10 Comments »

1. Trafficking fanatics are notorious for this; Laura Agustin recently had a post on the wide discrepancy between the "estimates" produced by various "trafficking studies": http://www.lauraagustin.com/pictorial-representation-of-trafficking-estimatesguessesfantasies-with-and-without-sex

   There's a marketing agency in Atlanta called The Schapiro Group who specializes in producing bogus "studies" to "prove" whatever the customer wants proved; these days they appear to be specializing in "proving" that the majority of prostitutes are coerced underage girls. I analyzed two recent examples, the first of which (http://maggiemcneill.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/as-young-as-possible/) made so many unwarranted and incorrect assumptions that any "data" collected was completely without context, and the second of which (http://maggiemcneill.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/wild-guessing-part-one/) actually tried to establish guessing as a valid and reliable determinant of the age of women in photos. Compared to these "studies", creationism is rigorous science.

   Comment by Maggie McNeill — February 26, 2011 @ 8:04 am

2. That part about "profit = exploitation" is a really good way of putting it. This idea that any time one makes money, someone must be being exploited. It's a helpful deconstruction, because it helps me understand the underlying assumption that prevents what I think of as otherwise rational people from being able to get it when I talk about my work in porn / bondage / dancing or whatever as being freeing, fun, and a hell of a lot less oppressive / depressing than, say, my experience working at Stop & Shop.

   The idea that because one is "profitting by one's body" in some way as a sex worker, that one is necessarily being exploited, has always been so weird to me. I know so many people who bust their asses as day laborers - no one ever acts like they are being oppressed for using their bodies to, say, lay down road or build a house. They do a job, they get paid, and that's it. I've never been able to get why this is thought of so differently from what I do - except that I count myself lucky that I probably won't wind up with back problems due to hauling around massive amounts of construction material, as so many neighbors and friends of mine have.

   Comment by Miss C — February 27, 2011 @ 3:41 pm

3. Maggie: I love Laura Agustin. I am always trying to force her book upon people. I'm going to add your blog to my blogroll, there's good stuff to be had there. :)

   Miss C: It's definitely a problem that is exacerbated from so much sex worker rights activism in the states having an anti-capitalist/lefty foundation, which is something I've been meaning to write more about.

   Comment by Furry Girl — February 28, 2011 @ 12:14 am

4. This idea that any time one makes money, someone must be being exploited.

   Funny how no one goes on about the exploitation in restaurant kitchens, though. As always they are picking and choosing their ideological battles.

   Comment by Belle de Jour — February 28, 2011 @ 2:10 am

5. Thank you, Furry Girl! :-)

   Comment by Maggie McNeill — February 28, 2011 @ 6:17 am

6. Belle: So many argument against sex work apply to all forms of employment. I should expand that topic into a proper blog post, since I'm not sure if I have before.

   Comment by Furry Girl — February 28, 2011 @ 1:39 pm

7. Full disclosure: I used to id as sort of an anarcho-syndicalist who finds it hard to deal with community, until I realize that dogma irritates me and there's very few people on the left or right who I can actually stand, but that's also probably true of people in general.

   I guess, I see it like this: there's a lot about work, in general, in our society, that's fucked up. And I don't have a problem with people who are interested to do so imagining different ways of working, a different society, a boss-less society even, if you want, etc. I think good things (oh and bad things, but changes, anyway) start in the imagination.

   What I have a problem with is people deciding that I am being exploited without, you know, consulting me as an actual real, living, human. And I have a problem, to paraphrase (but not put words in the mouth of) Belle, with people who pick sex work as the grounds to fight that ideological work / exploitation battle because of their underlying whorephobia and sex issues. I mean, please.

   Another thing that I find curious is this: I mean, I've read Marx's Capital, okay. And I'm probably going to get this wrong, but it seemed like what he was saying was that the kind of profit he had a problem with was when someone at the top was basically leeching profit off their workers, like selling something that workers made and then paying them less than their work is worth.

   Obvs I can't speak for all sex workers of all stripes. There have been times, espcially in porn world, where some less outdated version of the above paragraph has struck me as an issue. But in my indy work, and espcially with the kind of work I am trying to make a move towards (Domination, private foot fetish stuff, with some dancing and stuff on the side), it works kinda like, I do a job, I gets my $$, and there's no in between. You know? Even from a Marx-y anti-capitalist standpoint, that seems... I don't know, less exploitative according to the dogma. Anyone feel me?

   Oh, I mean, unless you have issues with ho's. Then all bets are off and I guess we are exploited slutz in distress or whatevs is politically expedient.

   Comment by Miss C — March 2, 2011 @ 6:38 pm

8. Miss C: Thanks for commenting. I also think left wing anti-sex worker thought is something of a perversion of what I'd classically think of as capitalist critique. But, silly me for thinking that the sorts of people who like to identify as anarchists and anti-capitalists in America are capable of recognizing any distinction between "boss exploiting workers for undue profit" and "worker making their own living."

   Comment by Furry Girl — March 4, 2011 @ 11:50 pm

9. "recognizing any distinction between "boss exploiting workers for undue profit" and "worker making their own living."

   That's a really important distinction.

   Among most of the people in my area I have felt safe to talk to, who I also see as "on the left," I have encountered a fair amount of support. Especially from queer groups and queer-oriented services. I've been lucky in that way.

   When I get criticized, it's almost always from a moralizing position that I associate with the right... but almost the exact same attack comes from my critics on the left. Almost always from men. When sex isn't "about love" (ie, for free), it makes them nervous and they get angry and weird. It's bizzare to me.

   When it comes up among the working class left and libertarian people at my favorite bar, they are full of moralisms until I assert myself as an independent small business owner, whose business happens to be myself. It's amazing how quickly that framing wins a lot of people over.

   Comment by Miss C — March 5, 2011 @ 9:27 am

10. Miss C: I actually find that the left is more fucked up than the right, overall, when it comes to sex work issues. A big problem of sex workers rights arguments is that most of what's out there hinges on assuming a person is a left-wing feminist. We need to stop catering our arguments to an audience that is a minority of Americans, and yes, the free market angle is an important one. (I'm not a free market absolutist myself, but I think it applies perfectly with adult sex work.)

    Comment by Furry Girl — March 5, 2011 @ 2:56 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Comment policy for Feminisnt: I do not publish blatant insults and trolling. You must use a name/handle other than anonymous or asdf because I am tired of giving space to detractors who are too lazy to pick a fake handle and too scared to use a real one. I no longer publish comments bitching at me about how feminism is the greatest thing ever. And I may not publish your comment if I have already addressed that specific issue several times already. Read my responses to other comments before asking a new question. Finally, if your comment hinges on an obvious logical fallacy, I might not publish that, either, except to make fun of you. All new commentors have their first comment held for moderation. Commenting on my blog and taking up space on my server is a privilege, not a right.