I’m extremely curious about Asian massage parlors; the media portrays these businesses as pure human trafficking operations, in the sense that the girls are essentially indentured servants who are brought to this country in debt and pressed to work off the debt without any hope of actually doing so. What is the truth of the situation?
There are several different ways that Asian women come to the US to work; the most common is via family connections, as is the case with restaurants, nail parlors and other Asian-owned businesses. Some women do indeed borrow heavily to migrate, but the “indentured servitude” aspect is exaggerated and mischaracterized. First of all, few of them are trapped in the slave-like conditions of police and media wanking fantasies; it’s just that they have debts to pay and want to pay them as soon as possible rather than letting them drag out for years and years as many Americans are wont to do. Far from being passive “victims” who are “brought” to the US like cargo, these are young women who took stock of their situations at home and decided that moving to the US was worth the debt and hardship.
Next, there is no moral difference between a sex worker taking out a loan to emigrate to a wealthier country and a student taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans – except that the former has a guaranteed job and the latter doesn’t. Here’s another comparison: poor people who take out high-interest “payday loans” because they can’t get better deals from somewhat-less exploitative finance companies or regular banks. It’s absolutely true that sometimes migrants are tricked into worse deals than they expected, but as anyone with poor credit can tell you the exact same thing is true of American financing deals, which can sometimes result in paying back many times the sum that was borrowed and carry a bewildering load of unfair and excessive fines and penalties.
Lastly, the reason these girls go into debt is that immigration into Western countries is incredibly expensive now, and the reason for that is the “authorities” have erected so many barriers to it; many thousands in fees, bribes, permits, paperwork and other squeeze is required to get into the US, and that money has to come from somewhere. If US authorities really wanted to “combat human trafficking”, they would remove all artificial barriers to immigration…but that would stop the flow of lovely money to the politicians and corporations who profit from the restriction of international travel for work. Forget all the nonsense about gangster “traffickers”; these crony capitalists – and the police departments who receive huge “sex trafficking” grants to harass them and rob their businesses – are the real “pimps” who profit from the labor of migrant sex workers.
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What Maggie writes about is indeed correct, and presents a scintillating and poignant view of the situation, which is her usual standard of excellence.
Don’t forget the most pernicious abuse of immigration restrictions where people are brought into a country illegally to work for their ‘sponsors’. They can end up dependent on their employer’s ability to manipulate the system to keep them out of immigration detention or from being deported. If they are deported they often find themselves back in a third world country with a big debt to their ‘sponsors’ and no way to pay it off. That can produce a situation much closer to the sex trafficking fantasies, but with the government providing the binds that tie them to their employer.
In Australia the garment industry is a major offender in that respect and it’s rarely raided by police or immigration officials, but the sex industry has its share of abusers too.
Personally, were I female – I don’t think I could be an escort. I don’t think I could “do” fat, old guys … or just any guy that screened properly and walked through the door.
And – if I was a CONTROL FREAK prohibitionist … then I would conclude that anyone WHO COULD do such a job, must certainly be co-erced, must certainly be FORCED into doing it by some sinister force.
And I would attempt to ban the evil practice.
Good thing I’m not a “control freak”.
Because … have you ever seen an incredibly hot chick “with” or married to a guy who looked disgusting to you? Yet … that hot chick voluntarily CHOSE that guy. And I’ve seen Ms. Victoria Secrets and Jabba the Hutt at parties – and they look swimmingly happy together.
“Rendering Crews” pick up and dispose of old, rotting, stinking dead animal carcasses on the side of the road. And they do it for minimum wage. Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) says … “I’ve ridden with these guys … they whistle while they work.”
I remember a submarine buddy of mine … we were in a crowded van in Guam and came across a dead bulldog on the side of the road. He announced … “Who’ll give me $100 if I suck that dead dog’s dick?!!”
Well we pulled over and quickly produced a hundred dollars – then we pulled the guy off the dog just shy of him making contact – when it was clear he wasn’t bluffing.
Nobody forced him to do that.
“Subs” like to be whipped – and beg for it. I don’t like to be whipped.
The fact is – we’re all wired slightly differently. What’s distasteful and “impossible” for some – is hilariously possible for others.
So there’s no reason to conclude that Asian Massage Parlors are staffed by slaves.
Those who do conclude this – are infected with the ignorance that human beings are “collective” individuals and we’re all the same.
We’re not. It’s okay to MARVEL about WHY a certain person can engage in an activity that we, ourselves, might find distasteful. It’s NOT okay to rationalize sinister reasons for it though – and attempt to “rescue” them from that activity.
Very well said. And filled with, um, vivid examples. It’s unfortunate how often people see a connection between “I wouldn’t do that” and “Make it a crime.”
I enjoy this blog for its pragmatism.
Maggie, I agree with you as long as the woman or man had informed consent on all of the whys and wherefores of what she was getting into. We both know that sex trafficking is an overblown problem, but it does sometime exist, although probably less than 10% of the frequency that ‘authorities” would like us to believe. A contract without full disclosure is null and void in the real world, and should be treated as such in the world of sex work. But since prostitution is illegal, the professional sex provider cannot go into court and sue for breach of contract. only the removal of nearly all laws concerning sex work can solve this problem (underage or competency should still be enforced), and have any sort of real effect.
@krulac: you got me with that “dead dog’s dick” story, literally laughed out loud.