How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child. – William Shakespeare, King Lear (I, iv)
The hubris which is an unfortunate but intrinsic characteristic of the modern mind leads the one so afflicted to believe that modern people are invariably more sophisticated, more moral and more “enlightened” than our ancestors were, and in many ways we are; we know more about the universe, have access to a greater range of ideas and experiences, tend to have greater respect for individual differences, have largely eradicated the worst forms of slavery and are far less violent. But in other ways we have remained static, oscillated or even declined, and unfortunately the latter condition applies to sex work. Since the beginnings of civilization the status of the whore has progressively (though not steadily) declined; as I said in my column of one year ago today:
Despite neofeminist dogma about prostitution being a manifestation of patriarchy, the truth is actually the opposite: Prostitutes had our highest status in the ancient Goddess-centered cultures because we were rightfully viewed as the gateway between mortal men and the great Feminine Principle. It wasn’t until the patriarchal cultures succeeded in subordinating the Earth Mother to the Sky Father that our status started to slip…by the 6th century BCE free temple prostitutes in Athens had largely been supplanted by slave-girls given to the temple as donations, and the Athenian leader Solon tried to eradicate secular prostitution by establishing cheap state-owned brothels and persecuting streetwalkers…In general, male-dominated governments are not really happy about being unable to control prostitutes, and maladjusted men are unhappy that women they don’t own can demand (and get) generous compensation for their sexual favors while men cannot make similar demands from women.
Though in the West courtesans held high status from ancient Greece until the turn of the 20th century, the number of women who could qualify for the title and the number of men who could afford them steadily decreased. In the East, government control over the lives of harlots slowly increased, and while we were tolerated in Europe until the 16th century the Reformation ushered in an age of anti-whore rhetoric (derived from the preaching of the ancient Hebrew prophets, as described in last year’s column) which slowly but inexorably grew until it combined with the social engineering agenda of the late 19th century “social purity movement” and resulted in our profession being not merely controlled but outlawed on a large scale for the first time in history. And though these laws have been repealed or softened in most civilized countries, they continue in others (such as the U.S. and various theocratic or repressive regimes), and even the countries where we aren’t classified as criminals generally view prostitution as a “social ill” to be tolerated or controlled. Worst of all, Victorian moralists pronounced us subhuman and modern prohibitionists continue their rhetoric, declaring us childlike “victims” suffering from “false consciousness” and unable to make adult decisions for ourselves.
This is all particularly galling because, as our ancestors knew, we serve a valuable social function. In the most ancient societies we were honored not merely for our connection to the Goddess, but also for our role in managing the power of male sexuality, and though in later patriarchal societies we were controlled, contained or tolerated, nobody was stupid enough to suggest that we should be eradicated. But thanks to the delusional idealism of the social purity crusaders, we are now viewed by many as not merely unnecessary, but an active harm to society…a society which would collapse into sexual chaos without us. The tide is starting to turn; some cultures have again admitted that ours is an acceptable trade, and many individuals recognize that we serve a vital social role. But it’s still a pleasant surprise to see an editorial like this one from the September 27th Vancouver Sun:
We, as a society, do not value the services of sex workers. Sex work is productive work with many direct and indirect benefits to the mental and physical well-being of society…Through our inaction and misguided policies based on this attitude we have created a more dangerous situation for the most vulnerable workers…It’s a huge challenge to change Canadian law given the ambivalence and hypocrisy surrounding this issue but…nothing will change for the better unless we start to appreciate what sex workers do.
And though they’re not seeking recognition for the goodness of her work as a madam but rather for a good deed a person of any profession could have performed, it’s still nice to see people seeking a pardon for their ancestor saying that they’re proud of her:
…when the massive concrete dam below Cora Brooks’ house suddenly broke apart in September 1911, sending 260 million gallons of water churning down the narrow valley toward Austin [Pennsylvania], her quick phone call into town gave many enough warning to run to high ground. The torrent of water obliterated the industrial town, but the woman saved all but 78 of its residents. Three months later, when Cora Brooks pleaded guilty to the charges of running a “house of ill repute” and selling liquor without a license, the town came to her defense. “Had it not been for her, undoubtedly hundreds more lives would have been lost,” residents said in a letter to the sentencing judge. “Large numbers of people were fed by her, and the suffering and distressed rendered aid and assistance.”
