The first thought that I had before reading some of the statement from some of the women here was that part of the typical "do as I say, not as I do" mentality we see directed at daughters is the different (and arguably biased) view society takes toward male and female participants in the hobby. It seems almost beyond dispute that there is a much greater social and legal stigma placed of providers than hobbyists. And I first thought that one of the best explanations of the so called hypocrisy was that disparity in stigmatization.First, I think it is just as wrong for males or females to participate in this hobby. Wrong is wrong no matter how you spell it. My beliefs are consistent with the overwhelming majority of Americans albeit different from other parts of the world who have figured out it is almost impossible to legislate morality. Even having said that, it is still wrong.
Query this: Would you feel substantially different if you learned that your young son was patronizing providers on a regular basis (let's say compared to learning that your daughter was not providing full time, but making extra money providing about once a week, while going to college -- to make the time comparisons roughly the same)? I suspect that most would fell differently. And if so, is that because there is really any more harm to providing on a part time basis? Or is it because of stigmatization issues?
However, reading some of the bitter views posted about the life of a provider causes me to rethink that a bit. Not that the stigtimization hypothis is inaccurate, but perhaps that's not the main reason for the hypocrisy. If the full time job of a provider is so misserable, dispiriting, and demoralizing as CPI suggests, perhaps prostitution is really not a victimless crime as I suspect most of us would otherwise contend. Thoughts? Originally Posted by TexTushHog
As far as the hypocritical aspect of Do As I Say, Not As I Do is concerned, isn't that what parenting is all about? Short of being a perfect parent, we parent with wisdom tempered with personal experiences. The imperfection of our implementation of those skills and experiences is where the hypocritical aspects comes into play.
If my son was found out to be playing in the hobby, I would be just as upset as I would should it be a daughter. I will agree that superficially it appears that the male is "less" wrong than the female based upon participation relating to exposure and hours. None the less, it is still just as wrong.
Am I hypocritical in feeling this way....SURE and I will be the first to admit it. But honestly, what parent is not? We are all hypocritical parents regardless of our attempts to lead by example rather than actions......human flaws I suppose.
I would also argue that the hobby is NOT victimless as many argue. Many deal with the negatives very well, but most suffer in some way visible and invisible and have simply found a way to take some type of dysfunctionality in their lives, and turn it to "good", ie money and fun. Most of us suffer from varying degrees of guilt both personal and societal, a secretive lifestyle that we keep from family and friends, broken marriages or the inability to maintain a relationship long term, and the list goes on. The divorces that are caused by the hobby, the hurt, the financial ruin of the clients offset by the usual wasteful lifestyle of many providers (OK there are a few that save and get rich).
So to encourage, support, or even give the slightest hint of approval by "accepting" it should a parent discover their worst nightmare......it is the worst of all possible scenarios. Sometimes cutting ones self off from someone as a last resort in order to show disapproval (which as parents know hurts but is a form of loving that child) is necessary. That is the Tough Love we must display sometimes. To do otherwise is selfish and is catering to your own failures as a parent and is the easy way out of a bad situation.