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Overly analytical guide to escorting

knowingless.com

171–180 of 465 posts

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps his objection is a bit different( or maybe am projecting). It may feel more wrong that you are talking about it in a forum, rather than engaging with her privately

Sending a former escort private messages about fucking her is much grosser than commenting on a very frank blog post she’s made about her experiences.

Going by post doesn't seem to indicate she is former. In the last paragraph she mentions her concerns about escorting in the future given her blog detailing the industry in this detail.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Prostitution is not a victimless crime. This is just mental gymnastics that people do to make themselves feel better abotu themselves. No woman wakes up one day and says 'I want to sell my body for sex to the highest bidder' unless forced to by circumstance.

I know a lot of guys who dont wake up every day and say they want to sell their bodys for hard labor to the highest bidder, but it's decent work. Similar to how women can contract incurable, potentially-lethal venereal diseases as prostitutes, jobs like construction can really mess up a man's body. Doesn't mean we should ban them.

Many jobs are somewhat like that, but it's a matter of degree. Compare the market price of the job to the price that would lead people to want to take the job.

A lot of people would be willing to become a janitor at 3 times the market wages for janitors. A lot of people who are physically able to do construction work would take the job at 3 times the market rate for construction work. Not a lot of people would be willing to become a prostitute at 3 times the market rate for prostitutes.

This means that prostitution is much farther on the scale of "forced into by circumstances" than janitors or construction workers.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#173
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Her experience is not a good indicator or whether it should be legal or not . She is an exception even as an escort, and also high end escort work she describes here is very very different from the run on the mill prostitution. Her strategy of avoiding trouble by keeping price higher even if lower frequency engagements may not be feasible for many, they may be unable to get clients at higher price points and like any…

The question of whether it's good and wholesome is orthogonal to the question of whether society should punish those who do it. Scenario A: Resourceful, successful, happy. Should she be forced to accept dangerous working conditions and live under the constant threat of eviction, imprisonment, harassment and stigma? Why? What's the argument in favor of making her life difficult? Scenario B: Physical or mental disabili…

The point is her experience is niche and unique, it is not indicative of how the industry at large actually operates so making any judgements would not be meaningful as OP was doing.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#174
post #156

Very interesting article. Do I understand correctly that sex work is still illegal in the US? If so, what's the rationale? Why can't consenting adults do what they want with their body?

If a woman is poor, struggling to survive or trying to give a child a decent life in a society and economic system that is very sink or swim, do you consider it "consent" if she agrees to have sex with you so she can pay the rent, or have a decent meal, or buy the drugs she got hooked on dealing with depression and alienation, sold to her by a predatory drug dealer?

We all do stuff we'd rather not do for money.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#175
post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The legality is addressed in the article: > You can in fact get issued an escort license in some cities (e.g., San Francisco or Grand Chute, or Jefferson County, WA). I don’t know if this is a good idea, neither I nor anybody I know has applied for this, though I seriously considered. It’s possible it might grant you some legal protection, but also possible it might give you some legal issues, as it puts a lot of inf…

> Ultimately, in the context of the country/culture, legal protection is a progressive position, but it's not sufficient, unless complemented by a degree of anonymity. Not sure how that could work, though! Legal, non-anonymous and socially respectable escort services used to exist, you know. It existed in south india as a practice for hundreds of years before the british came.

Yes, this is why I've mentioned "in the context of the country/culture". Surely in the country you mention, or I suppose others (e.g. Netherlands) there is no social stigma, but in the USA, there is, and it needs to be taken into account.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#176
post #22

I actually read the entire thing. It was worth it imo. Some stand outs were her kind words about her clients (almost strange to see men as a class described with such positive words). She is clearly a very rational and intelligent person and this is a business to her like any other. Yeah I really don’t get why this stuff is illegal, even though I have no interest myself.

I don’t think the author intended to talk about men as a class and all the politics that comes with it, and as a man I would hate for discussions about my gender’s politics to be based specifically on sexual transactions. I mean, she had to talk a lot about her own safety and boundaries here. Not a very good sign for me.

Safety and boundaries also come up with taxi drivers, day laborers, pizza delivery folks, and many others - and objectively they end up dead more often near as I can tell.

Most folks here live pretty safe and cushy lives that the majority of humanity doesn’t get to enjoy. Real life for most people requires understanding and defending these things and making conscious decisions to protect them. it doesn’t require someone be doing sex work for it to be that way.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#177
post #152

I felt very sorry when she said it's difficult to take deposits because payment processors are cruel, that she can't report a horrible client to police, that the govt refuses to acknowledge the work but takes the taxes, and all the precautions escorts have to take against cops. This work should be legal.

The legality is addressed in the article: > You can in fact get issued an escort license in some cities (e.g., San Francisco or Grand Chute, or Jefferson County, WA). I don’t know if this is a good idea, neither I nor anybody I know has applied for this, though I seriously considered. It’s possible it might grant you some legal protection, but also possible it might give you some legal issues, as it puts a lot of inf…

That’s quite misleading though?

It seems clear to me anyway that what she was referring to is a similar trap marijuana growers have here in CA and other legal states. Namely that just because SF gives you a permit doesn’t make it legal (in that everyone who could come arrest you would not), and it may actually make it worse by putting you in a database of ‘known offenders’ for the next higher level of law enforcement to come after you. The state of California doesn’t recognize any permit in SF, and neither do the Feds, and if she crosses state lines in her work, the feds could go after her for it.

Would they do that right now? Probably not. Would some future different administration? Possibly.

And, since it’s required to use legal names and the like, and these records are permanent, it could be a decade or whatever in the future when politics have changed, or there could be a records leak and now your real legal name and occupation and home address or whatever is all over the Internet, and who knows when or if something weird happens.

Gun owners recently started having their records shared with various universities for instance, which include home addresses, names, and what they own - and have no legal recourse near as I can tell.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#180
post #15

1,200 an hour! Jeez, that is insane! good for them. Once in a while, I come across something like this and wonder, what is it like to be that rich to casually drop 1,200 an hour , for anything, let alone on escorts.

It strikes me somewhat oddly that one might pay so much for something that literally half the people on this planet is equipped to provide You're paying for looks, ease, simplicity, no strings, and so on... I get it. But idunno, that is a lot of money for one nut. Also suprised the San Diego price is so high, when there is a red light district literally on the border in Tijuana, and those girls charge $60-$100/hr US…

Equipped to provide does not imply willing to provide.
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