Episode 130 — Sex Work

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Get ready as the Blastoff crew come at you LIVE from Boston to share about their time with mother (Kyle’s mom) and welcome back Sascha Cohen to talk about the world’s earliest profession aka sex work. They’ll cover early demand of sexual acts through brothels, whether strippers are sex workers, survival sex work, and pornography. And they also travel back in time to meet up with a caveman by the name of Grock.

[action52 554]

SEX!!!!

 

Now that I've got your attention, let's listen to this podcast about Sex Workers.

[cmac94 191]

So, fellow listeners, would you date a vending machine operator? BE HONEST.

[solareena 6]

Great show. I'm curious as to Sasha's opinion on the fairly recent addition to academic topics - "Porn Studies." Until this podcast, I didn't think about the potential feminist argument. In my job as an editor at an academic press, I've worked on many Porn Studies books, and while the content is always scholarly, the photos at times, strike me as gratuitous - yet they're under an academic umbrella (some so well endowed that they hardly fit under it).

[jenzahara 7]

Sure, you can shop at the Galleria.....OR GUYaria.

[The Fuhrer of sausage people 15]

Kyle is such a funny guy,

cracks me up everytime!

[Kickpuncher 5012]

Kyle is such a funny guy,

cracks me up everytime!

 

I think "Answer the question" Guy might be my favorite under-the-radar PB character.

 

This one was a little slow to get going, but was really good overall. It's really nice having a guest who is familiar with the hosts and can go along with the riffing.

[syates59 120]

I am picturing Tig in the Sidney Portier movie "They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!"

 

Another great episode. I love the live ones. Tig is so great interacting with audiences. Not sure, but I think the "Wagon-ini Guy" debuted in a live episode (?). If so, then the Cambridge audience would not have heard it before. That could explain their reaction.

 

In my first guest appearance on the show, they did a "What's Nuts?" with me. I had never heard it before because it debuted on an episode that had not been aired at the time of my taping. So I was confused.

 

Sascha (aka Sausage) pulls even further ahead of me in PBO appearances. WHAAAAHHH! And Tig saying that Sascha was the favorite guest of all time hurt me deeply (jk), although she later sort of qualified that statement.

 

Loved the Bill Maher and Trump appearances in this ep. And David and Sascha definitely have an interesting dynamic. David has a great energy and intellectual curiosity. And he is so sweet.

 

Welp, that's been comment!

[Kickpuncher 5012]

Not sure, but I think the "Wagon-ini Guy" debuted in a live episode (?). If so, then the Cambridge audience would not have heard it before. That could explain their reaction.

 

I'm pretty sure he debuted in a studio episode where the topic was "cars", but that probably wasn't long before the tour.

[drmoney 3]

I was at this live episode, and I do have to say, the atmosphere was quite tense and the audience did turn against David a bit. I'm actually surprised they released it (it did take them a while, and they did cut out a few parts).

 

I'm a huge fan of PBO and I was a little sad that the episode was about such a serious and heavy topic, but it was still a fun time. Hopefully they come back to Boston again soon!

[MaggieMullins 2]

I was at this live episode, and I do have to say, the atmosphere was quite tense and the audience did turn against David a bit. I'm actually surprised they released it (it did take them a while, and they did cut out a few parts).

 

 

Can you elaborate?

 

I always find David embarrassing on these kind of episodes. He just tends to come across as ignorant ("not buying" that some women are forced into sex work) and unwilling to see the issue from another point of view. Love Sascha, loved this topic but unfortunately David just frustrates me when it comes to issues regarding sexism/racism.

[DanEngler 5249]

I'm equally frustrated by the guests brought in to discuss controversial topics, as they are always either too polite or too inept to give David the rhetorical punch in the face he desperately needs. It reminds me of Case Closed segments on Improv4Humans, where outraged listeners call in to debate Besser and, within seconds, collapse into balls of mumbling capitulation.

 

If listeners can't tell whether you're "playing devil's advocate" or "simply being an asshole", perhaps some self-evaluation is in order.

[The Fuhrer of sausage people 15]

 

I think "Answer the question" Guy might be my favorite under-the-radar PB character.

 

This one was a little slow to get going, but was really good overall. It's really nice having a guest who is familiar with the hosts and can go along with the riffing.

Yeah "Answer the question" guy is great, especially when a guest is being too serious and it starts a lovely bit of riffing/comedy/tigonometry in the hatch.

[Sascha C. 9]

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

[Sascha C. 9]

Great show. I'm curious as to Sasha's opinion on the fairly recent addition to academic topics - "Porn Studies." Until this podcast, I didn't think about the potential feminist argument. In my job as an editor at an academic press, I've worked on many Porn Studies books, and while the content is always scholarly, the photos at times, strike me as gratuitous - yet they're under an academic umbrella (some so well endowed that they hardly fit under it).

 

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.

[djsexyrandal 153]

So I love this podcast, and I think David is often hilarious and also seems like a genuinely nice guy, but I have a hard time listening to him debate with someone like Sascha who is an expert on the topic. It's extremely frustrating when someone who really knows their shit is constantly cut off by someone who not only lacks understanding but also seems to demonstrate a certain amount of willful ignorance. I don't mean to put the guy down; I think he's great when the topic is more science-oriented ... but parts of this episode triggered a response that I usually associate with watching Bill O'Riley argue with a token liberal. How the hell is it hard to believe that some women in less-developed nations need to do sex work just to eat?

[Baltron9000 11]

David has some wrong ideas. And he needs to listen, because plenty of people are willing to tell him why he's wrong.

[MiriamWebster 9]

Sascha, nice to see you on here! I really appreciated your information and perspective on this episode, and was glad that you enabled a conversation about sex work, especially since it's a topic that has a lot of general misconceptions/ignorance associated with it.

 

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.

 

I recently read 'The Feminist Porn Book' (http://thefeministpornbook.com/) and I'm glad it's made up of essays by scholars, as well as by porn directors and performers, making for a nice vareity of perspectives.

[deafvox 1]

This episode reminded me of the documentary Whore's Glory... It's very upsetting. >_>