The goal of “sex work is work”, for me at least, is not to say “sex work is as ‘good’ as all other work”, but to say “all other work is as exploitative as sex work”
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I am reminded of efforts of organizations to “save” women in the global south from sex work by forcing them to instead make and sell things like beaded bracelets—work which does not accommodate them or allow them to survive.
The ultimate goal, it is evident, is to keep marginalized people as abundantly available cheap labour, or else to abandon them entirely to abject poverty
I also would like you to think really long and hard about your conventional, non-SW jobs. How are you being exploited? How are you being harmed? How is your industry contributing to the harm and exploitation of others? What cog in the brutal global capitalist machine are you?
We are all in this filth together, forced to pump the lifeblood of capitalism through its many veins. The goal is not to say that such part is better than another—they are different organs in the same body. The goal is to kill the thing altogether.
Slightly unrelated, but I'd also argue that said approach also is bound to do nothing for all women who are sexually trafficked by means of deception, who were looking for non-sexual jobs and ended up enslaved AKA women revictimized by their poverty. Poverty being the keyword.
Like, even without an abolitionist approach, but one focused on decriminalization, formalization and stronger security enforcement... We aren't addressing why does this happen at n rate both "voluntarily" and under direct duress. We aren't addressing material needs.
I also think about LGBTQ+ people in LGBTQ+-hostile territories who resort to it because they can't access the formal job market, but then also those who do and still earn below minimum wages or one-off payments. It's revictimization of the vulnerable, the material needs always being at the base.
This happens with everything under the broad umbrella of "unskilled". What's interesting is that, now that the ultra rich are also bashing public college education, I can't help but think that the aim is to broaden the category under the guise of "fighting the Marxist college agenda".
I hate the concept bc it has succeeded in countries like mine (Global South, very US-aligned but the Cheeto is now threatening to invade us anyway). People earn bad wages but lash out AGAINST unionized construction workers earning better "without formal skills" as if physical effort was nothing.
Many years ago I read a quote that read something like, "Prostitution is doing that which, were it not for the money, you would not do at all" and thought, "Damn - that's all of us."
This. Like i wish universal basic income was a thing so that every single sex worker had 1) the freedom to choose the work because they want to / like it 2) the freedom to leave it if they don't feel like it anymore 3) same for any work tbh
Capitalism, though, deceives you into thinking it's a system that will "optimize markets" when it will actually, true to its name, optimize itself; that is, capital gains. That's what financialization has done. The poor are materially poor; the rich are rich because an asset-tracking ledger says so.
there is nothing inherently wrong with capitalism. its literally just exchange goods and services for money. its a fine economic model. the problem is humans trying to hyperoptimize for personal gain.
1000% agreed, and not to be “that guy” but it wouldn’t even be considered “work” under communism, it’d just be consensual sex. The monetary incentive wouldn’t exist anymore. Unless you’re twerking for some material resources and you know what real
Selling the useful years of your back, your knees, your wrists, your stomach, your brain, your heart, your lungs, giving limbs to unsafe workplaces, for pennies as the biggest bosses steal your dollars despite you performing all the labor, it's all "selling your body for money".
Truth. In fact, members of the armed forces are collectively called “servicemembers” (or not to be gender-neutral, “servicemen” and “servicewomen” (yes I realize enbies exist, I prefer the gender-neutral term too)).
The people who get upset about SW are just mad because they can't make money off of just being cute and sexy. If you get paid for working, you are selling your body.
I always say "all work is work."
Simplifies the idea down to brutal realism. If it makes money it is work, no asterisks.
Wed call a hitman a professional criminal
Why make an exception for any other work?
Rethink this one buddy, if you fix your own car does that mean fixing cars doesnt make money? Both of those also make money.
Maid and babysitter. Youll forgive mothers for not getting paid it wasnt their decision to devalue that work.
I think you've misread my point tbh. I'm saying that x-activity does not have to make money in order to be work. The fact that x-activity exists as a form of paid work is beside the point. Just because you didn't get paid to do something, doesn't mean you didn't do work. I hope that's more clear.
That doesnt add to the point though.
What does it matter, im validifying work people are paid for by saying anything you could be paid for is REAL work. the point of saying that is cause some paid work is dismissed as "not a real job" Unpaid work is a social crime so why would i care to mention it?
I'm sorry, I feel like I've said something to offend you. I'm just saying that the definition of "work" is broader than simply "any activity which one gets paid to carry out". I'm sorry if that doesn't add anything to your point.
I've known five different social workers in my close friendship group and extended family for at least 10 years. I say "known" because all of them left the job due to trauma and burnout and two are on permanent disability as a result.
and it’s not just the ones involving hard labor. other jobs force you to be largely sedentary and that’s also terrible for your body. carpal tunnel, back problems from how we sit/lack of standing, etc. I try to force myself to take a decent walk on my breaks but even that’s hard some days.
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The capitalist patriarchal logic, however, is that it would be better, more ethical, to perform labour that does not accomplish the former
A constant cycle of trading in a job where I've understood the harm to a job where the harm is something I'm slowly comprehending.
https://www.scottsantens.com/true-freedom-comes-with-universal-basic-income/
humans are no where near the level of evolution where they can run capitalism without exploitation. its constant scams and corruption.
And we revere them
Simplifies the idea down to brutal realism. If it makes money it is work, no asterisks.
Wed call a hitman a professional criminal
Why make an exception for any other work?
Maid and babysitter. Youll forgive mothers for not getting paid it wasnt their decision to devalue that work.
What does it matter, im validifying work people are paid for by saying anything you could be paid for is REAL work. the point of saying that is cause some paid work is dismissed as "not a real job" Unpaid work is a social crime so why would i care to mention it?
Yet nobody would deny their profession was work.
https://bsky.app/profile/yanquispartacist.bsky.social/post/3le7n55sqz22v
I love the 10 post thread just being more and more wrong as she added to it
yeah. I skimmed them but it was the same patriarchal anti-whore drivel