Definitions by Lorelili
Prostitution
The act of performing sexual acts for money or other goods. Most prostitutes (also known as "whores", "harlots", "trollops", "hookers", or "strumpets") are women, although some men and (unfortunately) children are also in the trade.
This largely illegal profession is one of the oldest markets in the world and, despite efforts, will probably exist for as long as humans (and other animals) exist. Still, while prostitution is argued to be the "world's oldest profession", child abuse is just as old and nobody justifies that.
Contrary to the glamor that the media gives to the image of prostitution (such as films like "Pretty Woman"), there is hardly anything at all glamorous about the trade.
Most women who have become prostitutes were raped as children, came from unstable or abusive homes, suffer from addiction, any number of traumas, and often ended up as runaways before entering the sex trade. Low self-esteem is also a major risk factor, whether or not the girls come from poor familes.
Other women have been tricked or outright forced into prostitution; pimps, who can easily be described as men who have no respect for women and care only about their own gain, are the ones who recruit girls as young as twelve to work for them. The pimp usually lures the young, impressionable runaway by acting as a boyfriend or a father-figure to her, offering support to her... and training her like a dog all the while; once she's under his power, she has little chance to escape.
Even those who willingly turn to selling themselves do so out of desperation to survive rather than because they like the work. Mothers (especially poor, unmarried ones) who have fallen on hard times and are desperate to support their children have also ended up in the trade (like Fantine from "Les Miserables").
The idea of the "happy hooker", who likes her work, comes from the fact that the women usually are putting on an act; it helps them to attract buyers if they're smiling and happy instead of crying and upset. Plus, to quote "Moulin Rouge", they're "paid to make men believe what they want to believe".
Prostitutes range from the high-end call girls and courtesans in the legal brothels with rich clients to the homeless, drug-addicted streetwalkers who prowl the streets and the truck stops at night, shivering in their skimpy clothes, hoping that they will survive the night. The women are often looked on with disdain, disrespected, harassed and attacked, and treated as if they weren't even human. By and large, most prostitutes do not want to be prostitutes.
This largely illegal profession is one of the oldest markets in the world and, despite efforts, will probably exist for as long as humans (and other animals) exist. Still, while prostitution is argued to be the "world's oldest profession", child abuse is just as old and nobody justifies that.
Contrary to the glamor that the media gives to the image of prostitution (such as films like "Pretty Woman"), there is hardly anything at all glamorous about the trade.
Most women who have become prostitutes were raped as children, came from unstable or abusive homes, suffer from addiction, any number of traumas, and often ended up as runaways before entering the sex trade. Low self-esteem is also a major risk factor, whether or not the girls come from poor familes.
Other women have been tricked or outright forced into prostitution; pimps, who can easily be described as men who have no respect for women and care only about their own gain, are the ones who recruit girls as young as twelve to work for them. The pimp usually lures the young, impressionable runaway by acting as a boyfriend or a father-figure to her, offering support to her... and training her like a dog all the while; once she's under his power, she has little chance to escape.
Even those who willingly turn to selling themselves do so out of desperation to survive rather than because they like the work. Mothers (especially poor, unmarried ones) who have fallen on hard times and are desperate to support their children have also ended up in the trade (like Fantine from "Les Miserables").
The idea of the "happy hooker", who likes her work, comes from the fact that the women usually are putting on an act; it helps them to attract buyers if they're smiling and happy instead of crying and upset. Plus, to quote "Moulin Rouge", they're "paid to make men believe what they want to believe".
Prostitutes range from the high-end call girls and courtesans in the legal brothels with rich clients to the homeless, drug-addicted streetwalkers who prowl the streets and the truck stops at night, shivering in their skimpy clothes, hoping that they will survive the night. The women are often looked on with disdain, disrespected, harassed and attacked, and treated as if they weren't even human. By and large, most prostitutes do not want to be prostitutes.
The world of prostitution is very dangerous; by and large, the practice is illegal in most of the world and the women are seen as criminals and thus their rights are pretty much forfeit.
The pimps and human trafficking rings have full power over the women; the pimps usually take all of the money that the women earn (beating the tar out of them if they make less than the pimps demanded or simply from the littlest act of defiance), force addiction onto them to keep them dependant on the pimps, and generally degrade and demean the women without compassion or concern for their well-being.
