Generally speaking people who whine about capitalism are those who are failing at it.
I make a very comfortable living and I know that the system is broken in many respects in its current state. The cost of living is quickly outstripping wages. This is one of many issues that capitalism faces today and to defend it at every turn is exactly what billionaires want. And to call it whining runs against a very American freedom—the right to protest and criticize. You can love your country and still recognize its faults and weaknesses.
To be dismissive and bury your head in the sand is to eventually court disaster.
My opinion is that when eating large steak it's important to pair it with a salad for ruffage , lest you will wake up with a difficult and angry poop
100%
I've never seen the point of complaining about pro pricing. It's like griping about the price of a Mercedes. If you can't afford it, you can't. As far as prices going up .. prices for everything have gone up, why wouldn't pros be charging more?
@WriterGF In fairness to the OP, he was not complaining about pro pricing. He was bemoaning the growing number of pros and how it is sad that human touch has been monetized. That is an opinion that you can agree or disagree with but it is definitely different from complaining about what a pro charges.
Human touch has always been monetized. If you ask somebody out on a date, you're expected to pay for it.
How much dating do you do? Going Dutch has become a thing in the last few years depending on the woman. Women do this to lessen expectations. In addition, younger people have become more frugal as movies and other attractions become cost prohibitive. My daughter, a nature buff, just went hiking with on one of her first dates.
And as you have said repeatedly in your other posts, dating is not the same as platonic touch.
Have to agree with @BoomerSpooner - I didnt take the OP as complaining about pro pricing, but rather that the site seems to incentivize pros over unpaid enthusiasts by a huge margin (yes, at least 10x).
Can say that I've met with some paid pros who have told me that they would happily cuddle for free, but since guys are willing to pay on this site, why not make the money?
@BoomerSpooner - If that was discussed beforehand. If you ask somebody out to dinner for example, and nothing was discussed about going Dutch, you should cover the entire bill.
@Spud424 I whine about capitalism ALL the time and ask anyone who's been to my house... not failing...might be failing at de-cluttering... idk. Late stage capitalism hurts a lot of people. HOWEVER... I do see how it has a place in our culture that is probably nearly impossible to eradicate. And I don't know a better system. Sure there are things everyone dreams of it being. To each their own... but nothing is ever going to suit everyone. Not while human beings have basic needs and there's shortages or bad management of resources. And I apologize your comment was easiest to read.... I have a headache but... I'm feeling like forum time.
Sounds a little like I'm agreeing with the OP which I'm not by any means. I just don't feel like the rant today.
rants to return later...
"Rainbows are visions but only illusions"
"Who said that every wish would be heard and answered?"
"Somebody thought of that and someone believed it."
"Someday we'll find it the rainbow connection... the lovers, the dreamers, and me."
@Jubal - Pros are the only way this site generates an income. You don't have to pay a dime to use this site unless you book a pro.
@Jubal I'm happy to cuddle for free...1 hour a week while I work my other job... OR 10-20 hr a week while I only work my other job part time.... How many more people do you think get cuddled because I have time and am not stressing about money? A few more...
Paying for human interaction and needs is nothing new. There use to be taxi dancing decades ago. Paid cuddling has been around a minimum of a decade. I never wanted to pay for back. Then. I do now because it’s just hard in general to find an enthusiast. For some individuals, it’s still too intimate to just meet somebody in Cuddle, especially if you don’t know them. When I used to go to Cuddle meet ups, I had friends that would find it strange because they wouldn’t want to cuddle with anybody outside of their partner.
It’s definitely become more common to platonically Cuddle , but it’s still rather new in general. Plus people have to make a living. There are some really nice professional cuddlers that I’ve worked with, and some that don’t seem as genuine. It just takes time to talk and communicate to everybody. I’ve also found a few enthusiast.
So it’s possible to find somebody to cuddle with, it takes some ground work.
yeah, you don't want to get put on a 3 year waiting list just for a 1 hour cuddle. You'll make the money much sooner.
There have been so many people who have capitalized on the female body or anybody (TBH) in these types of ways be it emotional support or need for touch thorough history in MASSIVE ways. Its hard (and I'm sorry if I'm narrowing it down to females too much specifically) but since most pros are female... it seems hard FOR ME... to believe that this upset isn't anything but people being a little upset the money is going straight to women...who set their own prices... who value their time...
Go rant at other industries or industries that men rule but are a sidestep or even the opposite of here. You're not. If you are link me a few forum posts you've made from those places...and I'll believe the argument isn't anything more than what I've stated above...
There's your rant.
