A while back I was walking from one of our casinos to another to do some work, and I was walking with an older coworker (he was 68). They have young women on Fremont Street dressed scantily that pose for pictures with tourists for money (they leave us alone since we're in uniforms and clearly working). My coworker snorted as we walked by one pair of ladies and asked me, "Shane, you're single, would you date someone who took off their clothes for money or had sex with strangers for money?"
I said, "I personally could not handle being with someone who had sex with other people for money, but otherwise I don't see why not, as long as we got along and were compatible."
He snorted again. "I could never sell my body for money."
I said, "We all sell our bodies for money."
He looked at me side-eyed. "You wish!"
I rolled my eyes. "Listen, there's nothing wrong with being gay, and I'm not; but, if I was, I could certainly do a lot better than you." As he sputtered I continued. " We seriously ALL sell our bodies for money, to survive. Let me ask you this: how long have you been working?"
He answered, "Since I was 14."
"OK," I said, "so 54 years. How do you feel after that many years?"
He replied slowly, "I'm pretty beat up, but I can finally retire soon, just got the house paid off."
"How about your wife, I know you said she's an accountant or something? How long has she been working, in a field that's not as strenuous as stuff you've done?"
"Well, she's younger than me by a few years, but she hurts pretty bad also."
"Congratulations, you've both traded your bodies' health and safety for money, to survive. We live in a society where we are ALL expected to work ourselves until our bodies can't go on; these young women are just doing it in a way that's different than what you or your wife have done."
He was silent the rest of the way to the next casino, and in fact didn't really talk to me much the rest of the day. I think I had just shifted his world view, if only for a moment. But I was right about what I said: we all sell our bodies to survive, to make money.
