thelondonpaper - FFS they've done it again!!!

[ChukkyPig]

They've bloody gone and done it again!!!!

Article in support of strippers:

FFS

This leads on from my previous thread here where a man wrote in defence of his use of prostitutes.

There has been no converse/balancing view presented in either case.

I admit I didn't get it together to complain last time but this is taking the piss now. They did not publish a single letter giving an opposing point of view to what "sapphire" wrote. And this paper is read by thousands of schoolchildren every day.

So I have turned into "digusted of tunbridge wells" and complained to the paper, the PCC, and copied to Polly Toynbee (as recommended by tonton - thank you) and The Fawcett Society.

The gist of my complaint was that "Basically thelondonpaper has now run two pieces in it's "columnist" section in support of the sex industry, with no balacing views published at all. The reason that this concerns me is that this is a free paper read by thousands of schoolchildren every day, and the idea that they are having a message fed to them by this paper that the sex industry is a wholly positive thing is disturbing."

Come and tell me I've done the right thing. Feel free to complain too if you want!

I am very interested to see what (if any) responses I get to my emails...

That's an opinion piece, not a news report. The writer is expression her opinion. It doesn't coincide with yours. But I get the impression her piece is based on more knowledge of her workplace than you possess.

That is quite an odd piece, though, from the 'London Colunmist' (sic).

Is it written by a bored sub-ed because there was nothing else in?

solidgold I understand that but is it not a little peculiar that they only seem to print the "opinions" of people who are pro the sex industry, they never print any letters in response to the pieces that are anything other than pro the sex industry, and they know the paper is read by thousands of children?

I know that you have very open ideas about the sex industry but surely you can see why I am concerned that a paper whose readership includes thousands of young (including primary school) children seems to be dead set on promtoting the sex industry and the use of women who work in it, and never ever touches on anything like trafficing except to deny it exists (as the stripper effectively does)?

FWIW after the prostitute piece I posted a message on their website, strangely it didn't appear, yet loads of very nasty anti-women comments did.

solidgold I've got a stinking cold and I'm not really up for a big discussion - and anyway everyone is entitled to their viewpoint (although a balanced view on contentious subjects is surely preferable). Do you really think that this is OK and I'm worrying over nothing? I just don't like the idea of all these children getting an unequivocal message that there is absolutely normal for men to use prostitutes and that stripping is an extremely desirable choice of profession for a girl? Hvae you read the prostitute piece?

storm in tea cup

Really? Well I thought that I had a spot of justifiable moral outrage [sigh]

So the consensus is that it's fine for kids from the age of about 8 upwards to be told that there is absolutely no problem with working in the sex industry, if you are a girl, or using women who work in the sex industry, if you are a boy. That modern women are so awful and shallow that no-one can blame men for using prostitutes, and in fact that is what any sensible man will do as it is a cheaper way of getting sex than being in a relationship. That female sex industry workers are all well paid, happy and healthy.

I feel a bit depressed now.

If my daughter came home aged 9 and said she wanted to be a stripper when she grew up as it was such a good job, I wouldn't be very pleased. It looks like I would be unreasonable to feel that way.

I'm with you Chukky. Sadly feminism seems to have died a death and people like you and me are seen as prudish killjoys who are trying to stop these deeply empowered women persuing an uplifting career pleasing men.

I am appalled too. You are def doing the right thing kicking up a storm.

I agree with you Chukky.

i thought it was a good article.

the LP is shit though

What about the prostitution one custardo? The letters printed in response to it all thought it was excellent - one referred to it as "poetic".

Why they can't even print a single letter giving another point of view is beyond me, and makes me think they have some kind of agenda. Why would they want to promote the sex industry to children though? i just don't get it...

