Is anyone okay with prostitution?

[shadesofmediocrity]

The very selectiveness of their attention indicates that, on some level, they know that for almost everyone, involvement in the sex industry is a terrible misfortune.

 

That is true. The circumstances involving it can be pretty heinous and revolting and degrading and a whole bunch of other really negative adjectives like that. And I am glad I haven't been forced to be exposed to it.

 

Lots of times women have sex in exchange for many other stuff. It's something that won't ever NOT exist.

 

Also true. Again - the simple act of exchanging sex for material gain is justifiable.

[BellaDonna]

I at least have a clue you have to admit you know nothing about it. You have never spoken to a sex worker

 

Does the sex worker even fully realize the very complex set of circumstances that has led him or her to "choose" this career- or are they lost in the shuffle of a sadder reality? (- an oppressive capitalist society-) Are the complex social forces that drive their "career" even in their conscious realm, as the worker?

 

Surely being a friend to sex workers is not even enough to get the full picture.

[EQD]

justifiable? what about admirable?

[midnightrambler]

yeah.. hey thats good logic! Now if only they would make robbery and murder leagal we would live in a crime free world right!? right.

 

prostitution is legal in Nevada......because prostitution is illegal where i live i wouldn't do it .......murder and robbery will never be legal nor would i want it to be

[shadesofmediocrity]

BUT PLEASE....DO NOT!!!!!!!!!!

 

I won't!!!!!!

I am quite comfortable and stable and lucky in my life thank you. Curiosity is not enough for me to sacrifice that.

[enchiladaman]

Yeah that link Bella Donna posted really sums up what I've been trying to say. For many reasons it is an ugly and costly thing to the rest of society.

[itsallgrand]

This thread, honestly, scares the daylights out of me.

 

The veneer of civilization is indeed thin.

[CallingAllAngels]

I won't!!!!!!

I am quite comfortable and stable and lucky in my life thank you. Curiosity is not enough for me to sacrifice that.

 

Thank you!

[shadesofmediocrity]

Does the sex worker even fully realize the very complex set of circumstances that has led him or her to "choose" this career- or are they lost in the shuffle of a sadder reality- an oppressive capitalist society? Are the complex social forces that drive their "career" even in their conscious realm?

 

Which sex worker are we talking about? The percentage that have enough perspective to grasp the cause and effect of their situations, or the powerless coerced into it?

 

justifiable? what about admirable?

 

I could see where it would be possible to admire somebody who made their living in the sex trade; their qualities as an individual, their personal strengths. But as an act, or as a way of making a living in and of itself - justifiable, yes. but no, not admirable. It's not something I aspire to, it's merely something I could see as being a way of living one's life with reasons behind it.

[EQD]

look.. i am not saying a prostitute has no right to do what she wishes with her body to make a living. What i am saying--and this will come as no surprise to one who sells herself for an orgasm and whatever she charges to give it--is that i simply do not respect or value their choice, or whatever 'contribution' she feels she is making to society. Thats not a far out opinion at all.

Plain and simple it is a dangerous and risky lifestyle that is known to erode people at their core. Its also illegal in most states in the US. I dont respect people who break the law either. To say that my morals are out of spec on this issue is laughable.

[enchiladaman]

I at least have a clue you have to admit you know nothing about it. You have never spoken to a sex worker. So no you really can't guess. You are going off a bunch of images that have been presented to you from movies and TV shows and that is it. You are welcome to your opinion about what you would, and wouldn't do, and how you feel. But you need to stop saying how these women behave and feel about themselves, because you do not know.

 

Oh as if you're getting the full story yourself. As if anyone in any profession is going to tell you how much they hate their job and how bad their life sucks...especially in a profession that already has such a negative connotation surrounding it. And while it might not be so bad for the women you know specifically, I'm also very confident that you are only hearing the glamorous side of it. You'll never hear about the times they got hit, the creams they have to put on their vagina when it burns from abuse or an STI, or the time they had to sleep in a dumpster regardless of whether it actually happened to them or not.

[stella74]

I had a friend who worked with the homeless and streetworkers. From the stories I heard from her and things I've read, I have compassion for prostitutes because most of them have backgrounds of severe abuse. Many ran away from home as young girls and ended up on the streets. They were forced to sell their bodies as a way to survive. The challenge, as I see it, is to address the issues which lead to prostitution in the first place, rather than attacking the prostitutes. Only then will prostitution disappear.

 

Also, food for thought - some married women only have sex because they feel obligated to. In essense they are being "paid" to have sex because they are having sex in exchange for the material comforts the husband provides.

[midnightrambler]

look.. i am not saying a prostitute has no right to do what she wishes with her body to make a living. What i am saying--and this will come as no surprise to one who sells herself for an orgasm and whatever she charges to give it--is that i simply do not respect or value their choice, or whatever 'contribution' she feels she is making to society. Thats not a far out opinion at all.

Plain and simple it is a dangerous and risky lifestyle that is known to erode people at their core. Its also illegal in most states in the US. I dont respect people who break the law either. To say that my morals are out of spec on this issue is laughable.

 

i don't respect what prostitutes do either........but i am ok with it if it is legal

[enchiladaman]

This thread, honestly, scares the daylights out of me.

