To quote Matthew 16:26 (NIV): "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" From a personal perspective; money, love, and popularity mean nothing to me unless I can maintain my own integrity.
I touch upon the concept of corporate social responsibilty on pages 295-299 of "Topless Delivery". In this scene, which takes place at Atlantis, a high-class gentlemen's club located about 45 km south of Chicago, David is having a chat with Rocky, the club's General Manager.
While Diamond is performing her set on stage, Rocky and I are sitting at the table. The topic of discussion is the strip club scene in general. After looking around the club for several minutes, a concern come to my mind.
I say, "Looking around your club, I wonder how many guys spend their entire paychecks, and more, at strip clubs, porn shops, and other adult entertainment venues. Going to these places can be just as addictive as can going to a casino. Have you ever noticed any of your regulars who may possibly have an addiction?"
Rocky takes a deep breath and replies, "Come to think of it, David, I have noticed that a few of my regulars come in here every night and spend hundreds of dollars per visit. While it's great for the club and for the girls, I sometimes wonder if at least some of them are sex addicts."
I confidently respond, "I think of a possible solution to the addiction problem, based on a program for those with gambling addictions. The Illinois Gaming Board, the state regulatory agency that oversees gambling venues such as riverboat casinos, race tracks, and off-track betting parlors, has a "Self-Exclusion Program." Under the program, someone who knows or suspects that he or she has a gambling problem can voluntarily sign up to be permanently barred from all gambling venues in Illinois. Gaming companies such as Horseshoe and Harrah's also ban these people from their casinos in other states. I would propose that a similar program be developed for the adult entertainment industry. Here's how it would work. Every licensed adult entertainment venue in the state, be it a strip club, an adult bookstore, or video store that sells adult movies, would be required to subscribe to a statewide database and to purchase a special card reader. When a club doorman checks an ID, he would run it through the card reader which would check the person against the database of those who have been barred. If a match turns up in the system, then the doorman would be required by law to deny this person admission to the establishment and to notify the police for arrest on criminal trespassing charges.
There would be two ways that someone could involuntarily be banned in this manner. First, if an establishment bars someone, either an entertainer or a customer, for gross misconduct, then the owner or manager can report the incident to the state agency and have that person barred from all other establishments. Second, those who have ever been convicted, or are currently facing charges, of any sexual offense would also be barred from these adult entertainment venues. Adjudication procedures would be put in place to appeal involuntary bans. Those who are in the database would also be prohibited from seeking employment in any adult entertainment venue in the State of Illinois. This would also include any convenience store that sells adult magazines or DVDs. Major national strip club chains, such as Deja Vu and the Penthouse Clubs, would also enforce the ban at clubs outside of Illinois."
Rocky replies, "It sounds great in theory, David, but how would such a program be funded?"
My resonse is, "Well, Rocky, one good source of funding for the system would be an increase in the state licensing fees on adult entertainment venues and on stores that sell adult books and movies. Another possibility would be to impose a tax on admissions to such venues. For example, you would cover this tax by increasing your cover charges."
Rocky says, "My next issue is how such a ban would be enforced across state lines. Let's say that someone banned from all clubs in Illinois would cross the line and get into a club in Hammond such as Industrial Strip and Deja Vu."
I reply, "Well, Rocky, that's a tough one. My hope is that someday this program can be expanded nationwide. Wouldn't the safety and security of your entertainers be worth the effort?"
Rocky says, "Strip clubs or other venues without a cover charge might lose many of their regular customers, or even go out of business, if they're forced to start imposing a cover charge to pay the admissions tax. That's what happened when Texas imposed a similar 'pole tax' last year, with the proceeds dedicated to rape crisis services. Would such a program work in South Carolina?"
I reply, "I don't know for sure, Rocky. The new strip club laws would force most clubs to shut down. As far as the venues, that would drive people to watch their porn on the Internet, which is much more difficult to regulate."This discussion takes place shortly after the State of South Carolina enacted the 2-Meter Rule and a mandatory midnight closing time at all adult entertainment venues. Whatever strip clubs Hurricane Erika didn't shut down, the new laws will...at a cost of millions of dollars in lost liquor and entertainment tax revenues and thousands of lost jobs throughout South Carolina.
