"Are prostitutes basically sociopathic?"

[gentlemantoo]

Monica, it is obvious Spa999 has little to no idea what the hell he is talking about. He attempted to sound intellectual and scholastic but wrote on a subject, he obviously has too little knowledge on. Then he attempts to mask his ignorance with him being a person seeking this ultimate truth. He used fake and made up evidence and cannot back his argument. What magical truth does he seek - there is not one. And his position seems to be counter to a previous position without explanation. He is looking rather foolish and dumb. And you are correct he has no clue what he writes about to include depression much sociopathy. He is jaded that is shown by making up false facts. He is bery ignorant on mental issues and truth.

[Monica13]

Agreed 100%

[sailorman1980]

I don't have any idea why I'm making the mistake of jumping into this... probably cause I'm up way too damn early. But here it goes.

1. I'm not sure how a failure to conform to "social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest" means one has a pervasive disregard for and violation of the rights of others. The law says drinking alcohol under age 21 is unlawful. Does that mean all 19 year old college students who will get drunk over the next week have a pervasive disregard for the rights of others? Does a provider have a basic disregard for the rights of others when she meets a client? No one forced either of the two parties into the situation. While it is a crime, it is a victimless crime.

Furthermore, just because something is a societal norm does not make it right. I'm 46 and back in the 1970s and 80s (when I was growing up) it was against social norms to be gay. Hell I'd never seen a real life lesbian kiss until I went to college. That's changed.

2. You say deceitfulness is part and parcel of what they do. This is only anecdotally correct. There are certainly those for whom this is a secret lifestyle. However there are providers who show their face and make no secret of what they do, except for using a "stage name." Unless you were to take a survey of enough providers this part remains in question.

3. This one is also questionable. Again you are using stereotypes and anecdotal evidence. There are plenty of providers who are more financially secure than I am and are more secure than the average American.

So that's three which are, at best, questionable. I myself am sociopathic. I admit it. I always was a secretive little shit. I loved reading spy novels and I loved the idea of leading a double life. But I'm not going to say that everyone in the hobby is like me.

Originally Posted by spa999

"Are prostitutes basically sociopathic?"

Shrinks have studied men who frequent prostitutes and determined that they are more likely, in some cases much more likely, than the average man to be sociopathic. This is because hypersexuality is a common co-occurring trait in sociopaths. To consider the DSM def'n of sociopathy, go to the source:

http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.or.../pn.39.1.0025a

A. There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

1. failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest
2. deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
3. impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
4. irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
5. reckless disregard for safety of self or others
6. consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
7. lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.

B. The individual is at least age 18 years.

C. There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years.

D. The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.

OK, let's take them one at a time:

#1: Check. Turning tricks, using drugs, engaging in various cons, all typify the life of the average whore. All illegal, still, anyway. Possibly some don't do the third, but consider this: how many times do pros. lie to clients in an effort to pique or maintain their interest in them? No more perhaps than the average salesperson trying to unload something, but still, sociopathy has also been shown to exist at greater rates among salespeople than others. So it only goes to show. And as for hypersexuality? Need I even comment? I mean, lots of whores LOVE getting fucked 8 ways from Sunday by *many* different men. I am quite certain some hypersexual women go into turning tricks so they can feed their need and make a living. It can be hard *not* banging all the guys in the office 8 hours a day, you know. A girl has needs.

#2: Again, check. People don't name their daughters "Lexxi" or "Trixxi", now do they? And how many whores lead the complicated lives they do because they have done things like ruin their credit because they in essence got caught trying to do something bad, or simply didn't bother to repay their credit cards? Simply not paying rent or debts is a kind of theft by deception: "I'll pay you back," followed by not doing it.

#3: Yep. "Can you give me a ride to...", "Can you please pick me up and...", etc. No car? No problem. MAYBE a trick will take you someplace. If not, oh well. What ya gonna do? I am amazed at how many whores I have met who have no plan B for anything and only come up with plan A when they absolutely have to. Still, it's remarkable how often things actually do work out for them, possibly because their tricks are too easily manipulated into abetting them. (See #7)

#4: Sometimes. Some whores are spazes. Not all, just some.

#5: Banging men you just met for money. You have NO idea if this guy is going to kill/rape you. Yet, you do it anyway.

#6: Need I even comment?

