An opinion piece on Prostitution and injustice-- discuss

[Cable87]

Hi all.

Was just reading an article on the British Independent online, titled "Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Like Generations before us We make excuses for the clear Injustices of our Age." A lot of it touches on a range of moral and ethical issues stretching across the spectrum of social injustices that exist in the world, but there was one paragraph in it that struck me, as it was about prostitution. Here's the paragraph copy/pasted in full:


But the idea that there is no problem as long as there is consent is flawed for several reasons. First, people sometimes have to choose terrible things because in practical terms they have no choice. Prostitution is a good example. There are some, maybe many, Belle de Jours for whom sex work is not a last resort but a deliberate career move, but in many cases women are driven to prostitution out of desperation. Any man who thinks prostitution is never exploitative just as long as the woman isn't being physically forced into the job is surely deluded.

Here's the link to the full article for those who might want to read the whole thing:

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Like Generations Before Us, We Make Excuses for the Clear Injustices of Our Age | CommonDreams.org


Any thoughts on this folks? Would like to see the ladies weigh-in on this (and of course the gents as well).

[Doozer]

I havent read the full artical yet but the paragraoh that you posted again seems like the easy target of labeling prositution as explotive. If it said that prostitution was ok the readers would be up in arms about it. Its premis of vunrable women is sound but it still neglects to go into detail about those who choose it as a profession rather than a last option. Its just old news being rehashed to sell news

[Fountain_Of_All_Knowledge]

Does every person in this world want to do the job that they actually do.......doubt it!


Prostitution does not stand alone when it comes down to career choices, for instance i would love to be running this website but believe me selling fruit and veg every day dont ring my bell and never has...money money money

[Fountain_Of_All_Knowledge]

Do you work for/with Ruhuma mate?

Hi all.

Was just reading an article on the British Independent online, titled "Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Like Generations before us We make excuses for the clear Injustices of our Age." A lot of it touches on a range of moral and ethical issues stretching across the spectrum of social injustices that exist in the world, but there was one paragraph in it that struck me, as it was about prostitution. Here's the paragraph copy/pasted in full:


But the idea that there is no problem as long as there is consent is flawed for several reasons. First, people sometimes have to choose terrible things because in practical terms they have no choice. Prostitution is a good example. There are some, maybe many, Belle de Jours for whom sex work is not a last resort but a deliberate career move, but in many cases women are driven to prostitution out of desperation. Any man who thinks prostitution is never exploitative just as long as the woman isn't being physically forced into the job is surely deluded.

Here's the link to the full article for those who might want to read the whole thing:

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Like Generations Before Us, We Make Excuses for the Clear Injustices of Our Age | CommonDreams.org


Any thoughts on this folks? Would like to see the ladies weigh-in on this (and of course the gents as well).

[Cable87]

Do you work for/with Ruhuma mate?

That answer to that is no.

As I said, I was reading this article, and there was this paragraph about prostitution stuff right in the middle of it. The rest of the article makes no other mention of it. I have to assume that it was put there as an easy and emotive example to get people noddig an agreement with the argguments put forth in the article as a whole.

I agree with Doozer's take on it, that it's another example of the dominant discourse on prostition among the general public, and that seems to be the "woman as victim" argument against prostitution/escorting. The quote from the article seems to give at least a nod to the possibility that people could, at least hypothetically, enter the job of their own free will, but the last line of the quote where the author claims that men are "deluded" to think that prostitution is not an exploitative activity, even if there's no one (or perhaps also nothing, such as economic desperation) 'forcing' them into the industry, really strikes me as something which raises some interesting points. It is along these lines which I'd like to see a discussion form.

Are we punters exploiting the ladies we visit, even if there's no type of force or coersion, direct or indirect, which has functioned to guide them into the industry?

[nicegirlsarenice]

Like Generations before us We make excuses for the clear Injustices of our Age"

And like generations before us, it's usually the ones who stand up the highest with their moral outrage, and are most self-righteous and indigant who have been full of shit the whole time and overlooking the real travesties and injustices.

