Reader Letters & Contributions

Sophie's Mentertainment® Online Issue May/June 1997

Paul:  Hi, I don't get your magazine regularly, but I got a few issues from late last year and I like your "Word of the Month" feature--it's funny. Do you post that on your web page? What was this month's WOTM?

Sophie:  great idea. I'll post it. Look for it in another maybe 10 days-2 week. I am in the middle of a print deadline, but will work on it, a little, every day. There is not a large supply for words of the month, so the maybe five that we've had, was it. Sorry. Maybe we could generate some interest so that people would donate words... I don't know. We need some catchy topics. Any idea?

Paul:  Well, aside from breasts, penis and masturbation respectively, I don't know. What were the the other two?

Sophie:  pussy and menstruation were the other two words. Thanks.

Paul:  I just came up with two--"sperm" and "orgasm." Oh, and how about "testicles" and "pussy juice?"

Sophie:  and how about the act of lovemaking, or sex? and kissing? there should be lots of words/expressions for that? maybe you could start the list for me? thanks. Sophie

Paul:  Lessee, kissing: smootching, sucking face, tongue tango, frenching, lip-lock. . .mmmm, I ran out ^_^. As for sex: fuck, hump, grind, pump, ram, screw, fill, use, exchange fluids, bump uglies (I like that one!), doin' it, doing the nasty, horizontal tango, horizontal bop, orgasmatron. Umm, er, I think now I'm gonna go, uh, check out one of my Playboys. . . ^_~

Sophie:  Orgasmatron, ha-ha. That's my favorite. Ha-ha.

(Dear Readers, please donate your word... I bet there are tons of words that say: kissing, lovemaking, sperm, orgasm... etc. Be generous and give it away! Thanks. Sophie)



Skill:  Yes, I am requesting a free issue of your magazine. Thank you --you are the best!

Sophie:  nice that you say that, by why? why are you saying that? not because I am arguing, it is nice of you to say, buy why? Sending you and issue is no problem. The next free issue mailing will be on May 23rd with bulk mail. Thanks for asking. Enjoy. Please see above question and answer. Thanks.

Skill:  I guess I'm saying this is: I have this weird felling that you have a great gift and you have not yet reached your full potential in life. Yes, I'm sure that you are wealthy and I believe that your business is doing quite well and I respect you in many ways. However, I personally don't know you and my gut feeling tells me that you are one hell of a woman. Keep up the good work and keep in touch. I have many things to talk to you about!

Sophie:  wow, thanks. I think I needed this... this encouragement came at the right time. I have been quite resigned as far as my potential in life goes. It is great that at least one person believes in me. Thank you.



From:  Cyclsaurus To:  Sophie two

Sophie, A few weeks ago, a few guys from work got together on Friday after work. We went to a go-go bar in Linden for some fun and letting loose. Well, we found that the dancing scene has really changed. While we were there, which was about an hour, we noticed very little stage dancing and the stage dancing that was done was just a strut showing no skill whatsoever. The dancers were going around the bar sucking up our dollars in exchange for a pathetic minute flash. It was insulting and we left to find other digs to have a brew or two. I mention this because most of the fellows I know avoid the go-go scene because of these changes.

I remember a time when a dancer was committed to dancing, showing style and an erotic charm that dazzled the men at the bar. These dancers would put on a show for 30 minutes or so and then come by for a tip which they always got because they well deserved it. Now it's just a quick strut to some boom boom music, off the bar to get that dollar as if being there is all the justification for a tip.

I, for one, miss the dancers who put on a show by giving their dance interpretation to some great rock music or the latest and greatest hit of the day. The drinks are expensive, only worth it when the dancing is dancing. The tips are worth giving when the dance is a good dance. However, many guys stay away because there is too little stage dancing and too much dollar sucking at the bar. Where's the quality? The loser here is everyone.

The owners are actually losing revenue. They make a lot from a crowd of hard up, hard core people, but have not successfully tapped the average Joe who just wants to have a beer, a show and some diversion from his otherwise average life. Get these people in and the revenues go up.

The dancers lose because while they think they are making the big tip, they are in fact losing to a larger possibility. And finally, the patron loses because he has to settle for mediocrity and will choose nothing, eventually.

Erotic dance is an artform like no other. It has a history as long as mankind. It's a shame that the dance scene in the 90's has degraded to the buck so much like the rest of society. Pity, there is still more money in a quality product and an honest job well done.

P A U L and the gang at work



Dear Sophie c/o Mentertainment:

The Box Car in Phillipsburg has a dancer named Dusty who you may like to know about.

