The inner world of a prostitute

[Loren Pechtel]

Why aren't laws prohibiting underage prostitution enforced now? There are laws against prostitution, laws against sex with someone under the age of consent and in the US, no one is considered of age to consent to prostitution under the age of 18. I do not buy that law enforcement is unable to enforce laws against prostitution now or against teenagers being prostitutes because it's so hidden. I am pretty certain that if you don't already know where you could purchase the services of a prostitute in your location, you could find out within 5 minutes. So could the police.

Knowing where you can purchase doesn't mean you can actually prove it to a level needed to convict.

Here the outcall places are well enough organized that a sting will net only one prostitute at most--then all of them know about it and won't send anyone. And the prostitutes are quite good at sniffing out stings, it often fails.

They do arrest lots of streetwalkers, though.

From what I have read, legalization increases rather than decreases illegal prostitution and trafficking. Instead it being like a WalMart out competing all the local businesses, it is more like, one bar seems to make it seem like a great location to put a second bar. Or same thing with Starbucks.

You're still looking at the information from a site that wants to ban all prostitution.

There is a thriving market for young adolescent girls (and boys) to be used for sex. Also for younger kids. There are stings in my area more or less annually. Hint: if a 15 year old girl is offering herself over the internet, it's probably a 40 year old law enforcement agent.

If it's probably a cop why do you think there's a thriving market?

 

[southernhybrid]

Since I didn't get a response about my question concerning the age of sex workers, I found one article that claimed that some sex workers are well over the age of 60.

https://nypost.com/2017/11/11/sex-worker-with-over-10000-partners-reveals-what-men-really-want/

A little-known secret in the punting world, is that there are quite a lot of men who will actively seek out escorts who are not the hottest of the hot women and go for someone who isn’t as classically beautiful, because they feel shy and sometimes a little inadequate themselves.

“You don’t have to be the hottest femme fatale, but as long as you are well groomed, comfortable and confident in your own skin, have a great vibe, energetic and you are professional…then this is what it takes.

“There are many, many different women of all shapes, ages, sizes and backgrounds than you can think of making money from their body.”

Gwyneth said that one of the biggest myths is that men only want younger women.

But in her experience, women can be successful at any age, and she has witnessed escorts in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s earning good sums of money.

She even heard of one escort who started working at the age of 83, and carried on for four years charging around $325 an hour.


In fact, many men want a genuine conversation and connection — something they might not get with girls the same age as their daughters.

Anyway, I would encourage anyone who doesn't realize or understand why many women in this line of work feel like it is the ultimate form of feminism, might enjoy spending some time reading what women who do sex work say about how much they enjoy their profession. There even websites owned by sex workers or former sex workers who give all kinds of advice to women who want to get started in this line of work. One of them had a previous career in finance but enjoyed sex work a lot more. It's not something I would enjoy, nor is it for me to judge the women who choose this as a career, but there is plenty of evidence that this is a career than many women choose, ether temporarily or as a life long career. More power to them.

Anyway, enough said for now. I need to think about something other than sex for awhile.

 

[Toni]

I've read the opposite about legalization decreasing forced prostitution--that it increases sex trafficking/forced prostitution. This is the primary reason that I am opposed to legalization. I would feel differently, as well, if numerous sources had not cited 15 (one or two a little older or a little younger but mostly 15) as being the average age that a prostitute begins sex work. At 15, we don't allow people to operate motor vehicles or perform other dangerous tasks. 15 year olds are not mature enough nor do they have the legal status that allows them to effectively advocate for themselves.

And if it were legal it would be a lot harder for those 15 year olds to work as a prostitute. In a realm where it's legal few people are going to take the risk of going to an illegal prostitute. (And note that those 15 year old prostitutes are mostly coming from very bad homes. Fix the real problem, the prostitution is a symptom.)

I really don't understand this argument at all. There is nothing stopping law enforcement now. And unfortunately, illegal sex trade involving minors is not going away with legalization because there's a pretty big market for young girls and for some, the younger the better. I really, really, really wish that legalization would decrease trafficking and the use of minors for sex work. It just doesn't.

I agree that almost all teenage prostitutes come from very bad situations which make them vulnerable to exploitation. Many are runaways or throwaways with few other choices.

Why not go the whole way though and help all people who are struggling to make a living avoid work which puts them at serious risk for disease, injury, violence and death. I'm not just talking about sex work but also things like pro football (American), boxing, and some other industries.

