Disclaimer: I don't really know what I'm talking about on this topic so I'd be happy to be better informed. But here's how I see it:
I'd have to ask you to clarify what you mean by sex work. Prostitution (is there a better term for this? actually not sure) absolutely not. As I see it, the description of that job is basically, "have sex with people you dont want to have sex with (in order to get money so you don't starve to death)." There's another word for that and I don't think any end-goal society would contain it. Why would it? If every person is assured their needs as they should be, there would be no reason to choose to do that. You'd only have sex with people you do want to have sex with. Sounds like an improvement to me.
As for other kinds of sex work, like sharing nudes and whatnot, I'd also say no for a similar reason. You could still publicly share nudes all you want or whatever, but you wouldn't be doing it in order to not starve to death, you'd be doing it because you want to. Doesn't that make it not work to begin with?
A socialist society is not necessarily opposed to requiring labour from people. The ethos is, after all, ‘from each according to their abilities’. The question is whether sex work should be considered work.
Let us assume that our hypothetical society has free education, and sufficient job opportunities for all people that sex work is not a necessity for survival, but one of many options.
A socialist society is not necessarily opposed to requiring labour from people.
Of course not, but "requiring" people to have sex with people they don't want to have sex with seems indistinguishable to me from the ideal society of an incel.
A socialist society should be structured according to needs. There should be, to grossly oversimplify, a list of stuff that needs to be done. Then, people who are able will work their way through that list of stuff. I do not see "have sex with this person" being on that list. If the only work you are willing or able to perform is having sex with people you wouldn't choose to have sex with if not for some form of obligation, I'd far rather you just stay home.
I'm sorry but I still do not see the difference between this and your average incel paragraph. Having sex with people who do not want to have sex with you is not a need.
I do not agree with your "every human interaction is transactional" analysis and frankly I think it is a disgusting side effect of capitalism's influence on your mind.
But, I mean... they'd have a job, right? The whole jobs guarantee/universal employment thing is pretty key. Unless we're talking about some far future utopia where scarcity is completely over and the robots do everything, people still have to work. "From each according to his abilities." Or even "he who does not work does not eat." I really don't have much hope in a project that makes work completely optional and just assumes everything will get done out of some shared sense of duty.
The debate is then over whether or not prostitution would be officially recognized as legitimate employment in a socialist society. If it's some anarch-ish society where you can choose your employment with near-complete freedom but then have to justify it to society to get your stipends or something, then maaayyybeee, but if it's some sort of planned economy then absolutely not--seriously, what the fuck. (Currently imagining someone writing a grant application to strip at parties.)
If it's your side gig you do to afford more hobby supplies or something then knock yourself out, I guess, but an economy where everyone needs a side gig is edging pretty close to "failed state" territory (sorry, Cuba! And America!).
Of course prostitution should not be illegal. Rather, it should be made impossible and inconceivable. To get to the heart of my point, sex with a person you're paying to have sex with you cannot be consensual. This shouldn't be a controversial statement. In no ideal society should rape be not only commonly accepted, but systematic and institutionalized. That's all.
In other words, insofar as there exist "illegal" acts, prostitution should be seen as a "legal" but unfortunate side effect of some failure in the way the society is structured.
Disclaimer: I don't really know what I'm talking about on this topic so I'd be happy to be better informed. But here's how I see it:
I'd have to ask you to clarify what you mean by sex work. Prostitution (is there a better term for this? actually not sure) absolutely not. As I see it, the description of that job is basically, "have sex with people you dont want to have sex with (in order to get money so you don't starve to death)." There's another word for that and I don't think any end-goal society would contain it. Why would it? If every person is assured their needs as they should be, there would be no reason to choose to do that. You'd only have sex with people you do want to have sex with. Sounds like an improvement to me.
As for other kinds of sex work, like sharing nudes and whatnot, I'd also say no for a similar reason. You could still publicly share nudes all you want or whatever, but you wouldn't be doing it in order to not starve to death, you'd be doing it because you want to. Doesn't that make it not work to begin with?
A socialist society is not necessarily opposed to requiring labour from people. The ethos is, after all, ‘from each according to their abilities’. The question is whether sex work should be considered work.
Let us assume that our hypothetical society has free education, and sufficient job opportunities for all people that sex work is not a necessity for survival, but one of many options.
In that scenario, do your objections stand?
Of course not, but "requiring" people to have sex with people they don't want to have sex with seems indistinguishable to me from the ideal society of an incel.
A socialist society should be structured according to needs. There should be, to grossly oversimplify, a list of stuff that needs to be done. Then, people who are able will work their way through that list of stuff. I do not see "have sex with this person" being on that list. If the only work you are willing or able to perform is having sex with people you wouldn't choose to have sex with if not for some form of obligation, I'd far rather you just stay home.
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I'm sorry but I still do not see the difference between this and your average incel paragraph. Having sex with people who do not want to have sex with you is not a need.
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I do not agree with your "every human interaction is transactional" analysis and frankly I think it is a disgusting side effect of capitalism's influence on your mind.
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deleted by creator
But, I mean... they'd have a job, right? The whole jobs guarantee/universal employment thing is pretty key. Unless we're talking about some far future utopia where scarcity is completely over and the robots do everything, people still have to work. "From each according to his abilities." Or even "he who does not work does not eat." I really don't have much hope in a project that makes work completely optional and just assumes everything will get done out of some shared sense of duty.
The debate is then over whether or not prostitution would be officially recognized as legitimate employment in a socialist society. If it's some anarch-ish society where you can choose your employment with near-complete freedom but then have to justify it to society to get your stipends or something, then maaayyybeee, but if it's some sort of planned economy then absolutely not--seriously, what the fuck. (Currently imagining someone writing a grant application to strip at parties.)
If it's your side gig you do to afford more hobby supplies or something then knock yourself out, I guess, but an economy where everyone needs a side gig is edging pretty close to "failed state" territory (sorry, Cuba! And America!).
Of course prostitution should not be illegal. Rather, it should be made impossible and inconceivable. To get to the heart of my point, sex with a person you're paying to have sex with you cannot be consensual. This shouldn't be a controversial statement. In no ideal society should rape be not only commonly accepted, but systematic and institutionalized. That's all.
In other words, insofar as there exist "illegal" acts, prostitution should be seen as a "legal" but unfortunate side effect of some failure in the way the society is structured.