“We put the meat on the pole, not on the plate”

The latest in the ongoing saga of treating women like meat as a misguided means of trying to get people to quit eating meat. The owner’s comment says more than I ever could about the ways that sex workers are seen by the men who make money by peddling their flesh.

clipped from www.kptv.com

Customers Find All Skin, No Meat At Vegan Strip Club

PORTLAND, Ore. — You wonâ€™t find any meat at a new spot in Portland, but you will find a whole lot of flesh.

Casa Diablo claims to be the worldâ€™s first vegan strip club — there’s no meat, eggs or dairy on the menu.

The club reflects the ideals of its owner, Johnny Diablo.

â€œ(Itâ€™s) vixens, not veal, and sizzle, not steak,â€ Diablo said. â€œWe put the meat on the pole, not on the plate.â€

February 12th, 2008 | Category: Gender, Intersections | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL

kelly g.:
February 12th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

â€œMy very sole purpose in life is to save as many creatures from pain and suffering as possible,â€ Diablo said.

Diablo, a vegan for more than 20 years, insists his club isnâ€™t a publicity stunt.

Just goes to show that a progressive perspective on one issue doesn’t necessarily spill over into other arenas. Kinda reminds me of the “liberal progressive” men on Daily Kos. Ugh.

Eric Prescott:
February 14th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

He’s getting flayed alive in the Willamette Weekly story:

http://wweek.com/editorial/3413/10351/

Sadly, SuperVegan seems to approve, going so far as to describe Diablo as an ethical vegan. Well, he might be vegan for ethical reasons, but…

http://supervegan.com/blog/entry.php?id=999

Olivia Lane:
February 14th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

Dude, when I author something it’s not the opinion of “SuperVegan”, it’s my own opinion. So here’s my “opinion”:

I honestly tried to write the news story with a tone that was void of any judgment for or against a vegan strip club or strip clubs in general. I found humor in the ridiculous things the owner said and in the entire venture all together and tried to imbue my post with that tone. I really have no interest in debating the morality of strip clubs so I tried to avoid this and instead linked to places where others had expressed their opinions. I also hope that SV readers would express their opinions for or against the establishment in the comments.

I described Johnny as an ethical vegan because the things he said and his actions gave me the impression that he’s vegan because he’d like to prevent non-human animal suffering, not because he’s a saint. I mean, I’m an “ethical vegan” and just wait until my unauthorized biography comes out!

Sorry if I caused any confusion. I’d just hate to go down in the records as giving this place my blessings (or damnation). I don’t want to tell you how to feel, but if anything, you should just be sad that I refused to pass judgement–that would be fair.

I’m totally with Kelly on the fact that just because someone is “progressive” on one issue, doesn’t mean they’re “progressive” on every issue. Also, I guess there are lots of different perspectives on exactly what actions, lifestyle choices, and views could be defined as “progressive.” I guess that’s what keeps the experience of trying to live an ethical life interesting.

saracious:
February 15th, 2008 at 12:31 pm

It’s sad that there is even a debate within the animal rights movement about supporting (or not) other movements against oppression. Thank you for blogging, pattrice.

Larro:
February 18th, 2008 at 7:38 am

Well, who’d of thunk that one!?

Hmm, as far as the ethical issues involved here 1) animals don’t have a choice in the matter of whether they want to end up on somebodies plate or not 2) women (and men) do have choices of whether or not they like having a job as a stripper. Personally, I see no problem with it but only the prudish nature by which people disdain and shun these people and their profession. Then again I could chalk this kind of attitude up to Christian moralism, but that’s also one excuse for people to eat meat (Genesis 1-28-30). I’m an atheist so all that has no sway with me, but I’m also vegan which I see as a higher ethical issue to tackle than most others.

BTW, welcome to the Vegan Blogroll. SuperWeed has been added.

Larro:
February 18th, 2008 at 7:41 am

From what I understand, the display code can’t be displayed in Wordpress blogs. I’ll have to see if I can design a script or something.

Thanks for your interest.

kelly g.:
February 18th, 2008 at 12:35 pm

Larro - I’m an atheist as well, so my issues with strip clubs, porn, etc., aren’t based in religion, nor would I consider myself a prude (that’s not to suggest that your comment was necessarily directed at me, just sayin’). In an ideal word - one in which men and women are truly treated and regarded as equals - I’d be ok with strips clubs, pornography, and the sex industry. Adults should be free to do as they please, as long as they aren’t violating anyone else’s human rights. However, we live in a patriarchy, and the sex industry can’t be separated from that. Sex workers, in general, are treated poorly, and men control most of the means of production. Sexism and misogyny permeate the industry; porn in particular has become more and more violent and degrading to women. Look no further than the quote from Diablo: “We put the meat on the pole.” Women as something to be consumed - wonderful.

It’s not the sex I have a problem with, it’s the subjugation, oppression and misogyny.

SuperWeed

“We put the meat on the pole, not on the plate”

7 Responses to ““We put the meat on the pole, not on the plate””

Leave a Reply

Categories

Random Post

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Blogroll