Prostitution

In response to Kate's blog on prostitution,
http://katenicola89-kate.blogspot.com/2009/02/prostitution.html
and in particular whether women that accept drinks, etc from men are asking for trouble if they don't come up with the goods, I would say that if people said what they really meant rather than using non-verbal communication all the while the world would be a much easier and in fact safer place to live.

The assumption here "that if a man buys a woman a drink, he is then entitled to some sort of return on his investment" is an old fashioned and quite frankly homocentric idea of the world. What is wrong with a man buying a woman a drink, or paying for her taxi just because he can and wants to be "nice"? Have we really stooped so low that we have to look for the motive behind every act?

I guess it is not the done thing to say to someone "yes, I'd love a drink, but it doesn't mean I want to sleep with you!" Infact if us women said that to most men, they would run a mile; some men can't cope with assertive women...... and just like men wouldn't say "Do you want me to buy you drinks all night until you are too drunk to realise how unattractive I am, and so come home with me?" but its probably what they are thinking.

Sorry all of this is tongue in cheek, but really we all interpret the non-verbal signals given off during this dating/picking up ritual, and 9 times out of 10 get the signals completely wrong.

If you give anything freely in any circumstances that is exactly what it should be a gift, no strings attached, if you expect something in return then don't give in the first place - this is not the essence of giving.

So back to my first point, we ought to start a date but letting everyone know where we stand so we can spend the rest of the night having fun, rather than thinking about what he really thinks, what she really thinks, and playing silly games, all for the sake of a shag!