The risk and spread of STDs among streetwalkers is almost a nuisance compared to the dangers of the streets.
As criminals themselves, protitutes (especially streetwalkers) are less likely to be looked after by the police than the law-abiding; if she is harassed, attacked, raped, or threatened in any way, the woman in question usually cannot go to the police for help or she'll be arrested; if her pimp is arrested instead and she testifies against him, her life and the life of her family could be at risk.
The women must be on the defense all the time against their abusive pimps, corrupt cops, and the clients who use them; a major cause of death for prostitutes is murder. The woman will climb into the cars of clients (known as Johns) as disceetly as possible to avoid trouble from the police and go with these strangers to secluded places where they won't be interrupted, making her easy prey for serial killers. The disappearance of a prostitute may go unnoticed for weeks before anyone says anything.
Jack the Ripper, the Green River Killer, and Arthur Shawcross were just a few serial killers who targeted prostitutes.
How, pray tell, is it "hard out here for a pimp"? For a man who disrespects and actively exploits and destroys women?
Interstingly, in Sweden, it is legal for the women to sell themselves but it is illegal to buy from them; the punishment goes to those who deserve it: the pimps, traffickers, and Johns. The women themselves have legal protection, rehabilitation, and escape routes.
At the end of the day, prostitutes are human; they were human long before they were used and disrespected and will still be human.
The pimps and human trafficking rings have full power over the women; the pimps usually take all of the money that the women earn (beating the tar out of them if they make less than the pimps demanded or simply from the littlest act of defiance), force addiction onto them to keep them dependant on the pimps, and generally degrade and demean the women without compassion or concern for their well-being.
The risk and spread of STDs among streetwalkers is almost a nuisance compared to the dangers of the streets.
As criminals themselves, protitutes (especially streetwalkers) are less likely to be looked after by the police than the law-abiding; if she is harassed, attacked, raped, or threatened in any way, the woman in question usually cannot go to the police for help or she'll be arrested; if her pimp is arrested instead and she testifies against him, her life and the life of her family could be at risk.
The women must be on the defense all the time against their abusive pimps, corrupt cops, and the clients who use them; a major cause of death for prostitutes is murder. The woman will climb into the cars of clients (known as Johns) as disceetly as possible to avoid trouble from the police and go with these strangers to secluded places where they won't be interrupted, making her easy prey for serial killers. The disappearance of a prostitute may go unnoticed for weeks before anyone says anything.
Jack the Ripper, the Green River Killer, and Arthur Shawcross were just a few serial killers who targeted prostitutes.
How, pray tell, is it "hard out here for a pimp"? For a man who disrespects and actively exploits and destroys women?
Interstingly, in Sweden, it is legal for the women to sell themselves but it is illegal to buy from them; the punishment goes to those who deserve it: the pimps, traffickers, and Johns. The women themselves have legal protection, rehabilitation, and escape routes.
At the end of the day, prostitutes are human; they were human long before they were used and disrespected and will still be human.
Prostitution by Lorelili May 22, 2009
Fantine
1. A character from "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo. The year is 1823, in Montreuil-sur-Mer, France. Fantine is a young, unmarried mother who works in a factory owned and run by the reformed Jean Valjean, the protagonist of the story. Fantine's daughter, Cosette, is the result of a boyfriend who used and deserted Fantine; the young Cosette lives with the thieving Thenardier family who (unknown to the illiterate Fantine) abuse Cosette and make false claims about Cosette's health so that Fantine can give them money (which they take for themselves).
Upon finding out that Fantine has a child out of wedlock, the other women (who are jealous of Fantine's beauty) urge the foreman (who has unsuccessfully tried to bed Fantine) to fire her. Desperate for Cosette and frustrated by her unjust dismissal, Fantine sells what she can for money, including her golden hair and her pearl-white eye-teeth. Ultimately, she becomes a prostitute to support Cosette and eventually dies of tuberculosis... but not before Valjean comes to her aid and promises to take care of Cosette.