 

[Toni]

Knowing where you can purchase doesn't mean you can actually prove it to a level needed to convict.

Here the outcall places are well enough organized that a sting will net only one prostitute at most--then all of them know about it and won't send anyone. And the prostitutes are quite good at sniffing out stings, it often fails.

They do arrest lots of streetwalkers, though.



You're still looking at the information from a site that wants to ban all prostitution.

There is a thriving market for young adolescent girls (and boys) to be used for sex. Also for younger kids. There are stings in my area more or less annually. Hint: if a 15 year old girl is offering herself over the internet, it's probably a 40 year old law enforcement agent.

If it's probably a cop why do you think there's a thriving market?

I look at a lot of sources, Loren. Really, I do. I've posted a number including a link to a series of articles offering opposing viewpoints from the NY Times.

I'm not sure if I'm answering you but the evidence I have for the 'thriving market' is that there are always at least half a dozen men, generally in their 50's or older but not always who get caught in the sting. Ads placed specifically mention the age of 15, so it's not a mistake and they really thought it was someone who was of legal age of consent.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Since I didn't get a response about my question concerning the age of sex workers, I found one article that claimed that some sex workers are well over the age of 60.

https://nypost.com/2017/11/11/sex-worker-with-over-10000-partners-reveals-what-men-really-want/

A little-known secret in the punting world, is that there are quite a lot of men who will actively seek out escorts who are not the hottest of the hot women and go for someone who isn’t as classically beautiful, because they feel shy and sometimes a little inadequate themselves.

“You don’t have to be the hottest femme fatale, but as long as you are well groomed, comfortable and confident in your own skin, have a great vibe, energetic and you are professional…then this is what it takes.

“There are many, many different women of all shapes, ages, sizes and backgrounds than you can think of making money from their body.”

Gwyneth said that one of the biggest myths is that men only want younger women.

But in her experience, women can be successful at any age, and she has witnessed escorts in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s earning good sums of money.

She even heard of one escort who started working at the age of 83, and carried on for four years charging around $325 an hour.


In fact, many men want a genuine conversation and connection — something they might not get with girls the same age as their daughters.

Anyway, I would encourage anyone who doesn't realize or understand why many women in this line of work feel like it is the ultimate form of feminism, might enjoy spending some time reading what women who do sex work say about how much they enjoy their profession. There even websites owned by sex workers or former sex workers who give all kinds of advice to women who want to get started in this line of work. One of them had a previous career in finance but enjoyed sex work a lot more. It's not something I would enjoy, nor is it for me to judge the women who choose this as a career, but there is plenty of evidence that this is a career than many women choose, ether temporarily or as a life long career. More power to them.

Anyway, enough said for now. I need to think about something other than sex for awhile.

Your posts above are right on point (this one and your others). I interviewed and spoke with many sex workers when I was part of the legal team that eventually got the old prostitution laws in Canada overturned (only to later have new laws which are arguably just as bad replace them despite our efforts to prevent that) and the vast majority of them were shocked and upset at how they are so rarely consulted or listened to on these matters. This was echoed in the public hearings regarding the new laws (nordic model) that replaced the old ones. Church groups and anti-prostitution groups of the sort Toni reads from were brought centre stage and listened to. The women who overthrew the original laws (Bedford and others) were allowed to speak only very briefly and were not listened to. The public hearings were a farce and the Harper (Conservative) government brought in the nordic model here. The Liberal government (who legalized marijuana recently) hasn't yet taken steps to undo these new laws, but many police departments, and even a couple of premiers have stated that they outright won't enforce them. It leaves the whole thing rather unsteady. I'm not aware of anyone who has been arrested under the new laws and hasn't also been arrested for trafficking etc, but once this does happen, I have little doubt that another legal team will take this back to the Supreme Court of Canada, as these new laws blatantly violate what the Court said the last time around when we won there.

I agree with you that Bedford and the other Women who fought against these laws telling women what they can do with their own bodies should be looked upon as feminist heroes. And some do see them that way.

Valerie Scott is one of them, and though I've posted this here on this board before (and nobody has responded to it), I think it appropriate to post her TED talk again:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zDqmedFE_Q[/youtube]

And here is a quick summary of the Bedford decision that undid the old laws and why they were struck down:

http://www.pivotlegal.org/canada_v_bedford_a_synopsis_of_the_supreme_court_of_canada_ruling

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

I've been following a woman who's done a PhD in sex work on Twitter for some months now, and she's really changed the way I look at prostitution. Before I had little to no opinion, but now I get where they're coming from, and can see how this kind of thing is often framed in the media.

