Margaret Atwood defends women's right to work in strip clubs because she thinks it's 'empowering'

[stumbledin]

Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live's Headliners, the 79-year-old said women who work in strip clubs can 'feel in control of the room' and earn more money than coffee shop staff.

Ms Atwood, whose new book The Testaments was published this week, told BBC Five Live that people protesting against the clubs should 'put their energy somewhere else that's really really important – like with environmental protests.'

The author said it was important to ensure women were not exploited, adding: 'Some of the most empowering women in the American West were the madams who were running the brothels because in that era they were saving up the money up for the girls, they were setting them up after they made that money they were taking care of them and it was much better than having a pimp.'

Ms Atwood also spoke out about different kinds of feminism, adding: 'I don't refuse the label of feminism, I say, 'which kind are you talking about?'

'I am the kind that endorses organisations like Equality Now. I am not the kind that says things like all men should be pushed off a cliff or all that all male babies should be killed at birth.'

(This is the Daily Mail so not sure if accurate transcript. Did anyone listen to the interview?)

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7457063/Margaret-Atwood-defends-womens-right-work-strip-clubs.html

Thanks sophie

I would never pair money laundering and tax evasion. But I have to know what those things mean and actually have to apply theoretical as well as practical analysis for forensics (to ensure no occurrences in any relevant period) tied to mergers and acquisitions.

But I just make a living doing that (et al) so what do I know?

Didn't you take elementary statistics? If you understood basic elementary statistics you wouldn't make a claim that 99.9% are happy dancing unless you conducted proper protocol to make such a claim (you know DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS).

Thanks @SophieLMumsnet

Hopefully we can keep the discussion on Atwood.

I will answer every one of you x

Well that should take all of about 5 seconds!

Um, as I just explained. If they're incapable of understanding how our industry works, despite many of us spelling it out as simply as we possibly can, it's not too far fetched an assumption that they are not capable of any simple level of understanding on other topics.

But you said 'money laundering/tax evasion' and then went into quite a detailed description of how they might evade tax. Why did you say 'money laundering' when you weren't talking about money laundering.

Please don't leave the thread though, I'm enjoying your posts!

Yes. Read Wise Children. Because it's bloody hilarious. And then get into the heavier stuff from there.

Thing is also, when women have more rights and more bodily autonomy in society, they tend to have fewer children. Which on a global scale would mean a huge cut in the numbers of unwanted pregnancies. Which would mean a very effective brake on human population. Which is basically the cause of global environmental degradation. So Atwood misses that aspect of things.

Sorry, didn't see the MNHQ posts there!

ATWOOD!!!

LETS TALK SOME MORE ABOUT ATWOOD

(Before sophie comes back to tell us off again )

Wise children?

Kay

Note to self - read more Angela Carter.

Atwood's a funny (as in funny-peculiar) writer. I've tried several of her books and the Handmaid's Tale is the only one I've got all the way through. (Similarly AS Byatt - tried a few of hers, only really got Possession, which I think is absolutely brilliant).

You have to work at Byatt a but. But if you got through Possession you're clearly able to do that! or did you skip the poems?

MNHQ sorry about my post after the thread shift - I stepped away and came back to post. Guidance is noted.

Angela Carter was awesome! Now I need to dig through my bookshelf - I haven't read anything of hers in probably 10 years.

I don't remember reading anything of hers that I didn't like.

And I'd agree with 'peculiar' yeah. It's like there's a barrier there.

I think ive read another atwood book...but it obviously wasnt that good cos i cant remember the title

Something about pregnancy though...or trying to impregnate someone

I remember enjoying Alias Grace when I read it about 15 years ago.

As a male, im more than happy to admire the female form but it just would never happen for me that id pay for it. I wouldn't be seen dead in a lap dancing bar. Each to their own.

Thanks all - much appreciated!

Yes. I loved THT because the premise was so horribly fascinating. I didn't finish the Blind Assassin though. Must try harder.

ShesDressedInBlackAgain I always skip the poems (unless of course I'm actually reading poetry).

I don't think it's too hard to understand the industry Atwood claims is empowering, it's the amount of job satisfaction that can be derived from having your beef curtains inspected at close quarters that I would question. Men looked at my miff all night and gave me money when I sat on their knees, yay empowering.

Clearly though, a refresher on the accouting front will be needed if you have to work in that area going forward, regulations may have changed whilst you were tax evading the cash up your lady garden the past decade.

antibles

I like THT because you could see how it could happen, shutting bank accounts etc

It wasnt a stretch...well not too much of a stretch

Rufus Orris and Crake or something like that? Sci fi? Only managed a few chapters.

I'm afraid I'm a "life's too short" reader. I read for fun, so if a book's not doing it for me after the first few chapters I move onto something else (about the only exception to this was Foucault's Pendulum, which took about three attempts - though on reflection the first half is brilliant but it then it goes down hill, unlike the Name of the Rose which is brilliant throughout).

I absolutely love Carter's short stories, and I do love her writing but find it a bit like wading through treacle in wellyboots. Ragnarok was fierce, but I didn't finish it.

I remember Surfacing as being far less clever than it thought it was. However, Atwood did do a really good book of short stories, nice and playful. Bluebeard's Egg, I think? She's perhaps good on noticing surface concepts, but perhaps lacks the depth to really cut to the heart of the things she's exploring.

And to "stick to the point" again, bravo to anyone (not that I have the first idea who Margaret Atwood is) who actually opens their ears and listens to the majority of us.

We don't need saving. And we don't need anybody telling us we're something we're not. You don't have to like that we're happy. A bit sad if you can't get your head round it, that's not our problem. But if you're looking for trafficked, exploited, unhappy, abused women, which I'm sure exist and do need a voice, oh boy, are you looking in the wrong place.