You couldn't make it up dept. no.58: I am tempted to say, politics as usual

[fpb]

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.

Comments

[dirigibletrance.livejournal.com]

12 month suspended means that he serves no actual jail time, right?

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.

[patchworkmind.livejournal.com]

Whoa.

[rfachir.livejournal.com]

As long as drug addiction is financed by the "victimless crime," and people chose to destroy themselves and their children, and other helpless people like this woman, cops and social workers won't ignore it. They just have to focus their attention on the ones who are going to die first - Social Triage. Prostitution is only ignored in bad fiction.

revolted indeed!

[leia-naberrie.livejournal.com]

You took the words out of my mouth.

"Learning Difficulties"

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

An Independent councillor who sold a woman with learning difficulties for sex has been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence.

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"

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

Agree on the PC, disagree on the "Asian"-- although "Caucasian" annoys me for similar reasons; the Caucasus region is between Turkey, Russia and Iran. My ancestors look nothin' like any of those groups. While admitting you have a good point, please let me explain:

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.

[dirigibletrance.livejournal.com]

Whatever. Not every cop, or every Police department, is as idealistic as you think they are.

Re: "Learning Difficulties"

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I am afraid you are incorrect. IN the United Kingdom, which is where this piece of news comes from, "Asian" generally means from the Indian subcontinent, and is most often an euphemism for a Muslim of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin. Likewise, "learning disabilities" is universally understood to mean "severely retarded, enough to need professional help". I'm afraid you just have to know the specific polite British lies.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

If they do not work in the service of an ideal, what do they work for? If it is for a paycheck, Macdonald's offers one as well, without the danger of being shot at.

Re: "Learning Difficulties"

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

Biggest problem with a World Wide Web-- polite euphimisims don't carry all that well.

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.)

[rfachir.livejournal.com]

http://www.salemnews.com/local/local_story_062120640/resources_printstory

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.

[dirigibletrance.livejournal.com]

Cops, at least in Texas, make a whole lot more than a McDonald's employee. About 25k is the average salary for an officer, which isn't bad.

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.

Re: "Learning Difficulties"

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

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.

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"

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

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.

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.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Mind you, he is not altogether unpunished. His political career is certainly over. If he was in it out of idealism, that is bad. If he was in it to make money, that is equally bad, since Sandwell council is a large urban council, part of the city of Birmingham, manages large budgets and hands out fat contracts. I wonder how either wanting to be a politician out of idealism or out of greed fits in with prostituting his girlfriend (I assume) to pay the mortgage, though.