This little bit of horror came my way via KS… Enraging and disturbing!! (but thank you for the tip, KS)
Apparently, some Vancouver BC high school students are currently targeting a local strip club for “social justice” class project.
“Target how?” you may wonder. “Target” with helpful information about investments and tax laws relevant to independent contractors working on a mostly cash basis? “Target” with a new late night child-care service that specializes in seamlessly watching kids with mothers who work non-traditional hours? “Target” with a directory of local, sex-worker friendly businesses? All of the above?!!
No.
Apparently, Vancouver has a “notorious reputation” for its strip clubs, and apparently word of “no-holds-barred… dens of iniquity” have filtered out to Vancouver suburbs. (the town of Coquitlam to be specific – no idea)
To wit, the students in Charles Best Secondary School’s 12th grade Social Justice class have decided to try to shut down one of these “black holes of female exploitation” – the Paramount Gentleman’s Club in New Westminster (which is just east of Vancouver) – as a class project. Participation is, of course, required to complete the class.
What. the. fkkk!!???
According to teacher Ken Ipe, “classes normally tackle international issues such as genocide or famine but his class of 60 students wanted to do something more local.” Specifically:
“The goal is to present it to city council in New Westminster and also the goal is to — I know it sounds radical — but for council not to renew its business licence as a stepping stone to ending sexism in culture,” said Ipe. (sic, here)
My head just exploded. Because of course people are allowed – encouraged!! – to organize and take action for or against or otherwise anything they see fit. But this? As a requirement in a school?!! (maybe this is a private school? affiliated with some guiding organization in some way?)
One student stated:
“Men can go in [to the club] and treat women as objects and it isn’t fair to them,” student Ryan Leppert told the News Leader.
Ryan said he doesn’t accept that women have a right to choose to be strippers, prostitutes or porn stars. [emphasis added]
“We don’t believe it is [their choice], we believe it is a desperate attempt to get money or a lot of them have been forced into it,” he said. (here)
Oh I get it now: Ryan doesn’t accept that women have the right to make decisions that he doesn’t agree with… so there must be something amiss – thank goodness that cleared that up!!
As far as I can tell, though they did nothing to warrant and/or invite what seems to amount to school-sponsored teenage harassment, women employees of the club are not taking this lying down.
Students set up a few blocks away Saturday [1/19/13] afternoon but news coverage of their project drew a counter-demonstration from feather-boaed club employees angry at the threat to their jobs.
“I’d like them to understand that we employ a lot of beautiful, intelligent women, who are empowered to make their own decisions about their bodies and about their path in life,” manager Ashley Pitts told CTV News.
Pitts said the students should have contacted the club before launching their petition, something Ipe admits they didn’t try to do.
“Did we try to talk directly to Paramount? No, but we did research them though,” he said.
Club owner Steven Mountford [said he] was “blindsided” by the petition.
“I believe in everyone’s freedom of speech and right to protest, first and foremost. But to date no one from the school has contacted me to open a dialogue,” said Mountford. “I find it kind of appalling if you’re in an education system and you don’t [present the other side]. It doesn’t make sense to me.
“We serve juice, we’re one block from the police station. In 10 years we’ve never had a problem here. I’m a little disturbed someone’s coming from Coquitlam to bother an establishment that has been here for 20 years.” (here)
I admit that I don’t know much about the secondary education system in Canada, but this whole circus is absolutely astounding. If you’re up in the area, stop by and support your local sex worker, the right to make autonomous choices, free speech, and so many other civil liberty-related things… because apparently kids and teachers these days just don’t.
See the full story from 1/21/13 here –> “B.C. high school students target strip club for ‘social justice’ class project”
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Whatever this Ryan kid is spouting is what he learned at home and was fed to him by Mr. Ipe. Obviously he’s not very matured and self aware, as I have never met a heterosexual male in his right mind that would be against women taking their clothes off for any reason.
I wouldn’t really worry about it, as most of these kids aren’t even be old enough to vote unless Canada has age of consent set at 16. LOL
What if those heterosexual males are asexual.
@sherry – agreed… except that the notion of a public (I believe it’s public) school teaching and mandating action on the basis of this type of rhetoric is extremely troubling. that, and eventually Ryan (and all his classmates and all the other kids in that school) WILL be able to vote…
“We don’t believe it is [their choice], we believe it is a desperate attempt to get money…”
Dear Idiotic High School Student,
It’s called getting a damned job. That’s something responsible adults do so that they can pay their bills and contribute to the common wealth so your mindless, presumptuous teachers can assign you social justice projects when you should be doing your freaking math homework.
Signed,
99.9% of Males Who are 18 and Over
@Count – well yes, most het males at his age ARE asexual, but not as a life style choice. ;)
Unfortunately @Chauntelle, you are correct. The good news is that many of the Ryans will grow out of it before they ever see a voting booth. However is this any surprise after watching first hand what AHF has done to marginalize the adult industry in California? A state that isn’t exactly known for it’s prudish moral stance? The schools and churches and other “institutions” are exactly where the Moral Majority gets their claws in to developing minds and shapes attitudes like this.
Frankly I commend you, Chauntelle, for being one of the very few educated and intellectual persons that has come out of the university environment without some chip on your shoulder, that those that do sex work are automatically forced, coerced or inherently “immoral” and beneath respect.
And @Ken. I love your mind. LOL