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Let's get this straight. The person blessed with what is basically a panhandling superpower -- an attractive female body -- somehow says her marks, the ones pay

Let's get this straight. The person blessed with what is basically a panhandling superpower -- an attractive female body -- somehow says her marks, the ones paying $80, have an entitled attitude toward sexual attention. Pause and think about that. Do you think these guys had a Plan B to buy them an English degree? These places conduct zero-sum economic activity. One person loses money, one person gains money, and nothing of value is created. Draw a control volume around an economic activity to understand it. China: Opium in, silver out. Congo: Guns in, rubber out. This place: Money in, nothing out. A hallmark of exploiters is that they have contempt for their marks. Well, I sense more than a little contempt here. Don't trust this person around children or small animals. Of course she justifies herself eloquently; did you not just see what she spent the money on? An English degree. Moreover, she admits that she understands what she was doing: > my livelihood somehow still depended on men employing bad judgement. So don't get distracted. Draw a control volume. And stay away from these places, and these people. Most people here commenting, even those praising this writing, who will surely rush to defend her, must at some level clearly understand this. Like -- do you frequent prostitutes? ... Didn't think so. So you know I'm right.

froggertoaster 3y ago
Agreed, and I think your points will be missed amongst the cacophony of praise for the admittedly-entertaining article. Reminds you that you can dress anything up and people will accept it if it's eloquent and entertaining enough.
- xcxcx 3y ago
  And as long as it toes the line
jakeinspace 3y ago
I guess art, music, professional sports, and fine dining are all essentially zero-sum and useless as well then? What tangible benefit does a museum visitor get for their ticket? I presume your job must be much more important for the good of society than sex work.
- ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
  > I presume your job must be much more important for the good of society than sex work. It sure is and I think it would be hard to deny that. Everyday I go to work I generate a large amount of value for the economy, far more than I get paid for. Sex work simply isn’t very valuable. Anyone can do it, you don’t need any intelligence or skill to make a buck via sex.
  - ink_13 3y ago
    Is there no balm in Gilead? No value and no skill? My foot. There's more to life than generating value for the economy.
    - ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
      All animals can have sex, most without thinking. It’s the definition of skillless work when even a mouse can figure it out and most humans get it for free. Some guys are lonely and will pay for any hole to stick it in, but that doesn’t mean the work has any real value. Make no mistake that’s what they see her as, some random hole to enjoy and she’s trying to cope with that.
      - jakeinspace 3y ago
        Classy
        ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
        The truth isn’t always classy, sometimes it is what it is and there’s no polite way to state it. I’m tired of the glorification of sex work and people pretending it’s anything other than what it is.
jjulius 3y ago
[flagged]
vunderba 3y ago
This place: Money in, nothing out. If this is the crux of the issue for you, I assume you don't frequent the following places: - bars - arcades - any entertainment venue (concerts, etc) The impression she seemed to be making was that many of their patrons weren't there for physical gratification but rather a sort of emotional catharsis. Yours is a highly judgmental and uncharitable take.
- jjulius 3y ago
  >... I assume you don't frequent the following places I also assume they've never really been out much around 2AM.
- FooBarBizBazz 3y ago
  She's sneering at a bunch of schlubs and you're calling me the uncharitable one? You can frame this kind of stuff as therapy if you want, as something involving a pathetic kind of dignity, even as valuable work, but her essay does none of that. The only people with whom she evinces any solidarity are the convenience-store clerks and the taxi drivers. She basically says that this is not a good thing to be doing, which paradoxically means that her essay is in more logical agreement with my own condemnation of it than it is with your post. If there is to be an end to judgment and condemnation it has to begin with the author. She and I agree that exploitation is happening; we only disagree about whether it is good (or, "radical", she says). The catharsis you speak of, if real, is not something she cares about, because the people who experience it are not people she values.
  - jjulius 3y ago
    >She's sneering at a bunch of schlubs... Same question[1]. [1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37028780 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37028780
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
booleandilemma 3y ago
I had similar thoughts. She gets to take money from lonely men and then call them the bad guys. Saying it out loud costs HN points though.
- jjulius 3y ago
  >She gets to take money from lonely men and then call them the bad guys. Genuinely curious to know where you think she called them "the bad guys". Mind quoting a specific passage?
- projectazorian 3y ago
  “Take” money? They aren’t receiving a service in return?
quickthrower2 3y ago
Fairness in society quickly becomes a can of worms. It is unfair that someone can make $80/h in the gig economy because of their body, but what about $80/h the coder makes because they can think a certain way, which carries on being paid as they slam that fusball into the goal, or snore in a meeting.
- wiseowise 3y ago
  How many people do you know that get paid just because they “think” certain way? Most of the time it’s combination of education, determination and practice to achieve something. In this regard more accurate comparison would be sport, where you have to actively work on your body, unlike sex where being born with certain body and features is enough.
CMCDragonkai 3y ago
It's a transaction where (sometimes? most of the time?) neither party wants to be in the transaction.
iameconomist 3y ago
>This place: Money in, nothing out. Well, it has to disappear somewhere, doesn't it? Otherwise why would they need to print more? I mean, that's how it works, right?

