Re: <nettime> Sex Work and Consent at @transmediale

[Margaret Morse <memorse@comcast.net>]

Dear Flick,
I highly recommend Barbara Ehrenreich's The Hearts of Men for a radically different take on the socio-cultural impact of Playboy.

My feelings re sexy movie stars--Brigitte Bardot, George Clooney--is that they bundle cultural contradictions into "stardom".  Their meaning for society is profound if we care to examine it.

Re legalizing prostitution rather than leaving it privatized does have the advantage of limiting or eliminating the role of pimps and violence.  It also allows the worker to keep earnings.  Entirely privatized spheres of any sort (including the family) without any external controls or oversight are imho ripe for abuse.  

Best wishes,
MM

On Feb 10, 2012, at 2:42 PM, Flick Harrison wrote:

> When I hear the word "sex trade worker" I'm reminded of the phrase
> "collateral damage."  Cleaning up the language doesn't change the
> situation.  If the word "prostitute" hurts your feelings - it SHOULD.  It's
> humiliating work.  I agree that it's master-slave, and that's what the
> customer is buying - power over another person.
 <...>



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