Michelle Braun allegedly runs a very large prostitution ring and may be making a deal with the authorities in which she reveals her clients. The clip from KTLA news below reveals our bizarre, confused relationship with sexuality. In the clip, reporters suggest that her celebrity clients are likely “shaking in their boots” and “sweating bullets,” have a sort of gleeful disapproval of the whole thing, and yet can’t stop making suggestive remarks: it’s a “juicy” story, Braun is “cozying up to feds,” has a “naughty list” that may be “exposed,” she’s going to tell “all of her dirty little secrets” (that one is used twice). Of course, you could also just measure the hypocrisy by the on-site reporter’s self-satisfied laugh.
Most of the good stuff is in the first 40 seconds, the remainder is just embarrassingly bad reporting:
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Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments 6
Morgiana — July 18, 2009
General comment: Prostitution and human exploitation in all forms are despicable. It's even more despicable when the Big Kahunas can get out of this by snitching on their customers and pawns and this reveals just one of many HUGE flaws in our judicial system. All while threatening others who will snitch on THEM.
Comment pertaining to the topic: Even when the woman is the person in the "Masculine" position in our world of gender norms, she is still treated as the "Ho/The Feminine".
vegkitty — July 18, 2009
I disagree, Morgiana. I have no problem with prostitution so long as it's not exploitative. There are prostitutes out there, male, female, and otherwise, who are in their professions because they WANT to be (see: "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy" skit from "The Vagina Monologues"). That doesn't mean that everyone (or even a majority) in the sex industry is there for noble reasons or even their own volition, but their existence can't be ignored.
With reference to the post, I feel like journalism has just gone downhill as of late. Can't reporters just state the facts and some information about the people involved and move on? I can't help but think that it has something to do with the prevalence of 24-hour news networks. The networks compete for ratings, so there's a rush to the bottom in order to have the most salacious, most titillating story.
Morgiana — July 19, 2009
"I disagree, Morgiana. I have no problem with prostitution so long as it’s not exploitative. There are prostitutes out there, male, female, and otherwise, who are in their professions because they WANT to be (see: “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy” skit from “The Vagina Monologues”). That doesn’t mean that everyone (or even a majority) in the sex industry is there for noble reasons or even their own volition, but their existence can’t be ignored."
OOPS, sorry about that, I meant the street prostitution, not the brothels, should have been clearer. Even if street prostitution is done "willingly", it poses a greater danger on the sex workers. But hey, who am I to say anything on that, right?
Morgiana — July 19, 2009
ALSO, before anyone thinks I am endorsing exploitative prostitution, I have no problem with prostitution that's not exploitative, as long as it can be done in a brothel, where there is more safety than on the streets. The whole "pimp exploits many many people" was a trigger for me. But in general, I would agree with vegkitty.
Gia — July 19, 2009
"With reference to the post, I feel like journalism has just gone downhill as of late. Can’t reporters just state the facts and some information about the people involved and move on? I can’t help but think that it has something to do with the prevalence of 24-hour news networks. The networks compete for ratings, so there’s a rush to the bottom in order to have the most salacious, most titillating story."
I think SocImages also covered another heinous part of this:
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/04/06/culture-and-psychology-the-case-of-mass-murderers/
It's worth reading.
zoelouise — July 20, 2009
Is it "Our Bizarre Relationship to Sex", or "Our Uncomfortable Feelings about Prostitutuion"?