Basically the gist is: sex work is real work, and there should be no stigma surrounding that. And also many people who think they're 'saving' prostitutes are actually just taking away their livelihood.

This is also exactly correct. And it is readily apparent if you actually listen to the actual sex workers, rather than organizations against sex work. Sex work is work, and is pretty well paying for many who would otherwise be working minimum wage jobs. Work a few times a week and make enough money to live comfortably, or work 5 shifts of 8 hours a week and make considerably less money? Yeah, some women choose the former, despite the nature of the work.

Of course there do exist trafficked prostitutes, and of course, that's already illegal and should be. There also exist crack whores who need addiction counseling and help and should get it. And of course there exist predatory and violent men who assault and even kill some sex workers. Screening is an important tool against that, and we should do all we can to protect against that. Making it illegal and driving it underground doesn't.

The big danger these women face that nobody ever talks about, is the huge hole in the resume that this creates and the lack of other work experience gained. These women don't stay young or pretty forever. Some of them can keep clients and keeping making money at this well into their 40s, and some can even do it in their 60s (as noted in a post above; since a lot of sex work is about counseling and being a shoulder to cry on etc). But many sex workers see a sharp decline in earnings as they age and it can be like hitting a brick wall. They need to have a future plan, such as going to school or planning a business to enter into with their earnings, or simply saving and investing money they make. Many do this; more than you may think. But many don't, and become accustomed to a lifestyle that they won't be able to maintain... and that can get very sad. Something should be done to help sex workers from falling into this trap. I don't think making their work illegal does that.

 

[TSwizzle]

I've known three prostitutes, two of them pretty well, the other one just when she was hanging out in a bar to get shelter out of the rain, snow or cold weather on slow days. One of them was a girl I worked beside and I caught her hawking her wares (street walking) near where we worked and I lived. She was mortified. Her mom also worked in the same place as us. The girl was in tears and begged me not to tell her mom and gave me all her reasons as to why she found herself turning tricks on the street. A fucking sad state of affairs for a lovely young girl. I had no intention of telling her mom or anyone else for that matter. The other girl I knew very well but she was more of an escort. Says she wasn't having any sexual activity with the guys, just accompanying them out to social events. I had my doubts about the no sexual activity, it's possible I suppose. These two girls were similarly aged, early twenties and not unattractive. The last woman was your typical street walker prostitute. Middle aged, haggard and strung out on drugs most of the time. Spoke to her often and at length whenever she was in the bar. She was well known in the area and had a nickname. Very nice woman, seemed open and honest. She became a bit of a charity case for the regulars in the bar who would by her a meal and a drink, no favors asked. She would lament how she didn't know how she had sunk so low, the drugs, abusive husband, had kids. A fairly typical tale I think. She disappeared after about 18 months. Nobody knew her well enough that could find out if she had stopped working or moved out the area or found something else. We worried if something bad had happened. My opinion on prostitution is formed through these encounters and a few others. Basically I think men that go to prostitutes are on the whole taking advantage of vulnerable, desperate women. I worked beside creeps that used to go to "saunas" and come back bragging about using the women as a kleenex. Creeps.

 

[southernhybrid]

My brother in law has been to some of the brothels in Las Vegas since his recent divorce. He's wealthy and has been having sex with lots of women since the end of his 35 year marriage, which was sexless for at least 7 years or so. I've never liked him very much. He's shallow and rather self centered, but I'm quite sure that he at least treated the sex workers that he paid respectfully. I doubt that he's ever been monogamous since he once told my husband that he paid for sex when he visited Denmark many years ago. He also paid a stripper in Atlanta for a "hand job". Why he seems to feel the need to tell my husband these things is beyond me. I guess my point in mentioning this is that some men are going to seek out sex workers regardless if the work is legal or not. At least legal sex work can offer the women more protections and allow them more independence.

I do want to say something else that I disagree with Toni about. It's a very small disagreement, but perhaps it explains our different opinions about the nature of the work these women do. To her, the women are "selling their bodies", but to me, they are selling a service. The service is controlled and determined by the women. Not all sex workers offer the same variety of services and not all sex workers are wiling to offer services to just any client.

