I'm curious about this website. I see a lot of pro-decrim stuff but at the same time a lot of bemoaning of how regular women aren't interested in regular men, and how this is boosting the sex economy. I'm really curious to know men's views on female empowerment.
Some suggested questions/sub-topics:
When you say you respect us as escorts, would you respect us as dating prospects? Would you actually go out with an escort? Do you have any different ideas about women who are escorts compared to women who are not? (I am not really interested in your stories about dating escorts/strippers, of which this site is filled, but more your thoughts on how you deal with the idea of dating us on a moral level).
Do you believe women are the cause of women who are escorts (i.e. of prostitution demand)?
Do you believe that women who are escorts - and let us limit ourselves to women, as myself, who claim some sort of validation or empowerment through escorting - are actually legit when they say they get enjoyment out of it? Do you believe that these women are generally honest or deceiving?
What is your definition of feminism? Expand. I am also especially curious about escorts' definition of feminism. I've seen a lot of definitions of feminism on Merb and in outside discussions on prostitution and I would be highly interested in knowing which one you've adoprted. (I will say I find it odd that there are so many definitions for such an - in my mind - simple concept). I would be interested in any argument related back to the decriminalization of prostitution. I guess I should say that I sometimes wonder if the pro-decrim men here are really supporting a feminist argument or their own interest.
How do you reconcile female emancipation with the agency side of the sex trade? I know many here have all sorts of figures as to the share that goes to agents and the share that goes to escorts.... Many of you believe the great majority of earnings goes to the escorts. When you say agencies offer a service and are deserving of their share, how do you reconcile that with your understanding of sports agents (in a male dominated world)? Could you fathom a baseball player giving 50% (hey, even a lowball 30%) of his earnings to his agent? Why is that different? How does that fit in with your notion of feminism?
What are your general feelings about when prostitution is positive and when it is negative for women? When you say that all escorts consume drugs, for instance, how do you then reconcile your activity in the trade with your idea that the majority of escorts (who would be drug users, according to some members here) are not well? If you are this sort of thinker, and believe in decriminalization, how do you reconcile these views?
How do you define the courtisan? Why do you call some escorts courtisans? Is it because we call ourselves that or does it fit into some romantic understanding of women as empowered that predates any debate over decrim? In other words, does feminism belong to the definition of courtisan? Why? I personally consider myself as empowered but I'm interested in your ideas as to why you also believe that's the case.
Obviously, there's some rhetorical questioning going on in this post, which is supported by the title of this thread. However, I am genuinely interested in honest responses and would greatly appreciate if all respondents considered/included their thoughts on feminism in their answer. The thread is about feminism (I may eventually offer my definition of feminism). However, I find that what I read here is often contradictory to feminism. Sometimes I read you and wonder how you actually, deep down, respect me/we.
I am trying to see if members here - male and female - have thought through their ideas of feminism. I want to see how far the reasoning goes. If it is superficial, or if you actually have well thought-out ideas about the issues, and if it's the latter case, what those ideas are.
Or maybe you think feminism is just a sham and women have enough rights and have taken away enough men's rights. Please feel free to express yourselves as well.
Some suggested questions/sub-topics:
When you say you respect us as escorts, would you respect us as dating prospects? Would you actually go out with an escort? Do you have any different ideas about women who are escorts compared to women who are not? (I am not really interested in your stories about dating escorts/strippers, of which this site is filled, but more your thoughts on how you deal with the idea of dating us on a moral level).
Do you believe women are the cause of women who are escorts (i.e. of prostitution demand)?
Do you believe that women who are escorts - and let us limit ourselves to women, as myself, who claim some sort of validation or empowerment through escorting - are actually legit when they say they get enjoyment out of it? Do you believe that these women are generally honest or deceiving?
What is your definition of feminism? Expand. I am also especially curious about escorts' definition of feminism. I've seen a lot of definitions of feminism on Merb and in outside discussions on prostitution and I would be highly interested in knowing which one you've adoprted. (I will say I find it odd that there are so many definitions for such an - in my mind - simple concept). I would be interested in any argument related back to the decriminalization of prostitution. I guess I should say that I sometimes wonder if the pro-decrim men here are really supporting a feminist argument or their own interest.
How do you reconcile female emancipation with the agency side of the sex trade? I know many here have all sorts of figures as to the share that goes to agents and the share that goes to escorts.... Many of you believe the great majority of earnings goes to the escorts. When you say agencies offer a service and are deserving of their share, how do you reconcile that with your understanding of sports agents (in a male dominated world)? Could you fathom a baseball player giving 50% (hey, even a lowball 30%) of his earnings to his agent? Why is that different? How does that fit in with your notion of feminism?
What are your general feelings about when prostitution is positive and when it is negative for women? When you say that all escorts consume drugs, for instance, how do you then reconcile your activity in the trade with your idea that the majority of escorts (who would be drug users, according to some members here) are not well? If you are this sort of thinker, and believe in decriminalization, how do you reconcile these views?
How do you define the courtisan? Why do you call some escorts courtisans? Is it because we call ourselves that or does it fit into some romantic understanding of women as empowered that predates any debate over decrim? In other words, does feminism belong to the definition of courtisan? Why? I personally consider myself as empowered but I'm interested in your ideas as to why you also believe that's the case.
Obviously, there's some rhetorical questioning going on in this post, which is supported by the title of this thread. However, I am genuinely interested in honest responses and would greatly appreciate if all respondents considered/included their thoughts on feminism in their answer. The thread is about feminism (I may eventually offer my definition of feminism). However, I find that what I read here is often contradictory to feminism. Sometimes I read you and wonder how you actually, deep down, respect me/we.
I am trying to see if members here - male and female - have thought through their ideas of feminism. I want to see how far the reasoning goes. If it is superficial, or if you actually have well thought-out ideas about the issues, and if it's the latter case, what those ideas are.
Or maybe you think feminism is just a sham and women have enough rights and have taken away enough men's rights. Please feel free to express yourselves as well.
