I know prostitutes

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60. the vast majority of people who merely "like sex" don't become prostitutes.

even people who crave sex usually don't become prostitutes. the vast majority of people capable of becoming prostitutes are likely also capable of getting plenty of sex without charging for it.

the key difference is the money, so it's rather disingenuous to dismiss the money as a mere "side benefit".


i had a psychiatrist a long time ago for a while after a severe car accident (for ptsd/depression while i was recovering physically). at some point, chit-chatting at the end of a session, he mentioned that a lot of his other patients were prostitutes. in fact he said "thank heaven for hookers" because he loved having them as patients, they were entertaining; their troubles were challenging; and they were good for business, they always were able to pay their bills.

granted his perspective is a bit skewed as he only sees the self-selecting prostitutes that choose therapy, but he said, "most prostitutes have deep-seated problems well before getting into the business, but if they didn't before, they soon develop them." i rather suspect that much of the latter arises from its criminalization and the fact that this enables others to take advantage of them.

i tend to agree that decriminalization and regulation would be at the base of a much better public policy in this area, i don't think we can be dismissive of the psychological aspects, which are for the most part problematic. becoming a prostitute is usually not simply a matter of a calm, rational, unpressured, objective career decision.