asian nations).
Re: "Learning Difficulties"
I *know* that when folks say Asian they mean folks with generally straight black hair, almond-yellowish skin, dark eyes with whatever the technical term is for that bit of flesh that causes the sharper almondish shape and a general disposition to being smaller than the average American.
Given the situation, I can *guess* that the woman is one of those who is either very slow or very trusting or just down-right stupid, but I don't actually know. She could be dyslexic and of a helpful nature, talked into this deal; she could be one of those folks who just can't process written words but who honestly wanted to be a prostitute.
I can't know, which is what *Really* annoys me-- they're using language to cloud understanding, rather than to clear up misconception.
Re: "Learning Difficulties"
Re: "Learning Difficulties"
I can just imagine the fainting from Mr. Obama if my (now dead) Godfather had refered to him as a Marker.(he was an old Basque sheep herder-- they have one black-wooled sheep for every X number of sheep.)
Re: "Learning Difficulties"
Ok, then what's the term for someone from India who belongs to one of the major races of the subcontinent? I believe the term "Asian" would again be used, and they don't look very much like Chinese or Japanese people.
Given the situation, I can *guess* that the woman is one of those who is either very slow or very trusting or just down-right stupid, but I don't actually know. She could be dyslexic and of a helpful nature, talked into this deal; she could be one of those folks who just can't process written words but who honestly wanted to be a prostitute.
I can't know, which is what *Really* annoys me-- they're using language to cloud understanding, rather than to clear up misconception.
Exactly, and it has policy-making implications. For instance, if I wanted to avoid letting retarded people be exploited in such a manner we could set up a better-monitored wardship program; doing such to people with mere learning disabilities such as dyslexia would be not only insulting but a direct violation of their civil rights.
Re: "Learning Difficulties"
In the US? They'd be discribed as "Indian" or, possibly, Hindu. First two examples that come to mind are the cute guy from Short Circuit who isn't the love intrest, and the guy on the Simpsons who owns the mini mart.
Exactly, and it has policy-making implications. For instance, if I wanted to avoid letting retarded people be exploited in such a manner we could set up a better-monitored wardship program; doing such to people with mere learning disabilities such as dyslexia would be not only insulting but a direct violation of their civil rights.
Exactly. Wasn't there an old phrase? A child-like mind?
There's got to be a way to let folks who simply aren't the normal level of mental ablity have dignity, but be protected, too.