BEST. FIELD TRIP. EVAH. - College class visits Nevada brothel
- From: The Citizen <citizen.v@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:07:00 -0400
Field trip brings college class to Nevada brothel
April 11: Consumption is this year's theme in the cultural studies
class at Randolph College, so obviously a field trip to a Nevada
brothel was in order.
updated 5:18 p.m. ET, Fri., April. 11, 2008
PAHRUMP, Nev. - Nicki Amouri hands her camera to a friend, throws her
arm over another and smiles wide as she leans in for a shot with the
monument her class came to visit.
It's a typical field trip memento ? except that Amouri is in a
brothel. The monument is a fluffy, queen-sized bed in a Western-themed
party room reserved for VIPs and big spenders.
Amouri was one of a dozen Randolph College students who toured the
Chicken Ranch, a legal bordello in the desert 60 miles outside Las
Vegas. Thursday's class trip, which included seminars from the working
girls, capped a course on American consumption and "the ideas that
consume us."
"I think it's fascinating, this is fun for me," said Amouri, a junior
at the private liberal arts school in Lynchburg, Va., that until last
year admitted only women. "Not many people get to do this."
Academic and media inquiries are daily occurrences at many of Nevada's
27 legal brothels. Some shy away from the scrutiny; others, like the
Chicken Ranch, welcome the publicity.
"We're always open to trying to educate the public about legalized
prostitution," said Chicken Ranch general manager Debbie Rivenburgh,
who acknowledged this was the first class tour request she'd received
in 21 years.
The brothel tour was a natural fit for a class that tells students
"don't just study America ? live it," said Julio Rodriguez, the
director of the college's American Culture Program.
Each semester the course examines a strain of American culture and
ends with a class trip. Past destinations included post-Katrina New
Orleans, Walt Disney World and the Civil Rights Memorial Center in
Montgomery, Ala.
This year's focus on Nevada started with a professor's interest in
water rights and conservation. It grew to include discussions of the
wedding and entertainment industries and, inevitably, prostitution.
Nevada is the only state where prostitution is legal. Brothels are
allowed in 10 Nevada counties, though not in Las Vegas.
As part of their research, students were assigned "The Beauty Myth,"
by feminist author Naomi Wolf; "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," by
Hunter S. Thompson; and a "20/20" episode on prostitution with Diane
Sawyer, among other research, professors said.
"We gave them all the option to either opt out or express reservations
privately. No one did," said Rodriguez, adding that he received no
objections from parents or administrators.
Prostitutes at the Chicken Ranch had plenty of reservations. Most
don't jump at the chance to talk to strangers about what they do,
Rivenburgh said. They worry about friends or family finding out. They
know how others see them. It can be uncomfortable.
"Ninety-nine percent of the working girls will not participate. Each
woman's got her reason and her limitations," Rivenburgh said. "I
couldn't have done better with the two that said yes, though."
Alexis, 38, and Alicia, "over 30," sat on white folding chairs in
front the young, earnest women in the brothel's Victorian-styled
parlor, usually the setting for the "lineup." They would not give
their last names. The group took close notes as a handful of
television cameras and reporters looked on.
A blonde in jeans and platform boots, Alexis talked about the job's
flexibility and the free time it has allowed her to write a book about
her life. Alicia wore a black-and-white gingham nighty and a tattoo on
her left breast that read "Famous."
"I enjoy giving back what some people don't get in their lives, as far
as companionship, time, just the touch of a woman," she said. The job
allows her to take care of her mother and grandmother. She's also in
real estate.
The introductions gave way to questions.
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
Alexis: "Most women in this business wear the pants in the family."
Is there a certain look most men prefer?
Alicia: Every man wants something different. "There's all different
kinds of girls."
Why aren't there brothels with male prostitutes?
Rivenburgh: Former Hollywood Madame Heidi Fleiss is trying.
Do you still give a military discount?
Rivenburgh: Yes.
What's the worst part?
Alicia: "Being confined, being cooped up. I have to be here 24 hours a
day."
With a tour and time to mingle, the students packed up gift bags
containing a menu of services, a Chicken Ranch key chain and a
brochure. They had to get back to Las Vegas in time for a backstage
tour of the risque revue "Jubilee." With any luck, they might get to
interview the showgirls.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24063693?GT1=43001
--
The Citizen
"And how can we win when fools can be kings?"
.
- Prev by Date: Re: French Ligue 1 teams deserving a push
- Next by Date: Re: French Ligue 1 teams deserving a push
- Previous by thread: STAR TREK ANIME IDEA-A Kira.
- Next by thread: I just saw Braveheart for the first time
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
