Money

I tell you one thing that is the most obvious lesson I have learned about humanity since working in strip clubs: Money brings out the worst in people. When I say people, I am also including in this myself and my good friends, as well as all the myriad of people in the strip club who allow money to stamp all over their dignity, integrity and general sense of what is right on a nightly basis. Now I’m not talking about the fact that people dance naked for money, no, that is probably the most honest and innocent thing that goes on there in regards to money. Even if the girls went home with the customers for a fee at the end of the night, which some of them no doubt do, at least they are being honest about it. What I’m talking about is the sneakiness, the stealing, the jelousy, the lies, the corruption and the scams that are an everyday fixture of these kinds of clubs. Not to mention the shameless arse kissing and running around after rich men to receive a hand out.

Now don’t go thinking this only applies to the dancers, waiters and other staff. No, no, no… infact the people that make me the most sick with their behaviour are the managers. The people who should know better, the people who should be setting an example. Recently, there were a load of people fired from the club. They were fired because they had been stealing in a big way for almost 10 years: very organized, very lucrative. We all knew it, everyone knew it but no one could say anything as it went right up to the management. Now this I can’t prove for sure but we had our ways of knowing. Everyone else got fired but the management remains. It happens all the time that certain people (dancers, money sellers or waiters) get the best tables because either they are sleeping with, married to or tipping a certain manager. Customers are taken from one side of the club to the other so that they can be served by someone who is in on a certain money making scam. The dancers and waiters are hardly innocent either, there have been incidents of payments of thousands being taken from sleeping customers, bottles being brought in from outside and sold for cash, the list goes on. And then there is the jelousy when other people make more money...

Sometimes I think the more dishonest, greedy and cowardly you are, the further you will go in this business. When you first realize the way it works in this place it can be hard, you don’t understand how people can behave the way they do. But then you get used to it… then you begin to understand it…and then you have to work hard not to become that way yourself. Now I know money can bring out the worst in people, I’ve seen it. But another thing I have learned in the strip club is that if you recognize the signs, and work to overcome them, it could just bring out the best in you too.