"He is a male prostitute": Redundant?

[eplovejoy]

I recently wrote something along the lines of, "He was a male prostitute."

My thinking is that the usage is not redundant but emphatic because "prostitute" is so strongly (and unfairly, of course) identified with women. Is this wrong?

And while we're in the area, is the phrase "white slavery" anything more than descriptive?

[Grouch]

I would say it is redundant because of the pronoun "he." Now if you wrote a sentence like Jaimie was a prostitute, "Jaimie" being a man, then yeah I think you'd need some clarification.

[AuntieEmma[$]]

It would depend on the context, I think. (How's that for a non-answer? )

[eplovejoy]

Context? You want me to remember the context? But I came here for an easy answer.

Peter,
trying not to whine, but gosh . . . this is difficult

[jo.com]

Peter I don't think it is redundant. He is a male prostitute. Versus..he is a prostitute. I think you are correct that since women are thought of as prostitutes, people might think it was a typo. Men are jiggalos (sp??) not exactly the same thing actually..ok

on to white slavery...hmmm. We would have to know history to know if any other racial/religious/ethnic, etc. etc. groups had slaves. And I think the answer is yes. I think of servants as slaves, though I guess technically they aren't. But certainly white people aren't the only ones with servants. Ok, I'm probably going to start a war here. I know a servant isn't a slave. End.

[juliette]

Originally posted by eplovejoy
I recently wrote something along the lines of, "He was a male prostitute."

I think that there is a shade of difference between the two sentences,

He was a male prostitute,

and

He was a prostitute.

The first strickly conotes a person for sexual hire, while the second might have a wider meaning: that the man may be easily "bought off," or have slack morals. If you meant that the character or individual was literally a male prostitute, I think your usage was the (more) correct one.

[jaxmom28]

Originally posted by Juliette

The first strickly conotes a person for sexual hire, while the second might have a wider meaning: that the man may be easily "bought off," or have slack morals. If you meant that the character or individual was literally a male prostitute, I think your usage was the (more) correct one.

I agree.

Along those same lines, the slave trade, though predominantly focused on Africans, was not exclusive to Africans, but the use of the term "slavery" in America connotes a very specific oppression of a specific race of people. If one wishes to discuss the enslavement of any other people aside from those of African descent, then one really must add a descriptor or run the risk of confusing the audience.

"White slavery" is a descriptive, but an absolutely necessary one for clarity of thought.