Happens about February-March of every election year (the, ahem, independent media goes out of its way to induce it). Get ready for the next lib wave, and a bunch of iterations of the following script, which they’ve been practicing since like 1999:
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- “Eh, I disagree with [Democrat candidate] on a lot of things, but to pretend he’s not better than [Republican candidate] is just delusional.”
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- “Yeah, I know [Democratic candidate] is a war criminal and complicit in a genocide, but have you considered that [Republican candidate] is a war criminal as well, plus he said rude things about [minority group]? In the interest of harm reduction for Americans only, I have a duty to vote Democrat.”
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- “Your vote actually does matter.”
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- “The only reason the Democrats aren’t Wholesome Progressive Scandinavian Model Chungus is because they have to play politics with the Republicans. You have to recognize the reality of a two-party system.”
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- “We can push the Democrats left.”
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- “Such-and-such Democratic policy (usually the Affordable Care Act) was actually really progressive.”
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- “My [minority group] partner, whom I’ve never mentioned up to this point and very possibly just made up, is voting Democrat.” (This tactic also gets used by libs defending porn and/or prostitution, e.g. “my totally-real girlfriend loves it when I post videos of us having sex online”).
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- “If even one less person dies because [Democratic candidate] is in office, it’s my moral duty to vote for [Democratic candidate]. I am a mature, compassionate person who absolutely understands socialism.”
This is a valid perspective, and I appreciate you bringing it up, and also the fact that you do not want to argue. But you must realize that – and let me repeat, the orthodox Marxist position is not, and never has been, against sex workers – the form of sex work which exists under socialism would be so different from sex work under capitalism as to virtually be an entirely different industry. Indeed, I have a hard time seeing how it could come about under anything but the final stage of communism, where money and class distinctions have been entirely done away with, and labor becomes, in Marx’s words, “life’s prime want.” I recognize, however, that material reality is greater than I am, and perhaps there is a way to square the circle. Though the fact that nearly all, if not all, AES countries are opposed to the sex industry makes me somewhat dubious.
Most people do enjoy giving someone an orgasm, and getting to know their body. It is a valuable part of the human experience. But to be a industry, a non-exploitative industry anyway, it would have to be something like art, or (as you’ve mentioned) therapy. And neither of these can be the backbone of an economy, since real wealth comes from production. Socialist countries obviously have their artists, like David Oistrakh and the great pianist Yudina; and of course they also have therapists. But they are always a minority, even if what they do benefits many people. This is against the tendency of the sex industry in the in the west, which capital is now pushing into aggressive expansion.
individual women should be making decisions about it and protected by law or like, safe houses, whereas any pimping is imprisonable
I don’t think you will find any serious communist who really disagrees with this.
Sorry for the ramble
No worries at all, I thought it was coherent and well-thought out.
just felt like a bad leftist for doing this kind of work
There is absolutely no reason you should be feeling that, and if my post gave off that tone, I apologize. I do admit to having, based on some things I have seen and the experiences of certain acquaintances, a burning hatred of pimps and johns, and I probably express this immoderately at times.
I mean I would love to give people orgasms as a form of art
That sounds amazing honestly
I mean this is like, really stupid but when I was way too young to be thinking of these things I kinda wanted to known as the person who could help people with sex in almost a spiritual way? Like where I’m seen as highly respected for my skill and care? I already kinda get the stares that I’m like, ethereal or some bullshit but I’d also like that gaze to include some reverence I guess since I feel like my aura is more tantric and calm than anything salacious.
Anyways, I know that marxists support sex workers but I guess I interpreted your tone as militant and prohibitive, rather than protective. I do appreciate and accept the apology you gave, and I also respect your commitment to ideological soundness. This is gonna sound pretty dumb but I wish I had the mental energy to do the same but reading theory puts my material condition in such sharp relief that I tend to dissociate or cry? I feel like such a waste of potential but also such a fucking whiner cuz I don’t take the tools people are shoving into my hands but maybe it’s just cuz I took my estrogen shot an hour ago.
Also, thank you for calling my writing well-thought out. I really do pore over the things I say when I preface a comment with a promise of genuine care, but I struggle to keep my emotions to myself, clearly. 🤧😛
