KEY POINTS:
Talk about a storm in a tea cup...
Oh golly, John Key went to a strip club. Shocking!
What's that? Other MPs have been to strip clubs as well. Even some female MPs...
Good God, what has the world come to!
Judging by the readers views on this topic I
am not the only one who finds this whole schamozzle somewhat ridiculous.
I mean, really, who hasn't been to a strip club at some point in their life?
I've been to several, both in Auckland and overseas, including a traditional ping pong ball show in Thailand.
(Actually, I have to say, that is the only time I have felt uncomfortable in a strip club as I didn't feel the 'performer' had much choice in the matter and clearly wasn't happy to be there.)
The point is, I am not what one would consider a voyeur, I am not a raving sex maniac. In fact, many (ahem... Flicker) would consider me quite conservative in my attitude towards sex.
And yet, I find nothing unseemly about men or women going to strip clubs.
It wouldn't be my first port of call on a night out, but occasionally, they have their place.
(For the record, they are an excellent place to go if you are trying to hide from someone or ditch someone on a night out. Generally, people don't think to look for you there...)
So what is all the fuss about?
I understand in the case of Kevin Rudd, it was perhaps an inappropriate diversion given that he was on a tax payer funded trip to New York. But as long as he didn't claim expenses for his time at Scores, I still don't think it's that big a deal.
In fact, I'd say Britain's Telegraph was on the money when they wrote:
"Any visitor to a foreign city wants to see the sights, and for someone from a country as rich in heritage as Australia, the Big Apple has little to offer.
"The striptease, which was invented there, is one of its major cultural attractions, and should not be missed."
So, politics aside - just what is the moral objection to strip clubs? Does anyone actually object to them or is this simply a case of the media milking a story for all its worth?
Of course, there is the argument that it is degrading to women. And in some cases and places (ie my experience in Thailand) it is a valid one.
But within New Zealand, you would be hard pushed to win that moot.
Over the past few years, I have met several strippers, who have worked in Auckland's most infamous nightspots. Showgirls, The Whitehouse, Mermaids...
None of them has struck me as disenfranchised, powerless or weak.
It is a choice they have made. In most cases, a highly educated decision (you would be amazed at the number of private school old girls shaking their stash on stage.)
In fact, I would argue that the strippers I've met have more business nous than most commerce graduates I know.
So, just what is the problem? Even if you personally wouldn't choose to go to a strip club, do you find it objectionable that others do?
Can anyone, hand on heart, say they've never been to a strip club? And if so, why not?