Johntv.com: Brian Bates' Vigilante Efforts Against Street Prostitution

What has over 10 million views on You Tube alone? What has proven one man can make a difference? What has blown stereotypical thinking up? Finally, what has done what the legal system has not been able to do? The answer is johntv.com. This is the brainchild of Brian Bates, also known as the "Video Vigilante." With johntv.com, Brian Bates is a one-man focused and quite effective force against organized street crime with respect to prostitution.

With johntv.com, Brian Bates isn't just trying to "catch" "Johns" and embarrass them; rather, he's fighting a higher group of social ills that prostitution masks. Forced prostitution, associated violence, child pornography, high-ranking officials shown abusing their privileges and the all-to-often result of an offender getting off from their arrest is brought to the public's attention as well as to the attention of the legal system and state governments.

The battle cry that resonates most loudly from Brian Bates' johntv.com is that "prostitution is not the world's oldest profession but the oldest abuse of women". The proof of this is shown in the organization's formal position that while opposed to street crime brought on by prostitution; it "takes no formal position against totally private and consensual and unorganized prostitution". In fact, it supports the legalization of the aforementioned and that is one of its goals.

One social myth that johntv.com has challenged is that blacks are the most prominent players in this street crime. According to the site, as of May 31st of this year there have been 114 arrests of which 73 were women and 41 were men. Of these numbers white males made up 19 (46%); black males made up only 6%. Further, 39 white women were arrested representing a whopping 53% while only 22 black females were arrested that equaled 30%. Asian, Hispanic and Indian men and women can be mentioned for political correctness but their numbers represent very minor involvement.

Predictably, the sad listing of the aforementioned statistics represent by percentage women ages 18-25 (34%); women ages 26-30 (23%); men ages 18-25 have involvement to the tune of 27% and 26-30 are at 7 %. These statistics reinforce what most of us would suspect; that the biggest victims and participants are the youngest and most easily influenced people.

I admire Brian Bates. However, I disagree with him on two issues. I don't think legalization of prostitution will stop the organized use of it by unscrupulous organizers. The other disagreement is with his policy that once your photo is on johntv.com, you are there "forever". I'm sorry Brian, a permanent visual record of a person's past mistake is cruel and unusual punishment; people do change there has to be some period when a person has "served their sentence"; having said that, Brian Bates and his johntube.com have the right idea. Positive social change doesn't just occur. In the words of Buford Pusser from the movie, "Walking Tall"; "Somebody has to huff and puff".

References:

johntv.com