Twitter discussion with local councillors on 'adult' matters...

[cabd]

There has been an interesting development re. 'adult' establishments in Cambridge; they are going to be much harder to open. I totally get where the councillors are coming from when they say they find things like lap dance clubs degrading to women (seems that way to me to be honest), I get their point, although I'd defend the right of anyone in

Comments

[karohemd]

The adult industry is an industry like any other and a rather lucrative one at that (as well as being tightly regulated). If someone wants to work there, they clearly have made up their mind as to the consequences, it's not that they're being forced into it. There are people who enjoy doing this sort of thing.
If someone as a person thinks this job is degrading, they don't have to go there. I could think of a number of jobs that could be considered degrading for other reasons (random example: jobs like sewer workers who have to wade around in our feces) but are entirely necessary.

[cabd]

You don't seriously believe that no one is ever pressured/pushed/forced into various parts of the adult industry? I accept that there will be people who choose to work in it, and that where the city council decides to get involved they sould certainly consult those involved (so a victory for good sense there!),but at the same time, it isn't unreasonable for council to have a wider consultation on the industry too.

Talking to said councillors, the response was overwhelmingly against such clubs (i.e. lots and lots of opposition, no one in favour). Its always easier to motivate people against something than for it of course, and I suspect thats part of the issue here, but at the same time councillors can't ignore the results of such a consultation.

[karohemd]

No, I don't but I don't generalise, either because I know people who work in the adult industry very happily.

Objecting to such a club because it could harm the reputation of an area/neighbourhood or because it might attract an unwanted type of clientele is a completely different matter.

[cabd]

Objections were, apparently, varied. As you'd expect. And thats fine, thats the point of a consultation. My main problem with it was that the people most obviously affected were not directly consulted, and with the best will in the world very few people are ever going to pay attention to (or even hear about) such public consultations; to change policy without talking to those most directly involved seems therefore rather harsh.