Until August of 1996 the Box Car had a record couch dance total of 25 set by a dancer who retired. This dancer's record was never beaten until August 10, 1996 Dusty broke the record bigtime by establishing a new total of 33 in one day. Then on Black Friday, November 29, 1996 Dusty again established a new record of 50 in one day. On May 3, 1997 Dusty ONCE AGAIN established a new record of 103 in one day. YES, YOU READ IT RIGHT !!

She now has the record of 103 couch dances in one day!!! No one has even come close in the totals. I wonder if any performer anywhere has ever reached the 100 mark in couch dances and would appreciate any input from you concerning the same. Dusty also markets herself very well. She distributes calendars of places she performs during the month to the patrons, and when coupled with the reasonable rates the Box Car charges for couch dances, it obviously produces excellent results. She also advertises her schedule on the Internet.

JF.

PS: If you call the Box Car, ask for Mike, the manager. (908-454-7949)



Dear Sophie:

Just read part of your magazine and found it fascinating. I really liked the editorials. It is nice to see a no BS attitude.

My first contact with exotic dancers came when I was working at a small hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I had never seen dancers up to that point and at first I was enthralled with the idea of a Woman up on stage just taking her clothes off.

After the initial shock wore off, I started looking less at the body and more at how she moved on stage. In other words I got picky. If she could not dance, is she had no sense of rhythm, I just could not be bothered. We also had some of the girls staying at the hotel and I got to know them as people. I found the female dancers to be some of the best hotel guest in the world. They went out and did their shows, came back and went to bed.

The male dancers on the other hand were an entirely different story. Some of those guys were the biggest pigs on the planet. They would plow an alligator if they could get somebody to hold the tale.

Anyway I would like to say thank you to the women of Superb Entertainment for making my life a little more enjoyable in the 4 1/2 years that I worked at the Airport Hotel. To them and dancers everywhere I say; "May the road be kind to you, may the sun shine upon you, may the wind be always at your back, and may you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows your dead!"

Best Wishes, Hugs and Kisses Carl William Paul Gohl, former Night Guy at the Airport Hotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada XXX OOO





WHY THE INTERNET IS LIKE A PENIS

It can be up or down. It's more fun when it's up, but it makes it hard to get any real work done. In the long-distant past, its only purpose was to transmit information considered vital to the survival of the species. Some people still think that's the only thing it should be used for, but most folks today use it for fun most of the time. It has no conscience and no memory. Left to its own devices, it will just do the same damn dumb things it did before. It provides a way to interact with other people. Some people take this interaction very seriously, others treat it as a lark. Sometimes it's hard to tell what kind of person you're dealing with until it's too late. If you don't apply the appropriate protective measures, it can spread viruses. It has no brain of its own. Instead, it uses yours. If you use it too much, you'll find it becomes more and more difficult to think coherently. We attach an importance to it that is far greater than its actual size and influence warrant. If you're not careful what you do with it, it can get you in big trouble. It has its own agenda. Somehow, no matter how good your intentions, it will warp your behavior. Later you may ask yourself "why on earth did I do that?" Some folks have it, some don't. Those who don't have it may agree that it's a nifty toy, but think it's not worth the fuss that those who do have it make about it. Still, many of those who don't have it would like to try it. Once you've started playing with it, it's hard to stop. Some people would just play with it all day if they didn't have work to do.





Dear Ken, Please give me feedback on the last issue. There is probably nothing worse than waiting for feedback. And this issue is more controversial, bold, blunt, outspoken than any other issue. The only other feedback I got was from a bar-owner, who did not like it, and thinks I should be a cheerleader. With pom-pons. Hardly a good match.

Life looks real cluttered nowadays. Boxes everywhere, paper on the floor, my calendar is heavily filled, and in the middle of that I fall asleep every night unprepared, all dressed, with all the lights on... I expect myself to be able to go 24/7, and it seems those days are not these days.

Sophie



Dear Sophie,

Just got done with your editorial, along with the Simone Brigitte and Asia Carrera pieces. The Leanni interview. "Riot At Studio 27" was great. Of course the stuff from ASSC was on the money. Good letters too. If anybody ever asks me "Why do you read Mentertainment?", I'll give them the obvious answer: "For the ARTICLES!!!" :-) Maybe it's because I know you face-to-face, but I feel you in every word you write. That's not an easy thing to project. Thank you very much.

Ken



BIAS

by Doug Grow / Star Tribune

Try this personal bias test: A young black woman seeks a job in a field employing large numbers of women. The black woman has the same qualifications as the others, but she's denied employment because of her race.

Offended? Sure.

Now, add this twist: The job the woman sought was a position as a dancer at a strip club.

Feel your sense of outrage draining away?



In April, a young black woman, Kirsten Porter, said she went to Schieks Palace Royale seeking employment as a topless dancer. She sought the job, she said, after finishing second in an "amateur dance contest" at the club.

