The radical feminist Lee Lakeman has spent her life calling out patriarchy for its oppression, the left for its bankruptcy, neoliberalism for its cruelty and organizing women to fight back.
"Poverty, she reminds us, is not an aphrodisiac. Those who sell their bodies most often do so out of desperation." Lee Lakeman, another courageous woman who leads us and makes it clear that we all, especially women, have much to do. We cannot stop. We owe so many who came before us.
Thanks for this. I was falling for the view that prostitution was a legitimate line of work that just needed more protections for the “workers” though something about it just didn’t sit right with me. Your article made the light come on for me- seeing it as just another example of colonial settler imperialist capitalism exploitation. Thank you!!
Years ago I went to a group, a well known advocacy group for women was giving a workshop that was actually advocating the legitimacy of prostitution. Many, if not most of the women there were prostitutes, or those that supported their choice. At the time I was involved in issues regarding women rights, but in other areas. I was the only one there that didn't think prostitution was a good career choice. A rather young woman who led the group was a masseuse, and prostitute and I addressed myself to her in regard to her obvious, very obvious depression and maybe she should rethink her choices, while others encouraged her, and gave her the thumbs up. I think the world in regard to this issue, at least on this scale is still confused, and it's so called liberalism often gets in the way of what is good and not good for women, children, and men.
I was having a conversation along these lines after watching the film Anora with two friends a few weeks ago. “Prostitution is the quintessential expression of global capitalism”— Yes! and the founding stone of patriarchy. Thank you for this——-
Terrific article, as always. (I’ll confess, sometimes I think Chris was born in the wrong millennium. He’d have made one hell of an Old Testament prophet. 😊)
Dwayne Booth, aka Mr. Fish, is perhaps the finest political cartoonist in the country. Needless to say, his work is an anathema to the mainstream press, especially because of his fierce and uncompromising work on the genocide in Gaza and the apartheid state of Israel. You can find more of his work on clowncrack.com
It's not just poor women who get trapped either - the daughter of friends who live in a very affluent community, who was a brilliant student and a rising tennis star, was raped in her sophomore year by a fellow student. The crises that followed resulted in her being led into the world of prostitution by international gangs. At one point her parents were told if she came back to this state, she would be killed. She was able to escape that world and has begun to rebuild her life in a different state -slowly rebuilding her relationship with her parents.
I write this not to suggest she's better than the girls and young women from poverty who get drawn into that world - only that too many people are able to ignore it because it's not happening 'here'. But it does.
I agree with mostly everything said here BUT I do want to add: 2 countries I know of: Holland and Switzerland have 'legal' prostitution these women have good healthcare and they get regularly tested and pensions when they retire. And to my inside knowledge a lot of these women are not from backgrounds of poverty. I talked one time to a young lady who worked in a Bank, a quite shy person she loved being an "escort' (prostitute) and going out with men who took her out to dinner then sex.
Many models do the same.
I have never seen a woman under 20yrs.
I wholly. agree that under-age girls should be nowhere near this business....fills me with horror.
What about women who go out with men who are famous or rich? They too are prostituting themselves but are NOT paid.
I expect to get some disgusting remarks I am just reporting a different perspective.
YES, but ... I believed this too, years ago seen a documentary about several prostitutes talking enthusiastically about their job ... recently I read the book by Manfred Paulus "Menschenhandel und Sexsklaverei" that REALLY opened my eyes to this bottomless, cruel swamp that our society tolerates in our midst. I do not know if this book exists in other languages, he was police chief (somewhere Germany) now retired, in charge of organized crime etc.
I'm not sure, but my impression is that the satisfaction you got from that job was from hating men and enjoying having control over them. That strikes me as very sad. I spent most of my life just above poverty because I loved children and working with them, the most important and yet lowest-paid, lowest-prestige job there is. I look back with happiness and pride. I would wish that feeling for every woman instead of the sad satisfaction of hate and control.
I was divorced/beaten up by my previous husband. Yes. I did hate. There are things that women can do when they are hurt/accosted. I took photos of all my bruises and registered them with my doctor. Police don't come to domestic abuse. In other words I took my power and used these pictures for my divorce. Had many friends who I helped in this way. Also tried to get them away from abusive husbands.
In an Escort you do NOT get LOW pay, the reverse is true.
Hmmm, I do understand that women are different and have different tastes (a job like this would have never occurred to me, I do not like humans very much and I do not want power over men - BUT this is only me!). I am glad you did this as a conscious decision and liked yr choice (that is more that I can say about my professional 'career'!). I am sure your family had the surprise of their lives ..