froggertoaster 3y ago

Agreed, and I think your points will be missed amongst the cacophony of praise for the admittedly-entertaining article. Reminds you that you can dress anything up and people will accept it if it's eloquent and entertaining enough.

xcxcx 3y ago
And as long as it toes the line

jakeinspace 3y ago

I guess art, music, professional sports, and fine dining are all essentially zero-sum and useless as well then? What tangible benefit does a museum visitor get for their ticket? I presume your job must be much more important for the good of society than sex work.

ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
> I presume your job must be much more important for the good of society than sex work. It sure is and I think it would be hard to deny that. Everyday I go to work I generate a large amount of value for the economy, far more than I get paid for. Sex work simply isn’t very valuable. Anyone can do it, you don’t need any intelligence or skill to make a buck via sex.
- ink_13 3y ago
  Is there no balm in Gilead? No value and no skill? My foot. There's more to life than generating value for the economy.
  - ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
    All animals can have sex, most without thinking. It’s the definition of skillless work when even a mouse can figure it out and most humans get it for free. Some guys are lonely and will pay for any hole to stick it in, but that doesn’t mean the work has any real value. Make no mistake that’s what they see her as, some random hole to enjoy and she’s trying to cope with that.
    - jakeinspace 3y ago
      Classy
      - ThrowAway1922A 3y ago
        The truth isn’t always classy, sometimes it is what it is and there’s no polite way to state it. I’m tired of the glorification of sex work and people pretending it’s anything other than what it is.

jjulius 3y ago

[flagged]

vunderba 3y ago

This place: Money in, nothing out. If this is the crux of the issue for you, I assume you don't frequent the following places: - bars - arcades - any entertainment venue (concerts, etc) The impression she seemed to be making was that many of their patrons weren't there for physical gratification but rather a sort of emotional catharsis. Yours is a highly judgmental and uncharitable take.

jjulius 3y ago
>... I assume you don't frequent the following places I also assume they've never really been out much around 2AM.
FooBarBizBazz 3y ago
She's sneering at a bunch of schlubs and you're calling me the uncharitable one? You can frame this kind of stuff as therapy if you want, as something involving a pathetic kind of dignity, even as valuable work, but her essay does none of that. The only people with whom she evinces any solidarity are the convenience-store clerks and the taxi drivers. She basically says that this is not a good thing to be doing, which paradoxically means that her essay is in more logical agreement with my own condemnation of it than it is with your post. If there is to be an end to judgment and condemnation it has to begin with the author. She and I agree that exploitation is happening; we only disagree about whether it is good (or, "radical", she says). The catharsis you speak of, if real, is not something she cares about, because the people who experience it are not people she values.
- jjulius 3y ago
  >She's sneering at a bunch of schlubs... Same question[1]. [1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37028780 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37028780

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

booleandilemma 3y ago

I had similar thoughts. She gets to take money from lonely men and then call them the bad guys. Saying it out loud costs HN points though.

jjulius 3y ago
>She gets to take money from lonely men and then call them the bad guys. Genuinely curious to know where you think she called them "the bad guys". Mind quoting a specific passage?
projectazorian 3y ago
“Take” money? They aren’t receiving a service in return?

quickthrower2 3y ago

Fairness in society quickly becomes a can of worms. It is unfair that someone can make $80/h in the gig economy because of their body, but what about $80/h the coder makes because they can think a certain way, which carries on being paid as they slam that fusball into the goal, or snore in a meeting.

wiseowise 3y ago
How many people do you know that get paid just because they “think” certain way? Most of the time it’s combination of education, determination and practice to achieve something. In this regard more accurate comparison would be sport, where you have to actively work on your body, unlike sex where being born with certain body and features is enough.

CMCDragonkai 3y ago

It's a transaction where (sometimes? most of the time?) neither party wants to be in the transaction.

iameconomist 3y ago

>This place: Money in, nothing out. Well, it has to disappear somewhere, doesn't it? Otherwise why would they need to print more? I mean, that's how it works, right?