Is stripping also violence?

[lildreamer316]

58. Yes, you've hit on it exactly.

Because the rules do need to be so absolute,but are not enforced, the customer base has changed dramatically. They have been conditioned to expect everything for nothing.They feel entitled to do or say almost anything to an entertainer simply because they gave them a dollar, or even a compliment.They come and sit for hours, nursing a single on-special beer or well-liquor cocktail; staring and grabbing and generally being a drain. On couch dances, they expect the world for $25. Some people blame the girl for putting herself in that situation. I don't agree, but as an observant person I would not put myself in that situation today.

It's a quandry for me these days when I get into a discussion like this, because my personal experience was good, and something I would not trade for the world. But I have to admit freely that the business is now one of almost complete degradation and not generally a good place for any woman (Torch may not agree with me on this; she still works regularly if I am not mistaken). It saddens me in great measure to admit that we've come to embody what everyone always thought we were, and what many advocates for women's rights have believed. At one time it was an empowering, entertaining and really fun choice of employment; an almost Hunter S. Thompson-esque part of the American experience, that was worth exploring. Now...well. My husband has characterized several clubs he's worked at as 'the Wal-Mart of strip clubs'. I think that about covers it.

I don't mind the tipping. Where it becomes a problem is, again, the corporatizaton of the clubs. If we have a ridiculously high house fee, then we are obligated to pay that first. Then it becomes harder and harder for us to tip the people that really help us out..our dj, our waitress, our bouncer. It becomes an issue of safety,because if a bouncer feels under appreciated by a girl, he will be less likely to interfere if she's being sexually harassed or groped. Also, it shows that the owners are pawning off the responsibility of paying a living wage to their employees on the entertainers, by expecting them to tip said employees.

And now, some clubs are requiring the girls to tip the managers. Because they don't want to pay their managers a living wage either. So it just gets worse...

I still believe in the viability of the business to be a fun and interesting place to work. I believe there are people who can work in the biz who will find it empowering and enlightening. But, like many things in business today, the model needs to change, drastically.