The commander of Israel's navy, Major General/Vice Admiral Eli "Chiney" Marom, has gotten himself in trouble. He was spotted at a strip club last week by a journalist. He was reprimanded by the military's chief of staff, but many are calling for his resignation, saying that it is inappropriate for a high ranking member of the military to attend a club that demeans women. Also, Chiney, who got his nickname because of his East Asian looks (he is one quarter Chinese), apparently lied about being at the strip club only once. Yediot Ahronot reported this week that many in the military have slightly changed his nickname to Dick Cheney.
I have mixed feelings about this scandal. On the one hand, I think that attending strip clubs, especially when you pay for personal lap dances as the admiral did, is a form of sexual abuse. On the other hand, it isn't illegal, and it is somewhat accepted socially. Also, should this man, who is praised for his work in the military, be punished for what he does on his own free time?
I don't think this kind of scandal would have made headlines in Israel until recently. This sounds more like an American scandal, where the private life of a high ranking official - or at least one aspect of it - is seen as inseparable from his job. In a way, it simultaneously both a move in the right and wrong direction. Demanding that our military and civilian leaders will not attend businesses that objectify and demean women is a step in the right direction. However, mixing the private and the public lives of our officials is not good. Until now, their private lives have been the interest of gossip columnists, not of the serious news pages.
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"I think that attending strip clubs, especially when you pay for personal lap dances as the admiral did, is a form of sexual abuse."
ReplyDeleteHow can it be abuse if it's consensual? I don't like it and wouldn't go. Coming out of such a club would feel very frustrating I think. But it's not illegal. These women get paid rather handsomely.
"[...] who is praised for his work in the military, be punished for what he does on his own free time?"
Of course not. He should be punished for his work! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)
Abuse can be consensual. Most of these women don't want to work as strippers, but their dire situation leads them to it. You really think they enjoy giving lap dances to horny men they've never met before?
ReplyDeleteI also really doubt they get paid very much.
Enjoyment doesn't have to come into it. Is 'coal mining' enjoyable? Flipping burgers at McWhatever?
ReplyDeleteThe world has plenty of stories of 'sex workers' claiming job satisfaction (no pun intended). Are they all lying? Are they all appeasing a male fantasy? Even if they deny it vehemently? Is it possible that there is a type of human psychology that gets off on its own narcissism (see porn stars, glamour models, etc)? Who calls the shots in a paid, consensual sexual transaction? The provider or the punter?
This is not an endorsement: I'm not happy about the 'pornification' of society but consent and legality do count for a lot.
"Abuse can be consensual" seems like a dangerous oxymoron to me: will consenting adults (consenting to whatever it is) later be able to claim they were coerced into consensus? Consensus is a pretty simple idea, IMHO...