I'm glad that you emerged unscathed from your foray into prostitution. In my long years on this planet I've known or met about a dozen women who were prostitutes at some point in their lives. None of them were glad they'd done it, nor did any seem whole or happy to me. They had never learned to own their personal pleasure in their relationships with men. About a third of them died prematurely, especially from alcoholism -- two of them only in their twenties.
Thank you Chris, for bringing to light the deep social malaise of our time. The power of the powerful resides in the realm of the capitalist/colonial ideology which legitimates theft as its operational principle - all the world is presumed to lie there waiting to be exploited - land, oceans, people and especially women.
I have never agreed that prostitution was harmless since the '60s and the "happy hooker" and even less now. For the perhaps hundreds of women, who say they have chosen this "profession", there are millions who have been coerced for a myriad of reasons. Regardless the physical and mental wounds are undeniable. That a woman is the only person who has been jailed for the Epstein sex crimes is a crime in itself. Also, it seems the only other celebrities, currently charged are black or jewish. Why have the Andrews and Bills among others, gotten off scott free?
Sex trafficking in Canada is rampant and like the US, indigenous woman and woman of colour are most vulnerable, though prostitution transcends colour, culture and sex. Thankfully a couple of nurses from Canada went to the UN to talk about non-state torture which is not well recognized and is an apt description of prostitution.
Thank you to Chris Hedges and Lee Lakemen and others for continuing to speak out.
After reading this I started looking for organization in my city (Chicago) that help women out of prostitution. There are no shortage of Google hits so I was just wondering if anyone could make a recommendation? I just don’t wanna give money to one of those orgs that has an executive that pays themselves a quarter million dollars a year
update: While looking around I found an organization called Madgalene House Chicago. Kinda neat thing they're actually run from a Methodist church in my childhood town. I lived just a quarter mile away for over a decade and never knew.
It becomes even more clear that many, if not most, negative situations could be ameliorated, if not solved by a GBI, a guaranteed basic income. International, if possible, national to begin with, if not possible.
Thank you for this powerful article...and for your tribute to Lee Lakeman. Her courage and determination, even in the face of 'defeat' is both heartbreaking AND inspiring. I believe our world is hanging on by a 'thread' - somehow the truth survives the onslaught of brutality and ridicule that is ALWAYS heaped on because of a few people along the way like this good woman.
I had the privilege of interviewing Andrea Dworkin shortly before her death in 2005. When I asked her what she would advise us about being activists, she said: "People who stand up to power have every reason to believe they'll get smashed..you have to do it anyway. YOU HAVE TO DO IT ANYWAY!"
As I struggle against my own fears, I am eternally grateful to all the people who have the courage to tell the truth with compassion and a fierce determination to believe in another world and to fight for it.
Yes!!! I could not agree more. And look at where we are today.....we have to think again and fight again....just as hard as they did in the 70s and maybe harder. Dworkin is brilliant and inspiring - her compassion and courage is extraordinary! I interviewed her three times in 2004 and have finally put together a documentary based on the first of those interviews (interwoven with a powerful rally speech she gave to an Anti-Violence Rally, along with excerpts from her memorial service in 2005). Please check out our trailer on SubStack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-151505767?source=queue
I would love to get your comments on this! Thanks!
YES indeed it is as BAD as Ms Lee Lakeman describes it. Another inconvenient fact society closes their eyes at (what is it we say to calm our conscience: they only have to blame themselves, it is their decision etc etc)
"Poverty, she reminds us, is not an aphrodisiac. Those who sell their bodies most often do so out of desperation." Lee Lakeman, another courageous woman who leads us and makes it clear that we all, especially women, have much to do. We cannot stop. We owe so many who came before us.
Thanks for this. I was falling for the view that prostitution was a legitimate line of work that just needed more protections for the “workers” though something about it just didn’t sit right with me. Your article made the light come on for me- seeing it as just another example of colonial settler imperialist capitalism exploitation. Thank you!!
Years ago I went to a group, a well known advocacy group for women was giving a workshop that was actually advocating the legitimacy of prostitution. Many, if not most of the women there were prostitutes, or those that supported their choice. At the time I was involved in issues regarding women rights, but in other areas. I was the only one there that didn't think prostitution was a good career choice. A rather young woman who led the group was a masseuse, and prostitute and I addressed myself to her in regard to her obvious, very obvious depression and maybe she should rethink her choices, while others encouraged her, and gave her the thumbs up. I think the world in regard to this issue, at least on this scale is still confused, and it's so called liberalism often gets in the way of what is good and not good for women, children, and men.
