Rolling Stone's piece on brothels in Rio

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/...0140626?page=2

I found this interesting:

"You hear this 30,000 figure," a member of the team, Gregory Mitchell, a professor at Williams in Massachusetts and an expert in the gay sex trade, explains when we meet. "30,000 people will be trafficked for the World Cup! They first said it about Germany [in 2006], then they said it about South Africa [in 2010]. There were four [documented sex trafficking cases] in Germany. Fewer than eight in South Africa. For the Super Bowl in Texas [in 2011] they said 100,000 Mexican girls would be trafficked. That would have been enough for every man and woman and child in the stadium to have their own underage prostitute!"

The "they" are anti-trafficking NGOs. Folks like Ruvolo and Blanchette and Williams believe that certain NGOs — specifically, many of the ones associated with the hardline Coalition Against Trafficking in Women — are dangerously focused on shaping policy around the truly horrible, but rare and unrepresentative, stories of exploited minors and enslaved women. In the Blanchette group's point of view, rather than actually engage with sex workers, a whole, well-funded infrastructure exists to try and theoretically save their lives. But as the revenue the girls at Balcony generate shows, more likely than not, sex work is not about teeth-gnashingly awful tales of modern slavery. Murder, theft, the selling of your body — every day, extreme acts are committed for the simple enough reason of cash.

I'm new to this. One thing I've always heard is that the industry in bad because women are forced into it. The professors, who are experts in the field, say that's just not so, at least in Brazil. I mean, yeah, there are women that get pimped, sure, but this broad brush that paints working women as helpless victims seems disingenuous.

Thoughts?

I used to think this way, until my own personally imposed state of lonely servitude drove me to this arena. I promised myself that I would do no harm, and I was terrified of using some poor woman against her will.

I truly was half-expecting to meet the stereotypical young, half-witted, gum-chewing ditzy , pimped female that is portrayed on TV and in the movies.

And I'm not saying they're not out there. But I was stunned to, instead, find intelligent, strong, independent mature women. Sexy women, to be sure, but also kind, sweet, articulate, and caring. Just nice ladies. Some of them "take-them-home-to-momma" nice.

I underwent a massive paradigm shift.

And, I have yet to encounter my first pimp.

Like the ditzy stereotype, I'm sure they're out there along with the trafficked girls. But the independent escorts I've seen seem to me to be more common.

And to you ladies who do this, of your own free will: thank you.

You have a tremendous positive impact on the quality of my life and thousands of men like me.

Very well put. My experience has been the same as yours. I pick my companions carefully and I have met some extremely smart, kind, attractive, strong and independent ladies on my journey, But that is what I seek out. The ladies that don't possess those qualities don't get a second look from me. I was recently in a conversation with friends where the subject of these poor girls forced into this came up. I know that happens and I am sad for it. But I really had to bite my tongue to keep from speaking up and saying that there are tons of exceptions to that stereotype that the general public is totally unaware of. And for the ladies who of their own free will provide us this wonderful service, thank you! You have made my life better.

The providers I have known seem to get the most trouble in their life from Child Protective Services when an ex or a rival rats them out. Then their life gets turned upside down. It is obviously the fact of illegality of their profession that causes the trouble in their life.

The people yelling about trafficking are man-hating feminazis who hate the thought of any man enjoying himself sexually with a woman. In addition to feminazis are the religious bigots who want to impose their morality on everyone else. This country has a hangover from the "progressive" era when "reforms" shut down the brothels, red-lights districts, saloons and opium dens and criminalized what was once private behavior. We must remember our high school history; this country's founding fathers were religious fanatics escaping persecution back in England (Puritans, Pilgrims -Mass. Catholics-Maryland, Quakers-Pennsylvania, France - Protestants and Spain-Jews).

God save me from your ardent followers!

The providers I have known seem to get the most trouble in their life from Child Protective Services when an ex or a rival rats them out. Then their life gets turned upside down. It is obviously the fact of illegality of their profession that causes the trouble in their life.

The people yelling about trafficking are man-hating feminazis who hate the thought of any man enjoying himself sexually with a woman. In addition to feminazis are the religious bigots who want to impose their morality on everyone else. This country has a hangover from the "progressive" era when "reforms" shut down the brothels, red-lights districts, saloons and opium dens and criminalized what was once private behavior. We must remember our high school history; this country's founding fathers were religious fanatics escaping persecution back in England (Puritans, Pilgrims -Mass. Catholics-Maryland, Quakers-Pennsylvania, France - Protestants and Spain-Jews).

God save me from your ardent followers! Originally Posted by Rogue_Gent

Again, I just find it interesting that their numbers on trafficking are utter bullshit, yet they seemingly get a lot of miles hammering home that idea.

I agree that there is traffic to these elite events.....but the ladies that travel are doing so because of status and stars that will be out looking for company. look around....observe post.....let there be something big going on.....and you will see ladies posting travel dates to get in while the iron is hot. drive thru pussy if you ask me..... but i never see the poor innocent kids thats always plastered on billboards and tv.

And for that sicko that rather go after the under age girl forced against her will, thats a different topic and we typically call that rape.

We must remember our high school history; this country's founding fathers were religious fanatics escaping persecution back in England (Puritans, Pilgrims -Mass. Catholics-Maryland, Quakers-Pennsylvania, France - Protestants and Spain-Jews). Originally Posted by Rogue_Gent

Ah, but you left out the guy who setup a "Perfectionist" religious sex cult in New York. Started making stainless steel cookware and flatware. Of course, this was a little later, mid-1800s, and I had to go to college to learn about, not high school. The company he founded is still in business. Odds are, you have some pieces in your house.

Ah, but you left out the guy who setup a "Perfectionist" religious sex cult in New York. Started making stainless steel cookware and flatware. Of course, this was a little later, mid-1800s, and I had to go to college to learn about, not high school. The company he founded is still in business. Odds are, you have some pieces in your house. Originally Posted by FoulRon

Oneida!

If they really wanted to stamp out sex trafficking, seems like they'd enlist the aid of people like us, instead of lumping us together with the baddies and persecuting us. And of course if this were legal, sex trafficking would be a lot harder. A major reason trafficking victims don't seek help is because their exploiters hammer into them that they're doing something illegal and will be thrown in jail if they go to the police. Which unfortunately is true in a lot of cases.

And yes, we are (mostly) people of good will and conscience on these boards, but if you want to see some hard realities and get some insight into the kind of men who seek out the stereotypical victim-of-life sex workers... spend some time on USA Sex Guide. But only if you have a strong stomach.