River City Writer

If this is your first time here, I suggest you read the first part of this series Reason to Leave Edmonton - Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

While I’m not normally one to suggest that people move away from Edmonton, the people who do often have good reasons for doing so. This week, I’ll be talking about some of these reasons, as well as ways to solve the issues in question without leaving the city.

So far, I’ve talked about Edmonton’s lengthy winters, our supposed lack of a cultural scene, and our problems with urban sprawl. Today, I’ll talk about the high murder rate.

Edmonton has the highest murder rate in Canada

Statistics from late 2006 showed that Edmonton had the highest murder rate in Canada. I can’t find accurate stats for 2007, but I know that we still have among the most murders, per capita, in the country.

I don’t know that I really need to elaborate on this particular point. A high murder rate is, one assumes, a pretty good reason not to live somewhere.

Edmonton is actually a very safe city

Despite our high murder rate, Edmonton is actually a very safe city. Personally, I feel completely comfortable walking around the vast majority of the city at all hours of the day and night. There are a few areas I’d probably avoid after dark, but they’re few and far between.

While we do have problems with violent crime—including, obviously, murder—most of the incidences are isolated, and generally occur between people who know one another (domestic abuse, for example).

As for the murders themselves, the vast majority of these occur among people who engage in high risk lifestyles. Many, if not most, of the murders that occur in Edmonton are gang-related. That, in itself, isn’t necessarily a comforting fact.

Gang wars can result in innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. However, this is an incredibly rare occurrence in Edmonton. In fact, I can only think of one instance when an innocent bystander was killed as a result of gang activity. Back in 1999 Adnan Pervez was mistakenly killed by a hit-man who had been hired to kill his older brother, Usman.

So, what should be made of all of this?

I’m suggesting that, despite the high murder rate, Edmonton is actually a very safe city, and the vast majority of murders that occur here do not directly affect average Edmontonians. While I am hardly qualified to suggest a solution to murder and other violent crimes in Edmonton, I am confident in saying that Edmonton is actually an incredibly safe city.

I’ve lived here my entire life and never once have I felt unsafe in my city, and I see no reason for most other people to feel  unsafe.

If you engage in a high risk lifestyle, or you’re one of the many unfortunate homeless people living in the city, then yes, you’re going to run into some dangerous situations. While that’s unfortunate, and something needs to be done to help those people, the fact remains that Edmonton is very safe for the vast majority of Edmontonians.

If this is your first time here, I suggest you read the first part of this series Reason to Leave Edmonton - Part 1, and Part 2.

While I’m not normally one to suggest that people move away from Edmonton, the people who do often have good reasons for doing so. This week, I’ll be talking about some of these reasons, as well as ways to solve the issues in question without leaving the city.

So far, I’ve talked about Edmonton’s lengthy winters, and our supposed lack of a cultural scene. Today, I’ll be talking about urban sprawl.

Edmonton suffers from terrible urban sprawl

According to Wikipedia: “At 684 square kilometres (264 sq mi), the City of Edmonton covers an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal.” Despite our relatively massive size, Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities of any city in North America.

Hmm…relatively few people inhabiting a very large urban space. That’s basically the definition of urban sprawl.

Edmonton’s urban sprawl has created a number of problems for the city. Perhaps the number one problem is that it has lead to a dependence on automobiles.

It’s nearly impossible to get around in this city without using some form of motorized transport (either your own vehicle, or public transit). Much of the city is pedestrian unfriendly. There are large areas without sidewalks, and there are very few dedicated bicycle lanes on Edmonton streets, making it difficult and often unsafe to be a bicycle commuter.

The wide-spread nature of the city also means that there is less a sense of community among Edmontonians than among people in more densely populated cities. Because people spend most of their travel time in cars, rather than on foot, Edmontonians don’t often mingle on the streets. There are some pedestrian friendly areas on the city—Whyte Avenue being the most obvious—but these are the exception, rather than the rule.

Build up, instead of out

The solution to Edmonton’s urban sprawl is actually already underway. Expanding vertically, instead of horizontally is the best way to deal with urban sprawl. Combine this within in-fill developments (i.e.: building high-density housing in central neighbourhoods, rather than continuing low-density projects on the city’s edges), and you’ve got a pretty good solution to urban sprawl, and many of the problems that come with it.

The recent condo explosion in downtown Edmonton is doing a lot to help avoid urban sprawl. While I’m not a huge fan of converting rental units into condos, I am quite pleased by all of the new condo complexes that are shooting up in the core.

High-density housing will mean more people living in close proximity to one another. If they’re downtown, they’ll be close to all amenities, and possibly their jobs, which will reduce their reliance on automobiles. This, in turn, will mean more pedestrians, more mingling with neighbours, and a greater sense of community.

I’d like to see continued in-fill housing developments. Condos, though, are not for everyone. Some people, by virtue of the lifestyle they’ve chosen, are far better off living in a house (or townhouse-style condo) than an apartment-style condo. However, there currently isn’t much space to build houses in the centre of the city. Ever expanding suburban neighbourhoods are, at the moment, the only option.

The solution to this problem, I think, is for the Municipal Airport finally be closed down, and to have the city turn the land into mixed-used housing, similar to what has been done in Denver, Colorado’s Stapleton community, and numerous other former municipal airports around the United States.

I think that a Stapleton-like community on the current site of the municipal airport, along with the condo developments that are being built downtown will help relieve a lot of the urban sprawl-related problems that Edmonton currently faces. What do you think?

If this is your first time here, I suggest you read the first part of this series Reason to Leave Edmonton - Part 1.

While I’m not normally one to suggest that people move away from Edmonton, the people who do often have good reasons for doing so. This week, I’ll be talking about some of these reasons, as well as ways to solve the issues in question without leaving the city.