Of course, I'm being a bit idealistic, since many women who go into this line of work are desperate and given other choices, they might prefer to do something else. Still, keeping the work illegal does nothing to help the most desperate of these women. Making the work legal doesn't solve all of the problems associated with the work either, but it does seem to me as the better option of the two. Obviously, there is no perfect solution.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Of course, I'm being a bit idealistic, since many women who go into this line of work are desperate and given other choices, they might prefer to do something else.

I never bought this point. They have the same options as other desperate people, including men and less sexually attractive women. Being an attractive female opens up options in the sex industry that aren't available or as lucrative for others. So long as nobody is forcing the choice on them I don't buy it as a negative. It's a positive; an option others in the same situation don't get.

Work 40 hours at minimum wage at the 7/11 or work a few hours on her back? The others in the same situation but without the latter choice are the ones at a disadvantage.

 

[Toni]

Of course, I'm being a bit idealistic, since many women who go into this line of work are desperate and given other choices, they might prefer to do something else.

I never bought this point. They have the same options as other desperate people, including men and less sexually attractive women. Being an attractive female opens up options in the sex industry that aren't available or as lucrative for others. So long as nobody is forcing the choice on them I don't buy it as a negative. It's a positive; an option others in the same situation don't get.

Work 40 hours at minimum wage at the 7/11 or work a few hours on her back? The others in the same situation but without the latter choice are the ones at a disadvantage.

Not all lines of work (I'm not talking sex work in any way, shape or form, to be clear) are necessarily open or easily open to women. For example, a woman who was looking for construction work as a casual day laborer would very likely not be chosen--unless the boss wanted to use her for sex.

Work at construction sites and in factories remain much more available to men, even when physical strength is not necessary. I've seen job descriptions written to state that the applicant 'should be able to lift up to 50 lbs. repeatedly during shift,' when I knew for an absolute fact that this was unnecessary and in fact, women (including older women, who may or may not have been in particularly good shape) could and did perform all related tasks for this job and lifting of objects 50 lbs was rare and no one: including the younger, very fit guys did this unassisted or repeatedly. Job descriptions are often written expressly to attract or disqualify certain candidates, sometimes based on gender. It still happens and it's legal.

Other low skill/no skill jobs open to anyone/specifically women include working in retail, which pays poorly and is often an unreliable source of income (ask anyone who works for Target or Walmart), and restaurant work where female restaurant workers are pretty much expected to tolerate a lot of bad behavior from customers and from other staff.

It isn't hard to see how a vulnerable young girl or woman who had been dealing with lots of abuse or threats of abuse would be willing to tolerate such behavior if they thought resistance meant being fired or being hurt worse. Girls and women who are accustomed to being sexually abused can easily adopt the survival attitude that 'if it's going to happen anyway, why not make some money at it?.' Or 'at least he keeps me safe and I don't have to worry about being killed.' And of course, it's not rape if you agree to it and too many people agree to it in order to avoid what they believe would be worse consequences of refusing.

 

[rousseau]

If women are desperate and have no way to feed themselves, wouldn't making prostitution illegal just take away an additional option?

How does making prostitution illegal make the situation better?

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

If women are desperate and have no way to feed themselves, wouldn't making prostitution illegal just take away an additional option?

Bingo. Except they will do it anyway. It just means they are driven to become criminals if it's illegal. And probably to do it more hidden and in darker and more dangerous places. That was part of the Bedford decicion's logic.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I've read the opposite about legalization decreasing forced prostitution--that it increases sex trafficking/forced prostitution. This is the primary reason that I am opposed to legalization. I would feel differently, as well, if numerous sources had not cited 15 (one or two a little older or a little younger but mostly 15) as being the average age that a prostitute begins sex work. At 15, we don't allow people to operate motor vehicles or perform other dangerous tasks. 15 year olds are not mature enough nor do they have the legal status that allows them to effectively advocate for themselves.

And if it were legal it would be a lot harder for those 15 year olds to work as a prostitute. In a realm where it's legal few people are going to take the risk of going to an illegal prostitute. (And note that those 15 year old prostitutes are mostly coming from very bad homes. Fix the real problem, the prostitution is a symptom.)

I really don't understand this argument at all. There is nothing stopping law enforcement now. And unfortunately, illegal sex trade involving minors is not going away with legalization because there's a pretty big market for young girls and for some, the younger the better. I really, really, really wish that legalization would decrease trafficking and the use of minors for sex work. It just doesn't.

I'm not surprised you don't understand--liberals seem unable to comprehend issues stemming from the state not having infinite resources.

