Spirit Airlines wants you to know that if you fly one of their planes to Colombia, you’ll have plenty of money left over to hire hookers. The low-cost airline, which previously has offered deals pegged to the scandals of Anthony Weiner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ron Blagojevich, was lampooning the Secret Service prostitution scandal this week with an offer to fly to Colombia for less than $20. “More Bang for your Buck,” the ad promised, adding that “upfront payment is required.” Get it?! You can afford extra paid sex when you get there! Ah, hookers, such a reliable punch line.
Enter some women’s studies scholar to pour cold water all over this hilarious premise. Janice Raymond, an American scholar in sex trafficking, points out in the Guardian that life for Colombian prostitutes might be sorta tough, or something.
“Pimps control many of the women in the legal tolerance zones,” Raymond writes, referencing the area of legalized prostitution where members of the president’s security team are accused of hiring women. Raymond quotes a local expert observing that “many women in the brothels of Cartagena are victims of sex-trafficking.” God, women’s studies professors are so laaame. (Next thing you know, some historian will be pointing out that during the Great Depression, poor women often prostituted themselves to pay their bills and feed their kids. Why, that could’ve been your great-grandmother. That must’ve been funny!)
We sure hope Spirit Airlines find success with this ad. ‘Cus there’s nothing funnier than a single mother selling her body to make money, getting stiffed on her rate, and facing the wrath of her pimp for non-payment. Ha-ha!
Libby Copeland is a writer in New York and a regular Slate contributor. She can be reached at libbycopeland@gmail.com.
I suppose people sometimes cannot see humor in anything. Spirit has been lampooning the foibles of many consistently. And prostitution is legal in Colombia, just as it is just outside of Las Vegas. These are not poor, kidnapped victims, these are women who know what they are getting into.
Trafficking humans for slavery in brothels is deplorable, as is our Secret Service consuming multiple bottles of distilled spirits in one sitting, so befuddling them that they forget their marriage vows. But assuming all prostitutes to be kidnapped slaves isn’t journalism. It’s ignorance.
The author’s first name kinda says it all…
Good to know that you think conservatives support legalized prostitution.
I still think the old houses of prostitution were better than the street ladies, drugs, and pimps. There are more than a few women and guys who are paying their way through college and university in the sex industry here in the United States. We recently had a Marine Sgt. that made $15,000 working in a porn flick. There is plenty of money and plenty of customers and plenty of people willing to hire out. Might as well legalize it and put the old houses of prostitution back. Better then what we have now
Hey, jerks, you perpetuate the problem by using the words “hooker.” Grow up.