Comments on: Why Treat A Sex Worker Like An Actual Human Being When You Can Dehumanize The Shit Out of Them?

By: Epiphora

Epiphora — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:54:15 +0000

Whoa. I like the Oatmeal too, but this is really just sad.

By: Sora Ryu

Sora Ryu — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:54:32 +0000

I can’t tell if it’s being sarcastic or chauvinistic. Maybe I don’t have a sense of humor, but something so overdone strike me more as disgusting than funny.

By: Mortal

Mortal — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:00:23 +0000

It’s not slavery if she’s getting paid.
I’m not a fan of that comparison, it belittles slavery.
But the rest I agree with.

By: G

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:13:11 +0000

I agree that they shouldn’t be dehumanizing the sex-worker.

But on the last one, you took issue with a prostitute being called a “Whore.” I’m going to have to disagree with you on that one. While it’s a bit more derisive-sounding, “whore” is a completely acceptable synonym for “prostitute,” or anyone who takes payment for direct sexual acts.

I suppose that, once you consider yourself a whore, as I have (Not for sex, but for just selling out my body to do menial labor, for small money), you don’t find the term so upsetting.

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:22:07 +0000

Maybe long, but well thought, Nell Gwynne – I think you’re right…

By: Nell Gwynne

Nell Gwynne — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:07:22 +0000

Ack. I sounded like a college professor up there. Can I get a PhD in long winded blog comments?

By: Nell Gwynne

Nell Gwynne — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:06:34 +0000

I think that part of why The Oatmeal comics are funny is because they do balance between “edgy” and “very, very, tasteless”. I mean, the comic about “Why Bacon Is Better Than True Love” featured a couple in which the husband verbally abused his wife, and had no problems with cheating on her, with a goat no less. However, the reason why that comic still “works” is because we can tell that the author is exaggerating: This unhappy couple is a magnification of unhappy couples, and is used to exaggerate his (possibly true) claim that bacon is better than true love.

I think the problem with this one is that mistreatment and abuse of sex workers is an all too real problem, and while the examples are somewhat lighthearted, they aren’t too removed from some of the abuse sex workers face.

Perhaps if it didn’t pander to stereotypes, and said that hookers made good chess partners, arm werstlign opponents, etc, it would be funnier, and less offensive.