Prostitution…A Dirty Word?
August 15, 2008 by Scott Wharton
Filed under Men's Health
It always kind of has been, but in a way to describe someone that sells sexual favors for money. So now in order to be politically correct when talking about whores, hookers, call girls, etc., you have to refer to them as “Commercial Sex Workers“. According to this great article at Hot Medical News, there have been quite some changes in politically correct terms.
“Several years ago the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) changed some of the terminology used to report AIDS statistics. “Men who have sex with men” (MSM) replaced “male homosexuals” and “gay males.” “Injection drug users” replaced “intravenous drug abusers.” “Commercial sex workers” replaced “prostitutes.” CDC officials justified the changes by claiming that the old terms unfairly labeled and demeaned people who were not responsible for their plight. Welcome to the no-fault universe. Recently, the CDC continued in the same vein by throwing out the term “lesbian” and replacing it with “women who have sex with women” (WSW).”
Is it not bad enough that Needle Junkies and Tweakers are now able to draw disability because of their habits and addiction to drug use, but now we have to refer to them in a less demeaning way? I can kind of understand the homosexual terms to an extent, but prostitutes and drug users?
What about murderers and convicted rapists? Will we have to refer to them as “People that take lives” or “non-consensual sex pursuers”? Should we refer to Politicians as “The People That Screw The People”?
Political correctness has gone too far. Now we have to hold our tongue to just about everything. I can understand racially defamatory and hurtful words towards someones sexual preferences. No one wants to be called a hurtful word like “Nigger, Fag, Spic, Homo, Cracker”, etc.. But come on! A junkie is a junkie, a whore is a whore and a murderer is a murder. They say you can’t paint a turd pretty…but man they are trying hard. What can we think of next to glorify indecency? Wait, I got one. We’ll now refer to drug dealers as “Freelance Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs”. This is getting a bit ridiculous, don;t you think?
Read More on this at Hot Medical News ‘The Language police Strike Again’
No, we DON’t have to refer to them as sex workers. The act is called prostitution, the people engaged in the act are prostitutes. That is the simple factual truth.
Prostitution is not a job. First of all, it is illegal. Do we call drug smuugglers “drug workers”? Do we call murders “death workers”?
Secondly, 80% of the women in it want out. they are kept in by violence pimps and traffickers. Do we call pimps and traffickers “sex workers” too? (some pimps are advocating for this by the way)
Sex work is a euphamism cooked up by pimps (escort managers?) to make a very grusome reality seem like no big deal. Prostitution is being alone with a stranger who is giving you money to ejacuate into you. That’s not work, that’s abuse. Women deserve better than to have their abuse called work.
And next time someone tellsyou they are a sex worker, they are probably a pimp who defines pimping as sex work, so you are actually talking to a pimp. Word.
I’m big on political correctness is some areas (like racially offensive words) and naturally in mental health (I don’t like hearing “crazy,” “lunatic,” etc.). I’m also uncomfortable using “junkie.” I don’t care if drug addicts even use it (after all, I’ve heard plenty of African-Americans, especially rappers, use the “N” word, but that doesn’t mean I like the word); it’s so often used in a derogatory manner that I refuse to use it to refer to someone who has a drug addiction problem. People are people; they’re not problems or behaviors or whatever to be labeled.
But, I’m clueless as to why the phrases “men who have sex with men” and “women who have sex with women” are better than “gay men,” “homosexuals,” and “lesbians.” I didn’t think those words were considered offensive? I mean, if they were, why would people have created groups like the ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association)? And what’s the difference between “intravenous drug abusers” and “injection drug users”? And “prostitutes”? What? I guess I’m behind the times when it comes to PC. I mean, seriously, I don’t understand?!
Well I guess we’re going to have agree to disagree again Alicia. I have no problem using the word junkie to describe a person that uses habit forming drugs purposely and recklessly. I had a freind who was a junkie, he OD’d and left a wife and child behind. I didn’t feel sorry for him at all. I was sad that he had died, but I wasn’t sorry because he knew what he was doing and he saw friends of his become junkies, so he knew where that path goes.
@ Notreally, Don’t make it sound as if they all do it unwillingly and are being abused. I don’t like the idea of human trafficking or abused women any more than you do, but there are plenty out there that do it because they want to.
Addiction can be a complicated blend of both physical and mental problems. Many addicts are using drugs and/or alcohol to self-medicate, rather than “party” or whatever. For whatever reason, they aren’t aware of underlying problems they may have (depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, etc.) or they don’t want to seek help (due largely to the stigma attached to mental health problems, their inability to admit they’re out of control, and/or their own death wishes - yes, many addicts have them). Drugs allow them an “out,” some relief from the stress or other symptoms/life circumstances that they just can’t or don’t know how to deal with. Sadly, not everyone has access to resources, or knows about the resources s/he does have access to. We all come from different walks of life.
I hope this doesn’t offend you, but I think many people who react that way (have no sympathy) do so out of anger, confusion, frustration, etc. These are all very natural responses when someone we love is hurting him/herself and others, and when someone we don’t even know affects our lives and the lives of our loved ones. There’s always more to the story, though, than just how it’s affected the family/friends. Sometimes it’s hard to set our own emotional reactions aside long enough to even think about what might be the root of the problem. I’m not suggesting this is your situation, but it has been mine, and is the situation for some.
People who are addicted and destroying their lives and the lives of others don’t need someone to feel sorry for them. They need help. Professional help, ideally. I hate that any fellow human is so miserable s/he feels drugs (and the devastation they cause) is the only answer, and wish everyone in that situation would get help.
Of course, it all boils down to actually getting the help. People with addiction problems are just as responsible as people with any other kind of illness for getting help and managing their problems, whether they’re mental or physical. When people willingly choose to continue leading a drug-abusing lifestyle, they have to be prepared to deal with everything that comes with it.
I’m truly sorry for the loss of your friend, and I’m sorry for his widow and child.
That was long ago and I didn’t learn about his death until about a month after it happened. His wife was using too and after he died, she had to clean up in order to get her child back. It’s an epidemic in some areas as. I felt for his wife and child, but as I said, he knew what he was getting in to and he was doing it because he enjoyed it.
Your last paragraph sums it all up. I don;t mean to be hateful towards “Intravenous drug users”, but I don;t think we need to sugar coat it.
I totally agree. I’m all about hitting things head on rather than pussyfooting around (<- that’s such a peeve of mine!).
In other thoughts, I wonder what brought on the change in the CDC’s terminology for all of those names?
I mean, aside from the reason they gave (in what you quoted).
It angers me the way the people are brain washed.They say ‘they are providers’I read the newspaper.It stated the ‘Provider’ was arrested,It stated for PROSTITUTION.