Excellent article—
I was having a conversation along these lines after watching the film Anora with two friends a few weeks ago. “Prostitution is the quintessential expression of global capitalism”— Yes! and the founding stone of patriarchy. Thank you for this——-
Terrific article, as always. (I’ll confess, sometimes I think Chris was born in the wrong millennium. He’d have made one hell of an Old Testament prophet. 😊)
We need a Prophet now, more than ever. And more people holding the feet (or higher up dangling participles) of the powerful to the fire.
Chris, who is Mr Fish who does the wonderful drawings? Is that you?
Dwayne Booth, aka Mr. Fish, is perhaps the finest political cartoonist in the country. Needless to say, his work is an anathema to the mainstream press, especially because of his fierce and uncompromising work on the genocide in Gaza and the apartheid state of Israel. You can find more of his work on clowncrack.com
It's not just poor women who get trapped either - the daughter of friends who live in a very affluent community, who was a brilliant student and a rising tennis star, was raped in her sophomore year by a fellow student. The crises that followed resulted in her being led into the world of prostitution by international gangs. At one point her parents were told if she came back to this state, she would be killed. She was able to escape that world and has begun to rebuild her life in a different state -slowly rebuilding her relationship with her parents.
I write this not to suggest she's better than the girls and young women from poverty who get drawn into that world - only that too many people are able to ignore it because it's not happening 'here'. But it does.
I agree with mostly everything said here BUT I do want to add: 2 countries I know of: Holland and Switzerland have 'legal' prostitution these women have good healthcare and they get regularly tested and pensions when they retire. And to my inside knowledge a lot of these women are not from backgrounds of poverty. I talked one time to a young lady who worked in a Bank, a quite shy person she loved being an "escort' (prostitute) and going out with men who took her out to dinner then sex.
Many models do the same.
I have never seen a woman under 20yrs.
I wholly. agree that under-age girls should be nowhere near this business....fills me with horror.
What about women who go out with men who are famous or rich? They too are prostituting themselves but are NOT paid.
I expect to get some disgusting remarks I am just reporting a different perspective.
YES, but ... I believed this too, years ago seen a documentary about several prostitutes talking enthusiastically about their job ... recently I read the book by Manfred Paulus "Menschenhandel und Sexsklaverei" that REALLY opened my eyes to this bottomless, cruel swamp that our society tolerates in our midst. I do not know if this book exists in other languages, he was police chief (somewhere Germany) now retired, in charge of organized crime etc.
Elisabeth. I don't completely understand your comment but I will try my best.
I will look up this book. Thank you.
I am a 'former' Escort woman...and proud to say this.
I worked for a famous Escort agency in the UK.
IF I didn't want to have sex with my escort I did not, even though it was expected of me.
What the 'feminists' do NOT understand with regard to prostitution: You as a woman have SO much power over men.
I could have pulled my scissors out of my bag and castrated many clients.
What I did see is the POWER women have over men.
Think on this.
I am 75yrs old now and I told my kids what I had done. Of course they were shocked and my family too.
I am the same person I was as a little girl...fighting/fighting.
IF you want to learn about men....be a prostitute for a while!
I'm not sure, but my impression is that the satisfaction you got from that job was from hating men and enjoying having control over them. That strikes me as very sad. I spent most of my life just above poverty because I loved children and working with them, the most important and yet lowest-paid, lowest-prestige job there is. I look back with happiness and pride. I would wish that feeling for every woman instead of the sad satisfaction of hate and control.
I was divorced/beaten up by my previous husband. Yes. I did hate. There are things that women can do when they are hurt/accosted. I took photos of all my bruises and registered them with my doctor. Police don't come to domestic abuse. In other words I took my power and used these pictures for my divorce. Had many friends who I helped in this way. Also tried to get them away from abusive husbands.
In an Escort you do NOT get LOW pay, the reverse is true.
I have been happily married for 43yrs.
I’m so sad for your experience and so happy for your survival and triumph. ❤️
Thank you.
Hmmm, I do understand that women are different and have different tastes (a job like this would have never occurred to me, I do not like humans very much and I do not want power over men - BUT this is only me!). I am glad you did this as a conscious decision and liked yr choice (that is more that I can say about my professional 'career'!). I am sure your family had the surprise of their lives ..
Yes they did. I also told my husband of (43yrs) when thing were getting serious.
