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Can willing adults be "exploited"?

Can willing adults be "exploited"?

  • Total voters
    34
X Factor

X Factor

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I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I? It's about the amature porn industry and how there's no shortage of young women, all 18 and over, willing to do it. The Neflix decription mentions exploitation and that got me thinking, if it's an adult doing it of their own free will, is it exploitation? It's not just about porn either. I've seen the term come up in discussions about football and MMA and pretty much anything where someone is doing something, that someone else doesn't like.

Thoughts?

Poll on the way
 
X Factor said:
I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I? It's about the amature porn industry and how there's no shortage of young women, all 18 and over, willing to do it. The Neflix decription mentions exploitation and that got me thinking, if it's an adult doing it of their own free will, is it exploitation? It's not just about porn either. I've seen the term come up in discussions about football and MMA and pretty much anything where someone is doing something, that someone else doesn't like.

Thoughts?

Poll on the way
Click to expand...

Can such be exploitation? Sure, absolutely. Should it be illegal? Not so much. In the case of all three examples, it could qualify as exploitation as the participants are not always cognizant of the long term ramifications of what they are doing, which those profiting from it do not make clear. However, there is a definite limit to just how much the government can protect people from their own ignorance.

Edit: and I do not like your poll options, so not voting.
 
Redress said:
Can such be exploitation? Sure, absolutely. Should it be illegal? Not so much. In the case of all three examples, it could qualify as exploitation as the participants are not always cognizant of the long term ramifications of what they are doing, which those profiting from it do not make clear. However, there is a definite limit to just how much the government can protect people from their own ignorance.

Edit: and I do not like your poll options, so not voting.
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Not even "other"?
 
Individuals especially young and naive can be coerced into anything is that exploitation? it can be. As long as theres been humans theres been con artists and worse and no shortage of other humans to fall into the web. Is it illegal that all depends on whether it breaks a law or not.

Adults can be duped willfully and its illegal, like if someone like a Bernie Madhoff conned you into investing in his ponzi scheme, you do it willfully but he still broke the law. Porn isnt illegal if your of age and let yourself get conned into it, you chalk that up to lifes experience
 
X Factor said:
I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I? It's about the amature porn industry and how there's no shortage of young women, all 18 and over, willing to do it. The Neflix decription mentions exploitation and that got me thinking, if it's an adult doing it of their own free will, is it exploitation? It's not just about porn either. I've seen the term come up in discussions about football and MMA and pretty much anything where someone is doing something, that someone else doesn't like.

Thoughts?

Poll on the way
Click to expand...

Willing does not necessarily mean informed. Can they be exploited? Yes they can, and it's perfectly legal if they are of majority age.
 
I don't think so. If someone is willing to be exploited, then how can it be exploitation if it is entirely willing and voluntary?
 
Redress said:
Can such be exploitation? Sure, absolutely. Should it be illegal? Not so much. In the case of all three examples, it could qualify as exploitation as the participants are not always cognizant of the long term ramifications of what they are doing, which those profiting from it do not make clear. However, there is a definite limit to just how much the government can protect people from their own ignorance.

Edit: and I do not like your poll options, so not voting.
Click to expand...

I agree, 100%,
including the Edit.
 
X Factor said:
I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I? It's about the amature porn industry and how there's no shortage of young women, all 18 and over, willing to do it. The Neflix decription mentions exploitation and that got me thinking, if it's an adult doing it of their own free will, is it exploitation? It's not just about porn either. I've seen the term come up in discussions about football and MMA and pretty much anything where someone is doing something, that someone else doesn't like.

Thoughts?

Poll on the way
Click to expand...

Ugh, I completely hit the wrong button before I voted.
 
X Factor said:
I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I? It's about the amature porn industry and how there's no shortage of young women, all 18 and over, willing to do it. The Neflix decription mentions exploitation and that got me thinking, if it's an adult doing it of their own free will, is it exploitation? It's not just about porn either. I've seen the term come up in discussions about football and MMA and pretty much anything where someone is doing something, that someone else doesn't like.

Thoughts?

Poll on the way
Click to expand...

They should probably be unionized. ;) [since they're young and dumb and full of...... stuff]
 
lpast said:
Individuals especially young and naive can be coerced into anything is that exploitation? it can be. As long as theres been humans theres been con artists and worse and no shortage of other humans to fall into the web. Is it illegal that all depends on whether it breaks a law or not.

