Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
I am a regular poster on a group concerning NeoPaganism on Facebook. I recently posted a message on there asking the opinions of the other members on whether they felt stripping violated the sanctity of sex in Paganism. Most of the relies were supportive of stripping, with the exception of one. She posted with this:
"well. I gotta be the voice of dissent. Of course you should do what you feel is comfortable and good for you as a person. Unfortunately, the sex industry isn't limited to each individual and their experiences. It's a hot topic right now, politically as well as in the media. In an industry that facilitates the sex trade, enslavement of women, to name a few, I truly believe that one must take into consideration the larger picture before making a decision. Although you will be making this decision of your own free will and with a healthy self-image, thousands of women in this industry are forced, kidnapped, physically and spiritually tortured, raped and "disappear" and do not have this luxury. Will your participation and support be perpetuating this? This is a big decision, as my understanding is that Wicca states sex, the human body and sexual- consensual acts as being beautiful and sacred. However: human enslavement and forced non-consensual sex acts is not acceptable. "
Now I have not been a patron of strip clubs for long, and I've lurked this board for about a year, but I've not seen much to support this. I mentioned this and she replied with this:
"well, i'm glad that your experience with strip clubs has been a positive one. Unfortunately, I have done some research into the subject, and the many books written documenting the sex trade industry in Canada and the States have brought me to the conclusion that despite many women who are out there doing this because they want to, many are not. Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are the three many import cities where women are brought in on false hopes, promises, visas and forced to strip. I did not intend with my comment to insult you, your friends or those women who are there by their choice. I simply meant to answer to your question- is stripping against Wiccan beliefs? my thoughts were simply, if you consider that perhaps there is research indicating that the exotic dancing and stripping industry in Canada and the US is perpetuating enslavement of foreign european and slavic women, by becoming a dancer yourself would you be supporting this?"
Thoughts?
Re: Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
Sounds like a lot of the "research" that is constantly quoted about guns. It has about as much scientific merit as tea leaves. I'm not saying that sexual slavery does not happen. But it just does not make much sense for it to be in erotic dancing. There is just too much of an opportunity for the woman to escape and there is more money in prostitution.
The bottom line is that if you feel good about what you are doing, what right does anyone have to criticize what you are doing?
Re: Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
StrawberrySwitchblade
my thoughts were simply, if you consider that perhaps there is research indicating that the exotic dancing and stripping industry in Canada and the US is perpetuating enslavement of foreign european and slavic women, by becoming a dancer yourself would you be supporting this?"
No. If we were buying the women who were imported in, then yes. But we are not. If everyone one on this board quit stripping, guess what........those women would still be bought and sold like cattle. Its sad and terrible, but we cannot change it. It is farther reaching than simply stripping. It involves depressed economies, loop holes in laws, immigration, cultures different than our own and plain and simple greed. There are so many factors in why and how this happens. If taking off our garters and hanging up our shoes could change that, I'd be the first to do it. But it won't.
And if girls are being imported to strip, isn't it a good thing we have strip clubs? What would they be doing if we didn't? Yep. Prostitution. I don't know about you, but I'm much happier selling fantasies than I would be selling my body.
Re: Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
She ended up sourcing only one book, saying it would be all I needed to see to persuade me. It's called "The Natasha's" I can assume it's going to be aabout Russian 'brides,' but she's incredibly insistant that the industry is full of trafficked women, when I would think prostitution would have plenty more as there is more money and less bullshit.
Re: Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
Poppycock. "Thousands" of women in this business? Do you REALLY have to ask?
"Sex trafficking" has been a bugaboo for centuries, most recently resulting in the passage of the Mann Act in the USA around 50 years ago. It pops up from time to time and it's mostly just a way of keeping us in line. It's also been used as a way of keeping minorities in line. I'm not going to say that sex trafficking doesn't exist, but it's nowhere near as common as the media would have you believe, and I'd be very surprised if stripping had anything whatsoever to do with it anywhere. As you said, prostitution would be easier and much more profitable for those dealing in sex slaves.
Re: Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
Just because someone has written a book on it does not mean that anything in the book is real. ANYONE can publish a book. There are two types of publishing companies out there. The real ones that pay you for the privilege of printing your book and the vanity ones that you pay to print your book. The vanity sites will publish anything, regardless of how few facts and how little truth is in the book. So before you start trusting her argument because of a book, ask what other books the author has published and what other books the publisher has printed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
StrawberrySwitchblade
She ended up sourcing only one book, saying it would be all I needed to see to persuade me. It's called "The Natasha's" I can assume it's going to be aabout Russian 'brides,' but she's incredibly insistant that the industry is full of trafficked women, when I would think prostitution would have plenty more as there is more money and less bullshit.
Re: Stripping Promoting Sex Trafficking?
I can't guess how many women are being trafficked. It is enough to create national attention many times. That's all I know, and I don't have the patience to research.
From my experiences, I would guess that it is rampant because sc's are not regulated as they should be, and it leaves an easy loophole to be exploited.
Many are not there because they choose to be. I wasn't. Many others aren't in any mental state to reasonably choose what they want.
The employees of sc's are considered to be at the bottom of the food chain in society. It's a bleak existence for most.