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"Paying the Rent" by Amy Washermann (sexual exploitation)
7, 8, 6
"Paying the Rent" by Amy Washermann. Guest review by BillyG (hayden@mindless.com). Think a moment about the energy we get from the stories we read. Or, in some cases, the energy that is taken from us. There are those stories that are joyous and unfettered, that pull us up, out of the ordinary, out of the common and we soar. They're rare. Now and then we meet them. At the other end of the emotional energy spectrum are those tales that bump along some rock-strewn bottom, sunk hopelessly it seems in some pit of despair, too often stuck in the victim mode that seeks authentication. "Paying the Rent" is such a story, one that buys into the myth that all men are low-life shits who will take advantage of a helpless woman, the victim. Well, folks, for the most part, there are no victims, there are only volunteers. To be sure, the world is filled with low-life men. In the words of Carrie Nation, "Men are nicotine-soaked, beer-besmirched, whiskey- greased, red-eyed devils." But we don't have to buy that trip. The victim, er . . . heroine of this story is put upon by the vagaries of life and to stay in college, does what she must to raise some cash. I can understand that. Hell, I did that! But I wasn't victimized. Whatever I did was my choice. I didn't have that impression in this story. It left me feeling a little dirty and very sad. If I compromise myself for my own ends and you call me a dirty prostitute, I can always hold my head up and say, "Fuck you." Or I can buy into it and shuffle around, head down with the self- esteem meter reading empty and think, "Yeah, I am." This story was about sex but is miles away from being sexy. Mostly it's a poorly written, depressing story about being a victim. For those who would like to experience a another slice of life, this may suffice. For those who'd rather soar, you can skip it. Ratings for "Paying the Rent" Athena (technical quality): 7 Venus (plot & character): 8 (stirred some emotion in me) BillyG (appeal to reviewer): 6 (don't wanna go there!) |