We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off

2006-07-31 - 10:11 a.m.

Got into a conversation with Brin yesterday as we were driving back from Ikea. The street we passed has some establishments that provide "adult entertainment"...i.e., women take their clothes off. The question came up (so to speak) if I had ever patronized one of those establishments. She even offered to go in with me for "moral" support (yes, the puns were flying fast and furry-ous).

Actually, I have been in places like that before, back when I was still single (as opposed to divorced). And here's my opinion:

I'm not comfortable there.

It has nothing to do with orientation, or "oppression of women", or anything like that.

It has to do with me.

When I was single and very lonely, I never liked going into those places. The reasoning was simple:

I felt like I was being told, "Give us money to come in. Here are a lot of beautiful women taking their clothes off. By the way, you can't touch them, not even to kiss their hand. And if you want to, you can pay extra money to have them dance within an inch of your face - but you STILL can't touch."

That's like telling a starving man he can go inside Hometown Buffet, get in as close to the food trays as he wants, inhale the wonderful aromas of delicious food...but he can't eat.

So. Why bother? To drink? I don't drink...family history of alcoholism. To hang out? I didn't have friends that went to strip clubs.

As Captain Kirk once said, "Alone?"

A member of my former gaming group has his bachelor party in two of these places. I felt horribly out of place. I was happy for Eric, but the girls were just not interested in even talking to me, unless I paid for a lap dance. I actually said to myself, "What the hell am I DOING here??"

I am absolutely not saying that these places are wrong. If some of you like that kind of entertainment, or go out with your buddies to drink and shoot pool and drool, great - enjoy.

I'll sit this one out.

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In the God, I'm Old Dept.:

MTV turns 25.

I didn't have cable until 1991, but I remember the fervor surrounding it. I was in high school and it was the Big Thing. I could only afford ABC's Friday Night Videos, because it was free and I usually stayed home Friday nights.

I was a sad, sad case. As it has been pointed out to me since, I still am.

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That's it for today. Stay cool, since I can't.

Be seeing you.

Bindyree - 2006-07-31 21:25:15 - http://bindyree.diaryland.com
HBO did a series of specials some years back about the sex industry and the strip clubs and such were included as part of one of the episodes. I was surprised to see how at ease the entertainers were with their regular front-row customers. Just sort of shooting the breeze with them as they doffed their duds. "Did your son win that scholarship? (unbutton unbutton)" "How's your aunt's gallstones? (bump, grind)" and in a strange sort of way it was mildly similar to the crowd in ANY bar, except that boobs and things were being served instead of just drinks.

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