#7: OMG, yes. The depths of ruthless emotional and social manipulation even the most recently-minted whore is capable of would make Gordon Gekko blush with shame at being such a lightweight. If you are 3 steps in your thinking, trust me, she is 10 steps ahead. Parting you from as much money as she can get from you is part and parcel of many whores' agendas. Of course, she must suss out her trick. What is this guy's deal? If I *ask* him for another 40, will he just hand it over? Or will he be annoyed? If after I bang him and ask really nicely, will he give me another 20? How can I get him to drive me to __(blank)__ then back to ___(blank)___? The list goes on. Of course, the scale of the typical whore is rather small. World-class manipulation that causes men to part with millions only happens to men who have the millions to part with, undertaken by sociopathic women at the top of their game. But the principle is the same. Utilize the trick's "weaknesses" to get what you need/want from him: empathy, emotional attachment, neuroses, innocence, cluelessness, etc. Whatever can be exploited.

B, C, and D: Well, the only thing that may not take is C. But show me one kid who does not behave sociopathically when measured by adult behavioral standards. Lying, manipulation, and indifference to others' feelings is part and parcel of childhood. Cynical of me? No. Just ruthlessly honest.

There are sociopaths, then there are sociopaths. The kind that murder and rape are categorically worse than whore sociopathy. But the difference is in style as well as degree. Sociopathy, like sanity, is a scale. Less a binary state, more of a *condition*. To some degree, all of us are a bit sociopathic. Indeed, just about any form of selfishness (a trait that is a necessary one to survival) could be construed as tending toward an anti-social state. But the typical person can and does feel empathy, remorse, connectedness to others (esp. as a result of having sex with them repeatedly), etc. The sociopath does not feel these things, or if they do, only in small amounts. In any case, not enough for it to affect their behavior. That is why sociopaths can be punished but it has no effect on their behavior. The rest of us transgress, get slapped, and think twice before transgressing again. Sociopaths don't care, ultimately, what even happens to them, much less anyone else.

I am not saying all whores are complete sociopaths. I am merely suggesting that whores, like a fair number of regular johns might be, are likely farther down the scale of sociopathy than is the average woman.

I also think that the prostitute lifestyle might push someone toward being more sociopathic. If she didn't start out that way, the demands of the lifestyle will change her to be more that way perhaps out of practicality. I have heard it said, "You become what you do." Bet if you had made Mother Theresa turn tricks, it wouldn't have been long before she was behaving very much like the typical whore does when it comes to the above. Indeed, how many perfectly decent peace-loving men have been turned into stone-cold killers by the demands of the battlefield? Too many to count.

So there you have it. Thoughts?

[Fancylady]

Enjoy paid sessions.

[spa999]

Hmm, were you ever Dxed w/ sociopathy? You could have something else going on with you. I say this bc s-paths are notoriously lacking in the ability to introspect. That doesn't seem to describe you.

Originally Posted by sailorman1980

I myself am sociopathic. I admit it. I always was a secretive little shit. I loved reading spy novels and I loved the idea of leading a double life. But I'm not going to say that everyone in the hobby is like me.

[spa999]

https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...ceo-sxsw-panel

'There is a high proportion of psychopathic CEOs in Silicon Valley, enabled by protective investors and weak human resources departments, according to a panel of experts at SXSW festival.

Although the term “psychopath” typically has negative connotations, some of the attributes associated with the disorder can be advantageous in a business setting.

“A true psychopath is someone that has a blend of emotional, interpersonal, lifestyle and behavioral deficits but an uncanny ability to mask them. They come across as very charming, very gregarious. But underneath there’s a profound lack of remorse, callousness and a lack of empathy,” said forensic and clinical psychologist Michael Woodworth, who has worked with psychopathic murderers in high security prisons, on Tuesday.'

[Rogue_Gent]

There are certainly sociopath providers, in our corner of the hobby these individuals are flagged in the "Alerts" section. Most of the providers I've meet are girls with a job. The job, or more precisely, the business they are doing is exchanging pleasure for money.

The beginning of this thread was an assertion of the idea that providers are sociopathic because of the inherent illegality of the hobby. The fact of the illegality and immorality of their profession is because we are living in a country that was originally settled by religious fanatics, and the descendants of these original settlers still hold enormous influence over our political and cultural environment. In other countries and in the state of Nevada, the profession is legal, or at least decriminalized. There a provider is a girl with a job.