2. By extension, any single mother of young children who has fallen on hard times and, out of desperation and love for her little ones, is willing to do almost anything to give her children a chance at a better life.
Upon finding out that Fantine has a child out of wedlock, the other women (who are jealous of Fantine's beauty) urge the foreman (who has unsuccessfully tried to bed Fantine) to fire her. Desperate for Cosette and frustrated by her unjust dismissal, Fantine sells what she can for money, including her golden hair and her pearl-white eye-teeth. Ultimately, she becomes a prostitute to support Cosette and eventually dies of tuberculosis... but not before Valjean comes to her aid and promises to take care of Cosette.
2. By extension, any single mother of young children who has fallen on hard times and, out of desperation and love for her little ones, is willing to do almost anything to give her children a chance at a better life.
"I had a dream that life would be
So different from this Hell I'm living!
So different now from what it seemed-!
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed...!"
-Fantine, "I Dreamed a Dream"
Sarah's husband left her and now she has four children to raise by herself. She's even trying work as a stripper as well as a nurse. She's such a Fantine if she's willing to do that!
So different from this Hell I'm living!
So different now from what it seemed-!
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed...!"
-Fantine, "I Dreamed a Dream"
Sarah's husband left her and now she has four children to raise by herself. She's even trying work as a stripper as well as a nurse. She's such a Fantine if she's willing to do that!
jack the ripper
The nickname given to an unknown serial killer who killed five women in the Whitechapel section of the East End of London from August 31 to November 9, 1888. The killer was given this nickname because a knife was used to cut the victims throats and mutilate their abdomens. To this day, nobody knows the identity of the killer, since nobody saw or heard anything suspicious.
By today's standards, the Ripper murders would barely make headlines; a faceless lust killer murdering five streetwalkers in a huge slum that's already swarming with criminals and lowlifes. 55% of children were dead before age five; outhouses, clogged sewers, slaughterhouses, and horse-drawn buggies ensured that the filth and stench; overcrowding in crumbling buildings and low job prospects ensured that whole families were homeless; drinking and fights were rampant, and many people were missing teeth or had black eyes. Many women were forced to sell themselves as a sure way of supporting themselves and feeding their children, even if it meant going off to secluded nooks with six or seven strange (and potentially dangerous) men each day.
Contrary to the popular (romanticized) image of a black-caped figure in a top-hat, the victims were last seen with very nondescript, working-class men; the Ripper would most certainly have been caught had he worn the cape and top-hat.
There have been many theories as to who did this and there have been numerous urban legends (even the Royal Family was not spared the rumors), although most of these stories are certainly false.
By today's standards, the Ripper murders would barely make headlines; a faceless lust killer murdering five streetwalkers in a huge slum that's already swarming with criminals and lowlifes. 55% of children were dead before age five; outhouses, clogged sewers, slaughterhouses, and horse-drawn buggies ensured that the filth and stench; overcrowding in crumbling buildings and low job prospects ensured that whole families were homeless; drinking and fights were rampant, and many people were missing teeth or had black eyes. Many women were forced to sell themselves as a sure way of supporting themselves and feeding their children, even if it meant going off to secluded nooks with six or seven strange (and potentially dangerous) men each day.
Contrary to the popular (romanticized) image of a black-caped figure in a top-hat, the victims were last seen with very nondescript, working-class men; the Ripper would most certainly have been caught had he worn the cape and top-hat.
There have been many theories as to who did this and there have been numerous urban legends (even the Royal Family was not spared the rumors), although most of these stories are certainly false.
While Jack the Ripper has gone down in history as the star of history's great whodunnit, few people remember the victims:
-Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, found at 3:45 AM, August 31, 1888, age 43. Mother of five, three of whom were grown at the time. Separated from her husband, whom she left because of his affair during her fifth pregancy, Polly became caught in the downward spiral of drinking and prostitution. Polly was a homeless alcoholic during her last days and was last seen trying to secure money to pay for a bed at her lodging house.
-Annie Chapman, found at 6 AM, September 8, 1888, age 47. Mother of three, one of whom was born crippled, another dead at the age of twelve in 1882. Annie and her husband, while originally lower middle-class, took to drinking from the stresses around their children and separated after falling into poverty. His death in 1886 was a death-blow to her will to live. By her death, Annie was malnourished, homeless, and suffering from tuberculosis and syphillis.
-Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride, found at 1 AM, September 30, 1888, age 45. She had separated from a husband in 1881 and had a troubled common-law marriage with a dock worker at her death.
-Catherine "Kate" Eddowes, found at 1:45 AM, September 30, 1888, age 46. Mother of three grown children. Separated from her first common-law husband, she was living quite happily with her second, going from doss house to doss house. An intelligent, bubbly woman, her last night was spent sleeping off the drink in a local jail until the police released her at 1 AM.
-Mary Jane Kelly, aka "Ginger" or "Fair Emma", found at 10:45 AM, Novemeber 9, 1888, age 25. The youngest victim and the only victim to be killed indoors, she had a ground-floor flat and allowed her homeless friends to spend the night there, although she and her boyfriend had recently broken up for just that reason. Originally worked in a high-class brothel in the West End of London, but somehow fell to the slums of the East End.
-Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, found at 3:45 AM, August 31, 1888, age 43. Mother of five, three of whom were grown at the time. Separated from her husband, whom she left because of his affair during her fifth pregancy, Polly became caught in the downward spiral of drinking and prostitution. Polly was a homeless alcoholic during her last days and was last seen trying to secure money to pay for a bed at her lodging house.
-Annie Chapman, found at 6 AM, September 8, 1888, age 47. Mother of three, one of whom was born crippled, another dead at the age of twelve in 1882. Annie and her husband, while originally lower middle-class, took to drinking from the stresses around their children and separated after falling into poverty. His death in 1886 was a death-blow to her will to live. By her death, Annie was malnourished, homeless, and suffering from tuberculosis and syphillis.
-Elizabeth "Long Liz" Stride, found at 1 AM, September 30, 1888, age 45. She had separated from a husband in 1881 and had a troubled common-law marriage with a dock worker at her death.
-Catherine "Kate" Eddowes, found at 1:45 AM, September 30, 1888, age 46. Mother of three grown children. Separated from her first common-law husband, she was living quite happily with her second, going from doss house to doss house. An intelligent, bubbly woman, her last night was spent sleeping off the drink in a local jail until the police released her at 1 AM.
-Mary Jane Kelly, aka "Ginger" or "Fair Emma", found at 10:45 AM, Novemeber 9, 1888, age 25. The youngest victim and the only victim to be killed indoors, she had a ground-floor flat and allowed her homeless friends to spend the night there, although she and her boyfriend had recently broken up for just that reason. Originally worked in a high-class brothel in the West End of London, but somehow fell to the slums of the East End.
jack the ripper by Lorelili May 5, 2009
Prop 8
A step taken by right-wingers to strip gay people of not only the right to marry, but all of the rights and benefits that come with marriage. It blatently writes discrimination into the Constitution and makes same-sex marriage illegal.
Voting "No" on Prop 8 is voting in favor of same-sex marriage and the rights of gays while "Yes" on Prop 8 means that gays will have their rights taken away.
Contrary to right-winger's claims, Prop 8 has nothing to do with children or schools or religion. Their claim that same-sex marriage will be taught in schools is ludicrous; schools don't even teach about OPPOSITE-sex marriage, and even if they did, it would be to teach about different families. And it is not forcing churches to perform same-sex marriages or suing anybody or supporting the private agendas of any judge. These claims are nothing more than fear-mongering and twisting of the truth. This is not a religious issue; this is a civil rights issue.
Voting "No" on Prop 8 is voting in favor of same-sex marriage and the rights of gays while "Yes" on Prop 8 means that gays will have their rights taken away.
Contrary to right-winger's claims, Prop 8 has nothing to do with children or schools or religion. Their claim that same-sex marriage will be taught in schools is ludicrous; schools don't even teach about OPPOSITE-sex marriage, and even if they did, it would be to teach about different families. And it is not forcing churches to perform same-sex marriages or suing anybody or supporting the private agendas of any judge. These claims are nothing more than fear-mongering and twisting of the truth. This is not a religious issue; this is a civil rights issue.