Well it seems to me that most coverage of the sex industry and sex work is ignorant, negative and deeply judgemental so I see pieces like that as a good thing. (THough the piece about the bloke who pays for sex was a load of rubbish - but then I have read many rubbish opinion pieces in that paper: fat people shouldn't be allowed on the tube, fiddling your income tax is good, etc etc. The opinion columns are kind of designed to be crap really).
And CP your stuff about 'promoting the sex industry to young children' is ludicrous. The london paper is not a children's comic and therefore there is no need for its content to be child-safe. If there were poledancing lessons on Cbeebies I could understand your concern but it seems like the usual sex-negative everything-about-the-sex-industry-is-bad blinkered view.

thelondonpaper is certainly not an adults only read though. If it was I wouldn't worry. If you had to pay for it I wouldn't worry as children wouldn't waste their pocket money. I see loads of children reading it every day. Children get the tube to school by themselves from about 8 upwards - and they read the free papers as much as any adults. And probably are a lot more influenced by the articles than the adults.

Why is what I say ludicrous? Don't you think the children get as far as the opinion piece? To sit on the tube and see a ten year old boy reading about why it's fine and normal to visit prostitutes is something i find worrying. The paper seems to forget how wide it's readership is.

I can't find the article, but if as I understand it is written by a stripper, it sounds like a balancing view in itself - there aren't many of those being published. Most of what I see published on the sex industry is written by prudes who have never set foot in a strip club.

with you all the way chukky - it terrifies/induces anger and makes me feel so sad that apparently more young girls think of glamour modeling (not a huge stpe away from the sex industry imho) etc as a career choice than any other.

articles like this just make using sex to make money more 'normal'

There is a link to the article in my opening post cote.

I have admittedly only been to a couple of strip clubs, and not in this country. I don't consdier myself to be a prude generally. I do take issue though when the writer says: "According to the anti-stripping brigade, the existence of strip clubs harms women and communities, increases prostitution and drug-dealing, and even fuels human trafficking and child abuse. There are many documented arguments that this is not the case ? with even the police stating there is no evidence the clubs cause crime or disorder".

Can this really be true? Are the other things that I have read all lies? What about the data which shows that "after lap dancing clubs opened in Camden, incidents of rape rose by 50% with other types of sexual violence increasing by 57%"?

Is it really only a positive experience to work in the sex industry? And is this really the unequivocal message that we should be giving to, amongst others, thousands of children?

Of course lots of women have positive experiences, but many many others have terrible experiences. Why only present the one side?

I assume though that many/some/a few(?) people in the sex-industry, lie and say they love their job because they are ashamed/putting on an act etc..?? I certainly would lie. I would want people to think I was this confident happy thing that loves to flaunt her body infront of pervy men, not a miserable person who would rather work in Mcd's if only they paid as well. ???

Sorry if that doesn't make sense.

am not seing it as promoting the sex industry to children. However i would be very pleased is thousands of london children read the LP everyday. perhaps the literacy problem isn't as big as the schools are making it out to be

I'm with you, Chukky. I would not be anti sex industry in principle if it didn't rely so heavily on exploiting people. Usually - though not always - women. I hate the fact that my unborn daughter might read this kind of nonsense and feel that the only way women can be valued is as a sex object.

I count lads mags and all that as the sex industry publication but you're right, we should not have to worry about this kind of anti-feminist tripe in a free, freely distributed paper.

Totally agree with you Chukky - I especially get annoyed with programmes like Secret Diary of a Call Girl. I work in an office littered with lads mags, and the men at work regularly go to strip clubs etc, and really believe that women enjoybeing prostitutes and earn lots of money from it. They have no clue about what really goes on.

I realize there is a link in the OP. If it worked, I would have read it by now.

Plantsitter - "I would not be anti sex industry in principle if it didn't rely so heavily on exploiting people. Usually - though not always - women."

That is EXACTLY how I feel about it too.

There seems to be such a false consciousness around at the moment about the sex industry, so much denial and lack of awareness about its reality for many women.

I didn't say you are a prude, chukky. I said most articles you see in the press about the sex industry are written by prudes who would never set foot in a strip club.

I've been to a few and honestly can't see what the big outrage is about. Girls dancing topless. Nobody is allowed to touch them. Some are quite amazingly good at it, as well.

The few strippers I spoke to have all said it is a great way to make some extra money. Short hours, great pay, and apparently it's a great ego trip to be so wanted and so untouchable.