Antisocial personality disorder is a mental condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others. This behavior is often criminal. My engagements in the hobby have usually been with girls that I have done some diligent screening of. I exchange an agreed-upon price for an agreed upon service and I am usually satisfied with the transaction. I don't think either party to this encounter has been unduly exploited, and I don't think we have done any damage to society, although I am sure I would get some vigorous debate on this last point from the religious fascist and feminazis that so dominate the narrative in the body politic.

[Monica13]

I read a study once that most highly successful people are sociopaths. That's how they became successful because the didn't care what they had to do to get to the top.

[sailorman1980]

I was diagnosed with OCD and long term depression about 12 years ago.

However I've been clinically horny and addicted to women for several decades. Lol

[SoSexyMsT]

How about this, when op starts paying my bills, then he can judge. Many women rely on a man in some way, shape or form, for money. In my case, its not a boyfriend or husband.

Hobbyists and clients do bond. Ive been seeing some guys for YEARS! Some guys would date me if i wanted...

[sailorman1980]

I totally agree. There are two providers whom I make it a point to see whenever either one of them is in town. I know it sounds corny, but there is definitely a connection there. Both of these women are dangerous for me in that, if either one of them asked, I'd probably drop everything in my life for them.

Having said that, I realize, through self introspection, that what I love about the hobby is the fact that I get to have amazing sex with beautiful women. When I was growing up, I was not the boy whom girls dreamt of. Hell, I'm still not. I never dated in high school. Only dated a little bit in college. Even after college just didn't seem able to get a date to save my life.

Anyway, that's probably way more about me than anyone wanted to know.

Originally Posted by SoSexyMsT

How about this, when op starts paying my bills, then he can judge. Many women rely on a man in some way, shape or form, for money. In my case, its not a boyfriend or husband.

Hobbyists and clients do bond. Ive been seeing some guys for YEARS! Some guys would date me if i wanted...

[yitzchak]

Originally Posted by Monica13

You said: "As an example, everyone gets depressed. Some people have months of depression, maybe even years, but that doesn't mean they have a mental disorder. Say your mother dies, and you feel depressed for a long time. Does that mean you have a mental disorder?"

Yes, if your depressed for years you have chronic depression which is a mental disorder. Your way way off base on the depression thing.

I've had major depressive disorder since I was 16. Some people just don't "get over" depression. It can and is life threatening.

Being depressed over a death eventually goes away. Major depressive order Does not just go away.

That was my point. I know real depression is a mental disorder. If you're depressed because your mother died for a few years, it doesn't mean you have a mental disorder. Everyone feels depressed, but not everyone has real depression. Similarly, anyone could exhibit sociopathic behavior, but that doesn't mean they are truly sociopaths, but I'm not a doctor. I'm assuming that in order to have a mental disorder, the symptoms should be extreme.

[Eve Hennessey]

Originally Posted by spa999

Both whores and wives will eventually be made obsolete with the advent of sex-bots.

Sex bots will never take the place of me stepping to you as I wrap my hands and arms around you from behind. They will never unbutton your shirt and slip their hand inside for a tease of your nipple or chest hair. They will never undo your trousers allowing them to fall around your ankles as my hand touches your manhood. They will never replace the warmth of my body against yours or my breath on your neck. They will never press their bodies into yours or give into you when you've managed to touch them in such way that they drop all defenses. Nor will you ever experience my quivering body as I open myself up to your touches. And, you'll never feel the sudden rush of my juices as I let go.




Let's look at history, shall we?

Virgo the virgin was never a virgin...

"The word "virgo" is Latin, means "self-contained" which is for us is better interpreted as "self-sufficient". In astrology, those born under the sign of Virgo are said to behave in an individualistic, self-sufficient manner. Their nurturing comes from a place of not needing others to find fulfillment for them, but being able to create for others because they can already create for themselves. "

In part, this plays into your definition of "sociopath". It is anthropologically interesting to me that a self sufficient woman is considered sociopathic.

However, it goes on the explain...

"By all accounts, Virgo is seen as the "Great Goddess", which is a somewhat vague description to begin with, though very accurate. A look back at the history of the Virgo myth across cultures suggests reasons as to the change in how a "Great Goddess" would be viewed."

