Defining Deviancy Down

DEFINING DEVIANCY DOWN -- (House of Representatives - March 15, 2006)

(Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan described the process by which perverse behavior slowly becomes accepted by society over time. He called it ``defining deviancy down.''

A recent newswire story illustrates his point. The story reports that Germany's sex industry is gearing up to handle a record demand for prostitution during the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament.

One man involved in the criminal underworld of German prostitution told the reporter, ``Football and prostitution are a great match. What else could you hope for?''

What else could you hope for? Mr. Speaker, I would hope that the evils of prostitution and human trafficking be condemned by society, not flaunted. I would hope for an end to sexual exploitation of women and children. I would hope for some sanity to prevail in the civilized country of Germany.

The story also reports that there are an estimated 15,000 victims of sex trafficking in Germany at any given time. That, Mr. Speaker, is the real cost of defining deviancy down.

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