Prostitutes

POSTED BY: SouthernSlayer
UPDATED: Sunday, May 23, 2004 18:08
VIEWED: 5307
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GRACEOM

Sunday, May 23, 2004 12:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SouthernSlayer:
Hi. I got to thinking (it's okay, when it starts raining fire and birds start inexplicibly flying into windows then you can start to worry) assuming companions are desendant of prostitutes what do you think made them as widely respected as they have now become?

I think it's interesting that companions are sort of officially respectable, but it's clear that even their clients don't always respect them...

Makes me wonder who really controls the Guild. Powerful men who want to control access to a set of particularly desirable women? It seems that potential clients not only have to be rich, they have to be on some kind of "approved" list that they can be struck off of for bad behavior to the women--or perhaps (one might imagine) other...incorrect actions or beliefs.

While the companions seem superficially to have a fair amount of self-determination and control (i.e. they choose which applicants to accept, they can blacklist badly behaved clients), still, I think we've been given hints that the glamour of a companion's life may be fairly shallow, and that the very skills needed for a companion to successfully anticipate her clients' every need and desire...are perhaps in the long term more than a little destructive to the companion's own sense of self-worth.

Just a ramble...

Grace

OUTTATHEWORLD

Sunday, May 23, 2004 3:27 AM

Much more like escorts than geishas, in that sex is an expected (and not readily refusable) part of the service paid for. Also clearly more respected within their own circles than in the society at large (thus both Atherton's reaction and the lord's attitude toward her in Shindig). Actually, the general attitude toward Companions (the actual one, not the "socially correct" one) is very similar to today's attitude toward "real" escorts.

Inara can clearly not both stay with Mal and pursue her career (which makes her independent). Good a man as Mal is, he couldn't tolerate her way of making a living- and she knows it.

...Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

ROCKETJOCK

Sunday, May 23, 2004 5:16 AM

I had a high school teacherwho liked to run Einstein-style thought experiments with his students; once, when the subject of prostitution came up, he suggested the following: Imagine a parallel world where all the taboos and mores we associate with sex are focused on food and eating instead.

Picture it; you have to pick just one person to cook for you your entire life. "Nice people" of course, don't cook for each other before they're married -- so you have no way to know if your spouse is a good cook or not -- not that you're supposed to care. You're in love, so you have to be satisfied with the way they cook, good or bad.

And of course, the idea of people cooking for money is just disgusting. Sick. Don't they have any morals?

Naturally, if someone gets food poisoning it's a terrible embarassment; I mean, nice people just don't get that, do they?

The upside of this funhouse-mirror world is that everyone is totally relaxed about sex.

"Well, do we just stay home and f**k each other tonight?"

"What, leftovers again?"

"Saves money."

"Yeah, but I'm tired of the same old thing. Why don't we splurge and f**k Italian tonight?"

"Umm. How about Chinese instead?"

"I don't know. An hour after you f**k Chinese you're horny again."

My apologies if this has offended anyone, and doubly so, if this all appears off topic -- somehow it seemed relevant to a thread on prostitution.

"You can't enslave a free man. The most you can do is kill him." -- Robert A. Heinlein

JUMPY

Sunday, May 23, 2004 6:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by LeMat:
Traditional Geishas, as I understand them, are not--and were not--prostitutes. They were profesional hostesses. They were the primary entertainment at dinners attended by men. They were there to stroke the ego's of the male dinner guests, and provide a relaxed atmosphere where discussion and male bonding could occur.
Jon

Yep you are right LeMat. I saw a documentary a while back on discovery or National Geographic channel but yeh that's exactly what they were doing.

__________________________
There's no show I'd rather see, than the one with Serenity.
You can't take the sky from me...

HUMBLE

Sunday, May 23, 2004 7:40 AM

Inara had to leave Serenity because she's in love with Mal. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that Mal "cheated" on her with another woman. This in spite of the fact that she's a Companion. Maybe there's an unwritten rule for Companions not to fall in love or form romantic attachments as this would conflict with business. Also, I think Companions are not prostitutes in the meaner sense of the word. They are sort of like high-classed escorts/ladies as opposed to street-walkers. Educated in ettiquette and manners, dress and speech so as not to bring embarrassment to their clients. For these services their rich clients are willing to pay top dollar. Just my two cents anyway.

Word to the not-so-wise: Never kiss 'em on the mouth!

CALHOUN

Sunday, May 23, 2004 9:16 AM

I've never had to see/use a prostitute but I am reassured by their presence in the world.

ANNIK

Sunday, May 23, 2004 6:08 PM

Nothing to add to comments/research here about Inara's role per se.

But ... I still snigger every time we watch "HoG", since the 'classic' Hollywood movie is about the prostitute with a heart of gold, who gets rescued by some passing, handsome stranger, or does the rescuing herself at great personal sacrifice.

I love that HoG turns that on its ear ... sure, a bunch of good-looking strangers show up to help, but at the gal's request and the gals themselves take a very active role in the ass-whupping that goes on that day. Lovely!

Cheers,
Annik
... my sister's a ship. We had a complicated childhood.

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