“Ancient moon priestesses were called virgins. ‘Virgin’ meant not married, not belonging to a man- a woman who was ‘one-in-herself.’ The very word derives from a Latin root meaning strength, force, skill; and was later applied to men: virile. Ishtar, Diana, Astarte, Isis were all all called virgin, which did not refer to sexual chastity, but sexual independence. And all great culture heroes of the past…, mythic or historic, were said to be born of virgin mothers: Marduk, Gilgamesh, Buddha, Osiris, Dionysus, Genghis Khan, Jesus- they were all affirmed as sons of the Great Mother, of the Original One, their worldly power deriving from her. When the Hebrews used the word, and in the original Aramaic, it meant ‘maiden’ or ‘young woman’, with no connotations to sexual chastity. But later Christian translators could not conceive of the ‘Virgin Mary’ as a woman of independent sexuality, needless to say; they distorted the meaning into sexually pure, chaste, never touched. When Joan of Arc, with her witch coven associations, was called La Pucelle-‘the Maiden,’ ‘the Virgin’ - the word retained some of its original pagan sense of a strong and independent woman. The Moon Goddess was worshiped in orgiastic rites, being the divinity of matriarchal women free to take as many lovers as they choose. Women could ‘surrender’ themselves to the Goddess by making love to a stranger in her temple.”

-Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor in the book “The Great Cosmic Mother -Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth"

"[He]taira...a 'female companion'...

was the term normally used for courtesans in Classical Athens...They were generally more cultivated than citizen women; they were trained (usually by older hetairai) to be entertaining and interesting rather than to be thrifty managers of households...Some hetairai functioned as entrenched mistresses or even common-law wives, but others less fortunate were essentially prostitutes."

Sarah B. Pomeroy Ancient Greece A Political, Social, and Cultural History, 1999

400s BC - Hetairai in Ancient Greece

"Apasia, was a hetaira, one of the highly educated women from eastern Greece who entertained and accompanied men in many of their festivals, often including sex. As the mistress of Perikles, a principal ruler of Athens in the mid-fifth century B.C.E., Aspasia's influence on the Athenian leader was reputedly enormous; at various times his policies and speeches were ascribed to her."

Yet by the Late 500s - Visigoths Criminalize Prostitution

"A decree of Recared, Catholic king of the Visigoths of Spain (596-601) absolutely prohibited prostitution. Girls and women born of free parents convicted of either practising prostitution, or inducing debauchery, were condemned for the first offence to be flogged (300 strokes) and to be ignominously expelled from the town."

By 1158 - Holy Roman Army Punishes Prostitution

"In 1158, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa punished prostitutes traveling with the army. When caught in the act, the prostitute was ordered to have her nose cut off in an attempt to make her less attractive. A soldier caught in the act sometimes had a finger cut off or an eye removed."

In the 1490s - Syphilis

Beginning in the 1490s the Great Pox (syphilis) ravaged Europe for nearly a century. "The recognition of the veneral nature of infection, and the fear of disease, combined with the moral fervor of the various sixteenth-century Reformers, resulted in a reaction against prostitution." What came first, the chicken or the egg???

1500s - Elite Renaissance Courtesans in Italy

"An aristocratic and courtly environment with limited access to aristocratic and courtly women… engendered a higher caliber of prostitute -- a woman who was not only young and beautiful, but who could grace with wit and charm a dinner or an evening otherwise dominated by male clerics... [T]he courtesan flourished as an elite form of prostitute quickly copied by an increasingly aristocratic upper class throughout Italy...

The ideal was that unlike the common whore, who was available to all, the universal victim at the bottom of the hierarchy of prostitution, the 'honest courtesan' was an exacting mistress... who judged honestly her suitors, accepting only the best."

1897 - New Orleans' Storyville

"New Orleans' first anti-prostitution ordinance was the 1857 Lorette ordinance which prohibited prostitution on the first floor of buildings but was soon after declared unconstitutional. In July 1865, after the Civil War, more regulations were made leading up to the creation of the red-light district of Storyville in 1897. It ended legally in 1917 due to concerns over health risks to US soldiers."

The Mann Act or White-Slave Traffic Act (8KB) became law on June 25, 1910. Named after Rep. James Robert Mann (R-IL) it created federal law against "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose." It dealt with forced prostitution, harboring immigrant prostitutes, and the transportation across state lines. "As of April 1912 the white slave investigations overshadowed the entire balance of the Bureau's [the future Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)] work."

