Also I hate the empowerment narrative of sex work because it supports the “your personhood depends on selling your labor” shit

brillfic:

thepeacockangel:

brillfic:

thepeacockangel:

The idea that selling your labor is the path to “empowerment” makes me want to punch things

I’m not in sex work, so the only thing I’m going to say on this is this:

• I think sex workers should be the only ones permitted to define their own narrative and experiences in terms of the work they do, whether that be demeaning, neutral, or empowering, and 
• I think feminists from all stripes of life should listen to and talk about their experiences, and not completely crap all over each other or exclude one another because their narratives don’t align and/or they don’t agree with each other.  This includes sex workers and their personal experiences, whatever those may be.

Hello friend, I am a sex worker, also this particular analysis is based on my general belief that capitalism is shitty and needs to be smashed.

I did not know you were a sex worker and offer my sincere apologies.  My points still stand—as you are one, you should be allowed to determine just what your experience is like.  Just as any other sex worker should be allowed to determine their own experience.  I reiterate this because I’ve seen it used as an excuse to continue to dismiss and exclude women from feminism, which is (a) wrong and (b) counterproductive.  I…really can’t say anything more on that because, again, I’m not a sex worker, I’m just doing research on the whole thing to get a better understanding of both sides and this is where I stand so far.

We both seem to agree that capitalism is not the best route to take economically.  I…honestly don’t know what else to say about it, because both of the ways that I earn money (working as a recruiter to help people with disabilities find gainful employment and occasionally taking crochet commissions) are things that I take pride in and find extremely empowering.  Would you be suggesting a model like Switzerland/Sweden has, where citizens get $30k a year?

I’m suggesting the abolition of private property and the eventual dissolution of the state, worker ownership of everything… basically, I’m a commie, not a social democrat, Switzerland is social-democracy (basically capitalism lite).  I mean I think that finding a way to do okay under capitalism is kind of empowering, but at the same time the system that requires people to sell their labor to survive is inherently disempowering and shitty.

I’m all about labor unions and ridding society of the parasitic employing class, so like… I’m a scary scary red (but not a Stalinist, those guys are loopy) and so like that’s kind of important to shaping my view of any and all labor under capitalism.