Comments on The Teenage Prostitute's Handbook

You know, I have the weirdest reaction to you posting this. Because partly, whatever, you’re a reporter and you’re trying to shed light on a facet of our society that a lot of people don’t know much about and I guess that's laudable and whatever. But also, this is how a lot of people live. Like, this is their waking every-day reality. And it kind of feels like you’re setting up some kind of freakshow, putting these things up on the slog for all the nine-to-fivers to get all gushy over. I mean, I’ve got a day job now, but I grew up in the place this girl and her pimp are coming from and I know if anyone ever tried to read any of the shit I wrote back then my first impulse would be to gouge their fucking eyes out with my thumbs.

So, you know—just something to think about. Carry on.

Great interesting stuff, Jonah. What Judah said, aside from being sort of immaturely animalistic and macho in kind of a cartoonish sense, about the journalistic part is perfect.

I don't think a lot of people have any understanding of how pimps work and how they treat the girls they're with.

Honestly, this guy seems kind of nice but you can tell he's doing it to keep the reigns tight. You can read in his words the control he has over here. Even in print it's chilling.

Good stuff.

The strangest part is the part about not getting close to any other girls. What's that about?

-Judah

I've been following this girl's case for months now. I've seen her in court, talked to lawyers, cops and caseworkers about her. I've read all of her case files.

Still, I'd always had trouble wrapping my head around the relationship between these girls and their pimps but I was totally floored when I saw these letters.

I posted the letters on Slog to try and shed a little light on the prostitute/pimp power dynamic, that's all.

@3 - not a pimp myself, furthest thing from, but i have a guess at what may be at play there. The whole relationship is built on him making her believe that she is dependent SOLELY on him. There is a lot of language there about "you and me against the world", etc. Any other bonds she forms would threaten that emotional dependency. Also, A lot of tyrants maintain their power by keeping those they subjugate divided and at odds so they don't unite against them. 1 pimp exercising control over umpteen girls would be outnumbered and would probably feel more secure playing them against each other.

What I think these letters do is emphasize that this girl is a VICTIM. If I remember right, Jonah's original article was about this girl being prosecuted as an adult - being treated like a criminal. His original point was that she was, in fact, a victim of sexual abuse. At the time, I remember people arguing that the law was there to protect her, that the law was the law, etc. What these letters show (and thank you for them, Jonah) is just how vulnerable this child is.

I posted the letters on Slog to try and shed a little light on the prostitute/pimp power dynamic, that's all.

Yeah, I know man. No harm no foul. I was just articulating my reaction sort of by way of speaking up for the silent majority. I mean, not talking about this stuff isn't going to do anyone any good. So more power to you, really.

what Judah said, aside from being sort of immaturely animalistic and macho in kind of a cartoonish sense

Here's the funny thing about that, Sam; I know why you say that and I don't even disagree. I mean, that's the thing about street violence: it's retarded. People who beat, stab, and shoot each other over money, drugs, sex and, fuck sake, "respect", are basically living in a cartoon world. But the interesting thing is, that doesn't change, even after they've done some really horrible shit. So that's kind of what I was saying: fifteen years ago, if someone got something like that of mine and read it-- let alone published it on the internet --my inclination would've been to blind them. And that's a pretty immature, macho inclination, and that's why I'm not like that anymore.

But it's also, to reiterate this point, the way a lot of people live their lives. That's all.

@3 and @5,
I basically agree with what longball said, this is about keeping her dependant on him, and only him, and any other relationships threaten that. But I'm not sure that the relationship he really finds threatening is this girl with another girl. I think he doesn't want another girl introducing her to that other girl's pimp, and this girl being snapped up by someone else who will make money off of her.
But, if this girl is all about returning to this shit, I guess the prosecution makes some twisted sort of sense. Get her among others who have been there and can convince her that this shithead is just like all the other shithead pimps.

Jonah,

You rock. Thank you for following up on this story.

I'm curious about whether the pimp's letters are actually a crime, because it seems like he's attempting to direct prostitution, and he's doing it to a minor.

Could you ask a prosecutor about whether there is a chargeable offense that could be made based on the letter?

It just seems that it has to be illegal to contact a minor and encourage her to continue to prostitute herself for his financial benefit. And he's admitting to being a pimp, so wouldn't a prostitute's testimony plus the letter theoretically be enough to convict him of that as well?

Also, if the guy is in jail on a domestic violence charge, is he restricted from doing things like this by an order of the court?

I'll be talking to the prosecutor's office tomorrow. I'll let you know what I find out.

it's funny because the speech he gives about the butterfly is almost exactly the same as the speech from lost that locke gives charlie. who knew pimps watched tv?

Does anyone know what "Get him to look at me" means?

It's kind of troublesome that no obviously female voice has posted a comment. I'm not disagreeing with any of you all; I think many of you have brought up valid points; and I'm glad Jonah S-L is reporting this. It would just take a different tone if a woman told her story (I wrote my own "anecdote" and deleted it, didn't want to be the first one).

Dan Savage has written about the dynamic of abusive behavior in "Fire Rumsfeld," and I think it sheds some light on the pimp/prostitute dynamic:

"Hell, when they're sweet, abusers can be downright endearing. ("Oh, he makes me cry but then he holds me and tells me it's 'okay.' He's so sensitive!") Open your eyes and see the sweet routine for what it is: an integral part of an emerging cycle of abuse. He acts like an asshole, you cry, and then he pours on the syrup."

http://thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=91051

no women writing?, speaking as one, 2 thoughts
!. because we are not surprised
2. because we have hungrily melted at a mans sweet promises , sadly, ourselves, in the name of love.(.that wasn't true..a version of the stereotype "all wives are prostitutes",.)

no women writing?, speaking as one, 2 thoughts
!. because we are not surprised
2. because we have hungrily melted at a mans sweet promises , sadly, ourselves, in the name of love.(.that wasn't true..a version of the stereotype "all wives are prostitutes",.)

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Thank you, Jonah, for publishing this. The average age of entry into prostitution in the USA is an abominably low 12-years-old and most people have been lied to about happy hookers for so long they can't see the ugly truth.

I'd like to point out that the reason both the pimp and the teen serial rape victim exist in the first place is because everyday men like our friends, family and co-workers are willing to pay oodles of their hard-earned cash to rape destitute people. Men have fetishized vulnerability such that preying on easy targets like kids and women who are drunk/drugged, homeless, racial minorities, and pimped is socially accepted.

Oh people say it isn't accepted, but a look at The Stranger's prostitution pages shows one of a world's worth of social sites where boys learn their destructive sense of entitlement to command sex at will from disadvantaged people (teen girls, women, minorities, transgendereds). To get rid of the pimps we have to reduce men's demands for economically coerced sex, which is rape just as all coerced sex is by definition.

At last...
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Marhaba!
Check this out!
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Well, when I read this I was not shocked. I am a 16 year old prostitute. I live in Seattle and work on Aurora. When I read this it was like my pimp was talking to me. This stuff happens everyday and people act like the ''hos'' are doing it for fun. I was forced into prostitution when I was 13. I was tooken from my home, moved across state lines, and beaten blue. I hate how people glorify pimping. Its not funny or cute. I've been raped and stabbed. Who would want to live like that??