Comments on: Would You Play a Game of Russian Roulette?

By: Carol A.Otieno

Carol A.Otieno — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:41:09 +0000

To JAGCorps and Nairobian Perspective,

Thanks for the comments and inputs, JAGCorps, I will definately look up the website,

Much appreciate it,
Carol.

By: Nairobian Perspective

Nairobian Perspective — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:33:48 +0000

You have an interesting conversation here! its unfortunate for whatever reason for one to sell his body/self in exchange for money or other favors.The reality is that the consequences are grave for the person, their reputation and ends up hurting their loved ones!It takes great effort to rehabilitate such a person but a true solution lies not in any other conceivable human reasoning but desisting from the practice and avoiding risk factors that may occasion a relapse!One cannot place a value to a clean conscience (by clean i preclude a dead conscience) it either accuses us or excuses us!

By: JAGCorps

JAGCorps — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:23:37 +0000

HI Caroline,

You may find the following interesting, Is an Ethical, Emotional, Psychological and Military Reputation based on Honour?

It’s an actual real life challenge of Russian Roullette, sent via legal advocates, and deals with some of the issues you raise here, but in much more depth.

It’s not just talking about an abstract form of Russian Roullette, it is actually talking about two people challenging a corrupt goverment, to playing real Russian Roullette with real guns, infront of a real audience, for justice to be served.

By: Mwangi - the Displaced African

Mwangi - the Displaced African — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:04:28 +0000

@acolyte: Hmmmm, something to think about……..

By: acolyte

acolyte — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:10:46 +0000

@ Mwangi
You really cant type cast prostitutes and escorts in Kenya to be honest ie “those women”. They are all unique and have different circumstances that put them where they are.
There are those who have been forced into it by family and poverty ie those who live in the slums. You have those women who came to Nai from the rural areas thinking they would make money easily but we all know that Nai doesnt give you anything on a platter so when push came to shove they found themselves walking the streets. You have those women whose mothers and sisters were prostitutes and for them its nothing strange.
You have the women who work office jobs but are paid a pittance and supplement their money by working the streets. You have those who also have day jobs but are smart enough to work in high class bordellos by night, or even those who are middle class and do it full time. There is also a small minority who even do it for the thrill, a friend of mine had a relative like that who came from a well of family and chose to be a high class prostitute for some reason.
So you can’t typecast the prostitute, I once met an escort with a college degree. I know its different in Kenya but here in the States street walkers are actually a minority of them even though they are the most common image you see.
You might want to take a look at this http://www.nodo50.org/Laura_Agustin/unwanted-rescues-a-poster-from-thailand
Not every prostitute needs or wants to be rescued.

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:40:15 +0000

@acolyte: Just so I can see if I have the correct image in my head of who those women tend to be and where they tend to come from. Do they tend to be middle to lower income women who previously worked in the service industry as hairdressers or bartenders or waitresses? Do these women come from various socioeconomic levels?

By: acolyte

acolyte — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:00:20 +0000

@ Mwangi
my usual disclaimer: In no way shape or form am I promoting prostitution.

That being said one of my previous employers in Kenya had a project that used to help rehabilitate prostitutes and make the self sustaining so that they could leave the trade. Well shock on us, there were some of those girls who would leave the rehab and go back to the streets. I even used to hear some of them talking about it.
I have met some Kenyan women who via travel agencies in Europe were usually hooked up with white men to show them around in more ways than one and they loved their jobs to a fault. Of course this latter group were more of escorts than prostitutes, they never had to hunt for clients or step on the streets and could pick who they would escort or not.

That is why you shall always get a group of women who advocate for being let to practice the trade, they know what they are doing and what they are gaining.

By: Mwangi - the Displaced African

Mwangi - the Displaced African — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:09:04 +0000

@aco: You just might be right there. Wish I had anything insightful to add, but as I said, I am ignorant, so I guess I’ll just add you to my database on knowledge I have about women who are prostitutes.
By the way, these women who you knew who were prostitutes, were they African women in the diaspora? African women at home? White women? Philipino women or what nationality were they and in which country did they work?

By: acolyte

acolyte — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:58:39 +0000

@ Carol
Sorry for attributing Mwangi’s comment to you.

Call this callous but most women do the same thing as prostitutes but are in denial about it, and no I am not calling most women prostitutes. How many women do you know who sleep with men who have money that pay their rent? How many women will only see a man as worth dating only if they spend some money on them and get them gifts? Most male/female relationships are a give and take transaction. The only difference is that in open relationship the woman is able to take gifts/money and attention from all bidders without being under the obligation to provide what the male wants while when it comes to real prostitution the highest bidder wins by default and the woman can only get benefits from him.

But the women you are talking about for all intents and purposes are prostitutes they offer their services for money under no pretext whatsoever. Women can only assert their rights when bargaining from a point of power, the women you talk of can only do so once they are empowered economically. As long as they to depend on men for their needs there is not much they can do.

Plus not only because of the sex thing but even migrant women who are settled and “pure” don’t have too much luck with migrant men because let’s keep it real, women once they get to an alien culture change too fast for their own good. You have alot of African women out here in the States embracing the “independence” of women here not factoring in that it’s part of why you have a 50% divorce rate. That is another reason why migrant men would rather get a wife from back home in many cases.

@ Mwangi
Well at the risk of sounding harsh but I doubt a woman who counsels prostitutes would give you any positive cases because by the time a prostitute is going for counseling she is having many issues in her life and with the profession.
But I am in no way shape or form saying that there are no unhappy and damaged women out there working as prostitutes; indeed there are.
I did point out that there are different levels of prostitution and one’s level and the fact if they are doing it out of choice or necessity will play a role in how they feel about the trade.

By: Mwangi - the Displaced African

Mwangi - the Displaced African — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:07:25 +0000

@acolyte: I would love to meet them, study them or watch them to learn how they manage to maintain mentally and emotionally healthy and distance themselves from the sexuality of their job. I would imagine this would be extremely difficult to do, especially in the beginning……
Here I definitely will concede I am very short on research or even superficial knowledge and was going on information from the movie and talks with an American woman who counsels prostitutes.