

Spitzer--We're All Whores
for release 03-14-08
Dallas, Texas
by Lightning Rod
The Poet's Eye has barely glanced at the Eliot Spitzer affair. Writing a column about it would be such a cheap shot. But I'm a whore, so here goes:
The reason that all the soft news and comedy shows on television have been feasting on this story is that it falls into two categories of fascination in our pop culture. The first one is hypocrisy. When any self-righteous preacher falls from grace, we love it. Spitzer was a man who had portrayed himself as without fault. Risky position.
The second category is prostitution. Prostitutes and especially 'high-priced' prostitutes have as much mystique, as much cachet, as doctors and millionaires and powerful politicians. We are eternally fascinated by them. We see visions of a Cinderella story starring Juiia Roberts and Richard Gere. All over the internet and on TV we see pictures of the working girl who caused Spitzer's house to collapse. I don't know why she called herself Kristen when she had the much sexier name of Ashley Alexandra Dupree. She is a 15 minute star. She is a comely girl, sings pretty good. But what Americans who work standing up all day to make $20 an hour are fascinated by is how even such a pretty girl can earn a grand per hour for laying on her back. The president only makes $200 an hour. Does that make him a cheap whore?
Prostitution (and especially 'high-priced' prostitution) is one of the few professions where experience is a negative on the resume. Prostitutes are much like gymnasts or ice-skaters, their careers are short. The product is subject to sudden depreciation. The more it it used the less it is worth. The premium is paid for youth and flexibility.
Most work could be categorized as prostitution. If we do things that we might not particularly want to do, and we do those things for money, then are we not prostitutes? Does this describe your job? Are we not allowing someone else to use our bodies and energies and knowledge in exchange for money? Isn't that the definition of prostitution?
But, take heart. Prostitution is not only the oldest profession, it is also the most honorable. It is the essence of the free market and maybe the cleanest sex. There is an honesty about the exchange. "You give me what I need, and I give you what you need." Everybody is happy and there are no residual charges.
The Poet's Eye longs to see a time when we don't judge prostitutes by how much they charge or how they take payment. We are all whores.Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution.
Bertrand Russell
Winston Churchill's anecdotal exchange: (paraphrase)
Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?
Socialite: My goodness, Mr. Churchill... Well, I suppose... we would have to discuss terms, of course...
Churchill: Would you sleep with me for five pounds?
Socialite: Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!
Churchill: Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.