Indeed, the idea is... funny. As someone who lives in the Netherlands (and I've even been to Eindhoven a few times), I can see what these people are trying to get at--the idea that prostitutes are, by the very nature of their profession, people without any self-respect. Even here, this idea has many supporters. But a quick check through some of the sex workers associations in the Netherlands like De Rode Draad (The Red Thread: www.rodedraad.nl; versions in Dutch and English) shows that this isn't necessarily so.

I am a bit surprised by the claim in the original article that cities like Amsterdam are trying to reduce and eventually close their red-light districts; I am not aware of that, and the Red Thread site above doesn't mention this. Does anyone have more information?

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/spasdysp.asp

seriously, i would rather read what you have to say than hear you actually speak. i think something might be wrong with your voice.

Ms. Clark-Flory, you sounded snotty and supercilious when you said "Designer clothes. Not food, housing, education or job training..." I lived in Holland for four years. The Dutch government insures that all citizens, even prostitutes, are provided food, housing, education and job training. Full medical care too. So if Eindhoven has the money to do this I don't see what's so ridiculous about trying it. Maybe it won't have any affect, maybe it will, but I thought your take on it was ill-informed.

I'm actually an inhabitant of the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and it's funny to see that a story like this eventually ends up all the way on Salon.

It is true that credtit are rewarded to "behaviour that leads them away from prostitution", which will buy them designer clothes, etc.

However, the behaviour that is hoped for is actually participating in certain programs, which are funded by the city council, that are specifcally designed for the prostitutes. The programs have the aim to reduce the prostitutes' dependence on pimps, dealers, customers as well as the police and aid workers. These programs include job training and education.By actively participating, they are rewarded with the credits.

It's a new idea and it's worth a try. It might work.

The Salon video pron music was particularly apt for this story; I felt that I was in a Dutch bordello while watching. Thanks Tracy!

TRANSCRIPTS, SALON, TRANSCRIPTS. A lot of people would like to participate in the written discussion of these issues, but are physically unable to hear what's said on these video posts.

Wyan1, I also live in the Netherlands (in Alphen aan den Rijn) and I am actually curious about this story. Do you have any links to local Dutch newspapers or other sites discussing it in more detail? From what you say, the aim is not to move the prostitutes away from prostitution, but just to allow them to become more self-reliant? If this is the case, it does sound progressive and interesting.

I was finally able to watch this video, after wanting to hours ago.

CAN WE HAVE TRANSCRIPTS ALREADY? WHY DO WE EVEN COME HERE IF YOU SPIT ON YOUR READERS? There are deaf people, there are people at work, there are people who just don't want to sit through Clark-Flory's tedious reading style. The point of a video blog is supposed to be to add visual content, but yours don't do that - no photos of what a Dutch hooker looks like, or even a Dutch fashion model. The only thing to look at is Tracy, and with all due respect, we know what she looks like by now.

Seems to me this initiative makes a lot of sense if you're the right sort of man - who wants to patronize a poorly-dressed hooker?

The Netherlands is (are?) not the US. Like an earlier poster said, they already make sure everyone has the basics.

You need to travel. Holland is a good place to start. If you end up staying in Denmark for more than a month, they pretty much require you to register with a physician for FREE health care (even for foreigners).

It will open your eyes -- and while you probably view this as patronizing, quite frankly, if your eyes were open, you wouldn't make such a post -- there'd be a little self-doubt in the tone.

I am also incredibly frustrated with these horrible talking-head video clips with no transcripts. If there were even a shred of actual visual content to justify the format, I would not be complaining. I might have even been mildly entertained by this story if I had been able to quickly read it when I saw it in my RSS feed at work. But since I like to be considerate of my co-workers, I have to star the post, wait until I get home, dig the post up again, open the window, wait for my slowish home connection to load the video and then... guess what? It wasn't worth it! The music is just ghastly, and the lame attempt at adding visual interest by making abrupt zoom changes makes the piece nearly unwatchable. There is NO reason to do a post like this in video format. It adds nothing, and creates a palpable sense of anti-climax. If you must insist on doing them, why not at least provide a transcript so we have some way of opting out? How many complaints will it take? If the loyal Broadsheet audience took up a petition on OpenSalon, would that be enough to convince you? In the meantime, I have sadly decided to filter Tracy Clark-Flory from my RSS feed entirely, so I dont get suckered into watching any more of these. I really love Broadsheet, but I can't stand these low-production vanity video nightmares.

No point in asking for transcripts for these video blogs; there never will be. Salon knows that Tracy's cute enough that we'll be willing to sit through a brief ad just to see her rocking her eggplant-colored sweater. Although I thought the polka-dot number from a couple days ago was a lot cuter, so if you could bring that one back, Salon, you'd have one very appreciative reader.

The video pieces are a straightforward way of guaranteeing prospective advertisers a certain number of eyeballs. Ads are floating all around the screen on Internet sites, but how do advertisers know that somebody's actually reading them? With these video blogs, advertisers know they have a captive audience that's quantifiable, and that's worth something to them. It also enables Salon to take advantage of one of its assets: Tracy's aforementioned cuteness.

In other words, Salon is selling the physical attractiveness of its female bloggers (I've seen Rebecca Traister on here, too, and she's not so hard on the eyes) in return for simple, filthy lucre. On Broadsheet, no less. Doesn't sound very "Ms. Magazine" to me.