6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016 EDITOR BEN BENGTSON ‘Gentlemen's club’ not all that glam Ihe website for Gallery Show I Lounge, a soon-to-be-opened strip club in South Vancouver’s Marpole neighbourhood, makes some impres- sive claims. The site, for example, makes it clear that “No detail has been overlooked in designing the ultimate nightlife experi- ence.” And, honestly, that’s a claim I can believe. It was 2014 when the “gen- tlemen’s — club” was first an- nounced and the place is still being renovated, so I’d hope they’re not skimping on the luxurious details. ee. Sadly, South . : Vancouver will have to wait a lit- OPINION tle longer before BEN BENGTSON it gets to enjoy any upcoming “exotic entertainment.” And here I was thinking all you had to do to open a strip club was blast some Whitesnake over the sound sys- tem and serve passable chicken wings. OK, I’m not really into strip clubs, but ’'m not opposed to them, either. I think that if a consenting individual wants to work in the industry, then that’s their prerogative. What’s impor- tant is that they have a safe and sup- portive work environment for which to do it. I’m confident that the fine folk at Gallery Show Lounge will ensure their building is up to code and their employ- ees are treated with respect. But I’m less confident about the clientele that might frequent the establishment. British Columbia’s Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons points out that strip clubs can be hotbeds for human trafficking and other exploitative acts. While ’'m surely not suggesting that Gallery Show Lounge is guilty of any- thing before they’ve even opened, I’m weary that this particular “gentle- men’s club” is opening close to known trafficking hotspots like the airport, transit centre and border services agency. Is this something we really want or need in South Vancouver? Back when the club was first an- nounced, members of the Marpole Res- idents’ Coalition didn’t see the upcom- ing strip club as a problem. They claimed the neighbourhood wouldn’t be bothered by it, especially since a for- mer club once operated in the commu- nity. If the neighbourhood coalition is fine with it, I guess most of us in South Vancouver should be as well. But let’s hope that when renovations for Gallery Show Lounge are complet- ed and the place finally open its doors, a detail they haven’t overlooked is awareness over the inherent dangers of the profession alongside a promise to give their staff the safety and dignity they deserve. We want to hear from you Got a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Think we got a fact wrong? Tellus. Journalisin instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email her at ebulman@langara.be.ca SEAN LEE comic Statutory holidays for all henever I hear there’s a hol- iday, I usually just welcome the news and take it as a sign to relax and take a breather. Statutory holidays such as Christmas Day, Good Friday and Eas- ter Monday are usually no exception, though the fact they’re major Christian holidays raises some inter- esting questions about what we choose to cele- brate. My entire family * is Buddhist. I per- sonally consider OPI N ION myself agnostic. LINDA N@UYEN And while I under- stand that, tradi- tionally speaking, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and that Easter is for celebrating Christ’s crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, I have no problem partaking in the commercial aspects of either two holidays. The festivities of hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree or binging on choc- olate during the Easter long weekend are two things I look forward to year after year. Although most western holidays seem to come from Christian tradi- tions, the great thing about those statu- tory holidays is that you get to take time off, which is something we can all enjoy. Also, taking that time off doesn’t necessarily have to correlate with do- ing everything — or anything — rooted in that holiday’s religious background. On the other hand, I’ve always won- dered why Christmas and Easter have achieved such prominence overtime, whereas other holidays remain rela- tively unknown. There are plenty of other religious holidays out there, but they’re often paid very little attention to. There’s the Buddhist holiday known as Vesak, for example, that'll happen this coming May. And, of course, there’s Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that lasts for eight days in December. The fact is, these holidays aren’t treated like major statutory holidays such as Christmas and Easter because in the west we go by a Christian calen- dar that highlights Christianity above all else. But it’s important to keep in mind that just because a holiday doesn’t achieve statutory status, doesn’t mean it goes uncelebrated. Millions of people celebrate Vesak and Hanukkah every year. Whether a holiday is secular, reli- gious or a statutory one, I like to think the more the merrier when it comes to celebrating. And, luckily, during Christ- mas and Easter we all get time off. Substance abuse resources key tion. Substance abuse can impact just about anyone. It could be a mother, father, sib- ling or a friend who is suffering. I believe the main problem with ad- diction is finding the resources available to get help. Langara Col- lege, for example, recently held a Substance Abuse Awareness Fair. Health services and the nursing de- partment hosted the fair, which al- lowed students to access information about addiction and prevention servic- es available in the community. Holding this fair was crucial because many students can struggle with addic- tion and sometimes not even know it. Educating students on substance abuse Te: is no set stereotype for addic- iy OPINION ALISON PUDSEY can allow someone to realize they have a problem, or even help someone else they know in need. Whether or not you agree with the ethics, there should be a wide variety of resources and options available for students to try out. For example, at Langara’s recent fair there were various pamphlets about alcohol addiction, recreational mari- juana use and a campaign advocating for a tobacco-free life. Demonstrations at the fair tried to show students the reality of substance abuse. They included blowing into a 66 I believe the main prob- lem with addiction is finding the resources available to get help machine to test carbon dioxide levels in your lungs from smoking, and an activ- ity where students walked in a straight line with goggles on to emphasize im- paired driving. This was a real eye opener for many as it showed the true impacts of sub- stance abuse and how it can affect your body and everyday life. While there are options available for overcoming substance abuse, I believe another difficult part for some people is admitting they have an addiction. In re- ality, it is first up to the individual to seek help. Encouraging people only goes so far without the individual wanting to get better. But people struggling with addic- tions cannot fully succeed without re- sources available to them. While the desire to seek help for ad- dictions is important, having informa- tion, assistance and support available is necessary as well. The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. They may be edited for brevity. Your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.bc.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 226 WEBSITE wwwiangaravoice.ca EDITORIAL STAFF MANAGING EDITOR Kathryn Wu PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Sean Lee PAGE 2 Murray B. Hunt PAGE 3 Vincent Matak PAGE 4 Mark Stuart PAGE 5 Seyedmostafa Raziei PAGE 6 Ben Bengtson PAGE 7 Jake Costello PAGE 8 Tessa Vikander MANAGING WEB EDITOR Serena Pattar WEB EDITORS Scott Drake Rumana Dsouza Kate Richardson Kevin Underhill Bridgette Watson Nancy Plechaty COPY/WEB EDITOR Rosemary Newton REPORTERS Daniel Dadi-Cantarino Chantelle Deacon Reuben Dongalen Ji. Natalie Dunsmuir Scott Forbes Simran Gill Jason Hamilton Nico Hemandez Brian Kurokawa Alyd Llewellyn Jordan Macdonald Veronnica Mackillop Chahira Merarsi Luis Mina Linda Nguyen Alison Pudsey Ashley Singh Roberto Teixeira Anna Tilley Jenna Tytgat Chandler Walter Jake Wray Contact us: Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter: @LangaraVoice