June 25, 1910 - Mann Act

"Mann Act came at a time when the prostitution debate and the white-slave trade were high-profile issues. "In the twenty years between 1890 and 1909, thirty-six entries [in Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature] appear under the heading 'prostitution.' Forty-one entries appear in the ten years, between 1915 and 1924. But for the mere five years between 1910 and 1914, 'prostitution' carries no less than 156 entries."

1927 - Germany Decriminalizes Prostitution

"Before 1927 prostitution was generally illegal but cities were allowed to regulate things such as STD testing, where prostitutes could live, and where prostitutes could travel. "The... [Law for Combating Venereal Diseases] decriminalized prostitution in general, abolished the morals police, and outlawed regulated brothels. These were major achievements from the perspective of prostitutes' rights. However, to secure passage of the reform, Social Democrats and liberals were forced to make important concessions to the moral Right, who opposed a consistent decriminalization of prostitution. Clause 16/4 of the anti-VD law... made street soliciting illegal in areas adjacent to churches and schools as well as in towns with a population smaller than 15,000."

1932 - Japan's "Comfort Women"

"Military brothels were created all over the occupied areas of Asia during the war for the use of Japanese soldiers: the first were set up as early as 1932 [in Shanghai, China], but most were created after the outbreak of full-scale fighting in China in 1937. Some of these were managed by civilians for profit, but frequented by members of the Japanese armed forces; others were established and run directly by the Japanese military.... The number of women recruited to work in these places is unknown - estimates vary from 20,000 to 400,000, though a careful study by historian Yoshimi Yoshiaki suggests a narrower range of between 50,000 and 200,000. The methods of recruitment and the conditions which women faced also varied enormously. Some were Japanese women who had worked as prostitutes previously, and were 'volunteers' in a sense, although often driven to 'volunteer' through pressures of poverty, debt and desperation. A very large number were women from Korea and China. Many had been lured away from their homes with promises of work in factories or restaurants, only to find themselves incarcerated in 'comfort stations' in foreign lands. Other women in Korea, Southeast Asia and elsewhere were rounded up at gunpoint."

May 1933 - Nazis Recriminalize Prostitution

"In May 1933 the Nazis effectively outlawed street soliciting. The revised Clause 361/6 criminalized any form of public solicitation pursued 'in a conspicuous manner or in a manner suited to harass individuals or the public.' Parallel to these new legal restrictions on prostitution, the police engaged in massive raids on streetwalkers. Though no comprehensive figures exist, it has been estimated that 'thousands, even more likely tens of thousands' of prostitutes were arrested during the spring and summer of 1933."

1939 - Nazis Regulate Prostitution

"The Nazis began regulating brothels in the fall of 1934. "By 1939 at the latest, Nazi prostitution policies diverged in important ways from previous systems of regulationism. Conventionally, state-regulated prostitution aimed to protect 'respectable' society against moral 'pollution' by prostitutes. The Nazis also strove to eradicate street soliciting and to confine prostitutes to tightly supervised brothels.... For the first time, a German government made the establishment of supervised brothels compulsory for all cities and issued standardized regulations for the operation of 'public houses.' What was new about the Nazi system... was the attempt to use the state... to create a certain form of human sexuality. Nazi brothels aimed to maintain the physical fitness and morale of 'Aryan' men. At the same time, the persecution of prostitutes intensified greatly. Previously, prostitutes who violated police orders were punished with fines or short prison and workhouse sentences. In the Third Reich, such violations frequently led to streetwalkers' internment in a concentration camp."

And so on...

The thing I see as a common thread throughout history is that we have been governed by men. Men have tried to control us at every turn. We are conditioned to believe that bad girls don't get the good men. We have either been sanctioned or revered by men. We have been taken at gunpoint and forced into things that we would not voluntarily taken part of by men. Modern day pimps have beaten, raped, and killed us into submission if we fail to bring him, the man, enough money. Even today escort agencies are, to a great extent, are governed by men. Human traffickers, almost without exception are men forcing young girls to do their dirty work. Even here, on this board you have likened us, a living breathing human being to a sex bot and reduced our value because, to you, we are inhuman akin to sociopaths.