Porter says she understands the split reactions that her occupation creates. Given the proliferation of strip clubs, it's clear the clubs are very popular. On the other hand, few would say positive things about any aspect of the business.

"My mother knows I dance," Porter said. "She's a very strong Christian. All she says about dancing is, 'I'm praying for you.' "

To date, it doesn't appear the prayers have been answered. Porter said she went to Schieks for a job because she heard that working conditions there were better than at other clubs where she had worked, including Buns & Roses and the Lamplighter. At those clubs, she said, dancers are hired as independent contractors. They receive no wages and must split their tips with the clubs.

"In reality, the owners of some of those places are legalized pimps," Porter said. "The dancer does the work, but they take all the money. You don't make nearly as much as people say."

She said she went to Schieks because she'd heard stories of huge tips and a good working environment. Besides, she said, she'd been given an application form, as well as $100, as a prize from the dance contest.

Despite being given the application form, she said nobody at Schieks seemed interested in accepting her application. After repeated efforts to apply, she said she finally was told she could audition. She assumed the audition would be in front of the manager of the club, but instead it was in front of club bouncers.

"It seemed like they were smirking," Porter said of her audition. She said she felt humiliated but completed her dance, after which one of the bouncers went to see the manager.

"He left and came back," Porter said. "He told me, 'We can't hire you because you don't fit the image we're trying to present.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'That's all the boss will let me say.' "

Sometime later, she said, she returned to the club, seeking a position as a waitress, because she'd been told the club was hiring. She said that after a long wait at the club, she was told there were no positions available.

It was the word "image" that has stuck in Porter's mind. She said there are no black dancers at the club. She believes there's only one black waitress. "Everybody there is just like a Barbie doll," Porter said.

Porter went to Tim Hickman, an attorney who has done considerable work in workplace sexual-harassment and bias cases. His immediate belief was that if Porter's story was true, she was a victim of workplace discrimination. But he also knew that the socially unacceptable nature of Porter's occupation could cost him female clients who would be offended by his decision to defend a stripper. Still, he was intrigued that Porter would step forward. "I don't think that most of the women in this industry would feel like they could step forward," said Hickman, who said he has warned Porter that many people will judge her harshly.

It also struck him that Porter's case was similar to the case of Tom Ryther, the former KARE-TV sportscaster who has won an age-discrimination case against his former employer. (KARE has appealed the Ryther verdict.) There are reasons to fire, or not to hire, sportscasters and dancers, but age or race can't be among those reasons.

So Hickman is working with Porter. He said he has had one conversation with Bob Sabes, the owner of Schieks. Hickman said that Sabes told him the club employed 19 "minority" dancers. But, Hickman said, Sabes would not tell him if any of those dancers are black.

Hickman said he has received a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, giving him the right to sue Schieks.

Club management did not return phone calls to offer their views on Porter, Hickman or black dancers.

Hickman believes his case is clear-cut. But he's also a realist. He said that usually organizations step forward to offer his clients support in cases involving bias or sexual harassment.

But no organizations have stepped forward to support Porter. Little outrage is spared for dancers in strip clubs.

"If this goes to court, the problems we could run into are the prejudices of the judges and jurors," he said. "But this is a place of employment, no different from Honeywell or IBM."

© Copyright 1996 Star Tribune.




Women's Talk: What she says and what she REALLY means!

We need = I want!

It's your decision = The correct decision should be obvious by now!

Do what you want = You'll pay for this later!

We need to talk = I need to complain!

Sure... go ahead = I don't want you to do that.

You're so ... manly = You need a shave and you smell of sweat.

I'm not upset = Of course I'm upset, you moron.

The gas tank is empty = Go fill it up.

The trash is full = Take it out

I want new curtains = and carpeting, and furniture, and wallpaper ...

I need wedding shoes = the other 40 pairs are the wrong shade of white.

I heard a noise = I noticed you were almost asleep.

Do you love me? = I'm going to ask for something expensive.

Nothing is wrong. = Everything is wrong.

Am I fat? = Tell me I'm beautiful.

Are you listening!? = Too late, you're dead.

Are you cold? = Get out of bed and close the window!

I'm NOT angry = I'm pissed!

The dog is barking = Go outside in the rain in your underwear and see what is wrong.

You're certainly attentive tonight. = Is sex all you that ever think about?

I'm not emotional and I'm not overreacting! = I'm having my period.

Be romantic and turn out the lights. = I have fat thighs.

This kitchen is so inconvenient = I want a new house.

How much do you love me? = I did something today you're really not going to like.

I don't want to talk about it. = Go away, I'm still building up steam.

I'll be ready in a minute. = Take off your shoes and find a good football game on TV

You have to learn to communicate. = Just agree with me.

What do you think of my new hair style? = Say it's beautiful - if you value your life.

Tell me the truth about my new dress. = Lie through your teeth