Sascha C.

I think "Porn Studies" is absolutely a legitimate area of scholarly inquiry. In terms of the photos I would just hope that the performers/subjects consented to the use of their likeness/images in that way. And, I think it is also important to listen to sex workers/porn actors speak on their own lives and experiences, rather than to learn about them exclusively through the lens of academic observers.

Hey guys! Sascha here, joining the convo. I had so much fun on this episode.

Hi onlyrocketeer - I don't think David meant biological "inferiority" as much as "difference." (At least I hope not!) And I think it's pretty hard to argue that men and women are physically the same in terms of stature, musculature, hormones, etc - the questions are whether these differences should be used to limit women's opportunities in the world, how pronounced and meaningful they are, and if they mean that one sex is somehow "better" than the other one. I may be shorter and less physically strong than a man but that does not mark me as "inferior." And there are also plenty of women who are in fact taller and stronger than many men, so human variation is something to take into account as well. I agree that most behavioral gender distinctions can be attributed to socialization and culture, but I cannot reasonably say that the biological, physical differences between male and female bodies are also results of that. How could this be proven anyway? I'm not aware of feminists who would argue such a thing, but if they exist we would probably disagree!

Hey, it's Sascha Cohen...I thought I'd join in on the comments here! Brendan H - It is true that some teachers and nurses can make solidly middle-class salaries, depending on the cost of living in their region as well as other factors (such as whether one is teaching kindergarden, high school, or college, if one works for a public or private institution, etc). It may have been more accurate to describe these jobs as "relatively" rather than "very" low-paying. Also note that teachers are typically not paid for the non-classroom hours they spend grading papers and planning lessons, time-consuming tasks that are required for the job. The other issue that I didn't go into on the podcast is that the professions I mentioned are considered low-status jobs and are undervalued in our culture (see, for instance, the prestige and respect that doctors are given compared to nurses, the demonizing of teacher's unions, the assumption that effectively taking care of children is so easy that teenage babysitters can do it, etc). Interestingly, this relates to something else you mentioned: the "intangible benefits of staying home to care for your children." One of the reasons female-dominated professions are not compensated as well as male-dominated ones has to do with the idea that things like child-care are inherently rewarding for women and thus do not need to be as financially rewarding. You do not find similar justifications for jobs that mostly men perform.