Dealing with humanitarian crises and having sex in a brothel
July 12, 2014 9:53 PM Subscribe
This post was deleted for the following reason: Hey, interesting topic, but not much info here; maybe think about reposting as part of a larger look at the situation? -- taz
Also, in my very limited experience, there's always a driver or other local staff guy who is known to be the go-between for anyone who wants to pay for sex, who knows people who know people, and is the person who helps avoid security or other situations.
posted by Dip Flash at 10:09 PM on July 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Dip Flash at 10:09 PM on July 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
A really good post, which led to a lot of good articles. Thanks!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:38 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:38 PM on July 12, 2014
When you introduce yourself at a party as a former humanitarian, people expect that your field experiences were shaped by witnessing suffering, violence and displacement. What they don't expect to hear is that your day-to-day management challenges also included arguments over what time your colleagues could watch porn in the common room, and negotiating how staff could get to and from a brothel.
I mean...I guess? I'm not sure what the brothel talk is about (and I have no idea about the porn bit). I lived and worked in humanitarian capacities in several developing African nations and while sex with local people was definitely a thing, in that people did it, prostitution wasn't really the central site of that, nor did anyone I knew seem to think that was common, especially.
People have sex. They don't stop needing or wanting that closeness just because they're doing work that's often characterized as noble in places that suffer moral, social and material privations.
In my experience, both men and women who do humanitarian work enjoy sex, and the different ways they meet their sexual needs is kind of interesting sociologically and in many other ways, but this article doesn't touch on any of the interesting specifics of gendered differences or local characteristics of sexual encounters. It has a weirdly scolding and moralizing tone without mentioning any specific wrong-doing, nor any actual life experiences whatsoever. Somewhat disappointing, because the topic is much more complex and interesting than the oddly vague sententiousness on display here implies.
posted by clockzero at 10:40 PM on July 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
I mean...I guess? I'm not sure what the brothel talk is about (and I have no idea about the porn bit). I lived and worked in humanitarian capacities in several developing African nations and while sex with local people was definitely a thing, in that people did it, prostitution wasn't really the central site of that, nor did anyone I knew seem to think that was common, especially.
People have sex. They don't stop needing or wanting that closeness just because they're doing work that's often characterized as noble in places that suffer moral, social and material privations.
In my experience, both men and women who do humanitarian work enjoy sex, and the different ways they meet their sexual needs is kind of interesting sociologically and in many other ways, but this article doesn't touch on any of the interesting specifics of gendered differences or local characteristics of sexual encounters. It has a weirdly scolding and moralizing tone without mentioning any specific wrong-doing, nor any actual life experiences whatsoever. Somewhat disappointing, because the topic is much more complex and interesting than the oddly vague sententiousness on display here implies.
posted by clockzero at 10:40 PM on July 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
It's a very thin and sort of abstract-theoretical article. Is there a real problem with humanitarian workers being in danger due to their sex lives? Are there any concrete examples of this? Some of these things could be problems in Pittsburgh or Peoria.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:57 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:57 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Many humanitarian missions that I've been aware of have sex worker policies and discourage employees from using them.
posted by k8t at 11:01 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by k8t at 11:01 PM on July 12, 2014
Yeah, it's not like humanitarian workers are putting high officials at risk.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:02 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:02 PM on July 12, 2014
The Secret Service really aren't "humanitarian workers", are they?
posted by benito.strauss at 11:14 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by benito.strauss at 11:14 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Somewhat disappointing, because the topic is much more complex and interesting than the oddly vague sententiousness on display here implies.
That's what I thought. She starts with "we need to talk about this" and ends with "we really should be talking about this." And in between there's a lot of runway but relatively little take-off.
posted by sour cream at 11:21 PM on July 12, 2014
That's what I thought. She starts with "we need to talk about this" and ends with "we really should be talking about this." And in between there's a lot of runway but relatively little take-off.
posted by sour cream at 11:21 PM on July 12, 2014
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posted by Dip Flash at 9:59 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]