Craig's list under fire

[Aeolus]

When is CNN going to do a story about poor slobs like myself that are fleeced of every last dollar by by these fallen women who post these adds in the adult section of Craig's List?

Good question. Unfortunately, most people can't comprehend or don't give a shit about the client's perspective. They don't understand that desperation, in one form or another, turns many men into clients (and women into providers), nor do they grasp how the exploitation works both ways. It's kind of sad that anyone ends-up on either side of the transaction, but then again, it wouldn't be any less sad if people went sexless or pennyless. Pick your poison.

 

[wasisname]

Good question. Unfortunately, most people can't comprehend or don't give a shit about the client's perspective. They don't understand that desperation, in one form or another, turns many men into clients (and women into providers), nor do they grasp how the exploitation works both ways. It's kind of sad that anyone ends-up on either side of the transaction, but then again, it wouldn't be any less sad if people went sexless or pennyless. Pick your poison.

Prostitution like porn exploits men by exploiting women, hence it exploits people
Or at least according to Ron Jeremy in the movie Orgazmo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sKExIBa8XQ

Great movie. Cheesy line, but I can't help but to think of it now.

 

[daydreamer41]

Uh, NO! Instill real fear of retribution into someone who feels alone and/or has emotional and confidence issues, or create a physical or emotional dependency that creates the perception of a lack of options and a 24-hour watch and constrain system as you infer isn't necessary. Control can be imposed on people through various emotional, mental, or dependency issues who feel they have no other choices.

Reading some of these posts I wonder how many hobbyists have constructed neat "feel better" rationalizations to sooth their consciences by mentally cleaning up their ethical or moral misgivings with being in the hobby to make it feel like they are not assisting the the seedier side in the sex trade. Maybe many here just have no qualms at all about the hobby. But the idea that there are evil all-controlling sex trade boogey men and their slaves we can easily avoid is far more about rationalized convenience than reality.

Cheers,

Merlot

Maybe you talking about the Stockholme syndrome where the victim feels graditude to the perprertator for not killing them, and ends up protecting their kidnapper? It exists, but enslaving someone is an incredible risk. You never know how an individual can react to captivity.

As for your second comment, I think you are somewhat off-based. The vast majority of women in the trade are in it for the money. They see it as ways to make money a lot quicker than other opportunities. There are drug addicted SP's, but they tend to self abuse themselves and you can generally tell that they do have such problems. My experience from using the agencies on MERB, I have found that very few are abusers. I have never met someone who was being forced into being an SP. Many have some type of a time frame and short term goal that they want to attain and move on.

 

[ericmathew54]

For all those interested, on CJAD 800 between 2pm and 4pm today they will be discussing the RCMP's crackdown on Craigslist. Should be interesting. If you miss it you could probably find it on their archives...

 

[daydreamer41]

Hello Capt,

Nice to see you posting.

Yes, very lucid and all good points. There's no premise in your post that I disagree with. But the sex trade under any label is a naturally sensationalistic subject. Sure the media goes after this subject as much for ratings as any possible compassionate alternative motive. Also, I am not disputing the possibilities you alluded to about the nature of our hobby. But that's not the point for me. What I see is a website owner still dodging the of selling sex on his site and still unable to provide any answers about gaining more control over the selling of sex of any kind long after he should have been able to provide some answers or have done something about what is going on. I guess what really bothers me is the double game I perceive of both pretending his website isn't promoting an illegal sex business, whatever kind, and using that interest to promote the attention to the legitimate businesses on his website.

As for the question of what kind of sexual business is going on, for about a week or so I saw the so-called "adult" posts on Craig's List and they are blatant in themselves. That's one thing. Then I sold some items myself and found how easy it is to sell anything there. It's easy to see that whatever level or kind of sex industry marketing is being done on Craig's List it is such an accessible vehicle to exploit for anyone with any motive. You can question how much of what is going on is really so-called "sex-trafficking", but it's clear that such an easy to use and accessible website makes the worst case scenarios so easy to accomplish. In view of that to see the owner looking like he is trying to dodge the whole sex trade issue and play his games of...well...eh...ummm...while profiting from really doing little or nothing about the seediest exploitation possibilities of his website is pretty disgusting. That's my basic issue with him.

Lastly, if someone knows he is going to be interviewed and has set up an "adult" section on his website then questions about that are perfectly legitimate no matter how amateurish or sensationalistic.

Cheers,

Merlot

Your statement, Merlot, that CL owners are dodging anything is ridiculous. CL founder Craig Newmark has been interviewed several times and he has answered the question about the difficulty in monitoring the site given his business model. His has said that the site is self-service. If you want to post something, you post it. For certain ads, you pay and others you do not. Given the model, he does not have to have as many employees as a newspaper would (ad takers) and the price he charges is less than an ad in a newspaper.

He has said the sex ads were being posted in many free sections. To counter this, CL started the Erotic Services section. Then the many LE departments from many states complained and CL made the Erotic Services section a paid section and called it Adult Services. Now CL discontinued the Adult Services Section. And I bet the ads will go to several sections now.

This is the Internet. The advantage of technology is that interntet technology can do things without the interface of humans. Of course the downside is it is harder to monitor. But should he be responsible for what people are doing on his site? CL was not making any extra money on the Erotic Services section because posting was free. It was when they turned into Adult Services, they began to charge for the ad. But they did hire monitors. If you looked at the section there were no mention of sexual services or even GFE on any ad. They would take the ad down. I personally think that the AG's did this for political purposes. CL has a business model. It helps people sell and buy goods at a cheaper cost than the newspaper. CL has been successful, as Newmark is a multi-millionaire. He did this without selling ads to SP's.