Choosing dignity or degradation

By: American Decency Staff

If you have family members who lived through the Great Depression in the 1930s, you’ve probably heard accounts, as I have, of great hardship, yet great ingenuity to get by and provide for one’s family.  Mothers scrimped and saved – everything!  Clothes were patched over and over again.  Families who’d lost jobs and homes moved in with relatives.  Those who had something to spare shared with those who didn’t.   Yet through great deprivation, pride and self-respect were traits that characterized most from that generation – and still do today. Those who came through those troubled times did so with dignity and honor as they found ways to make ends meet.  Their values weren’t altered by hardship.  Right was still right and wrong was wrong. Today we also face very tough economic times –though not nearly with such hardship.  Today there is a much greater safety net for those struggling. Between many forms of government programs, unemployment benefits that extend for nearly two years, home-heating assistance, etc. –  as well as countless charitable organizations, food pantries, church outreach programs, thrift shops, ministries and missions – there are many sources of help for those struggling. I’m sure the values of that generation from the Great Depression are also shared by many impacted by today’s economy.  However, that’s not what MSNBC chose to highlight in a recent article posted on their website, entitled:  “Lawyer turns topless dancer to pay bills.â€Â The article paints a picture of a woman who graduated from law school ten years ago, but lost her job and can’t find another in the legal profession and is saddled with debt and student loans and – according to the article – has no other option but to dance naked to pay the bills. She states in the article:  "As a little girl, I never thought to myself, 'I just want to grow up and be a stripper,’ or, ‘All I ever wanted to do in life is climb in the lap of sweaty stranger and take my top off.' "But, with our economy the way it is, especially in smaller cities … you strip or you starve," she said. Really??  There are no other options for young women in financial crisis, but to degrade and prostitute themselves to keep from starving?  This is the message MSNBC is articulating. The woman, referred to as “Carla,â€Â goes on to say:  "Sometimes it sucks, it’s degrading and I hate it, but it is necessary right now and I’m glad I have the option of doing it," Carla said.  "My parents and a few friends know and they were horrified at first. But now they are proud of me for sucking it up and doing what I have to do." What parent would be proud that their daughter is working as a stripper? MSNBC also points out how supposedly lucrative stripping can be.  On an average day, she earns $20 an hour, but on a good weekend night, she might pull in $50 an hour –enough to get her finances back on track. Carla, for the most part, attempts to paint a rosy picture of her experience as a stripper, claiming: … “While there are some real creeps that come in, there are also some very sweet guys who are regular customers and who I genuinely enjoy knowing. The stereotype that says that only dirty old men frequent nudie bars is incorrect." … “I have learned that I still have a lot to learn about life but now I have some incredible female mentors who continually inspire me with their courage and work ethic." However, the article does give a hint about the actual horrors women in the sex industry face, stating:  Carla has her limits ….  She stays away from private rooms even though women can make $500 to $1,000 a night there. … … Carla said she has had her share of ugly moments.  Not all men follow the rules; some have tried to overpower her and “grab her, bite her, kiss her, or get their hands under the bottoms (I) wear.â€Â Bouncers come to her aid, but they can't be everywhere all the time. "I've had men overcome me," she said. "Luckily help has arrived and nothing has happened. But I have been scared." This is the true picture of strip clubs.  In the 1990s our ministry worked to strengthen Michigan’s Obscenity Laws and bring more stringent regulation and limitations of sexually oriented business.  Numerous legislative hearings were held in which the pornography industry brought testimony opposing the legislation and our side brought testimony in favor of the proposed regulations. Through this process we communicated with a ministry friend from Citizens for Community Values in Memphis (CCV) who led a ministry – the first of its kind nationwide – offering assistance, mentoring, and a way out for young women in the sex industry. Several of the young women, former strippers, who had been helped by this ministry volunteered to testify at our state legislative hearings.  They wanted their stories told of the horrors that take place in sex shops – the prevalent drug use; the sexual abuse of women by patrons; the coercion by management to participate in vile, lewd acts; the employment of underage girls; and on and on.  This is the reality of strip clubs. MSNBC is irresponsible in showcasing stripping as an option for impressionable, financially troubled young women as a way to pay the bills. MSNBC may portray the sex industry as a positive vocation choice for out-of-work lawyers, but for the realities (and the success stories thanks to the ministry of CCV’s “A Way Out Program.â€Â),  read here:  http://ccvmemphis.org/AWO/SuccessStories/ CCV continues their great work in ministering to these young women through their “A Way Out Programâ€Â – giving young women help and hope.  No matter how troubled life is, no matter the financial distress, there are options that don’t require the selling one’s body. CCV’s A Way Out Program’s mission is to assist any woman desiring to permanently leave the sex for sale industry by providing the following for each woman: (1) a Godly mentor and support system to allow her to experience God’s grace while seeing it modeled (2) a safe living environment conducive to healing in Christ mentally and emotionally (3) Bible studies to afford her opportunities to learn the truth about God, salvation and life (4) avenues for educational and/or job skill training to equip them to enter the workforce and become productive citizens and (5) individual counseling and recovery classes to help her overcome addictions, learn to mother her children, and learn to have healthy relationships and (6) help with her children’s needs. If you would like to know more about “A Way Out Programâ€Â click here.  http://ccvmemphis.org/AWO/AWOReportCard/ If you would like assistance regarding ordinances to limit sexually oriented businesses in your community, attorney Scott Bergthold specializes in this area of the law and is well-regarded nationwide for his expertise.  He assists city leaders and city councils in drafting sound ordinances and brought great assistance to us in our legislative work to limit and regulate sexually oriented businesses in Michigan.  His website is:  http://www.adultbusinesslaw.com/www ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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