Thoughts on Vice

Reading the online article on JSTOR, it was very informative when talking about vice and how that sub-culture was and still is a large part of American society. I've heard the expression, "prostitution is the world's oldest profession." it does make sense and after reading this article, it shows how much of an issue it is and has been throughout american history. What is referred to as "white slavery" had in my mind, a severe cultural impact on all americans because it made a large portion of americans feel shameful and perhaps less dominant than in the late 1800's/1900's. This feeling of lesser dominance comes from many american women resorting to prostitution in a time of progressivism. Reasons, however for turning to prostitution is not a reflection of a poor culture. Many women were basically dragged into prostitution due to severe debt and being backed into economical corners. The author of this article gives examples of these types of women. Prostitution has always existed but the circumstances of the time period is what caused such an extreme reaction in american society.