“Cora Brooks,” the judge declared, “proved she was not only human, but humane,” and he released her with a $200 fine. But the conviction still stands, and Cora’s distant relatives are now asking Gov. Tom Corbett to pardon her of her public sins. “She was the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold,” says Margo Baker Crosby. Yes, she was a thorn in the side of the town’s elite, “but that was part of her charm…She needs to be recognized for her good deeds that saved that town”…the director of Potter County’s tourist promotion agency, [Cora’s great-grandson] David Brooks…said…He’s over the embarrassment of her trade. “I’m proud,” he said. “If you’re going to be known for something, saving the town isn’t bad.”
Maybe one day in the distant future, men like David Brooks will be able to say they’re proud of whore ancestresses because of their work, rather than in spite of it. But I doubt that will be anytime soon.
“Cora Brooks,” the judge declared, “proved she was not only human, but humane,”
Aye, and it so often comes down to that. Proving we’re human. I can’t tell you how many times, even clients, have asked what was wrong with me that made me a sex worker. You know, we’re all drug addicted or emotionally damaged according to current theory. And I hate that.
Look, I’m as mad as the next person, I’ll freely admit that. But the choice to become a hooker had as much to do with that as your choice to become a chartered accountant had to do with your emotional damage.
I also resent the hooker as hero stereotype. We’re people, with bad and good. We are no better or worse than most. (Although we generally won’t cheat and ruin you on as large a scale as a banker, and we don’t murder people like a politician.)
The sex drive is a part of the human animal nature. Eliminate that, and you eliminate humans. And there will always have to be ways of managing that excess drive. That’s what we whores do. I get so tired of hearing people trying to deny their animal natures. Folks, we are carnal. We like to eat, drink, sleep and fuck. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, done with choice.
I couldn’t agree with you more now, Comixchik, I’ve learned a lot from being around here.
I was especially touched by Maggie’s column(I forget which one) where she talked about how men who are deformed, unattractive, maimed through war or disease, or sometimes just not alpha males will spend their entire lives never getting any. It was the first time in my life I ever even thought of that.
I’ve had no problem getting sex in my life, and have turned down more than I’ve had…but I also clearly understand male sexual frustration, because you can’t always get it from who you want it from. So what would happen to a man that’s spent his life in sexual frustration?
..They go crazy and form cults.
Cults of religion, cults of political affiliation, cults of celebrity.
All just to get pussy. Every guy knows that’s the truth.
The column you’re thinking of is tomorrow’s “one year ago today” feature. 🙂
Yes, I noticed that line as well, and reacted the same way; in 1911 the Victorian “whore as monster” stereotype was still on its first iteration, but though the made-up “explanation” has changed the idea has not. 🙁
So many untold stories …
During the cold war, in the ’80’s … I was on a submarine when we ran aground and became LODGED on the bottom. We could not free ourselves for many hours – and tried everything. We all thought we were going to die … the water was freezing – even if we used the escape systems, we wouldn’t last long in that water if we were lucky enough to make it to the surface.
Eventually we got free … and with a much damaged boat – we hobbled into Chinhae, South Korea.
The boat was a wreck, and the entire crew was a mental wreck – and what’s more, we knew as soon as we repaired that boat we’d have to go right back to the same place we almost lost our lives.
We got TWO NIGHTS of liberty in Chinhae – and the entire crew spent both days at “Donna’s Green House” … which was essentially a brothel. The “madame” of the house had called in extra girls from Pusan … because one of our guys told her that we were an aircraft carrier! So the ratio of women to men was like 8 to 1.
Those were two wonderful evenings and it gave the entire crew an opportunity to blow off steam, and enjoy some of the things that make life worth living.
So when we got back on that boat and headed back on patrol – it was a different crew than the one that had pulled in days earlier.
Thanks to those women.
We often say nice things about corporations and people who come up with unique inventions to keep our troops safe – we consider these kinds of entrepreneurs to be a national treasure.
But … that’s not the case for those ladies of the evening who have spent many hours repairing very emotionally damaged military men who, thanks to their services, were able to get back into the fight for us.
Thanks very much for this, Krulac; I can say stuff like this all I like, but ultimately I can’t know how a man feels about whores so my opinion doesn’t have nearly the impact of a true story from a grateful client. 🙂
Unfortunately, these are stories you won’t hear from “corporate” Navy.