There's simply too much prostitution for it to be practical to go after all of it. Separate the market into two segments, legal and illegal and you'll see far fewer operating in the illegal market. Consider abortion--when it was legalized women went to true doctors, the quacks were forced out of the business.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Knowing where you can purchase doesn't mean you can actually prove it to a level needed to convict.

Here the outcall places are well enough organized that a sting will net only one prostitute at most--then all of them know about it and won't send anyone. And the prostitutes are quite good at sniffing out stings, it often fails.

They do arrest lots of streetwalkers, though.



You're still looking at the information from a site that wants to ban all prostitution.

There is a thriving market for young adolescent girls (and boys) to be used for sex. Also for younger kids. There are stings in my area more or less annually. Hint: if a 15 year old girl is offering herself over the internet, it's probably a 40 year old law enforcement agent.

If it's probably a cop why do you think there's a thriving market?

I look at a lot of sources, Loren. Really, I do. I've posted a number including a link to a series of articles offering opposing viewpoints from the NY Times.

I'm not sure if I'm answering you but the evidence I have for the 'thriving market' is that there are always at least half a dozen men, generally in their 50's or older but not always who get caught in the sting. Ads placed specifically mention the age of 15, so it's not a mistake and they really thought it was someone who was of legal age of consent.

You are showing that there is a certain amount of demand, not that there is a thriving market.

It's rather like child pornography--do you know that at least before the coming of the internet the largest (by far) purveyor of child porn in the US was the US government itself? There was no real market, just the sting operations. (The internet has probably changed that, the purveyors can sit in places that will not cooperate with prosecuting them.)

 

[Toni]

I really don't understand this argument at all. There is nothing stopping law enforcement now. And unfortunately, illegal sex trade involving minors is not going away with legalization because there's a pretty big market for young girls and for some, the younger the better. I really, really, really wish that legalization would decrease trafficking and the use of minors for sex work. It just doesn't.

I'm not surprised you don't understand--liberals seem unable to comprehend issues stemming from the state not having infinite resources.

There's simply too much prostitution for it to be practical to go after all of it. Separate the market into two segments, legal and illegal and you'll see far fewer operating in the illegal market. Consider abortion--when it was legalized women went to true doctors, the quacks were forced out of the business.

Illegal prostitution seems to thrive right next door to legal prostitution. There stil seems to be a lack of will or wherewithal to go after the illegal trade.

Women seeking abortions are a significantly different market than men seeking prostitutes. It really makes no sense to attempt to draw any parallels.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Work at construction sites and in factories remain much more available to men, even when physical strength is not necessary. I've seen job descriptions written to state that the applicant 'should be able to lift up to 50 lbs. repeatedly during shift,' when I knew for an absolute fact that this was unnecessary and in fact, women (including older women, who may or may not have been in particularly good shape) could and did perform all related tasks for this job and lifting of objects 50 lbs was rare and no one: including the younger, very fit guys did this unassisted or repeatedly. Job descriptions are often written expressly to attract or disqualify certain candidates, sometimes based on gender. It still happens and it's legal.

English comprehension failure.

"Lift up to 50 pounds repeatedly during shift" -- this is a job that involves a decent amount of lifting, which at times might be as heavy as 50 pounds. It does not say that all the objects being lifted are 50 pounds, just that they might encounter things that heavy.

Examples of tasks that would warrant such a description: Airline check-in clerk. (Sometimes they have to move checked luggage to the belt. These days most check-in is at machines but not all. When you are making an international trip you generally can't use the machines, AFIAK when you are making an international trip to a visa-required country the machines are completely not an option. We've had multiple clerks try to shoo us to the machines, they always quickly change their tune when I point out our destination.)

Another example: Office IT. Most of the stuff being handled is light but once in a while you're going to need to deal with a case of paper. A case of 8.5" x 11" paper is almost exactly 50 pounds. A larger laser printer can also be pretty heavy.

 

[Toni]

Work at construction sites and in factories remain much more available to men, even when physical strength is not necessary. I've seen job descriptions written to state that the applicant 'should be able to lift up to 50 lbs. repeatedly during shift,' when I knew for an absolute fact that this was unnecessary and in fact, women (including older women, who may or may not have been in particularly good shape) could and did perform all related tasks for this job and lifting of objects 50 lbs was rare and no one: including the younger, very fit guys did this unassisted or repeatedly. Job descriptions are often written expressly to attract or disqualify certain candidates, sometimes based on gender. It still happens and it's legal.

English comprehension failure.

