At no point in her article did Ms. Flory say that everyone has to be a "groaning, heaving, pussycat doll" to be happy. Nor did she, at any point, cast judgment on the sexual choices that you, or anyone else, has made. All she did here was stick up for herself, and for the sexual choices that she has made, against those people - such as yourself - who would cast judgment on her.

Also, speaking myself as an outsider looking in on her life, it looks like fun to me. I'm a little envious of her.

Just read your WalMart story. I think you may have learned the wrong lesson here.

When I meet people whose actual experience of something contradicts what I have read about it, my first reaction is to consider that, possibly, what I have read is not entirely accurate in any and all situations. If the choice is between disregarding my own preconcieved notion of something, or disregarding someone's ability to know their own truth for themself, I find that the former is the more respectful option.

Just a thought.

"Jeez. Why do you deserve $1000 just for letting some old rich dude ride you for a couple hours while I get paid substantially less to make sure the same rich guy is held criminally responsible for wasting his employees' retirement pensions on you?"

Because $1000 is what that old rich dude is willing to pay for that service. Its called the market, and that's how it works. She found a demand, and met it with a supply. In this case, the supply and demand met at $1000.

Perhaps, if it were legal, supply wouldn't be so tight, and demand would be met at a lower price, more comparable to your salary. Would that make you feel better?

And my answer: because he was willing to pay.

The ability conceive of a separation between mind and body is one of the hallmarks of humanity. It is one of the things that separates us from the rest of the beasts of this world. It is also what allows us to delay gratification, and to subvert and sublimate our own natural drives and instincts.

This ability to concieve of our mind and body separately also entails that whatever connection exists within us between mind and body is idiosynchratic and deeply personal. And sexuality is usually the main area where our body and mind connect in that deeply personal and idiosynchratic way. That's why self ownership in sexual matters is so important to the kind of freedom that is necessary for true happiness. The importance of that sexual self ownership is why rape is seen as a different category of crime. It is also why, I would argue, all sexual decisions - including the decision whether or not to accept money for sex - should be left up to the individual. Our ability to conceptually separate mind and body, and to utilize that separation however we see fit to pursue our own happiness, means that one person's degredation is another person's empowerment.

To answer your question: I don't have a daughter, but I do have a mother and a sister. I recognize that both are sexual beings and respect their freedom to utilize their sexuality however they see fit, so long as they don't impose it on me. My only real safety concerns would have to do with the fact that prostitution is illegal, and thus, both outside of the realm of police protection and subject to police harassment itself.

You make a lot of assumptions about your friend's personal problems, and their relationship to prostitution, assumptions that I am not convinced are entirely merited. You mentioned that she came from poverty. Could early childhood experiences growing up poor possibly have influenced her outlook and decisions later in life. You also mentioned that she raised her whole family out of poverty. I imagine that she felt a strong compulsion to do that. The pressure of such a compulsion must have been unbearable. It is also possible that it may have bred some deep seated resentment, or feelings of inadequacy, feelings that she may not have been in touch with or aware of. May these kinds of things have been a factor in her later unhappiness and dysfunction?

I am not denying that prostitution work can affect one's outlook, especially on financial issues. I am just pointing out here that it may have only been one among many factors. Most people's jobs are one among many factors that affect their outlook and behavior, but prostition is one of the only jobs that is made to take the blame for everything that goes wrong in a person's life.

Also, I think that your assumptions about the men who see prostitutes are unjustified as well. There are a lot of lonely, awkward, introverted men in this world who are not bad people but don't have the easiest time talking to or making overtures to women. There are also a lot of older widowers who are well past the age of dating, but who still have sexual needs. Scratch the surface, and I'll bet you will find a lot of both of these types among the clients of prostitutes.