Do you feel today’s news, will have an indirect affect on biz?

[TallMuscl37]

Trying hard not to sound political by any means: But I do wonder. I know sometimes, people’s fears and concerns about stuff tends to be rather broad when it comes down to things…and I feel sometimes people don’t always put 2 and 2 together.
 

All they may see is “paid a porn star”, and with RentMen being considered “porn star performers”, maybe there will be those who assume paying ANY porn star is somehow “bad”, versus seeing it for the fact that it’s bigger picture than that.

That said, I’ve noticed ever since this has started, biz has just been very slow in many cities for the past few months from RentMen. Just recently I’ve got a couple bookings but lately there’s been long stretches in between. 

 

[Guest]

I don’t think there will be much impact. 

[+ nycman]

I don’t think many of us are planning to run for president anytime soon…..

[TallMuscl37]

4 minutes ago, Coolwave35 said:

I don’t think there will be much impact. 

I hope you’re right…

But idk, you’d be amazed how far people will speculate. I had a conversation with a client the other day regarding if the police “leave us alone” or not…

[TallMuscl37]

4 minutes ago, nycman said:

I don’t think many of us are planning to run for president anytime soon…..

Idk, a client just told me the other day that he’s looking to go into government. But hopefully people can understand what the actual “issue” was:

Edited May 31, 2024 by Jarrod_Uncut

[TallMuscl37]

6 minutes ago, nycman said:

I don’t think many of us are planning to run for president anytime soon…..

That’s what Arnold probably said 🙃 

 

[rvwnsd]

I don't think it will have any effect on the escorting business. 

2 hours ago, Jarrod_Uncut said:

 

But idk, you’d be amazed how far people will speculate. I had a conversation with a client the other day regarding if the police “leave us alone” or not…

I'm not amazed by this. From time to time, we have threads on here about perceived, potential issues with law enforcement. It stems from fear of being caught doing something naughty, like having sex with another man. I knew a guy who believed that if he paid for a book about coming out with a credit card, "they" would be able to use the transaction record to inform his employer that he bought said book. He never could explain who "they" were, nor could he explain why his employer would care. 

 

[TallMuscl37]

35 minutes ago, rvwnsd said:

I don't think it will have any effect on the escorting business. 

I'm not amazed by this. From time to time, we have threads on here about perceived, potential issues with law enforcement. It stems from fear of being caught doing something naughty, like having sex with another man. I knew a guy who believed that if he paid for a book about coming out with a credit card, "they" would be able to use the transaction record to inform his employer that he bought said book. He never could explain who "they" were, nor could he explain why his employer would care. 

 

It’s true. You’d be amazed about how paranoid people in this country can be about things. I know some believe it’s not going to have any effect, but I think there a lot of silent potentials out there who might be a bit gun shy. All they see is porn star + money = jail. Especially in more conservative regions. 

Honestly though, I just don’t see why it even went at far as it did. If the person of interest was “paid” initially, you would think the person would not say much about it to begin with. But I guess we don’t know all the details. 
 

And yes, what you mention too is also partially why some people don’t want to screen or share anything about themselves. I know for me, I don’t meet people anonymously claiming to bring cash only: I have to know at least a few select details about them. If they’re afraid to share anything: I’m not willing to meet. It’s a safety risk.
 

Some of the hookup app guys aren’t no better, some expect to meet with no phone number. Which is always a red flag. Even if they are who they say they are, it’s a sign they have something to hide, or just aren’t transparent about who they are. 

Edited May 31, 2024 by Jarrod_Uncut

[+ Jamie21]

I have clients who are involved in politics. One of them is a member of our upper chamber (I’m in 🇬🇧). Here it doesn’t matter too much. We don’t have those religious conservatives …they left a few hundred years ago by boat. Not sure where they went 😉. 

 

 

 

[+ DrownedBoy]

I hate to say it, but some states in the US are probably going to start being dangerous for gay escorts and hookups soon. Low hanging fruit for ambitious and amoral prosecutors.

I think the current slowdown is due to economic factors.

[+ KensingtonHomo]

I think the only concern is for poor and marginalized sex workers. 