[Cable87]

And like generations before us, it's usually the ones who stand up the highest with their moral outrage, and are most self-righteous and indigant who have been full of shit the whole time and overlooking the real travesties and injustices.

Well said, Nicegirls!

[Patty Baby]

Hi all.

Was just reading an article on the British Independent online, titled "Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Like Generations before us We make excuses for the clear Injustices of our Age." A lot of it touches on a range of moral and ethical issues stretching across the spectrum of social injustices that exist in the world, but there was one paragraph in it that struck me, as it was about prostitution. Here's the paragraph copy/pasted in full:


But the idea that there is no problem as long as there is consent is flawed for several reasons. First, people sometimes have to choose terrible things because in practical terms they have no choice. Prostitution is a good example. There are some, maybe many, Belle de Jours for whom sex work is not a last resort but a deliberate career move, but in many cases women are driven to prostitution out of desperation. Any man who thinks prostitution is never exploitative just as long as the woman isn't being physically forced into the job is surely deluded.



Any thoughts on this folks? Would like to see the ladies weigh-in on this (and of course the gents as well).

I read i think word never important

Sometimes it exploit girls of course but not all time

So it depend who girl is and why she is escort

for me people think all girls be exploit are wrong as people think never be exploit

some people exploit girl for be nanny for they kids so is all girls who mind kids exploit shud no one get nanny in house in case the girl be exploit.
i think lots people that think escort is wrong not be problem get a girl of poor country and pay €400 a month for girl work 14 horas day for 7 day week to cook clean and mind kids.

who is worst people do that or people pay sex i not see manny people be worry for girl like that.



hope that make sence.

[mature_chardonnay]

There are a number of ways to look at this without making it personal.

First, the sex industry is a potentially high risk career option not least for personal safety but also for becoming arrested etc. All of which potentially taint a sex workers options of getting out of the job. If one has a criminal record for example, the number of alternative career options is limited, especially since this would be matter of public record and public views of prostitution are still stone-aged and ill-informed.

Second, all women involed int he sex industry do so for money and I have not spoken to an escort who says otherwise. Whether the monetary need is for luxury items such as designer bags, as depicted in Sectret Diaries or to pay for her own education or that of her child/ren is irrelevent to a point. But do not let it escape us that many women currently involved, new to this world, are struggling to simply feed the family and cover morgage or rent payments. For these women, this was not a first option and most likely an act of desperation. In addition to these women we have those whom are trafficked in or blackmailed in to this world by terrible people. Thes women have no choice but in a different way. The situations are similar yet very different. These women are not easily detected as often their lives depend upon their performance and the will insist they are independent for personal safety.

Another reason this would be viewed as exploitation is that desperate people do things which are desperate. These women, desperate to pay whatever bill comes through the door, may comprimise their own safety by seeing someone they think may be potentially dangerous or start off in the business ill-informed and put herself in harms way in a number of avenues. There are many oportunistic bad people out there who have, do and will continue to put an escort at risk if he thinks he can get away with it. In desperation, how good are your decision making skills???

Women are exploited still all over the world in almost every career path they choose and this debate may continue through generations. Exploitation is a broad term and to be fair may be a reference to the number engaged in street work as oposed to high end girls. Escorts and street workers are at a higher risk of crime than women in other professions, this is true, but I find high end girls to be better educated, more driven toward personal goals, less inclined to be on illegal narcotics, more self-aware and less likely to be involved in the industry unless they want to be.

For some women, working in the sex industry give them a sense of control and empowerment. But as clients, appreciate this job is not as easy as you might think. When you use the service, do so with the same courtessy you would expect if the tables were turned.

As long as there is a demand, there will be a supply.

Perhaps our goals should be about making it safer and less exploitive toward women, like clients not using unregistered sims for example, or paying with a credit card? If there were more tracability from both sides of the coin, the public views may change as in Amsterdam?

[cartman]

one of the best and well written threads iv ever read on e-i......and thought provoking