Fundamentally I don’t think there is anything wrong with a college newspaper running a story on a student that works as an exotic dancer.
In fact if the story had been handled in different manner it could have been fascinating. An eye opening look into a job that most people will never do themselves and a somewhat controversial career choice that many tend to look down upon.
Unfortunately, all the story did was serve to reinforce the stereotypes many people hold about the women who make a living at exotic dancing.
The student they interviewed is majoring in both psychology and drama and has been on the dean’s list “on several occasions,” according to the article, so she is obviously very bright.
However by saying things like, “Excuse me my butt’s totally stickin’ out here. But everyone tells me it’s my best asset anyway.” The student manages to come off less than intelligently.
And the Hornet, by running her statements on the front page of their paper, didn’t come off much better.
I realize that right now everyone’s into bashing the media for their sensationalistic approach to reporting the news. Too much violence and too much sex on the six o’clock news has caused the whole country has gone to hell in a handbasket. I don’t happen to believe the media is to blame for society’s ills.
The majority of the time the media is simply attempting to give the public what it wants,
I believe in freedom of speech, no question. But I also think we have a responsibility to make sure the news we run is actually newsworthy.
If you would like to check out the story go to www.statehornet.com, the story is entitled Show and Tell, and you may draw your own conclusions.
