Difference between revisions of "Week 11 Questions/Comments"
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When reading Xin Jin's Contract, I remembered what Dr. McClurken had said about how the Chinese were the most exploited of all the immigrant groups. Although, in the contract, it mentions that Xin Jin had volunteered in her service of prostitution to pay off her debt, more than likely, there was manipulation going on there. How can someone consent when they don't understand what is being said to them? The language barrier alone must have been a reason why so many Chinese immigrants initially had "consented" to prostitution. I was a little disturbed when I read the part in her contract where it mentions additional work time in the instances of sickness or pregnancy, in that profession, how can one expect not to face such obstacles? When reading this piece, I got the impression that prostitution was an endless reality for many of the immigrant Chinese women, one without pay or hope of successfully getting out. ~Juliann Boyles | When reading Xin Jin's Contract, I remembered what Dr. McClurken had said about how the Chinese were the most exploited of all the immigrant groups. Although, in the contract, it mentions that Xin Jin had volunteered in her service of prostitution to pay off her debt, more than likely, there was manipulation going on there. How can someone consent when they don't understand what is being said to them? The language barrier alone must have been a reason why so many Chinese immigrants initially had "consented" to prostitution. I was a little disturbed when I read the part in her contract where it mentions additional work time in the instances of sickness or pregnancy, in that profession, how can one expect not to face such obstacles? When reading this piece, I got the impression that prostitution was an endless reality for many of the immigrant Chinese women, one without pay or hope of successfully getting out. ~Juliann Boyles | ||
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| + | Juliann, I have actually discussed the prostitution of Chinese immigrant women in California in another history class and they were coerced into a kind of sexual slavery as far back as the 1840s and 50s (with the gold rush). They usually worked in teriible conditions. In the San Fransisco red light district they were displayed in windows of buildings in these things called cribs- where they would be in view of people on the streets while doing their business. In all it was pretty horrible but some women were able to make lots of money in this manner. --Julie Castanien | ||
I was surprised at how similar all of the prostitution contracts were. Pretty much all of them referred to four or four and a half years of service, time off for the four diseases, if she is sick for more than 15 days then she works for a month extra and if she is pregnant she will serve an extra year. Was it such a regular and established practice that everyone already knew the "going rate?"--Alex K. | I was surprised at how similar all of the prostitution contracts were. Pretty much all of them referred to four or four and a half years of service, time off for the four diseases, if she is sick for more than 15 days then she works for a month extra and if she is pregnant she will serve an extra year. Was it such a regular and established practice that everyone already knew the "going rate?"--Alex K. | ||
