[LAF] Sex Work

[Joy Wood]

Steve

 

I do not agree that it is going in circles.  It is the case that you admonished me to answer "the questions" (when in fact I had done so already) and I then also responded to your six "Final Thoughts on Sex Work".  I have already declined your invitation on this elist to talk on a panel organised by LAF at the ABF 2009 and have given in full my reasons for declining.  Nothing you say below develops the matter any further, it merely rests on male privilege where women are accused of being selfish if they decline to service men.  I do not support prosititution because as long as it exists it shores up this idea that women exist merely to service men and the modern version is they are expected to enjoy it, to boot.  I have stated more than once on this list that I am in favour of sexual liberation for all, not just those who can (whether overtly or covertly) extort it (wherever such extortion lies on the continuum of the withholding of money or other necessary physical needs or the withholding of approval, eg calling people selfish if they will not comply).  It's remarkable that people who call for women to give men sexual servicing whether for money or love just as long as they unselfishly comply (this is only the same old patriarchal story we've had for the last 5,000 years) cannot see what is in front of their faces, that they expect women to do what they will not.  Do as I say, not as I do.

 

The answer in my opinion is to work towards mutuality, not try to shore up male privilege by expecting that even after the revolution the same gender hierarchies will remain.

 

Since you say you are no longer willing to talk about this, I will take this opportunity to take a break from the LAF elist (I am unsubscribing a few elists at this point to claw back some time for other things) without feeling that I am letting you down by leaving suddenly in the middle of a conversation.  If there is anyone on this elist I am not likely to be in contact with unless it is via email then I'll say so long now and, as for the ones I will see, like Adrian, Ed, Steve and Volodya, I look forward to seeing you in the flesh, so to speak, in due course.

 

Regards

 

Joy
 
> Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 05:07:28 +0000
> From: steveash_2001 at yahoo.co.uk
> To: laf at lists.aktivix.org
> Subject: [LAF] Sex Work
> 
> 
> I'm no longer willing to talk about this as I think its going in circles. But I'd like Joy to present your case on the panel at the Bookfair Meeting. 
> 
> Prostitution has existed since the beginning of civilization and probably before, I can't imagine something more of a Given. I agree there is is exploitation, degradation and patriarchy involved in most current forms, so there's no need to debate that here, I don't think anyone's denying that.
> 
> The only issue is how do we move from this Given to an ideal form of sex work (involving no money, no exploitation and no degradation with the sex workers self employed and in control, as should be all workers). I say by evolution from what we have now, not by waving a magic wand and hoping everything will change for the better).
> 
> I think the image of prostitution portrayed here is too 'glamorous', i.e. men exploiting women to do their will through money, in reality the average John is a sad loser who couldn't get laid any other way, so I stick to my charity perspective, though ideally I think if the woman's in control she can enjoy it too, after all there's nothing more to sex than mutual masturbation anyway. There may be an element of 'service' and compromise at times, but that's part of life, just as when we have to look after sick relatives and get lumbered with them. I'm beginning to suspect this form of Feminism is just an extension of selfish egoism, I'm for the good of everyone not just some subsection of society who I might identify with.
> It has to be a win / win solution for all concerned as far as I'm concerned. 
> 
> This idea of Free Sex in which prostitution isn't required is one I would agree with and aim for but I still think its absurd that the entire human race will embrace it over night. Therefore I think even change towards an ideal needs to be a gradual one to what we have now till then. The chances of this happening under Capitalism are next to zero, so the 'Revolution' that heralds in the end of Capitalism, will be the beginning of change not the end of it. 
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