But I don’t think Trump’s verdict will have an impact. The case has nothing to do with an escort. Daniels was not paid for the encounter.

i think it anything is under threat its OnlyFans and similar services by someone wanting to expand SESTA/FOSTA. Or additional efforts by conservatives and liberals to control online outlets like TikTok. 

[TallMuscl37]

19 hours ago, Jamie21 said:

I have clients who are involved in politics. One of them is a member of our upper chamber (I’m in 🇬🇧). Here it doesn’t matter too much. We don’t have those religious conservatives …they left a few hundred years ago by boat. Not sure where they went 😉. 
 

 

Well….maybe that’s “present”, but the history is a bit more involved. I won’t discuss but Google has a few references of Britain and America’s part in the 🚢 “trade” 😐 

 

5 hours ago, DrownedBoy said:

I hate to say it, but some states in the US are probably going to start being dangerous for gay escorts and hookups soon. Low hanging fruit for ambitious and amoral prosecutors.

I think the current slowdown is due to economic factors.

I think that’s already been happening. With Texas and Oklahoma, even Florida. 

Even though I hear about the economy, it seems this Memorial Day weekend they say was “busiest ever”. I’m hearing about the economy, but I just don’t see actual things indicating that people are so poor, other than the fact it seems there isn’t as much money going into the sex work arena as I would expect.

I posted on Facebook the other day, “this is not the time to be “cheering” I feel. Considering many cities are packed with “porn stars”, I definitely don’t think it’s going to be of benefit to the industry. 

 

29 minutes ago, KensingtonHomo said:

I think the only concern is for poor and marginalized sex workers. 

But I don’t think Trump’s verdict will have an impact. The case has nothing to do with an escort. Daniels was not paid for the encounter.

i think it anything is under threat its OnlyFans and similar services by someone wanting to expand SESTA/FOSTA. Or additional efforts by conservatives and liberals to control online outlets like TikTok. 

I could see that but, idk…I guess I could be overthinking it. It might “shock” the industry overall until the dust settles, but I just hate that porn star and payment has to be the topic at all in this situation. They don’t have anything to do with us, but it’s still a big picture. And people have a wild way of blaming sex workers as a whole, versus the actual circumstances. 

[soloyo215]

On 5/30/2024 at 10:34 PM, Jarrod_Uncut said:

Trying hard not to sound political by any means: But I do wonder. I know sometimes, people’s fears and concerns about stuff tends to be rather broad when it comes down to things…and I feel sometimes people don’t always put 2 and 2 together.
 

All they may see is “paid a porn star”, and with RentMen being considered “porn star performers”, maybe there will be those who assume paying ANY porn star is somehow “bad”, versus seeing it for the fact that it’s bigger picture than that.

That said, I’ve noticed ever since this has started, biz has just been very slow in many cities for the past few months from RentMen. Just recently I’ve got a couple bookings but lately there’s been long stretches in between. 

 

I tend to think that not really. The reason for that is that at this point in the political environment where we are, people are just polarized, and what happens is being used to just reinforce what they have already chosen to believe, and act accordingly. So people who hire will continue hiring, people who judge and don't hire out of their beliefs of morality will continue reaffirming their preference in their beliefs and actions.

As a client, lately I have been watching what I spend, and that includes hiring, due to inflation. I believe that is a more influential factor that might or might not be related to the current political climate. All business are influenced by the overall economy, some for better, some for worse. Just my thoughts, not law.

[Luv2play]

On 5/31/2024 at 3:22 AM, Jamie21 said:

I have clients who are involved in politics. One of them is a member of our upper chamber (I’m in 🇬🇧). Here it doesn’t matter too much. We don’t have those religious conservatives …they left a few hundred years ago by boat. Not sure where they went 😉. 

 

 

 

This may be true today in the UK but I am old enough to remember the Profumo affair. That was every bit as salacious as what we heard in a New York court room over the last 5 weeks. 
For the youngsters here, you can google it but briefly a British cabinet minister lied in the House of Commons about an affair he was having with a high class call girl, as they were referred to in those days. 
The fallout was spectacular and the whole escort scene in London was revealed to the entire world. The girls had a procurer who was a society osteopath and he committed suicide. Profumo lost his career and turned to good works with the less fortunate. 
It was even speculated that a youthful good looking American president had dallied but nothing came to light. 
Plus ca change. 

