The Business of Sex doc on CTV

[HankQuinlan]

The doc tonight was amazingly positive: interviews with Susi and other people in the sex industry that reflected something approaching reality. Example of Germany as a country with an appropriate attitude. A john that is also a protestant minister; another one with cerebral palsy (I think).

The usual shot of DTES street workers was clearly presented as the minority exception and the product of our hypocracy as a society.

The humour was the lady representing women's advocacy groups, which are normally given a serious voice in these types of docs. She was visually perfect (central casting would get a bonus) as a woman that has never been laid, and certainly wouldn't want anyone else to. Looked like a serious version of that woman in the Drew Carey sitcom with the garish makeup.

I will bet Susi is pleased with the outcome, which seemed like the first time I've seen a decent doc on this topic on a mainstream network.

Good for all the people involved (and thanks for the comic relief, lady with the half-glasses).

 

[HunkyBill]

Umm. Did anyone see the preacher in disguise? What an idiot he is. And the mom who had her kid ride the bike? They'll wish they never agreed to the interview.

 

[Ray_Ray]

I found the show to be insightful and it gave a couple points of view. It was probably presented in the Micheal Moore style of journalism, where there is more to the story than what is given to the viewer. However, it did bring up some good points and it has given me something to ponder and reflect on.

 

[Raina Mist]

As a SP ..I found it to be the best doc on the sex trade...
My favorite line was what does a pimp look like... a man in a business suit sitting on city council...This was in reference to living off the avail of prostitution and cities requiring licenses..

 

[wet_suit_one]

Anyone know where I can pick up this documentary online without actually having to watch the damned TV?

Thanks!

 

[susi]

thanks youse guys!!

this was about 2 1/2 years ago...i had given up on it ever being released!LOL
i am pretty happy with the out come especially with all the human trafficking bullshit going on lately....

it was on CTV so maybe there's a link to it there...

 

[wess]

It was good,the only thing I found kind of odd was the clients.

A priest who is also married ?, a paralysed man and a mentally retarded paralysed man. I thought they could have included just regular guys that pay for sex.

 

[HankQuinlan]

It was good,the only thing I found kind of odd was the clients.

A priest who is also married ?, a paralysed man and a mentally retarded paralysed man. I thought they could have included just regular guys that pay for sex.

He wasn't mentally retarded at all. I believe they were trying to point out that he, too, was just a regular guy that needed sex and had no other opportunity due to his handicaps (that include the ability to communicate effectively).

The john wasn't a priest -- he was a preacher in some protestant denomination (only Catholics are supposed to stay celibate) .... also just a regular guy, I suppose.

 

[HaywoodJabloemy]

Not to be too negative, as this documentary meant well and was certainly a big improvement over the usual media fiction, but I was disappointed.

The web site summary led us to think the documentary would show how this is a large business in Canada that is already largely tolerated and accepted. But it didn't do that, and actually seemed to portray it in the opposite manner as a small and isolated underground cottage industry. The time allotted to interviewing the masked minister and escort talking about their daily lives while we see her get peanut butter out of the fridge should have been used for something more relevant.

An estimate of 10,000 sex workers in one province was blurted out, followed by nothing to explain where it came from. How would anyone watching know this wasn't just made up? I realize getting an exact count for things like incalls and independent escorts may not be practical, but why not at least give us an example of the number of agencies and parlours in a particular city? Surely they could have shown some quick shots of the outsides of a bunch of parlours, and maybe the inside of one or two of the better ones? You wouldn't even know they existed after watching this program.

...favorite line was what does a pimp look like... a man in a business suit sitting on city council...This was in reference to living off the avail of prostitution and cities requiring licenses..

Once again, the fact that parlours and agencies everyone knows are in the sex business are licensed in cities across the country was barely mentioned, with no further examination of the issue. Couldn't a city councillor or some other official have been put on the spot over this astoundingly hypocritical system?

 

[neverwas]

The documentary was not perfect, but it was a lot better than anything else I have ever seen on mainstream media.
There was an attempt to show our activity as normal and not unusual or perverse.
I appreciated the interviews with the SPs, allowing the viewer to see them as normal, sensible, thoughtful humans, quite the opposite of the image frequently portrayed.
Of the women interviewed I have only seen one, Belle, and can verify that she is just as "real" as she appeared.
The statistics were interesting, and could have been examined more closely, but the effect was sufficient for people to see that the industry is not small and insignificant.

 

[jim]

I would really love to see it.. does anyone have a link I can use to stream it online?

please?
Thanks!
xoxo
Nina

Checked out the CTV website and found nothing.

 

[melissa.in.abby]

Checked out the CTV website and found nothing.

I can't figure out how to watch it either

 

[myrmidon]

So Sad, Too Bad

this was about 2 1/2 years ago...i had given up on it ever being released!
it was on CTV so maybe there's a link to it there...

I would love to see it..does anyone have a link I can use to stream it online?

Checked out the CTV website and found nothing

I can't figure out how to watch it either

Despite what we think, that pretty well sums up the importance attached to this by the "mainstream" : takes over 2 years to come out, and then when it does, whoosh, it's gone. Not on everyone's priority list.

 

[HankQuinlan]

Even the website of the company that produced it has virtually no information about it. Their contact page lists email for the director and for the company. Probably contacting them would be the best bet for information.

http://www.doctv.com/contact2.html

CTV probably just had an hour to fill and no money, so threw out a doc that they had paid for long ago and never bothered to broadcast. Too bad.