Here’s another one I’m pretty proud of – since I was a part of this battle group that pulled into Fremantle …
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/05/02/1019441406441.html
That one did make the news. 😉
And the madame in that piece talks about the stress the “Yanks” were feeling.
I’m a former Soldier, and Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve been saying what you and Maggie said for a while now although both of you and others have said it on this blog longer than me. I read the 17 October 2010 article Maggie refered to.as well. Some men without prostitution aren’t going to get sex no matter how hard they try for whatever reasons we can think of and maybe some we can’t think of. One will also hear the same from the “corporate” Army The military made it truly official although their were other regulations in the U.S Uniform Code of Military Justuice prohibiting military personnell from engaging in prostitution before the early 2000’s when they put in Article 174 in the early 2000’s to make it clear prostitution is not acceptable to the “corporate” military.
I recently found the book The Stories Solders Didn’t Tell which is about prostitution and sex during the Civil War.
I haven’t read it yet.
what annoys me most of all are those modern historians who publish womens history books and articles declaring ”oh,cult prostitutes were not really revered”(yeah, a woman being allowed to own property and conduct business is true marginalation,not to mention that in babylon you werent allowed by law to speak badly of them), preistesses were typically either chaste or monogamous(well,it depends on the god they served,if it was artemis probably,if it was aphrodite no)and of course”it wasnt prostitution,probably just ritual sex,herodotus was a liar(did he also lie about loeonidas or themistocles ,i havent seen them doubting that) besides,what about strabo?.maggie,how often have you seen that attitude in books and how often have you seen historians admitting that sacred prostitution did exist and that whores in matriarchy were revered?,i wonder whose opinion is more popular and more influential among scholars.
The opinion that sacred prostitution is a “myth” is a marginal one which has only been given even as much attention as it has due to the timidity of scholars who don’t want to piss feminists off. In that way, it’s similar to the “Negro Egyptian” belief of the early ’90s, which was similarly tolerated for similarly non-scholarly reasons. And just as the latter belief has quietly died everywhere but in “Afrocentrist” circles, so will the “there were never sacred prostitutes” belief. That’s the good thing about having facts on one’s side; it’s only a matter of time before the truth wins out, no matter how popular the lies temporarily get.
most of them say that men didnt pay them in the temples,so it wasnt actually prostitution,just ritual sex,i dont doubt that they didnt become preistesses for the money,but mainly to serve the goddess,but the goddess protected prostitutes and identified as one herself(inanna,ishtar,at times isis)so,since there are sources that they accepted offerings wasnt the prostitution part to celebrate the compassionate prostitute-goddess?hence the term ritual?
No, there are no sources that claim no money changed hands. The neofeminist writers who make these claims are just splitting hairs in order to support their claims that A) prostitution is a product of “patriarchy”; B) prostitution is never voluntary; and C) prostitution is always “demeaning” and whores have never in history been respected by men. Of course, all three of these claims are malicious lies, so they can only be supported with more malicious lies.
To claim that sacred prostitutes weren’t prostitutes because the money went to the temple is exactly the same as claiming that prostitutes with controlling pimps aren’t prostitutes because the money goes to them. Furthermore, it ignores forms of sacred prostitution in which the prostitute merely paid a portion of her earnings to the temple.
In my art history classes, whether or not prostitution/prostitute’s status was played down or told truthfully depended on whether or not the professor was conservative-feminist. I only had one professor that wanted to gloss over it, all the rest were very forthcoming and honest, even when some people in the class showed discomfort. Their basic attitude was “get over it, this is part of art history”. And this was at a Catholic university. One of my professors, my favorite in fact, spent about two class periods lecturing primarily on the courtesans and favorite mistresses of French Renaissance nobility and Italian Renaissance merchant class and how respected they were. And this professor was a devout Catholic woman.
Maggie I was going to ask you this but as you’ve brought the subject up in this post I may as well do it here: do you have any academic/book recommendations about Sacred Prostitution? It’s a subject you’ve gotten me quite interested in and as the wikipedia page had this little gem
The practice is well disputed among scholars, partly due to doubts cast on the histories of Herodotus.
I also found a book which attempts to explain away sacred whoring
The Myth of Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity by Stephanie Budin.
I haven’t read the above but the main gist of it is that Herodotus embellished the Babylonian practices as a way of humiliating propaganda.
