(11-06-2015, 02:41 AM)Pastry Army Wrote: While I agree with the shared sentiment that not being able to discuss something in a Discussion thread comes off as a bit silly, I will stamp my opinion on this thread. Because I am simply that way on things.Â
It is interesting to be able to see the view point of someone who is actually in the field open up and share what, to them and others at large, are considered derogatory and insulting vocabulary to their particular field of choice.
The thing is, basing your understanding of an entire field of work off of one person's opinion is...probably unwise. I have been friends for years with a lovely woman who has been a phone sex operator for quite some time (and has done cam shows and similar), and I asked her about this very subject a few days back. Her response? "I don't consider it a slur."
But I also would think that the word "prostitute" wouldn't fit her job description, anyway. And I'm not sure that she would describe herself as a sex worker, and I'm sure that there's at least someone out there who would consider being called a "sex worker" derogatory.
In my state, "prostitute" is literally a job title. It isn't used as a slur, it's simply a descriptive title for someone who literally sells physical sex for money. The term that appears in our legal code? "Prostitute." But I've never seen it used as a slur against a person. Truth be told, the word has too many syllables to be really effective as a slur when you're raging at someone. I've heard slut, whore, ho, hooker, and other, much less printable words used. But "prostitute"? No. That's a legal term, and that's what it's referred to in courts.