h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Pole dancing: erotic dance form or merely gymnastics? - A47669692
Author: Opticalillusion- media mynx life would be boring without hiccups - U231227

this is a little something that I put together with one of the s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-r competition ideas in mind. It also reflects on the following entry in flea market.

Original Entry: Pole Dancing - A12250982
Author: PoleKitten - U4347919
Flea Market Conversation F74125?thread=3537551
Original Peer Review Thread – F4461133?thread=3114592

Opti this is not part of the Stretcher so would you please stop mentioning it? It's confusing to those who aren't part of the competition, as they will assume this is part of it.

Thanks

Ms GB

Hm... think they could get a photo for this one?

>>Why the increase in numbers of women frequenting the clubs if pole dancing is seen as degrading to women I hear you cry.<<

use of first person, and questionable lack of question mark.


>>in fact women feel a sense of empowerment when faced with a pole and viewers.<<

some women? Many women? I know I'd feel empowered if the pole wasn't attached to the floor, and if it was sharpened at the tip, but in this case... I dunno.

In general, you should avoid taking a position. Just present it and let the reader decide. Unless guidelines have loosened since I was last here?

>>enabling people to receive a good exercise regime<< doesn't make any sense. How do you receive a regime, except when you're opening the gate for next door's dictator to march in?

You could be given an exercise regime when you join a gym - including detailed instructions on what you are to do, how many repititions and so on. I think "work-out" is the word you need here, Opti.

You say "pole dancing is purely a great way to keep fit". "purely" in this sense means "only".

So you are saying that pole dancing is not a form of erotic dancing. I think this is wrong.

>>You could be given an exercise regime when you join a gym<<

Yes, but the relevant paragraph is about installing a pole in your home, which is not a prequisute for joining a gym. It's still wrong. "Receive" is simply far too passive a word.

May I clarify that *anyone* is welcome to join in The Stretcher, so long as the entries comply with the set format that the other competitors have to follow. This time the conditions are that the Entry must not be poetry; should be longer than 20 sentences; and each sentence must end in a word containing a double letter.

Cheers

Ms GB

Having given it another read-through, it really bothers me that it's presented as a black and white "either or" question. Pole dancing is not exclusively gymnastics, as you're trying to make us believe, because then it wouldn't still be featured in strip clubs.

It bothers me too.

Thanks for your responses so far I'll look into how I can make this a bit more rounded.

I've changed this

Interesting topic.

If people want to exercise through dance, a pole is hardly essential - I'd have thought it's more of a hindrance. If the object is gymnastics, then it wouldn't be called pole dancing but sport.

Whether or not it's erotic depends on the circumstances.

Having an audience and scantily clad performers makes it seedy. Doing it in appropriate clothing with others under instruction and without an audience makes it exercise. Solo in private - self titillating perhaps?

Not sure that helps with the entry!

Oh, you know: erotic is using a feather. Kinky is using the whole chicken!

I couldn't think of an immediate answer to that statement, Mala. But today I was in a shop queue and the man in front of me had a whole chicken in his basket and it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if it was for kinky purposes. But I decided against it and stifled a giggle instead.

Is there any evidence that Inanna did a pole dance at each of the gates of Hades? As you've stated it, she just did an erotic dance, in which case it is nothing to do with pole dancing.

I'd like to see this get into the Guide, particularly because of the sentence "Of course there are other places where you can erect a pole".

But I don't think it is read yet. The last paragraph, "Backlash", seems to be just going over the same ground again that some people are against it. And you say that White Stripes feature a video with Kate Moss pole dancing, but you don't say why this is a bad thing.

"They fear that the age old comment that sex sells is still happening today..."
--this is very badly worded. You can't really say that the comment is still happening today. Comments don't happen.

You shouldn't end with a question asking the reader what they think. You could say something like "Only time will tell whether...."

... I don't think it is ready yet...

And I think the problem is that this assumes an "enlightened" reader who doesn't see a problem with twelve-year-olds poledancing for the exercise.

Personally, I need convincing. Why something with such erotic overtones, rather than regular gymnastics? Why should I believe it's just another sport? A celebrity saying so is not an argument.

I think I have run into the same sort of problem as when I tried the foxhunting piece. Thus I think I will withdraw this. Thanks for all your comments. I think this is beyond me rescuing it.

Withdraw it? Why not just, say, work on it a bit more? It has the makings of a good addition to the Guide. It just isn't there yet.