Which sort of opens up more questions than answers as Ladia above rightfully pointed out, how is it that scholars trust Herodotus in other accounts and disbelieve him in others?
As I said to Laida, that statement is the equivalent of “the ancestry of the Ancient Egyptians is disputed among scholars” or the creationist claim that evolution is in dispute. Herodotus isn’t remotely the only source which mentions sacred prostitution, not by a long shot; he’s just the only source for the claim that EVERY Babylonian woman had to perform the act once, which I have always considered highly questionable. The particulars of sacred prostitution are in dispute just as historical particulars often are, but the fact of sacred prostitution (which still exists, though illegally, in India and Nepal) has never been questioned by any reputable scholar.
Edit: I’m totally sorry to have taken so long, but to be honest I totally forgot to do this earlier! Most of my reading on the subject was in scholarly works in the LSU library, now mostly out of print. However, I can heartily recommend Nickie Roberts’ Whores in History as an introduction, plus The Epic of Gilgamesh as a primary source. The following are other works I’ve consulted which are currently available on Amazon; none of these are wholly on sacred prostitution, but all contain sections on it:
Bullough, Vern and Bonnie: Women and Prostitution: A Social History
Fisher, Elizabeth: Woman’s Creation: Sexual Evolution and the Shaping of Society
Corbett, Nancy Qualls: The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine
Frazer, Sir James: The Golden Bough
Henriques, Fernando: Prostitution and Society, Volume I
Tannahill, Reay: Sex in History
I suggest you start with Whores in History, then if you want more the Bullough and Tannahill books since they’re intended for a general audience. Most of the others are for a more specialized audience (especially Corbett and Frazer).
Maggie, that’s great! Thank you.
You’re welcome; I’m sorry I took so long!
The Epic of Gilgamesh is also available on YouTube.
I must have been a sacred prostitute, I heard a lot of guys saying “OH God, Oh God!” at times, and I’ve seen a lot of second comings.
One of my favorite clients was a former rock and roll musician. He was in an up and coming band in the 80’s, he was a good looking man, had more women than he knew what to do with. Then one day, he noticed his hands weren’t steady. It got worse. He was diagnosed with early on set Parkinson’s disease.
By 35, his speech was difficult to comprehend, his face twitched, and he walked with a shambling gait. He had given up music, no longer able to play. All the women vanished along with the spotlight.
He would come to see me shaking, depressed. He’d leave relaxed and happy. I really liked him, and we had great sessions, and we talked a lot between sessions.
One day, he called me in tears. His mother had just died, and all he wanted was to talk to someone who would listen for a few minutes. I had nothing going for the afternoon, so I told him to come over. We spent three hours (no charge), with me holding him while he sobbed. I told him how I lost my grandmother when I was a teenager, and we talked about loss. There was no sex that day, but he still left feeling a lot better.
And no, I wasn’t just taking pity on him. He is a fine man once you look past the physical defects.
The more I read stories like this, the more flabbergasted I get at my favourite little neo-fem’s past comment “whores are bad things for humanity”.
God(s) bless you Comix!
You truly are a good lady.
yes , i want to read more about the history of sacred prostitution.
I recognize some meny of the names and you hav egot my intrested
up also.
before i take great issue with several of maggie’s assertions/opinions in just the first sentence of A SERPENT’S TOOTH, maggie’s essay above, a brief introduction and a few opinions are in order.
i am the virgin terry, a legend in my own mind and probably no place else. i’ve been checking out some of this blog’s offerings for a few days now, and have decided to offer my own 2 cents or priceless observations.
i came across this blog when i decided to google norma jean almodovar (i read her book shortly after it was published and have been a fan since). now i’m a maggie fan. she’s quite gifted and i’m particularly impressed by her profligacy, relatively speaking, as a writer. she has much to say and much passion, and i believe we share a common strong aversion to dogmatic puritanical authoritarianism and finding ourselves in a surreal orwellian police state. i’m a fan of any articulate/eloquent critic of dogmatic ‘authority’.
i’m also into the intensity and artistry found here. maggie’s eyes above are hypnotic, aren’t they? intriguing. well, on to the criticism.