 

The veneer of civilization is indeed thin.

 

I agree. It was just too tempting. I should have never gotten involved

 

In fact yeah I think I'm done. That was my last post

[EQD]

i'm done here too. and middy, see we were actually on the same page. good to know.

[BellaDonna]

Which sex worker are we talking about? The percentage that have enough perspective to grasp the cause and effect of their situations, or the powerless coerced into it?

 

I see your distinction, and there is indeed a difference. It's much "worse" in my eyes if a child gets forced into the "career" of prostitution- however do you think anyone who chooses prostitution REALLY has a grasp on the cause and effect of it? If they did- why would they still choose it? Is it REALLY a choice at all?

 

Another interesting read: link removed

The symptoms of profound emotional distress that result from prostitution and trafficking are off the charts: depression, suicide attempts, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociation, substance abuse. Research interviews with women in nine countries revealed that almost all the women wanted to get out of prostitution -- whether the profession was legal in that country or not.

Survivors have described prostitution as "volunteer slavery" and as "the choice that is not a choice," while sex industry apologists insist that prostitution is "sex work," unpleasant labor but much like factory work.

 

Do women consent to prostitution? Do they say to themselves, "Hmm, what job should I choose: computer technician, lawyer, restaurant manager? No, I'd rather be a prostitute"?

 

Women who "choose" prostitution were sexually abused as kids at much higher rates than other women. That's one way women end up choosing prostitution: getting paid for the abuse they have grown up with and believing that's all they are good for. Other forces that choose them for prostitution include poverty or no education and no job that pays a living wage. Prostitution exploits a woman's lack of survival options. Sex discrimination, poverty, racism and abandonment are the forces that drive young women into prostitution.

[shadesofmediocrity]

Also, food for thought - some married women only have sex because they feel obligated to. In essense they are being "paid" to have sex because they are having sex in exchange for the material comforts the husband provides.

 

I think that is justifiable. Palatable, probably not. Emotionally satisfying, probably not.

But it's a form of prostitution, and it is not 'wrong' or 'bad' so long as the sex is fully consensual. Not enjoyed per se, but consensual.

[blondie86]

Seeing a hooker? If that's what you want to do...do it. However, I wouldn't even consider being with a guy who has been with a hooker before. The fact that some people choose to pay for something like sex is still beyond me. I mean, I would never feel comfortable doing something like that, but people are going to live their lives how they will and who am I to say being a hooker is horrible? Their life, their choice.

[JadedStar]

If legalized prostitution helps reduce the number of rape victims and they are safe about their "business", I am all for it.

 

It wouldn't Iceman. Rape is about power and control and rarely because the guy is horny.

 

Most horny men still dont force themselves on a woman. That is an angry act of control.

 

Legalizing prostitution would most likely not move the gauge on rape victims more than a couple of points if even that.

 

Unless they start raping the prostitutes.

[BeStrongBeHappy]

my problem with prostitution is that a large percentage of prostitutes are working that profession because they are drug addicts and need large sums of money to support their habits and can't hold down regular jobs. They are also very frequently victims of incest and physical and sexual abuse, and are acting out childhood trauma by prostituting themselves.

 

there are so many legit ways to earn money that don't involve doing this, and victims of abuse, trauma, and drugs should be getting treatment rather than prostituting themselves.

 

no matter what anyone may espouse, society looks down and degrades prostitutes, and women choosing this profession frequently need help because they are choosing to demean themselves and their status and are not just doing it for money or because it is a 'good' career. it is in fact a terrible career fraught with danger, abuse, disrespect. and they certainly can't do it for long. prostitutes are frequently murdered and no one cares.

 

so trying to cast this as an 'ok' career choice just doesn't hold water. perhaps some young women do it without any harm coming to them, but it is pretty hard to find prostitutes who are NOT drug addicted, abused etc.

[ghost69]

i officially hate this thread actually like prostitution. every time i check back it has gone 7 more pages.

[CallingAllAngels]

I'm done with this thread as well. For me, it has run it's course.

 

I have clearly stated my very strong opinions on this issue and I will never back down from them.

 

I am not closed minded...I just have my own opinions on the matter as does everyone else.

 

Period.

 

Nuff said.

[shadesofmediocrity]

I see your distinction, and there is indeed a difference. It's much "worse" in my eyes if a child gets forced into the "career" of prostitution- however do you think anyone who chooses prostitution REALLY has a grasp on the cause and effect of it? If they did- why would they still choose it? Is it REALLY a choice?

 

Is anything really a completely free choice? This or that, both of them equally desirable...doesn't tend to happen.

Of course there is some free will in almost all life situations, including the choice of prostitution as a 'job'. Perhaps in most of them the selection is just not that great though...prostitution/dead end min. wage job for lack of education, for example. That's a better choice than many have, too...

But for those lucky high-class call girl types I imagine often it's just an easy way out. I wouldn't condone it but it's their right.

[JadedStar]

I don't think anyone who is for this will convince those who are not to be so, or vice versa.

[shadesofmediocrity]

I don't think anyone who is for this will convince those who are not to be so, nor vice versa.

 

I realized that a while ago. but it is the nature of these things.

It's nice to throw one's opinions around. Kills time, and heck, maybe somebody learned something.