Wait, Workers Deserve Rights?

1.    What is the main thesis of this film?
This is an interesting question because I see more than one thesis for this film. One, the women on the show are trying to show how sex workers are not deviant, but rather they are simply providing a service. Two, society demonizes women who work in the sex industry and looks upon them as scum. Three, it is very hard to beat the power structure. Finally, this is simply a job. It is a way for women to make money. It is not “fun” as the management tried to portray.

2.    What were the main arguments in support of this thesis?
Some of the main arguments in support of the thesis in the documentary were the fact that the women would not back down from forming a union. They found it very hard to form a union as people did not want to represent sex workers since our society oftentimes views them as pariahs. The women, however, showed complete solidarity and continued to fight. The women went on strike and did not back down. After months of fighting, they finally were able to negotiate a reasonable contract. After the women in San Francisco had won, they had sex workers from all over the country trying to find a way to unionize. Some other things that were appalling were the working conditions. The women were treated poorly, and their working conditions were horrible. They were treated poorly because of what they did for their employment.       
          
3.    How does the thesis of this film relate to the course?

This relates to the course as people view these women as deviant. They are considered pariahs in our society. They are considered so deviant that the Labor wouldn’t help them and the police were always slow to respond to their needs. The upper management also thought they could take advantage of these women by providing them subpar working conditions and firing them without just cause. Generally people who are considered deviant find themselves as easier targets for “mainstream” society. People in our society can become deviants when they find themselves as outsiders, which clearly these women were when the police will not respond to their needs, management doesn’t provide them with a safe working environment, and the head of the labor board refuses to help them. According to Alexander B. Smith and Harriet Pollack (2000) in “Deviance as Crime, Sin, and Poor Taste,” Howard Becker defines deviants as outsiders. Clearly these women were outsiders.  

  
4.   Which arguments/points did you find the most convincing?

Some of the most convincing things were the fact that women across the country wanted to unionize. These girls were fired once they made too much money. They would lose part of their hourly rate for minor infractions. Women of color were treated as subhuman. They would get fewer shifts, and they were not allowed to work in this V.I.P. room. Men would videotape the women against their will. The women were not allowed sick days. The women had to pay a stage fee, which meant they had to pay to dance. The women also lost part of their tips to upper management. A few other things that were convincing would be the fact that the Labor board refused to help these women achieve their basic rights. Another point is the fact that the police were absolutely worthless. They would never respond to a call quickly. According to the documentary, they either showed up seconds after the troublemaker left or hours after the fact. The women were not treated as valued members of society because of the work they engaged in. Finally, the fact that Julia hid her life from her own mother, who spends her life fighting for sex workers health, was sad, but this clearly showed that Julia recognized the stigmatism involved with being labeled a sex worker. Jennifer L. Dunn (2010) writes about how stigmas affect people in her article “‘Everyone Knows Who the Sluts Are’: How Young Women Get Around the Stigma” when she states, “people with a stigma have a ‘spoiled identity,’ because we have discovered that they are not who they claim to be or they act in ways contrary to how we think people like them should act.” When Julia decided to tell her Mom of her choice to work as a stripper, her Mom clearly could not handle it and Julia was clearly stigmatized by her mother.              

5.   Which arguments/points did you find the least convincing?

I usually have quite a bit to say here, but I find myself feeling great sympathy for these women. I consider myself a labor activist, and I try to participate in protests when I can. I have rallied with the occupy Portland movement and engaged in other labor protests throughout my life, so that said, I am not going to take issue with anything in this documentary. I find it to be a great success.  


6.   Choose one argument, point or question that most stands out for you from the film. How would you study this point? Briefly design a research study around that point.
I would like to know how many women even know they can unionize and fight the power structure. I would like to hit the streets and talk to women working in the industry. Find out if they like their job and if they know they have options. I want to know if they realize they can fight the establishment. While the show clearly paved the way, I cannot help but think millions of women have no clue their rights are being trampled upon by the upper class. I would love to help these women fight their employers to ensure they are treated fairly.

Alexander P. Smith and Harriet Pollack. (2000). Deviance as Crime, Sin, and Poor Taste. In Patricia A. Adler, and Peter Adler (Eds.), Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction (pp. 19-28). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Jennifer L. Dunn. (2010). “Everyone Knows Who the Sluts Are”: How Young Women Get Around the Stigma. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 207-210). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.