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07/18/2003 Archived Entry: "The Bambi Principle"

The Do-Gooders are at it again. Outraged by the concept of consenting men and women playing a game of "Hunting Bambi", entities ranging from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar "I Was a Mob Lawyer" Goodman to the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence to the Bureau of Land Management have weighed in on the topic.

"This crosses the line," huffs Mayor Goodman. Goodman, you may recall, gained fame and fortune representing the likes of Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, Meyer Lansky and Nick Civella. I'm glad he has standards.

BLM Spokeswoman Jo Simpson adds that should they come across such deviants on public land without a permit, "... we would cite them."

Meanwhile, the Nevada Coalition of Protecting Women Against Themselves Because They're Just Too Stupid To Know What's Good For Them called the hunts offensive, dangerous, and exploitative.

Interesting. Let's do a little basic math...

If Sally, a single mother, works at Burger Meister at $5.15 an hour (minus taxes) for over a month of 40 hour workweeks, how much will she make? About a thousand dollars. Of course, you need to subtract the gasoline or bus fare to travel to and from work, as well as daycare costs to take care of little Johnny while she puts in her time. There's not going to be much left over.

On the other hand, Sally can be a "Bambi" for a weekend. If Sally wins by outwitting the paintball-armed hunter, she makes up to $2500. If she loses, she makes ... a thousand dollars. That's right - one splat of a paintball equals a thousand dollars, the same amount of money she could make working at Burger Meister for a month. Two days of daycare versus 5 weeks. One round trip in her vehicle versus 25 or so. And don't forget that she'll actually be able to spend time with little Johnny, instead of giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before sending him off to bed.

But the Nevada Coalition et al. would prefer to see Sally at Burger Meister, where - no doubt - they can then lobby Congress for a "living wage" law after pointing out that it is simply impossible for poor Sally to live on such meager earnings. Sally, ever grateful to her protectors, will shift some of those meager earnings to the Nevada Coalition as dues and donations, while promoting them to all and sundry as Defenders of Righteousness. This should induce large corporations and wealthy individuals to increase their donations, while media begins to regard the Coalition as the source to be quoted on every possible women's issue. Due to the Coalition's soaring popularity and deep pockets, their political weight will increase, allowing them to comment on - and even shape - public policy and legislation.

So who is exploiting whom, again?

Posted by Debra @ 11:52 AM CST
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