The public perception of Stormy Daniels, “porn stars” and “hookers.” | Mickey Z.

By DonkeyHotey (Stormy Daniels - Caricature) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

April 19, 2018

“The reasons a woman only has to make one porn film to be a ‘porn star’ are similar to the reasons a man has only to sign on the dotted government line to be a ‘war hero’. The ‘war hero’ and ‘porn star’ are calculated lies told by exploiters to keep expendable flesh walking through their doors.” (Samantha Berg)

I’ve never been much of a TV watcher but thanks to YouTube, I can now catch up with popular clips here and there. Recently, I sat through some Stephen Colbert monologues. Each time, he segued into something called “Stormy Watch” -- complete with stereotypical [sic] porn film “music.” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) Everyone was in on the “joke”… 

In the midst of all this misogyny, the focus for Trump fans remains on bullshit like “fake news” and “liberal media.” But that’s for another article, at another time. 

My attention here is aimed at the mainstream liberal left [sic] as they gleefully celebrate how “porn stars” and “hookers” and “pee tapes” will allegedly help bring down a president.

credit: Mickey Z.

What you call hookers are real girls and women

Stormy Daniels may be the one-in-a-million woman who is prostituted and/or appears in pornographic films but somehow isn’t fully crushed -- physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually. She might be one of the lucky ones who survives with her life. 

Therefore, her rise to prominence is overshadowing reality in a dangerous way.

The vast majority of those porn stars and hookers you casually laugh about are flesh-and-blood women and girls (as in children) who are trafficked, coerced, hooked on drugs, kidnapped, beaten, assaulted, abused, bought, sold, and robbed. 

Their starring roles are quite often (mostly?) filmed rape. 

Your clever [sic] pee tape memes conveniently omit the brutality, sadism, degradation, and sheer hatred behind the patriarchal punch lines.

What you call hookers are living, breathing girls and women who live daily lives that debunk the heinous “liberated sex worker” canard. 

I’ve written plenty over the past few years on topics related to prostitution and porn. Rather than repeat those points for the 50th time, I’ll provide some links. Try reading a few articles in-between your witty water sports posts:

• Pornography: The Propaganda of Patriarchy
• Everything You Know About “Sex Work” is Wrong (Part 1)
• Everything You Know About “Sex Work” is Wrong (Part 2)
• Stomping Johns: The Demand Side of Prostitution
• Let the “Sex Workers” Speak for Themselves!
• Has Tumblr mainstreamed misogyny and rape culture?
• What we can learn from leaked terrorist torture videos

And now, I will happily cede the floor to the one and only Gail Dines:

IName the problem 

Hoping they bring down Trump is a worthy desire. Just having a chuckle at his expense can feel good, too. But making fun of traumatized women as part of your edgy “jokes” is despicable and inexcusable.

Yes, porn and prostitution references are ubiquitous -- unavoidable and very convincing. We’re all deeply conditioned to accept them as normal and perhaps “cool.” I certainly did for most of my life. But I don’t anymore and I’m nothing special. I possess no unique skills or propensity for introspection and growth. Simply put, if someone like me can do the work and wake up… anyone can do the work and wake up. 

Stop laughing at what are essentially rape jokes [sic]. Respect yourself more. Educate yourself more. Reject the hive mind and finally: name the problem.

Mickey Z. is the founder of Helping Homeless Women -- NYC, offering direct relief to women on the streets of New York City. To help him grow this project, CLICK HERE and make a donation right now. And please spread the word!