It seems you disregard any woman that believes in herself so much that she puts a price on her intrinsic value? Calling her a whore as a result and dismissing her as a sociopath is an insight into your own self worth. You would be hard pressed to shame many of us for our choice to venture into this wonderful world of self exploration and worth. You wrote that you have 25 years experience in your field, as such you put a minimum salary requirement on said experience. Is that any different than me putting a minimum requirement on mine?

A lovely statistic... 1 in 3 women are killed at the hands of the very men that claim to love and protect them. With those numbers that means we have men here who beat their wives.

Are you jealous because we have something you want and hate us because we have the nerve to charge you for it?

I ask you, are we "whores" truly sociopaths or just hated because we think and act like men?

[Fancylady]

Originally Posted by Eve Hennessey

Sex bots will never take the place of me stepping to you as I wrap my hands and arms around you from behind. They will never unbutton your shirt and slip their hand inside for a tease of your nipple or chest hair. They will never undo your trousers allowing them to fall around your ankles as my hand touches your manhood. They will never replace the warmth of my body against yours or my breath on your neck. They will never press their bodies into yours or give into you when you've managed to touch them in such way that they drop all defenses. Nor will you ever experience my quivering body as I open myself up to your touches. And, you'll never feel the sudden rush of my juices as I let go.




Let's look at history, shall we?

Virgo the virgin was never a virgin...

"The word "virgo" is Latin, means "self-contained" which is for us is better interpreted as "self-sufficient". In astrology, those born under the sign of Virgo are said to behave in an individualistic, self-sufficient manner. Their nurturing comes from a place of not needing others to find fulfillment for them, but being able to create for others because they can already create for themselves. "

In part, this plays into your definition of "sociopath". It is anthropologically interesting to me that a self sufficient woman is considered sociopathic.

However, it goes on the explain...

"By all accounts, Virgo is seen as the "Great Goddess", which is a somewhat vague description to begin with, though very accurate. A look back at the history of the Virgo myth across cultures suggests reasons as to the change in how a "Great Goddess" would be viewed."

“Ancient moon priestesses were called virgins. ‘Virgin’ meant not married, not belonging to a man- a woman who was ‘one-in-herself.’ The very word derives from a Latin root meaning strength, force, skill; and was later applied to men: virile. Ishtar, Diana, Astarte, Isis were all all called virgin, which did not refer to sexual chastity, but sexual independence. And all great culture heroes of the past…, mythic or historic, were said to be born of virgin mothers: Marduk, Gilgamesh, Buddha, Osiris, Dionysus, Genghis Khan, Jesus- they were all affirmed as sons of the Great Mother, of the Original One, their worldly power deriving from her. When the Hebrews used the word, and in the original Aramaic, it meant ‘maiden’ or ‘young woman’, with no connotations to sexual chastity. But later Christian translators could not conceive of the ‘Virgin Mary’ as a woman of independent sexuality, needless to say; they distorted the meaning into sexually pure, chaste, never touched. When Joan of Arc, with her witch coven associations, was called La Pucelle-‘the Maiden,’ ‘the Virgin’ - the word retained some of its original pagan sense of a strong and independent woman. The Moon Goddess was worshiped in orgiastic rites, being the divinity of matriarchal women free to take as many lovers as they choose. Women could ‘surrender’ themselves to the Goddess by making love to a stranger in her temple.”

-Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor in the book “The Great Cosmic Mother -Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth"

"[He]taira...a 'female companion'...

was the term normally used for courtesans in Classical Athens...They were generally more cultivated than citizen women; they were trained (usually by older hetairai) to be entertaining and interesting rather than to be thrifty managers of households...Some hetairai functioned as entrenched mistresses or even common-law wives, but others less fortunate were essentially prostitutes."

Sarah B. Pomeroy Ancient Greece A Political, Social, and Cultural History, 1999

400s BC - Hetairai in Ancient Greece

"Apasia, was a hetaira, one of the highly educated women from eastern Greece who entertained and accompanied men in many of their festivals, often including sex. As the mistress of Perikles, a principal ruler of Athens in the mid-fifth century B.C.E., Aspasia's influence on the Athenian leader was reputedly enormous; at various times his policies and speeches were ascribed to her."

Yet by the Late 500s - Visigoths Criminalize Prostitution

"A decree of Recared, Catholic king of the Visigoths of Spain (596-601) absolutely prohibited prostitution. Girls and women born of free parents convicted of either practising prostitution, or inducing debauchery, were condemned for the first offence to be flogged (300 strokes) and to be ignominously expelled from the town."