In the US I watch feminists 'rant and rave' NEVER been part of this.
Men and women are so different.....women talk to each other and that in itself is power. Men don't do this.
Know in your heart what you expect and go for it.
I'm glad that you emerged unscathed from your foray into prostitution. In my long years on this planet I've known or met about a dozen women who were prostitutes at some point in their lives. None of them were glad they'd done it, nor did any seem whole or happy to me. They had never learned to own their personal pleasure in their relationships with men. About a third of them died prematurely, especially from alcoholism -- two of them only in their twenties.
Thank you. As I said I worked for a High Class Agency. All customers were vetted BUT of course some horrors do happen.
Met some very interesting people one in MI5!!!!!
No point brooding on this.
Of course if you are on the street it's a whole different game.
Oldest profession in the world I think.
This is factually untrue about the Netherlands.
What is factually untrue?
Just when I think Chris Hedges could not impress me more. Bravo, Sir. Thanks for this new lesson.
Chris Hedges. Thank you for this homage and for the scholarship of links to the supporting evidence of other articles.
Thank you Chris, for bringing to light the deep social malaise of our time. The power of the powerful resides in the realm of the capitalist/colonial ideology which legitimates theft as its operational principle - all the world is presumed to lie there waiting to be exploited - land, oceans, people and especially women.
Thank you again, Mr. Hedges, for your powerful, uncompromising condemnation of woke liberals, who are very comfortably capitalist!
I have never agreed that prostitution was harmless since the '60s and the "happy hooker" and even less now. For the perhaps hundreds of women, who say they have chosen this "profession", there are millions who have been coerced for a myriad of reasons. Regardless the physical and mental wounds are undeniable. That a woman is the only person who has been jailed for the Epstein sex crimes is a crime in itself. Also, it seems the only other celebrities, currently charged are black or jewish. Why have the Andrews and Bills among others, gotten off scott free?
Sex trafficking in Canada is rampant and like the US, indigenous woman and woman of colour are most vulnerable, though prostitution transcends colour, culture and sex. Thankfully a couple of nurses from Canada went to the UN to talk about non-state torture which is not well recognized and is an apt description of prostitution.
Thank you to Chris Hedges and Lee Lakemen and others for continuing to speak out.
Anne
After reading this I started looking for organization in my city (Chicago) that help women out of prostitution. There are no shortage of Google hits so I was just wondering if anyone could make a recommendation? I just don’t wanna give money to one of those orgs that has an executive that pays themselves a quarter million dollars a year
update: While looking around I found an organization called Madgalene House Chicago. Kinda neat thing they're actually run from a Methodist church in my childhood town. I lived just a quarter mile away for over a decade and never knew.
It becomes even more clear that many, if not most, negative situations could be ameliorated, if not solved by a GBI, a guaranteed basic income. International, if possible, national to begin with, if not possible.
Thank you for this powerful article...and for your tribute to Lee Lakeman. Her courage and determination, even in the face of 'defeat' is both heartbreaking AND inspiring. I believe our world is hanging on by a 'thread' - somehow the truth survives the onslaught of brutality and ridicule that is ALWAYS heaped on because of a few people along the way like this good woman.
I had the privilege of interviewing Andrea Dworkin shortly before her death in 2005. When I asked her what she would advise us about being activists, she said: "People who stand up to power have every reason to believe they'll get smashed..you have to do it anyway. YOU HAVE TO DO IT ANYWAY!"
As I struggle against my own fears, I am eternally grateful to all the people who have the courage to tell the truth with compassion and a fierce determination to believe in another world and to fight for it.
Andrea Dworkin was one of the greatest lights of '70's feminism, and remained relevant in the decades since then.
Yes!!! I could not agree more. And look at where we are today.....we have to think again and fight again....just as hard as they did in the 70s and maybe harder. Dworkin is brilliant and inspiring - her compassion and courage is extraordinary! I interviewed her three times in 2004 and have finally put together a documentary based on the first of those interviews (interwoven with a powerful rally speech she gave to an Anti-Violence Rally, along with excerpts from her memorial service in 2005). Please check out our trailer on SubStack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-151505767?source=queue
I would love to get your comments on this! Thanks!
Thanks Roberta! I will check it out later. Need to get some actual work done now.
Ha!!! Totally understand...me too!!! : )
YES indeed it is as BAD as Ms Lee Lakeman describes it. Another inconvenient fact society closes their eyes at (what is it we say to calm our conscience: they only have to blame themselves, it is their decision etc etc)