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Morality of visiting Strip Clubs

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Is there a differing definition of "sacred" that I am not aware of?

What exactly does it mean in a non-religious context?

5.regarded with reverence

-dictionary.com

That is the way I mean it. Imagine Ayn Rand witnessing someone spraying graffiti on a skyscraper she liked. She would probably be emotionally disgusted at the desecration of something which holds so much meaning for her. Many specific values ar different and so too are things held sacred. It is entirely possible for people to not regard sex with reverence. I just don't recomend it.

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Would you say it would be a desecration necessarily to engage in sex for purposes of art? Like sex scenes in movies?

:worry: In most movies they portray sex rather then engage in it. I do not think portraying it would be bad. Pornography on the other hand would be difficult to do if you held it in high regard.

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Is there a differing definition of "sacred" that I am not aware of?

What exactly does it mean in a non-religious context?

I am in the process of re-reading TF and this is what I found in the introduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition:

What I was referring to was not religion as such, but a special category of abstractions, the most exalted one, which, for centuries, had been the near-monopoly of religion....

Religion's monopoly in the field of ethics has made it extremely difficult to communicate the emotional meaning and connotations of a rational view of life. Just as religion has preempted the field of ethics, turning morality against man, so it has usurped the highest moral concepts of our language, placing them outside this earth and beyond man's reach. "Exaltation" is usually taken to mean an emotional state evoked by contemplating the supernatural. "Worship" means the emotional experience of loyalty and dedication to something higher than man. "Reverence" means the emotion of a sacred respect, to be experienced on one's knees. "Sacred" means superior to and not-to-be touched -by any concerns of man or of this earth. Etc.

But such concepts do name actual emotions, even though no supernatural dimension exists; and these emotions are experienced as uplifting and ennobling, without the self-abasement required by religious definitions. What then, is their source or referent in reality? It is the entire emotional realm of man's dedication to a moral ideal. Yet apart from the man-degrading aspects introduced by religion, that emotional realm is left unidentified, without concepts, words or recognition.

It is this highest level of man's emotions that has to be redeemed from the murk of mysticism and redirected at its proper object: man.

(any errors mine).

Edited by ~Sophia~
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In most movies they portray sex rather then engage in it. I do not think portraying it would be bad. Pornography on the other hand would be difficult to do if you held it in high regard.

Why? IF you hold sex in high regard why wouldn't you want to make art depicting it? What about pornography in essence makes it not an art, i.e. selective recreation of reality?

I admit that most porn out there currently is not that great, and depicts sex as something animalistic and degrading, but must all porn be that? Would a distinction such as "erotica" be needed? And to tie this to the thread, can there be a "strip show" that counts more as erotica and would that be a good distinction? Is burlesque more rationally enjoyable than "pole dancing"?

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Why? IF you hold sex in high regard why wouldn't you want to make art depicting it? What about pornography in essence makes it not an art, i.e. selective recreation of reality?

I admit that most porn out there currently is not that great, and depicts sex as something animalistic and degrading, but must all porn be that? Would a distinction such as "erotica" be needed? And to tie this to the thread, can there be a "strip show" that counts more as erotica and would that be a good distinction? Is burlesque more rationally enjoyable than "pole dancing"?

I wouldn't say that anything about pornography makes it not art. I should also say that smears of paint in a toilet ball could also be art- just, very bad art. Decidedly not romantic realism. I imagine that it could be done in a way which is uplifting. I have seen statues and paintings, not just of nudes, but also of people in a romantic embrace that I think are excellent. I'm told that in Las vegas there is a nude version of cirque du soleil which is very good, though I haven't seen it. I am not opposed to nudity or pornography by definiton. Especially if the definition is made to include things more in the realm of erotica.

That being said, if someone tells me they're gonna go look at some porn or go to a strip club, I am not going to assume that their intention is to have their soul uplifted in some noble pursuit of physiological ideals. It is, what it is, and the descriptions of alternatives you mention are exceptions to what those words generally mean.

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There are a lot of succesful male clubs that target a female audience.

What do those Clubs use to target me and make it appealing to me? Do the women dancing read from books perhaps...(smile)

There is a radio station here in new york that does a promotion called WOW aka whip it out wednesday. The object is for women to flash their breasts at males when driving in traffic to make the "hump day" and traffic jams more tolerable.

Again, why would I do this? What do I get out of it?

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That is what I meant. As far as knowledge about the inner workings of these clubs, I only know that they exist. They've never held any appeal for me. :nuke:

Oh male strippers. I went once and the best part was watching this dancer in a g-string hump my friends head while she screamed...hahahha it was really funny.

I'd rather just go to a Rangers hockey game. This way I can enjoy what I'm watching and have fun right along side the men.

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