"Lift up to 50 pounds repeatedly during shift" -- this is a job that involves a decent amount of lifting, which at times might be as heavy as 50 pounds. It does not say that all the objects being lifted are 50 pounds, just that they might encounter things that heavy.

Examples of tasks that would warrant such a description: Airline check-in clerk. (Sometimes they have to move checked luggage to the belt. These days most check-in is at machines but not all. When you are making an international trip you generally can't use the machines, AFIAK when you are making an international trip to a visa-required country the machines are completely not an option. We've had multiple clerks try to shoo us to the machines, they always quickly change their tune when I point out our destination.)

Another example: Office IT. Most of the stuff being handled is light but once in a while you're going to need to deal with a case of paper. A case of 8.5" x 11" paper is almost exactly 50 pounds. A larger laser printer can also be pretty heavy.

You get a double win for arrogance and ignorance.

In fact I knew the job duties of the position I described because it was attached to my work unit. Two of the women who performed that job were near my age, and one some years older: in her sixties. The other was short and at least 80 lbs. overweight with a number of health issues, so don’t try that shit,Loren. I actually know what I’m talking about.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Of course, I'm being a bit idealistic, since many women who go into this line of work are desperate and given other choices, they might prefer to do something else. Still, keeping the work illegal does nothing to help the most desperate of these women. Making the work legal doesn't solve all of the problems associated with the work either, but it does seem to me as the better option of the two. Obviously, there is no perfect solution.

Why would it help any of them? If a woman turns to prostitution out of financial desperation, why would not being a prostitute fix her financial desperation? How is not having money fixing anything for her?

 

[DrZoidberg]

The same prostitute invited me for a weekend trip to Amsterdam and hang out with more prostitutes. Hookers know how to party.

I didn't really learn anything new of interest for this thread. But I did see a paraplegic have sex with a woman at an after party. It turns out that just a couple of years ago the paraplegic was a surfer/fitness photo model and super famous. He had an accident and now this was the situation. He was cool as fuck. We ended up becoming friends. Now I know how paraplegics have sex. His wife was also at the party. Also super cool, and also my friend now.

A group of male prostitutes met up with us and a gay hooker loudly yelled across the room "are you also a whore?" Since I do have a job I do think I'm no less a whore than him, so I said "yes". I was immediately included into the gang as one of their own. I didn't reveal my shameful secret of not actually being a prostitute. Another prostitute, but straight male prostitute, explained the secrets of getting and staying hard. To demonstrate took out his cock and instantly became hard. Waved it around triumphantly. This was in a night club. These guys weren't shy. And since this is Amsterdam, it was totally cool.

A guy showed up with a t-shirt with the text "cult leader". It turned out that he had recently been in the press and accused of being the cult leader of a sex cult. He didn't seem to take the accusations particularly seriously. I was told he ran a school teaching tantric sexual techniques and was very good at it.

When we were out walking in town one of the Dutch prostitutes called out "Christians" and all of them straightened out and temporarily stopped their hanky panky. We passed a group of people who I was later told was conservative Christians. When I asked about it they said "In Holland we respect other people's values". I'm not sure why, but I liked that attitude. Ordinarily I would have a problem with the assumption that it's always the fun people who need to adapt to the boring people. But for some reason in this situation I was ok with it. I think it has to do with that prostitutes are extremely good at being socially smooth and takes it upon themselves to make other people comfortable. Around them I was in their mindset.

These were all people with well managed egos. People with very few illusions. People with an attitude to serve rather than to take. It rubbed off. Around them I too felt the urge to focus less on myself and more on other people. Just from this weekend I feel like a better person. More humble and with more gratitude to life.

I could write pages of interesting things about this weekend. I'm also tired.

edit: forgot to mention the weirdest thing. On Saturday a lot of the people I spoke to would randomly start talking about the holocaust. To the point where it was freaking me out. Until somebody explained that 4/5 is the annual Dutch, "talk about the holocaust day". I thought it was a nice little tradition.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Of course, I'm being a bit idealistic, since many women who go into this line of work are desperate and given other choices, they might prefer to do something else. Still, keeping the work illegal does nothing to help the most desperate of these women. Making the work legal doesn't solve all of the problems associated with the work either, but it does seem to me as the better option of the two. Obviously, there is no perfect solution.

Why would it help any of them? If a woman turns to prostitution out of financial desperation, why would not being a prostitute fix her financial desperation? How is not having money fixing anything for her?

The leftists believe that by destroying bad jobs good jobs will magically appear.