‘The hubris which is an unfortunate but intrinsic characteristic of the modern mind leads the one so afflicted to believe that modern people are invariably more sophisticated, more moral and more “enlightened” than our ancestors were, and in many ways we are; we know more about the universe, have access to a greater range of ideas and experiences, tend to have greater respect for individual differences, have largely eradicated the worst forms of slavery and are far less violent.’ -first sentence of essay above
i agree that hubris is an intrinsic element of civilizations in general, but not of the modern mind necessarily. certainly the ‘establishment’ is shockingly arrogant, as are those who tend to identify and support it (notably police). power corrupts. but there are quite a few sheople who aren’t fans of the establishment and all it’s corruption/injustice/inequality. we tend to be humble underdogs, don’t u think? at least that is if we’re wise to the fact that the establishment and it’s most rabid supporters are inclined to have us for lunch, not as guests, but as the main course, if we get out of line and either break their rules or ruffle their feathers.
as for ‘moral enlightenment’ i take issue with the assertion that modern civilized sheople have an advantage over ‘primitive savages’ and i refer to a brief passage of a book titled INTIMATE MATTERS, a work by a french academic named foucault if memory serves me well. it was a somewhat voluminous and detailed study of american erotic/repressive culture going back to european colonization. in p. 6-9 right at the books outset is a brief comparison of contrasts between christian-puritan and pagan ‘free love’ cultures. it might be an exaggeration to refer to native american cultures in general as ‘free love’, but according to this well researched book, they (or at least some of them) presented a striking contrast to uptight intolerant christian fundamentalists. they were much more comfortable with nudity, child sex play, homosexuality, and divorce. i might add they were no doubt happier and less neurotic, and contrary to common myth, ‘savages’ are far less violent than civilized sheople, especially when modern warfare, mass genocides, and police/prisons are taken into account.
as for eradicating slavery, i’m glad u brought that up, for it allows me to segue into a distantly related matter of pressing importance. there’s an economic reason that slavery was abolished in great britiain and the u.s. in the 19th century called the industrial revolution, which might also be called the fossil fuel age. with greater technological development and increasing access to a prodigious store of concentrated energy underground, machines were able to replace human labor to a great extent, and this factored into emancipation (along with the moral revulsion of a very vocal minority). and while de facto slavery may have ended, to some extent wage slavery took it’s place, and economic exploitation goes on.
but the big thing has to do with fossil fuels and their consequences, which are several. i’ll list a few major ones: human ecological domination, destruction of wild habitats around the globe and mass extinctions of our fellow species, over-population (our numbers have increased roughly 10-fold the past 300 years, with the majority of that increase in just the past 50 years), and most chillingly, environmental disruption, pollution, and destabilization of climate which appears likely to lead to our own extinction not too many generations from now.
of more immediate concern to us is the fact that fossil fuels are now fast depleting and becoming increasingly difficult and more costly to extract, other critical resources are also running out, and our economy is basically a ponzi scheme house of cards about to collapse. it’s designed on the basis of ongoing debt and infinite economic growth which is impossible on a finite planet.
here’s a link to a video series that goes into a little depth about resource depletion, economic collapse, and some things u might do to prepare:
http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse
i hope that wasn’t too far off-topic for u. as far as i’m concerned, survival is always a relevant topic. it’s become my primary interest, but spirit/sexual liberation and anti-authoritarianism remain among my strongest passions, so i’m glad to have found this blog, and hope to make a few contributions to it with maggie’s blessing.
Welcome, Terry! You have my blessing, as long as you play nice and keep saying lovely things about my writing. And my eyes. 😉
Those are your eyes? there’s a lot to say about them.–
Saw an extremely obscure and hilarious film and thought vaguely of you: “Mardi Gras Massacre.”
Some gritty New Orleans streets and dives. Indescribably dull and stately mayhem.
Magnificent strip joints. Sweet music. 1978.
“This is for the hand that accepted the money; this is for the feet that brought you here; and this is for the most evil part of you.”
Something like that. Sometimes the films most remote from any order, aesthetic or even rudimentary sane thought, disclose a great deal about basic things.
I felt the ways of men and women — in their contending essence — portrayed beautifully here.
Men are darkly natured: they demand the harmony of opposites and they will go to any lengths. We have to take the good with the bad.
************
On the subject of recommendations: don’t forget to read Charles Willeford’s “Miami Blues” at the very least, although “The Shark-Infested Custard” is best. Willeford is unknown greatness.
Yep, they’re mine; my husband refers to that banner as “the peek-a-boo eyes”. I’ve often been told they’re my best feature.
What’s the effect you’ve used on the banner or is just grain?