By 1158 - Holy Roman Army Punishes Prostitution

"In 1158, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa punished prostitutes traveling with the army. When caught in the act, the prostitute was ordered to have her nose cut off in an attempt to make her less attractive. A soldier caught in the act sometimes had a finger cut off or an eye removed."

In the 1490s - Syphilis

Beginning in the 1490s the Great Pox (syphilis) ravaged Europe for nearly a century. "The recognition of the veneral nature of infection, and the fear of disease, combined with the moral fervor of the various sixteenth-century Reformers, resulted in a reaction against prostitution." What came first, the chicken or the egg???

1500s - Elite Renaissance Courtesans in Italy

"An aristocratic and courtly environment with limited access to aristocratic and courtly women… engendered a higher caliber of prostitute -- a woman who was not only young and beautiful, but who could grace with wit and charm a dinner or an evening otherwise dominated by male clerics... [T]he courtesan flourished as an elite form of prostitute quickly copied by an increasingly aristocratic upper class throughout Italy...

The ideal was that unlike the common whore, who was available to all, the universal victim at the bottom of the hierarchy of prostitution, the 'honest courtesan' was an exacting mistress... who judged honestly her suitors, accepting only the best."

1897 - New Orleans' Storyville

"New Orleans' first anti-prostitution ordinance was the 1857 Lorette ordinance which prohibited prostitution on the first floor of buildings but was soon after declared unconstitutional. In July 1865, after the Civil War, more regulations were made leading up to the creation of the red-light district of Storyville in 1897. It ended legally in 1917 due to concerns over health risks to US soldiers."

The Mann Act or White-Slave Traffic Act (8KB) became law on June 25, 1910. Named after Rep. James Robert Mann (R-IL) it created federal law against "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose." It dealt with forced prostitution, harboring immigrant prostitutes, and the transportation across state lines. "As of April 1912 the white slave investigations overshadowed the entire balance of the Bureau's [the future Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)] work."

June 25, 1910 - Mann Act

"Mann Act came at a time when the prostitution debate and the white-slave trade were high-profile issues. "In the twenty years between 1890 and 1909, thirty-six entries [in Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature] appear under the heading 'prostitution.' Forty-one entries appear in the ten years, between 1915 and 1924. But for the mere five years between 1910 and 1914, 'prostitution' carries no less than 156 entries."

1927 - Germany Decriminalizes Prostitution

Before 1927 prostitution was generally illegal but cities were allowed to regulate things such as STD testing, where prostitutes could live, and where prostitutes could travel. "The... [Law for Combating Venereal Diseases] decriminalized prostitution in general, abolished the morals police, and outlawed regulated brothels. These were major achievements from the perspective of prostitutes' rights. However, to secure passage of the reform, Social Democrats and liberals were forced to make important concessions to the moral Right, who opposed a consistent decriminalization of prostitution. Clause 16/4 of the anti-VD law... made street soliciting illegal in areas adjacent to churches and schools as well as in towns with a population smaller than 15,000."

1932 - Japan's "Comfort Women"

"Military brothels were created all over the occupied areas of Asia during the war for the use of Japanese soldiers: the first were set up as early as 1932 [in Shanghai, China], but most were created after the outbreak of full-scale fighting in China in 1937. Some of these were managed by civilians for profit, but frequented by members of the Japanese armed forces; others were established and run directly by the Japanese military.... The number of women recruited to work in these places is unknown - estimates vary from 20,000 to 400,000, though a careful study by historian Yoshimi Yoshiaki suggests a narrower range of between 50,000 and 200,000. The methods of recruitment and the conditions which women faced also varied enormously. Some were Japanese women who had worked as prostitutes previously, and were 'volunteers' in a sense, although often driven to 'volunteer' through pressures of poverty, debt and desperation. A very large number were women from Korea and China. Many had been lured away from their homes with promises of work in factories or restaurants, only to find themselves incarcerated in 'comfort stations' in foreign lands. Other women in Korea, Southeast Asia and elsewhere were rounded up at gunpoint."

May 1933 - Nazis Recriminalize Prostitution

"In May 1933 the Nazis effectively outlawed street soliciting. The revised Clause 361/6 criminalized any form of public solicitation pursued 'in a conspicuous manner or in a manner suited to harass individuals or the public.' Parallel to these new legal restrictions on prostitution, the police engaged in massive raids on streetwalkers. Though no comprehensive figures exist, it has been estimated that 'thousands, even more likely tens of thousands' of prostitutes were arrested during the spring and summer of 1933."