[Shy88]

I would say it would be more with inflation rather than this. Things are getting more expensive. For most probably have to budget something for this. As money gets tighter, these excursions wont happen as frequently.

[+ Jamie21]

9 hours ago, Luv2play said:

This may be true today in the UK but I am old enough to remember the Profumo affair. That was every bit as salacious as what we heard in a New York court room over the last 5 weeks. 
For the youngsters here, you can google it but briefly a British cabinet minister lied in the House of Commons about an affair he was having with a high class call girl, as they were referred to in those days. 
The fallout was spectacular and the whole escort scene in London was revealed to the entire world. The girls had a procurer who was a society osteopath and he committed suicide. Profumo lost his career and turned to good works with the less fortunate. 
It was even speculated that a youthful good looking American president had dallied but nothing came to light. 
Plus ca change. 

What’s worse is he was minister for war. Made him vulnerable to blackmail. 

[Luv2play]

7 hours ago, Jamie21 said:

What’s worse is he was minister for war. Made him vulnerable to blackmail. 

What used to be called blackmail is now referred to as hush money. Apparently, the latter is not illegal, as was often pointed out during the recent trial in New York.

[+ FrankR]

1 minute ago, Luv2play said:

What used to be called blackmail is now referred to as hush money. Apparently, the latter is not illegal, as was often pointed out during the recent trial in New York.

Think I disagree. Blackmail is extortion (demanding money). Hush money is more like a bribe (offering money).

[Luv2play]

1 hour ago, FrankR said:

Think I disagree. Blackmail is extortion (demanding money). Hush money is more like a bribe (offering money).

I was under the impression that the women in the recent case in New York had sought compensation for remaining quiet about their trysts with the defendant.

[TonyDown]

One effect might be businesses in NY tightening their record keeping to avoid running afoul of the law.

Some claim they will boycott NY.   That sounds like a hollow threat.  Really, who cares?  NY will carry on.

[TallMuscl37]

On 6/1/2024 at 9:57 PM, Shy88 said:

I would say it would be more with inflation rather than this. Things are getting more expensive. For most probably have to budget something for this. As money gets tighter, these excursions wont happen as frequently.

 

You know, I just want to harp on this for a minute. What you’re saying is likely true however: I think the real issue is many (especially gay) Americans living above their means. 
 

I have seen so many times, single gay men living in a huge 3-4 bedroom home BY THEMSELVES. And then claiming they pride themselves on having their  “space and independence”. But then when it comes time to spend money on friends or dates, they want to be cheap. It pisses me off. 

It’s like, why not get a roommate or 2 if you can’t afford a $9.99 burger? I know that’s not ideal but there’s some people out here living with parents or reliant on a failing relationship just to keep a roof over their head. Having a roommate or 2 isn’t going to kill someone, if they go about it responsibly. 
 

Lot of these guys are living in homes made for dual income families with kids. It’s like I get it, if you can afford it why not. But what I hate is when they make like I have to be “accepting” of their cheapness/lowballing ways. And I’m fed up. I was having a conversation about this with a guy today. He never wants to spend a dime, but yet has this big 2 story townhome. His roommate moved out so now he’s scraping by. I offered to move in and help him out, but he didn’t want a roommate situation. And I don’t care now because pretty soon I’ll be moving into a place of my own, I’m over trying to expect flaky dudes to be dependable for any time of living/extended stay situation. 

Some people get exactly what they didn’t bargain for. Inflation isn’t necessarily as bad as people play it out to be. I go to stores everyday and even though some things like groceries/food are high, a lot of stuff is still manageable if searched properly. Some people don’t really know what it’s like to be broke. Like poor. Don’t own a home, don’t own a car, nothing. They bitch about their car insurance being $40 more. Well shit, some people can’t even afford car insurance. I struggle to pay my car insurance every month. Not because I don’t feel like it, but because the days when it’s due, I don’t always have the funds to pay it: and I have 2 vehicles to cover. My rates aren’t even that high as it could be in some states. But when I’m paying for rentmen ads, hotels, gas, travel expenses: Insurance is just an extra expense but, it wouldn’t be smart to go without. I was “arguing” with someone the other day who’s so cheap he thinks $90 a month is too much for full coverage. I’m like dude…try living in Florida and paying that or double, just for bare minimum.