Adults can be duped willfully and its illegal, like if someone like a Bernie Madhoff conned you into investing in his ponzi scheme, you do it willfully but he still broke the law. Porn isnt illegal if your of age and let yourself get conned into it, you chalk that up to lifes experience
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I see a difference between this and a dishonest con job, though. If it's a complete lie, then I'd say participation is not actually voluntary since it's based on a lie. The girls in the doc knew exactly what they were volunteering for. Now, I will say that it is possible to exploit a desperate situation, like, offering a job as a stripper for someone you know is desperate for money, then again, is that any different than hiring anyone to do something they wouldn't do otherwise? If I hire a panhandler to do yard work, is that exploitation?
 
X Factor said:
I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I?
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You lost me right here. I spit water out of my nose, thanks!:mrgreen:

To answer the question, unless said adult is handicapped, no, I don't think a willing adult can be exploited. They know what they're doing.
 
tres borrachos said:
You lost me right here. I spit water out of my nose, thanks!:mrgreen:

To answer the question, unless said adult is handicapped, no, I don't think a willing adult can be exploited. They know what they're doing.
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Glad somebody caught that. :D
 
Cephus said:
I don't think so. If someone is willing to be exploited, then how can it be exploitation if it is entirely willing and voluntary?
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I think it would be fair to say that being fully informed, or at least having easy access to full information, would be essential to it not being exploitation.
 
American said:
Willing does not necessarily mean informed. Can they be exploited? Yes they can, and it's perfectly legal if they are of majority age.
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X Factor said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
What American said. All that "exploitation" is defined is taking advantage of another for your own ends, and I'd add "in some unfair manner."

An unrelated example that I'd define as "exploitation". Say a family member is more than willing to help you out financially during an loss of job event, of their own free will, but this person was misinformed to the depth that you are in trouble (say, you've already been hired again), and thus they give you many more thousands of dollars than needed -- and while you realize that this misinformation existed; you take no effort to correct it.

Or in the case of these women -- There may be a information asymmetry between them and the videographers. For the women it might seem like it's just some young man with a cell phone camera. Not much harm done there. However to the videographer's knowledge he may be employed by a company that has 500,000 online subscribers and knows that what he is filming will not only be sent to all these persons, but also used as promotional material outside of that subscriber base; something that which he doesn't feel is all that necessary to disclose to the women.
 
Last edited:
It depends on the specifics of the scenario. For an E for Everyone example, say that I, a near-starving college student, decide to trade seven packs of shrimp ramen to another near-starving college student, in exchange for two cans of spaghetti and meatballs.

From the outside, most anybody would think I'm a complete idiot, and that I'm being more than a little exploited. What they don't realize is that I've been eating shrimp ramen for a semester and a half, and I'm so sick and tired of doing it that I would almost literally starve to death before eating one more spoonful of shrimp ramen. I also really like spaghetti and meatballs, which the other college student likes (he doesn't particularly mind ramen, but it isn't something he really cares for). I place a much higher value on his food than on mine, so I'm willing to trade a large amount of ramen for a small amount of spaghetti. Is it a fair trade? Not really, no. Is it a mutually beneficial trade? Yes.

Edit: this was a mostly hypothetical situation, if anyone was wondering.
 
X Factor said:
I think it would be fair to say that being fully informed, or at least having easy access to full information, would be essential to it not being exploitation.
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And if they are and are still willing? Because it's really hard to argue that anyone doesn't have easy access to full information today.
 
Cephus said:
And if they are and are still willing? Because it's really hard to argue that anyone doesn't have easy access to full information today.
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I agree. There's so much information readily available, that, in a lot of cases, if there's ignorance, it's willful.
 
X Factor said:
I was watching a documentary called "Hot Girls Wanted" because why wouldn't I? It's about the amature porn industry and how there's no shortage of young women, all 18 and over, willing to do it. The Neflix decription mentions exploitation and that got me thinking, if it's an adult doing it of their own free will, is it exploitation? It's not just about porn either. I've seen the term come up in discussions about football and MMA and pretty much anything where someone is doing something, that someone else doesn't like.

Thoughts?

Poll on the way
Click to expand...

There are some people that pose as interviewers for porn jobs but in fact turn out to have no connections to any porn company out there. During the "interview" they get free sex, send the person home and never have any intention what so ever of calling them back for any reason. I'd say that is exploitive. :shrug:
 
X Factor said:
I agree. There's so much information readily available, that, in a lot of cases, if there's ignorance, it's willful.
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And if it's willful, it's their own fault, hence no exploitation.
 
Kal'Stang said:
There are some people that pose as interviewers for porn jobs but in fact turn out to have no connections to any porn company out there. During the "interview" they get free sex, send the person home and never have any intention what so ever of calling them back for any reason. I'd say that is exploitive. :shrug:
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They're exploiting stupid, gullible people. Sure, I should feel bad for idiots. :roll:
 
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