1939 - Nazis Regulate Prostitution

The Nazis began regulating brothels in the fall of 1934. "By 1939 at the latest, Nazi prostitution policies diverged in important ways from previous systems of regulationism. Conventionally, state-regulated prostitution aimed to protect 'respectable' society against moral 'pollution' by prostitutes. The Nazis also strove to eradicate street soliciting and to confine prostitutes to tightly supervised brothels.... For the first time, a German government made the establishment of supervised brothels compulsory for all cities and issued standardized regulations for the operation of 'public houses.' What was new about the Nazi system... was the attempt to use the state... to create a certain form of human sexuality. Nazi brothels aimed to maintain the physical fitness and morale of 'Aryan' men. At the same time, the persecution of prostitutes intensified greatly. Previously, prostitutes who violated police orders were punished with fines or short prison and workhouse sentences. In the Third Reich, such violations frequently led to streetwalkers' internment in a concentration camp."

And so on...

The thing I see as a common thread throughout history is that we have been governed by men. Men have tried to control us at every turn. We are conditioned to believe that bad girls don't get the good men. We have either been sanctioned or revered by men. We have been taken at gunpoint and forced into things that we would not voluntarily taken part of by men. Modern day pimps have beaten, raped, and killed us into submission if we fail to bring him, the man, enough money. Even today escort agencies are, to a great extent, are governed by men. Human traffickers, almost without exception are men forcing young girls to do their dirty work. Even here, on this board you have likened us, a living breathing human being to a sex bot and reduced our value because, to you, we are inhuman akin to sociopaths.

It seems you disregard any woman that believes in herself so much that she puts a price on her intrinsic value? Calling her a whore as a result and dismissing her as a sociopath is an insight into your own self worth. You would be hard pressed to shame many of us for our choice to venture into this wonderful world of self exploration and worth. You wrote that you have 25 years experience in your field, as such you put a minimum salary requirement on said experience. Is that any different than me putting a minimum requirement on mine?

A lovely statistic... 1 in 3 women are killed at the hands of the very men that claim to love and protect them. With those numbers that means we have men here who beat their wives.

Are you jealous because we have something you want and hate us because we have the nerve to charge you for it?

I ask you, are we "whores" truly sociopaths or just hated because we think and act like men?

NO $$$$$ pro not stepping up to client putting your arms around clients.

[spa999]

I really appreciate all the replies. The arguments being made, even if most are very much against the proposition, are very informative, most esp. in the wide range of ways that the line of endeavor that prostitution is is perceived.

Allow me now to suggest an alternate explanation or analysis, and tell me what you think, applying Occam's Razor a bit to the question. To explain prostitition as a manifestation if even to a small, possibly subclinical degree, of sociopathy, is a more complex explanation than is necessary. A simpler one may be better. Try this: Most women tend to form emotional attachments to men they have sex with, esp. those they have sex with repeatedly. Likewise for men, but generally, less so. However in any large pop'n of ppl, there will be evolutionarily-driven divergences from the typical or normative state. It is reasonable to expect some number of both men and women to arise who do not form significant emotional bonds w/ others via sex. In some cases, some ppl will form no bond at all.

If some number of ppl no matter their capacity for bonding via sex are willing and able to pay someone else for sex and if relative to their need/desire for sex, it is scarce, there will be a market, assuming some number of ppl able to charge for sex are willing and able to do so.

The supply side of this market is likely to be made up of ppl who form little or no emotional bonds with those they have sex with, as it will be easy for them merely to have sex w/ them and walk away. But they also must be ppl whom others will actually pay for sex.

It's easy to see what happens next and why. Since a great bulk of women see sex as an emotional and physical act, sex w/out the experience of attachment is hard to have, at least for them. Thus they decline having sex w/ men they are not confident in the safety of becoming attached to. Men otoh experience sex in general as a physical need first and an emotional exercise second. Thus they are more likely to seek out sex w/out concern over emotional attachment, though men know through experience that repeating sex w/ the same woman triggers attachment feelings in most men.

The participants in this market thus choose sides based largely on their sexual biology and their tendencies to create or experience emotional attachment as a result of sex.

How does THAT sound to you all?