Power-Trip-clients would be an abundant species if we had a Zoology of Prostitution. What kind of client are you?
The Karens of Sex Work
Welcome to another chapter of The School Series. Although we are writing less about escorting and more about pornography, we are still interested in the broader array of adult entertainment. In this chapter, we will write about power-trip-clients.
Anyone who interacts in our subculture knows power-trip-clients. They are entitled, and indeed, they are outspoken. If you participate in internet discussion forums, you have read their never-ending whining in never-ending threads.
Anything that does not go according to their wishes is a disqualifier for the escort’s professionalism. A smell, lateness, rates, business model, slacking performance, and any imperfect detail throughout the interaction with a sex worker is enough to disqualify his professionalism radically.
Although their mindset and psychology are straightforward, power-trip-clients are a diverse fauna. However, we suggest a simple taxonomy with only two main sub-species: first, Karens who complain about any service aspect. Second, Karens who pretend to tell sex workers how to run their business.
Power-trip-clients are ubiquitous. As an illustration, we bring examples from two different countries. Today’s lesson’s pieces of evidence come from the Argentine Foro Pirata and the USA Company of Men.
Complaining about the service
Clients have the right to complain about anything they find unpleasant or inappropriate. If my dentist’s chair is uncomfortable, or they hurt me during an appointment, I have the right to complain. If I arrive on time at my lawyer’s and they meet me 30′ after scheduled, I have the right to complain. Nevertheless, our complaints will generally remain focused on those issues and not escalate to question anyone’s professionalism. Of course, if you are not a Karen.
Let me bring you a typical example of this species of power-trip-clients from Argentina. It is a negative experience with an escort reported in Foro Pirata in the thread “Mala exp Ronald st.” When he was giving head, this client found a band-aid around the escort’s dick in a few words. It is a long post in Spanish; you will need to use a translator if you are not fluent.
It is a legitimate concern. A sex worker should not offer service if there is any health risk. Should the client have remained in that complaint, he would have had a strong case. He even starts his report in a promising way. The first paragraph recognizes that the escort has a history of positive reviews and contrasts them with his one negative experience.
Argentine Flavor Karens
Soon after that promising beginning, what seems a long steaming frustration gives the report’s tone. Sadly, the legitimate concern sinks in bitter rants. We learn that the client was not having much sex. He thought that the escort was “ugly.” Long lines describe the taxi boy’s “disgusting” “vomitive” smell. According to the reporter, the guy’s dick was his only clean and odorless area. As a side note, the escort was Black.
Both parts acted under the heat of the conflict. There are more bitter rants about the interaction once the client decides to interrupt the service. Unsurprisingly, he closes the post with radical judgments about the provider’s honesty and professionalism. I wish I could say our power-trip-client forgot about the positive experiences reported by other forum members. He did not. Instead, he openly accuses those reporters of being liars or self-praise posted by the escort in disguise.
This Karen is so self-centered and entitled that if you do not give him what he wants for his money, you are an unprofessional, dishonest piece of shit. There is no room to consider other alternatives that could have conditioned the escort to make a poor decision. A professional mistake or an unexpected “imperfection” becomes the excuse to vomit all his frustrations and prejudices against sex workers.
Even worse, this unhinged rant is now posted and recorded in the local gay escorts forum. Considering how stigmatizing sex work is, what may be an isolated, awful experience becomes an undeletable stain in a gay escort’s reputation. This Karen is not alone; his rant is popular.
Talking down to sex workers
Now, let’s take a look at our second species of Karens. The first one is just a bunch of babies whining because they did not get what they wanted. The second one is much more devious and dangerous. These Karens do not complain about the service. Instead, they do not like the rates or the business model.
The market is full of generous souls. As the price may be too much for them, they will preach to the escorts about how much they should charge. Of course, the suggested fees are always in their comfortable range. As the escort’s business model may not fit their preference (many clients do not like haggling or tired fees, for instance), they lecture sex workers on how to run their business. Of course, the client’s preferred model is what the escort should adopt.
This time, our examples come from the Land of the Free. Let’s look at the threads “Isn’t 400 dollars for an hour too much for New York standards?” and “!!!$800!!!.” When I am writing this post, the conversations still belong to M4M Forums. However, this weekend the website starts a new era as The Company of Men. Be glad. You do not need a translator or my interpretation.
Well-intentioned Karens
Our first species of power-trip-clients is outraged at what is perceived as unacceptable service. The second species is motivated by greed disguised as selfless business advice.
In the first referenced thread, the conversation starts not entirely derailed. Initially, some posters tried to keep it in appropriate terms: how much I am willing and able to pay. Nevertheless, the Karens quickly take over and move the conversation to their ground: how much an escort should charge.
Although discussing fees is a traditional and recurrent topic, this thread reaches anthological levels. Despite actual sex workers bringing to the table very politely, much common sense considerations, the Karens cannot stop. They even developed budgets.
The second example is more conventional. Some clients found an escort with a fee they consider unusually high. Very few posters think that perhaps the companion is targeting high-end clients. Although humor should always be welcome, comedy shows a lot in between lines in this thread.
Karens always think they are desirable clients. They cannot picture that their (little) money could not get them whoever they want. They cannot even imagine that this escort is not interested in them.
Improving the Sex Market
Fortunately, we have much information about gay escorts offering poor service or abusive prices, as well as about outstanding professionals. This information is priceless to make hiring decisions and reward excellence and talent. That is why we all should be interested in curtailing misinformation coming from abusive clients.
Unfortunately, we do not have many records about clients’ bad practices. Power-trip-clients are a dangerous species we hope will become extinct out of those pervasive behaviors. Otherwise, they will continue poisoning our culture with their deep despise for sex work as a legitimate career and respected profession.
This lesson of The School Series attempts to alert all of us against the Karens. Furthermore, this lesson tries to warn all of us against our Karens. Indeed, we all carry this ignorant, selfish, self-centered, pretentious, and entitled little monster. Bye, bye, Karen!
Stay tuned.
Hasta la próxima pinga, amig@s!