Oooh, darlin’, you’re giving me way more credit than I deserve! It’s just grain; I scanned a photo which was originally taken for my escort site in 2001 and cropped it down to just the eyes. 😉
As the old cliche goes “Windows of the soul”. I believe we seduce, speak, express and give truth with our eyes.
And at last the topic has arrived where I can say
“Maggie, you have beautiful eyes!” without feeling in the least Creepy.💕😉
Regarding increasing legal control/criminalization of prostitutes, (excluding venereal disease panics and freak-religious conservatism) is it just me or is increasing suppression/criminalization of sex workers directly correlated with increasing rights, public voice, and power and decreasing suppression of women who are not sex workers?
It’s like the more political power and media influence ‘normal’ women have, the more power they have in advocating for the punishment/stigmatization of behavior they don’t like in class-equivalent men (whether that’s alcohol or sex consumption). And since the majority of politicians, judges, and cops are, in fact, men, this punitive desire gets filtered through them and leads to punishment/stigmatization of the women class-equivalent men purchase sexual services from.
That, I guess, is the only way I can explain why prostitution was never totally illegal in most countries in the west (with the exception of in fundimentalist religious communities) until women got suffrage.
Seems sorta cruel, no?
Cruel but predictable, and as Margo St. James pointed out, ultimately counterproductive. When feminists allow or encourage the rights of certain women to be abrogated, it eventually affects all women. Regarding your observation below, I came to the same conclusion in “Traitors To Their Sex” (linked in the column above).
In the intro to “Paint Your Wagon,” Lee Marvin is reminiscing. “Then they let women vote and they done outlawed everythin’ that comes natural to a man; drinkin’ and whorin’…”
And in the scene where the miners berate the Mormon for having two wives and calling it unfair…
Horace Tabor: “Wait a minute! You can’t buy a woman for money. ”
Mad Jack Duncan: “You just try and get one without it. “
I’ve been saying women’s suffrage has led to this and other insanitites for a while now although others may have been saying it on this blog longer than me.
The individuals who spearheaded the Victorian abolitionism and prohibition and temperance movements, and the individuals who spearhead end demand crusades and crusades against the construction of strip clubs in neighborhoods are strikingly similar: ‘respectable’ married or old-maid class-privileged women.
This is correct and don’t forget their brainwashed henpecked husbands and children.
thanks, maggie, and i hope u and your readers take the time to check out the crash course. u may well be glad u did.
it’s the directness and sobriety of your gaze in that picture which makes your eyes hypnotic, maggie. those eyes communicate something ineffable. i read into them a challenge to be honest and guardedly open. there’s a hint of wariness, painful experience, and soulfulness. they are remarkable not for their beauty but what they suggest of the mind/spirit within.
‘Men are darkly natured: they demand the harmony of opposites and they will go to any lengths. We have to take the good with the bad.’ -n/a
in this case the adjective/adverb ‘darkly’ can mean just about anything, can be interpreted so broadly as to become essentially meaningless. can u be more specific? i’m a man, and though i’m prone along with most mortals to attach emotion-laden labels to others, i find it difficult sometimes when such labels are applied to a group i belong to. i wonder if in this case ‘darkly’ means ‘evil’.
u make all men sound as if we’re supremely courageous and determined to get what we want, making ‘demands’ and ‘willing to go to any length’. u sound as though u find men intimidating.
i find beautiful women intimidating. we have something in common. it’s nice to have a forum to discuss such issues, thanks to the possessor of those eyes.
I like the world “ineffable” almost as much as I like “incomparable”. 🙂
When it comes to compliments, Maggie, you’re what the comics call an easy room. 😉
Nothing ineffable about those eyes, vt, more like quite aware of the very *effable* nature of the female they’re the canniest feature of.
And, yes, men are darkly natured. To wit: what I think when I see those eyes is why are they not throwing me that sharp gaze from above a very full and busily working mouth.
🙂
😉
Very good, Maggie. But the Victorians weren’ the worst. That distinction belongs to Nazi Germany where the first victims were alcoholics and whores. At first the concentration camps were very brutal prison labor camps; it was later that they became linked to extermination camps.
By the way, I meant to thank you for posting the link to the article on how we are less violent. So, in the spirit of better late than never:
Thank you for posting the article about how we aren’t as violent as we used to be. This is important, and I’ve posted links to the exact same at a couple of places.