I’ve called the folks involved fuckers, maybe that’s what you mean. But I’ve called you no names, just pointed out the moral and intellectual vacuity of your arguments, and I’ve done so with reasons and sources. If you want to play the martyr, enjoy the game; better, of course, would be to examine why you’re standing by such foolish claims, and realize that no matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong path, the best choice is to turn back.
Having worked in hospitality myself, I would be astounded if the pre-event verbal briefing didn’t include some variation on “Look, you’ve got a lot of powerful, slightly inebriated men - a number of whom are getting on in years - letting their hair down. Some of them are going to try and grab your arse, made off-colour remarks, or ogle you. They’ve all been told to behave themselves and most of the guests will behave as gentlemen, but if any of them does get handsy, here’s how you handle it, who to talk to, etc”
Iwould push it a little further. I’m uncomfortable with a complete groping free-for-all, no matter how informed. Prostitutes should get to chose their clients. If a particular man makes a woman uncomfortable, she should be able to say “no” without being dismissed from the whole event.
Not me, I find the behavior problematic regardless of how informed the staff. These men are in positions of economic and political power and their attitudes towards women shape society, the fact that they want to spend their free time groping women who are paid to pretend to find them attractive is pathetic and telling.
But the point is not only the individual transgression of those ‘rules’, but the whole concept of them. This was an event for self-promoting men-only business leaders to get together to congratulate each other on their ‘philanthropy’ while treating women as mere objects. Small wonder therefore that some of them went even further.
In theory, if women want to agree to the conditions up front, and are allowed to leave at any time by forfeiting payment, I’m not sure a pre-organized sex-work event like this appeared to be should be illegal.
1b) There’s no way this one should escape legal consequences, however, since there was a complete lack of disclosure in the beginning (despite whatever bizarre claims DrDeth or upthejunction want to make), and since–thanks, Hector!–organizing sex work is illegal in England.
Notwithstanding the legal side of things, I have a pretty low opinion of groups of rich dudes that go to Hooters for business meetings and the like. My opinion of rich dudes who would knowingly go to an event like this is gonna be even lower.
2b) The interview made it sound like some of the dudes were also shocked and confused, not understanding the prostitution angle the charity event would have. I don’t blame the dudes who ended up in this event, not even the ones who froze and didn’t leave.
I don’t think anyone’s arguing that it was or should be illegal - simply (as is your view) that the kind of people these people were promoting themselves to each other as, shouldn’t be organising themselves like some lap-dancing club or stag night, and that doing so completely undermines any commitments they might make elsewhere, as CEOs and the like, to gender equality in the workplace, which is as live an issue in the UK at the moment as sexual harassment and outright rap culture. The existence of events like this simply underlines the potential for the two issues to merge into each other.
I think the laws on brothels, etc. should be liberalized like they are in Australia / NZ, there’s some reason to think that would make sex work safer (better security, etc.). That being said, I’m somewhere between you and Manda Jo here. I don’t have any problem with men getting together at a dinner where they can have fun with prostitutes (the sex for status / resources trade is as old as humanity, after all, and probably older) but I don’t think being a sex worker (much less a hostess, etc.) means you should be signing up for “any man at the event can grab you without permission, at any time he feels like”.
It is hardly a “sex-work event”. The interview linked to had the hostess saying some men wanted to hold hands and one jerk grabbed her butt but was told to lay off by other men.
Holding hands is not sex work.