Overly analytical guide to escorting • Hacker News Board

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#301

Post by micromacrofoot » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:00 PM UTC

analog31 wrote: post #105

micromacrofoot wrote: post #13

It would be nice if we could just regulate this industry to protect the people in it and start the work of reducing the stigma. Similar to abortion, people are going to do it whether or not it's legal. It will never have an "end". It's one of the oldest professions in human history. I do not understand why people fight this battle. The number of hoops these people jump through only to be eventually assaulted and robb…

There's a recent HN thread on truck driving, which is legal and regulated, and has relatively less stigma. Yet the industry has apparently also figured out every possible way to skirt the regulations and abuse drivers physically and financially if possible. Granted, that's not a statistical assessment, but it at least suggests to me that legalization and regulation are not enough by themselves to make an occupation s…

Of course it's not enough by itself, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. Right now a lot of sex workers are afraid to even report crimes committed against them... hard to get much worse than that. Even a slight improvement is improvement.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#302

Post by micromacrofoot » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:02 PM UTC

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #280

analog31 wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a recent HN thread on truck driving, which is legal and regulated, and has relatively less stigma. Yet the industry has apparently also figured out every possible way to skirt the regulations and abuse drivers physically and financially if possible. Granted, that's not a statistical assessment, but it at least suggests to me that legalization and regulation are not enough by themselves to make an occupation s…

Very few people (as a fraction of the population, spare me the wall of text about the edge cases) are negatively effected by trucking. If every dude who wanted to get laid could do so as easily as arranging an LTL shipment that would negatively effect a far larger subset of the population.

>If every dude who wanted to get laid could do so as easily as arranging an LTL shipment that would negatively effect a far larger subset of the population.

In what way? has the population been negatively affected in places where it's already legal?

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#303

Post by MauranKilom » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:03 PM UTC

s5300 wrote: post #12

pcbro141 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Prices are inflated in the US, I guess because it's illegal. In the UK you can bang a really hot clean looking escort for like $200.

Hmmm... this seems quite close to SWE salary differences as well. Good SWE in Europe - $40k-$60k Good SWE in US. . . . - $250k-$350k

Might vary a bit locally (~within Europe), but the gap between those numbers is way too large. StackOverflow survey puts a factor 2 (or 1.8 or something) between EU and US, not a factor 6.

300k+ is, from what I gather, very high for US, whereas 50k is more or less entry level in western EU. But take my impression as a data point (or a cluster), not the ultimate source of truth.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#304

Post by denton-scratch » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:04 PM UTC

tomc1985 wrote: post #136

akudha wrote: 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…

> It strikes me somewhat oddly that one might pay so much

$1200 an hour, with a minimum 1.5 hours, so $1800. In addition to a 20-minute roll in the hay, you get an attractive, intelligent person for company, who is skillful at flattering men.

So these "half the people on the planet": if they're not prostitutes, then you will have to date them. You are not going to cop if you take your date out to KFC. Even taking them to a posh restaurant won't guarantee you'll get your end away.

So let's say you manage to get a date 6 nights a week, and you shell-out for a meal and a show ($350 each?). Let's say half of them are people that interest you. Let's say half of those would consider bonking someone on the first date.

So you're out-of-pocket $2100, you've spent three evenings chatting to someone that didn't interest you, and two of the others want more meals and shows (but how many?)

I think my guesses are wild overestimates. I have no idea how one might ever get 6 dates a week. Most women won't bonk you on the first date. Far less than 50% of women are "interesting" (FSVO interesting).

If your time is scarce and valuable, your standards are high, and you have enough money to e.g. take holidays in nice places, then spending a couple of grand on a classy girl for the evening, with a guaranteed payoff, doesn't look insane.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#305

Post by micromacrofoot » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:09 PM UTC

iammisc wrote: post #107

micromacrofoot wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's much harder to fight the stigma around anything that's illegal because it instantly gets equated with crime. It's hard to talk about an experience that will get you branded a criminal... Decriminalization of marijuana in many places is getting people talking about it more openly, for example. It's not everything but it's a start.

> Decriminalization of marijuana in many places is getting people talking about it more openly, for example. It's not everything but it's a start. sure... and that's the best argument to recriminalize. Having yet more drugs that disrupt mental faculties is not a good thing

Is it safe to assume you also support the prohibition of alcohol?

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#306

Post by mistrial9 » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:11 PM UTC

lenkite wrote: post #233

hzay wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

"before the british came." More accurately - before Islamic conquerors came. The Vijayanagara empire was utterly destroyed by the Sultanates. Devadasi as an institution was shattered first by Islamic invaders - who even record this in their journals. In-fact most Islamic historians explicitly declaim this as liberation of women in India and how Islamic conquest uplifted backward society in that era.

the English wikipedia article 'Devadasi' is not in synch with this story?

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#307

Post by native_samples » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:13 PM UTC

manquer wrote: post #173

c21h30o2 wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I don't think that's true. I know a former escort pretty well and she's told me a lot about her work. It lines up very well with the article, except that she didn't have a high opinion of the very high end/expensive escorting because there simply isn't enough business available at the $1200/hr level. At least, not in Europe. It worked out much better for her to charge a more regular price and work full time.

Otherwise the rest is the same. Most clients are whatever. A few she got to know well and liked. She worked with another person who did screening for her, etc.

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#308

Post by denton-scratch » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:13 PM UTC

killtimeatwork wrote: post #273

tomc1985 wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> 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 This is a luxury high-end part of the market. Ruled by the same dynamics as $200 steaks or $2000 bottles of champagne.

> $200 steaks

No steak is worth $200. But several people up-thread have made the point that $1200 per hour isn't that much, if you consider the alternatives (e.g. getting married - and if you can afford $1200 for a night out, then the divorce is probably going to be very, very expensive).

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#309

Post by naasking » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

eevilspock wrote: post #214

strken wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems a bit inconsistent to throw desperate addicts/single mothers in jail if they steal car stereos for meth money/baby food, but blame their johns if they turn to sex work instead. Which is it?

I did not make a comment on the issue of legality, and if you read my comment with an ounce of good faith reason and logic, you would never have put the words you just did into my mouth, and instead focus on what I actually said. I was commenting on the casualness and callousness with which he uses "consenting adults" without regard to the power imbalance as well as the statistics with regard to sex workers and their…

> I was commenting on the casualness and callousness with which he uses "consenting adults" without regard to the power imbalance as well as the statistics with regard to sex workers and their "freedom".

It's interesting that this stricter form of consent doesn't extend to working shitty jobs at Walmart, McDonald's or cleaning toilets to pay the rent or buy your drugs. Why is work involving sex specifically the problem here? Is it something intrinsic to the work, or is it really the social stigma? And if it's the latter, isn't decriminalizing really the first step to solving that problem without removing women's agency and their ability to earn more money than working traditional menial job?

Re: Overly analytical guide to escorting

#310

Post by naasking » Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 2:16 PM UTC

kfprt wrote: post #186

rockbruno wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not a good take, what you described applies to every single person in the world with a job. The correct reason sex work is a complex subject is because it involves human trafficking.

And intimacy in a way few other workers experience.

If intimacy or attachment is a problem for you, then don't do that kind of sex work. I don't see how this is any different than other jobs. If I'm not physically strong, I'm not going to be a mover or a fire fighter.