maybe if there was more lebanese hash to go around, lap dances wouldn’t seem like such a big deal

that’s a tough one. its like stripping vs. burlesque; cheesy, stereotypical objectification through lap-dancing vs. intimate public groping between two people - objectification in pairs

how do you fulfill voyeuristic fantasies without objectifying anyway?

lord, i’m rambling.
lizards remind me of budgies; they also go crazy over their own reflections and regurgitate in ecstasy all over the reflective surface

I want to know how many 18-year-olds are compelled to lap dance and strip by “unethical” advertising in The Cord or “Dirty Saturday” at the Turret. Tudor, you make a wonderful point about Brittney and ass humping media images. I personally think more girls will be forced into compromising positions in one-on-one, drunk with a boy in her room situations. Those horny boys put more pressure on a girl in an intimate setting than an advertisement or the theme of a bar night.

Granted, I’m not saying that advertising and media shape our culture into believing what’s hot, what’s appropriate, what you need to do or look like to be wanted, but I would hope that frosh aren’t the idiots we make them out to be. Yes, they’re young, but they’ve also got enough smarts to be in university. I know I didn’t think university was some constant keg party with sex and drugs and inebriated people everywhere, and those were the images I was exposed to in high school. I hope that the frosh of next year, or the frosh of this year, have enough sense to know what they’re comfortable with and won’t find themselves in compromising positions.

Is that a bearded dragon? (The lizard, silly)

How is it a “rumor” if it was printed on all the neon posters that were up around the school (posters made by WLUSU graphic design)? hmmmm this I would like to know.

After last year’s “school girls and pimp daddy’s” ACE debacle, I would have thought the Students’ Union would know better than. I guess I was wrong… again.

Note: a rumour is “a statement or report current without known authority for its truth.” Nobody had the facts behind Dirty Friday before they engaged in social commentary (I didn’t have the facts either). Thus, nobody knew what happened, nobody stopped by the Turret on Friday, and nobody realized that WLUSU did not sponsor the event.

As for ace, WLUSU had nothing to do with that specific event — it was run by ACE students at an off-campus location.

And yes, the dragon had a beard. And it lived in a little mosque. Tha’s all I know.

ACE Laurier is a WLUSU Campus Club and its affiliation is why they have poster-ing priviledges in the first place. In addition, they also fall under the Students’ Union liability wise, as well as us providing them funding.

So…”nothing to do with” is a little unfair.

Yes, ACE is a campus club, but it wasn’t a *WLUSU decision to organize a ho party.* Campus clubs are responsible for their own decisions: if they break rules they can be punished as ACE was last year.

So no, WLUSU had nothing to do with the ho party. A WLUSU campus club did organize the party, and had some priviledges removed as a result.

Trust me when I say that 75% of college girls given enough alcohol will definately compete in a lap dancing contest without a second thought. Heck, some girls would do it without the alcohol, they just need to see another girl doing it, and they automatically want to out do them.
I strip for a living and every night I see countless stripper wannabes that put us down for what we do, but they end up grinding on some stranger’s lap after a few drinks.
They say they find stripping degrating to women, but secretly they wish they had the guts to do it.

Must say nice website! Found it through my buddies, Josh and Craig. Keep up the good work!

What exactly would constitute a WLUSU decision? Ones that are only passed by the board?

Given that Dirty Friday was held in the Turret and had to be pre-approved as an event beforehand, and since posters were hung throughout the school, including inside Wilf’s, would WLUSU not assume some responsibility?

Jason, I like to think that people are ultimately responsible for their own actions. As Amy said above, people aren’t the idiots we give them credit to be. Thus, when clubs do silly things, individual club members should be blamed for it. WLUSU, as an organization, is only responsible for the decisions made by its members and directors (i.e. if WLUSU passes a motion that is unfair, it should be blamed for it).

You on the other hand would readily assign blame to anyone but the individuals involved (“yeah, WLUSU is culpable because … umm … they aren’t fascist enough with their clubs”). To me, your demands for fascism are outrageous.

Tina, I found your blog through Josh’s too — and I like it. Thanks for the insight on stripping. I have friends who did the amateur stripping thing, and they didn’t say that stripping was degrading to women. Indeed, they said that it was wonderfully liberating — stripping is a woman’s choice and should be respected as such…

Tudor, Members of WLUSU… people who hold “titled” positions? Or “members of the corporation” / every single undergraduate student?

Yes, people are ultimately responsible for their own actions, but does the bureaucracy of WLUSU somehow absolve people of these responsibilities? WLUSU has managers who run the venue, who approve certain groups to use it.

Though the turret was rented out by a group of students, it doesn’t mean that the Turret people (does this count as WLUSU?) are not responsible for the content of both the evening and the advertising. The people in charge of the Turret hold those who book the facility up to certain standards. The marketing for the event was approved both by a representative of the Turret (does this count as WLUSU?) and the Dean of Students’ Office.

I’m not asking for fascism Tudor, it just seems a bit of a stretch that you would suggest WLUSU has nothing to do with it.

During annual general meetings, undergraduate students can pass bylaws and make decisions that govern the corporation. Thus, undergraduate students could be to blame if they make questionable decisions (e.g. decisions that violate minority rights).

To return to your point, I believe that the people in charge of the Turret acted (too) responsibly — nothing remotely questionable happened that night. They did “hold those who book the facility up to certain standards.”

And in case you haven’t read my blog (I sorry I was long winded), I argued that there are good ways and bad ways to run a lap dancing competition. I see no problem with lap dancing itself. The fact that WLUSU approved advertisements for lap dances that never happened doesn’t bother me at all.

Why do you feel the need to blame WLUSU if lap dancing isn’t necessarily a bad thing (Especially since WLUSU wasn’t organizing the event (and indeed it prevented said lap dancing from taking place))?

P.S. I was suggesting that WLUSU had nothing to do with the ACE party organized last year. And no, it is not a stretch to suggest that WLUSU had nothing to do with a party organized by a campus club at an off-campus venue (are we still talking about the same thing?)

my two cents:

if people want to strip, give people lap-dances, whatever, that’s their decision, and that’s fine. if people want to grope each other, etc at the Turret, fine. and you’re totally right about the whole britney spears/media thing. but we don’t need to host and promote lap-dancing competitions on-campus, in my opinion.

that’s all.

Fuck this Lap Dancing crap, the worst thing about the Turret is the lack of good music and free booze. Call me when they start serving Nova Scotia’s best export for free and they are playing David Bowie or Blondie when they do it.