Anyhow, I can go on but: that’s my take on inflation. It’s not necessarily inflation. It’s people’s desire to live above their means and not pool together money to win win for everyone. 

 

On 6/2/2024 at 12:51 PM, TonyDown said:

One effect might be businesses in NY tightening their record keeping to avoid running afoul of the law.

Some claim they will boycott NY.   That sounds like a hollow threat.  Really, who cares?  NY will carry on.

Well in that picture, I should have blurred out everything except “falsifying”.

That said; I agree with some of the posters regarding agreeing with whatever ideas suits them best. Hopefully this does not affect the escort/porn star industry negatively, and we can simply see it as it is. However, the media has not done a great job with portraying us as troublemakers and snitches. I know what doesn’t come out in the wash, comes out in the rinse but: some things you just have to play dumb and be like; I have no idea who/what you talking about. 

Edited June 4, 2024 by Jarrod_Uncut

[+ DrownedBoy]

I found an explanation for this.

Consumer spending has been down for a year, but only among low wage earners. Now it's going down for the entire middle class.

Cause is likely inflation and credit- fueled spending...a vice not limited to gay men by any means.

[Trick]

A lot of issues are being conflated on this thread - the hush money trial, financial management, inflation, extortion and blackmail, etc, it’s sort of hard to keep up.  The way I see it, a lot of these things are not related to each other, one does not necessarily cause or  affect the other.

[TallMuscl37]

6 hours ago, Trick said:

A lot of issues are being conflated on this thread - the hush money trial, financial management, inflation, extortion and blackmail, etc, it’s sort of hard to keep up.  The way I see it, a lot of these things are not related to each other, one does not necessarily cause or  affect the other.

Hmm, perhaps so. Maybe the issue is bigger than what’s being displayed. And of course the other factor: choices in cities. There’s so many escorts/masseurs who have flooded the market in many cities, yet there’s not many reliable sites. I’ve said this before, but I’m from the era where you could pick your “poison” (Or pleasure). Backpage, Craigslist, Men 4 Rent, rentboy, RentMasseur, and then RentMen were all options to be.
 

It’s just unpredictable across the board. Some weeks nothing is going on, other weeks I’m meeting amazing clients. I wonder, is it slow or am I anticipating more than what’s possible? 
 

What I do know is: most all bookings lately are last minute under 24 hours notice. And in some ways it’s challenging because I never know if and how to plan my next day. And I also will go to the city (I live an hour away) and hang around waiting for a call some days. Nothing. Then I’m at home with nothing on schedule, bored out of my mind and decide to fire up a BBQ: client wants to meet in an hour. Which is how I was I unable to take an appointment the other day.

It’s like everything in my area and others seems last resort. I just can’t always operate on being available “today” or even “tomorrow afternoon”.  

 

[TallMuscl37]

And I’ll add additionally: Despite it seeming to be a lot of “porn star” advertisers out there, there’s really not a lot of guys out here in reality doing sex work.

There’s a few cities I go to and, I meet guys who could technically fit the escort bill. But they may just have a “boyfriend” that they’ve managed to sugar a bit…Get them into a job, buy a car etc. But when I look around, it’s not as many guys out here doing this real time as it seems. 
 

A lot of these guys out here just be playing the field, trying to date multiple people and calling them “friends”. It’s such a mess that I rather just stick with escorting lol. One guy the other day told me, “a friend is coming into town this weekend” but then when I delved deeper, it was someone he was getting involved with. Couldn’t even be transparent and just say it 2-3 weeks ago when I was asking to meet up for a 2nd time.

Tangent but…that’s how it goes lol.

Edited June 4, 2024 by Jarrod_Uncut