Prop 8 is all about discrimination and taking people's rights away. Regardless of how one feels about gays or about marriage, it is immoral to take people's rights away.
And using children to encourage "Yes on 8" is as low and as despicable as Ann Coulter and Fred Phelps.
And that people are raising millions of dollars now, in an economic crisis, to write discrimination into the Constitution, is appalling. Money that could be put to good use is instead used to fund hatred by a bunch of meddling bigots who are nosing into something that is none of their business.
And using children to encourage "Yes on 8" is as low and as despicable as Ann Coulter and Fred Phelps.
And that people are raising millions of dollars now, in an economic crisis, to write discrimination into the Constitution, is appalling. Money that could be put to good use is instead used to fund hatred by a bunch of meddling bigots who are nosing into something that is none of their business.
Malleus Maleficarum
A witch-hunter's guidebook, written in 1486 by German Dominican monks Jakob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer, and arguably one of the most blood-soaked and hateful books in history.
The main purpose of the "Malleus Maleficarum", or "The Hammer Against Witches", was to refute all arguments that witchcraft did not exist, refute those who were skeptical about its reality, to prove that witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the how to find witches and convict them.
This book reflects that Sprenger and Kramer not only severely lacked a sense of humor and were obsessed with sex, but also that they had major issues with women; the book singles women out as the weaker sex, weaker in faith, lustful and easy by nature, and thus easy prey for Satan's coaxing. The men even went so far as to state the etymology of "femina" (Latin for "woman") as "fe" ("faith") + "minus" ("less"), which it is not.
Indeed, the book uses the exclusively feminine "malefica" rather than the masculine (and more inclusive) "maleficus" to denote witches, a strong implication that only women were witches in their eyes. Also, Sprenger and Kramer stated that old women and Jews were most likely witches and should never be trusted.
The Malleus Maleficarum accuses witches of cannibalistic infanticide, casting evil spells to harm their enemies, and holding the power to steal men’s penises (even make them come to life). It goes on to give accounts of witches committing these crimes.
The Malleus also delves deeply into the Bible, astrology, and philosophy, as this book was published during the Renaissance.
This whole book is one long tirade not just against women, but also heretics, independent thinkers, romantic lovers, the sensitive passions, human sexuality, and compassion.
The reasoning and logic used are bewilderingly outlandish... as horrible as the the images and reasoning are, they are also so ridiculous that it would be funny if the subject matter were not so grim.
Amazingly, in its day, this book of intolerance and persecution was second most popular after the Bible.
Thousands of innocents were killed because of Sprenger and Kramer, because of the hysteria and paranoia that they sparked, eventually leading to the Burning Times.
The main purpose of the "Malleus Maleficarum", or "The Hammer Against Witches", was to refute all arguments that witchcraft did not exist, refute those who were skeptical about its reality, to prove that witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the how to find witches and convict them.
This book reflects that Sprenger and Kramer not only severely lacked a sense of humor and were obsessed with sex, but also that they had major issues with women; the book singles women out as the weaker sex, weaker in faith, lustful and easy by nature, and thus easy prey for Satan's coaxing. The men even went so far as to state the etymology of "femina" (Latin for "woman") as "fe" ("faith") + "minus" ("less"), which it is not.
Indeed, the book uses the exclusively feminine "malefica" rather than the masculine (and more inclusive) "maleficus" to denote witches, a strong implication that only women were witches in their eyes. Also, Sprenger and Kramer stated that old women and Jews were most likely witches and should never be trusted.
The Malleus Maleficarum accuses witches of cannibalistic infanticide, casting evil spells to harm their enemies, and holding the power to steal men’s penises (even make them come to life). It goes on to give accounts of witches committing these crimes.
The Malleus also delves deeply into the Bible, astrology, and philosophy, as this book was published during the Renaissance.
This whole book is one long tirade not just against women, but also heretics, independent thinkers, romantic lovers, the sensitive passions, human sexuality, and compassion.
The reasoning and logic used are bewilderingly outlandish... as horrible as the the images and reasoning are, they are also so ridiculous that it would be funny if the subject matter were not so grim.
Amazingly, in its day, this book of intolerance and persecution was second most popular after the Bible.