@stormydaycuddle - I consider these threads to be troll posts. That's why I was surprised that it was allowed to stay by the mods.
@Mike403 I do in most cases too. I also can see how they may be posts by people who don't think others are human beings and can't value them for anything other than what they can get for free. I think things still need to be said. Which is why I rarely let even one slide by without a comment if no one else has or if I feel uppity that day.
There are many young women on this site and they need to know that its not okay for anyone to ask anything of them for free. BY THAT I MEAN... they are valuable human beings... they aren't feel good factories for other people. And they shouldn't be pressured into letting some... person.... take advantage of them. I'm sorry THAT YOU ( you being people complaining about payment) feel that you deserve something for free... go ask your male friends for free hugs and cuddles... then get back to me. Oh, wait... you aren't.
And yes I do understand that men also should be included in this and I'm not saying they aren't. I'm saying that the focus tends to be "why won't she just realize she needs to give me things for free..." the only reason there aren't these complaints in male dominated industries is because men value other men in ways that if brought to their attention bluntly... they might realize...gives a different impression than what they think they are projecting.
@Mike403 You just made my point. It is not always monetized. And some pros even provide a sliding scale depending on funds. I pay full rate for example so someone less fortunate does not. There is nothing absolute about monetizing touch.
Don’t you discuss sessions with pros beforehand?
I do hate the term "going dutch" it should be... everyone pays for themselves because we are all humans. Or "your turn to pay" or "kindness toward others" any way you want to look at it men do not inherently have the responsibility for paying for a bill. And if you think so... its perpetuating this style of thinking. That puts women as something lesser and as takers... or that puts men as something they should not have to be responsible for JUST for being men. Its not fair and it furthers the divide. Men paying or women paying or anything should be kindness not expected... Unless its a professional setting then its a professional setting be it out with a pro or at a business dinner.
Not directed at @Mike403 a tangent I've gone off on. Seeing the term makes me uppity.
@BoomerSpooner - I never discuss money. I assume whatever is on her profile is what I will be paying. I am so appreciated when somebody gave me a discount, but I never bring it up.
@stormydaycuddle - I never brought up the sex/gender of who pays. I always thought that whoever asks the other out should offer to pay.
One of the sadist things I heard lately was when I went with a male (FORMER) client now (ONLY) friend out to dinner and I said it was my turn to pay and insisted. He said thank you in such a heartfelt way because he's never had a woman do that for him. It made me kinda sad. People being people should be normalized.
Edit: He was in the friend category when we went to dinner. Not client.
Also, I know I've gone off on a tangent. I'll try to only complain to the original subject unless its brought up again.
@Mike403 - I left this intact because the OP was not whining about Pro prices. If that was not clear in my post on page one, I'm saying it explicitly.
Capitalism IS a valid discussion.
@stormydaycuddle You didn’t go off tangent because you did not inject dating into the discussion. Dutch is a bad term but it is what it is and people know what you are talking about. But bottom line is dating and cuddling are two entirely separate concepts.
@BoomerSpooner - I was talking about touch in general.. Either platonic cuddling through sites like this or cuddling in a more romantic setting when dating.
@BoomerSpooner I feel almost as if at this point it doesn't merely apply to dating. And the example I gave is kinda why. Its kind of societal for some people which is wrong. The term is one of those things that's like the color red to a bull for me. LOL.
@stormydaycuddle I do agree with you that these kind of OPs tend to have more than a whiff of "people being a little upset the money is going straight to women...who set their own prices... who value their time..."
However, the industries you quote as being male dominated aren't like that here in the UK. The vast majority of therapists are women, more than half of lawyers are women, and nearly half of doctors are women.
Separately, going Dutch on dates has been the norm here for decades. When I was a young man going on dates I was more than once stopped at the door of the pub or restaurant by my date who announced in no uncertain terms, "I'm paying half or the date ends now."
The idea that someone would take a paid cuddler to dinner so they wouldn't need to pay is such an interesting contradiction. The male ego expresses itself in so many unusual ways. From insecure narcissists who need to feel powerful, through to clients who can't feel appreciated if they pay, it feels like it's always out there trying to get what it wants.
I never discuss money. I assume whatever is on her profile is what I will be paying. I am so appreciated when somebody gave me a discount, but I never bring it up.
No one said you did and this isn’t about you. I was saying there are pros who offer compromises on their bio. Some even offer sessions in trade. The site gets their 15% but instead of paying 80 an hour for example, you provide a skill that the pro is in need of (plumbing, IT, etc.). Not all pros do this but they do exist.
@CuddleDuncan that's wonderful. Those were examples. I'll take them down. It still applies to a lot.