links for 2008-03-10
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“There is nothing shameful about seeing a sex worker. Sex workers of all kinds meet specific needs. Outlawing different types of sex work doesn’t make these needs magically disappear.”
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“My feminism is about both genders, men and women, being adults. This means, no one is responsible for another person’s issues, and no one projects their crap onto unwilling victims.”
Mar 10 2008 06:22 pm | Category: del.icio.us links
| 4 Comments »
What does Mary at Beyond Feminism want to happen then? If she as a “real woman” feels “damaged” by what other women do in the industry, would Mary simply want to eradicate the industry entirely? There are improvements that can and should be made, but you can’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Humans have and always will be sexual creatures and a great majority will express this sexuality in ways that make the rest of society ill at ease, for whatever reason. This hasn’t changed in thousands of years. Sometimes the sexual expression is by way of sex for money or sex with someone on a casual basis, or sex for the entertainment of others. Both men and women like to be aroused and often that arousal comes from erotic images, whether they be painted on a ceramic vase or now available on DVD. Mary’s points have been made by my wife as well and I just don’t know what they want to see happen. It’s like they can’t be comfortable with their own sexuality until all traces of female sexual expression around them vanish, thereby removing some perceived, threatening standard. Well, fine – then as a man, I want all images of buff, male models and sports figures eradicated so I don’t have to compete with them either…
Brian, some of the radical feminists I’ve encountered online absolutely DO want to eradicate the sex industry. They state that goal in no uncertain terms. What they DON’T state, however, is HOW they plan to make that happen, and what will happen to all the women who are suddenly out of a job. Ren, in particular, has been steadfast about continually pressuring those anti sex industry crusaders to answer, “What’s the plan?” Tellingly, they have yet to do so.
It just seems like an odd goal to have, to basically restrict how an independent, free-thinking, consenting human can express themselves sexually. I don’t know what they consider a healthy form of sexual expression, probably only that which exists behind closed doors, but then again that can still involve other people to whom one is not legally attached. The goal should be the improvement of the sex industry, helping those who work in it. Human sexuality spills out in so many wonderful and unpredictable ways, why does it have to be wrapped up and kept in a closet?
Well according to them, independent, free-thinking, consenting human beings DON’T express themselves sexually by exchanging sex for money and vice versa. Sex workers are either victims or villains. It’s nice and dehumanizing.