Thousands of innocents were killed because of Sprenger and Kramer, because of the hysteria and paranoia that they sparked, eventually leading to the Burning Times.
"What else is a woman but a foe to friendship-! They are evil, lecherous, vain, and lustful. All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is, in women, insatiable."
-The Malleus Maleficarum
That sums up the tone of the book. Here's more:
"When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil."
“For though the devil tempted Eve to sin, yet Eve seduced Adam. And as the sin of Eve would not have brought death to our soul and body unless the sin had afterwards passed on to Adam, to which he was tempted by Eve, not by the devil, therefore she is more bitter than death.” (Kramer, Question 6)
"She is a liar by nature."
"...they have slippery tongues... they are intellectually like children... she is more carnal than a man, as is clear from her many carnal abominations."
And on and on; it's basically the work of two sexually repressed, frustrated monks who were so alienated towards women that the only way that they could deal with women was to slander them. They basically claimed that women were frivolous, stupid, dirty, weak, emotionally unstable, faithless trollops who were up to no good.
Because of the Malleus Maleficarum, women could be accused to witchcraft because a few men had an erotic dream about her or because she made a correct prediction about the weather or some other mundane thing that could be logically explained.
-The Malleus Maleficarum
That sums up the tone of the book. Here's more:
"When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil."
“For though the devil tempted Eve to sin, yet Eve seduced Adam. And as the sin of Eve would not have brought death to our soul and body unless the sin had afterwards passed on to Adam, to which he was tempted by Eve, not by the devil, therefore she is more bitter than death.” (Kramer, Question 6)
"She is a liar by nature."
"...they have slippery tongues... they are intellectually like children... she is more carnal than a man, as is clear from her many carnal abominations."
And on and on; it's basically the work of two sexually repressed, frustrated monks who were so alienated towards women that the only way that they could deal with women was to slander them. They basically claimed that women were frivolous, stupid, dirty, weak, emotionally unstable, faithless trollops who were up to no good.
Because of the Malleus Maleficarum, women could be accused to witchcraft because a few men had an erotic dream about her or because she made a correct prediction about the weather or some other mundane thing that could be logically explained.
Malleus Maleficarum by Lorelili February 21, 2009
slut pride
Coined by comedian Margaret Cho.
In light of black pride, gay pride, feminism, and the like, slut pride is the final fronteer: the liberation and empowerment of the sexually loose.
Icons of slut pride could include "Sex and the City", Kim Cattrall, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and so forth.
In light of black pride, gay pride, feminism, and the like, slut pride is the final fronteer: the liberation and empowerment of the sexually loose.
Icons of slut pride could include "Sex and the City", Kim Cattrall, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and so forth.
"...And so I wondered 'Am I gay or am I straight?', and then I realized: I'm just slutty. Where's my parade? What about slut pride?!"
In honor of the "dykes on bikes" at gay pride, the slut pride parade could open with the "chicks on tricks"- men walking while carrying the women who are having sex with them.
In honor of the "dykes on bikes" at gay pride, the slut pride parade could open with the "chicks on tricks"- men walking while carrying the women who are having sex with them.
slut pride by Lorelili February 16, 2009
narcissist
Taken from the ancient Greek character who fell in love with his own reflection.
Somebody who is completely in love with himself/herself and most likely is intensely turned on by their relection. Somebody who is too vain and self-absorbed to notice other people.
Somebody who is completely in love with himself/herself and most likely is intensely turned on by their relection. Somebody who is too vain and self-absorbed to notice other people.
I would not be the least bit surprised if Narcissus were from the United States; self-aborbed, self-important, jingoistic, bewildered at the thought that there are others in the world besides us... the U.S. seems to be the perfect breeding ground for narcissists.
Ann Coulter (to the mirror): Hello, beautiful. I'm so lucky to have you-! (kisses herself)
Bill O'Reilly (as he beats off at his reflection): God-! Gotta-have-that-!
Ann Coulter (to the mirror): Hello, beautiful. I'm so lucky to have you-! (kisses herself)
Bill O'Reilly (as he beats off at his reflection): God-! Gotta-have-that-!
narcissist by Lorelili February 16, 2009