Yesterday, I talked about Edmonton’s lengthy winters. Today, the focus will be on the cultural scene or, to hear certain critics speak of it, the lack thereof.

Edmonton has no cultural scene

If you believe some people, Edmonton has no cultural scene. We have no art, no theatre, no music scene. What little we do have, the critics claim, is not worth sticking around for. And, even among artists, there is a feeling that in order to be a success, you must leave River City for Toronto or Vancouver.

While it is, unfortunately, often true that artists must move to one of the country’s cultural capitals in order to advance their careers, I think this has more to do with the national arts scene as a whole, than it does with Edmonton’s scene specifically.

However, I will admit that, despite a glut of theatres and theatre companies in Edmonton, and a surprising number of galleries, the cultural scene can be somewhat elusive at times.

With the exception of the big festivals like the Fringe and the Works, the Edmonton arts scene is often very insular, and doesn’t reach out to the public as often as it does. This, I think, is the main reason that a lot of people—from inside and outside of Edmonton—think that the city has no cultural scene.

Increase public awareness of the local arts scene

The solution is fairly obvious: the Edmonton arts community has to reach out to the public and increase awareness about the city’s cultural scene.

Now, I know right now that a lot of local artists who read this will want to call me an idiot. They’ll say that they already do reach out. They hold shows in galleries. They perform at open mic nights. I’m not denying this.

I’m an artist myself, and I perform at open mic nights. I certainly don’t want to imply that Edmonton’s artists aren’t making their work available to the public. What I’m suggesting is that making it available means nothing is no one knows that it’s available.

Part of this may be the fault of the media. I know of a few artists who have complained that their press releases have been completely ignored (however, it’s likely that their press releases sucked. I’m in marketing, and I know from experience that most press releases suck and don’t get read, but I’m not going to get into that here). However, I do think that the local media—especially the alt-weeklies—have really improved in their coverage of the local scene in the last few years, so blaming the media isn’t really fair.

However, even if the media helped to publicize every single event happening in town, that wouldn’t make as much of a difference as people might thing.

See, the news is supposed to be new. The media likes to publish things that are timely. This is why they often don’t talk about a concert until the day before (or, more often, the day after, when they publish a review). If people don’t know about your event until the day before it occurs, most of them won’t show up.

You need to generate a buzz, well in advance of the actual event, if you want people to show up to your gallery showing, or your open mic night.

How do you generate buzz? That’s my question to the readers. But, I will get things rolling with a few suggestions.

How to Generate Buzz

• Inform the mainstream media (press releases aren’t as effective as they used to be, though, so you’ll have to get creative).
• Talk to bloggers who write about the city, or about your type of art, and see if they’ll write a post about your event. Mainstream journalists often read blogs for story leads, so if you can get written-up on the right blogs, you might get a call from a mainstream news source.
• Blog about it yourself. If you don’t have a blog already, start one. Used effectively, it’ll be an invaluable promotional tool.
• Put up posters, especially downtown, on Whyte Avenue, and on the U of A campus.
• Tell your friends and fans, and ask them to spread the news—word-of-mouth is still the best form of advertising.

I’m not normally a person who talks about reasons why people should leave Edmonton. After all, I love this city, and the entire point of this blog is to promote the good things about Edmonton. Still, River City isn’t perfect. The haters out there occasionally have some legitimate complaints.

So, this week, I’m going to talk about some of the biggest reasons why moving away from Edmonton might be a good idea. But, because this is a blog focusing on River City’s positive qualities, rather than it’s negatives, I’ll also suggest ways to “solve” the problems without leaving the city.

The first, and perhaps the main reason why people might want to leave Edmonton is simple: the winter.

Edmonton winters are long, cold, and miserable

Edmonton is one of the most northerly major cities in the world. Because of our location, we have long, cold winters. Global warming is slowly changing this (which is not a good thing, despite how nice it may be to have fewer -20 Celsius days in the winter), but the fact is, it gets cold in River City during the winter.

On top of the cold, our winters are very long. Winter-like temperatures can last as long as 6 months in Edmonton and, because of our latitude, it gets dark very early in the winter.

For most Edmontonians, winter means waking up and driving to work before the sunrises, and not leaving work until the sun has already set. For people like me, who don’t have a window in their office, this can mean getting almost no natural light during the winter months.

The lack of sunlight and the cold can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Even those who don’t suffer from true SAD can find themselves suffering from a general sense of malaise during an Edmonton winter.

I don’t blame people for wanting to leave Edmonton after they’ve experienced and River City winter. Hell, sometimes even I want to leave during the winter.

Despite that, I think there are ways that Edmontonians can make winter work in our favour. Rather than dreading winter, we should embrace it.

An Edmonton Winter Festival

The main solution to the Edmonton winter blues, in my opinion, would be to launch a winter festival, similar to La fête des Neiges de Montréal or Carnaval de Québec (the Quebec Winter Festival). Instead of hiding ourselves away in our homes and malls for 5 or 6 months a year, we should be out and enjoying our city during the winter.

Perhaps an Edmonton winter festival could be focused on Churchill Square, to take advantage of the skating rink in front of City Hall. Surely, something could be done on the river, as well. If the ice is thick enough, we could create a natural skating rink to rival the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

Like the Rideau Skateway, kiosks could be setup along the river (and in Churchill Square) to sell hot food to keep revelers warm. Coffee, hot chocolate, and warm pastries would sell like crazy in such a situation.

A new Edmonton winter festival could take advantage of the very few winter events that already occur in Edmonton, such as the Ice on Whyte ice sculpting competition, incorporating them into the new festival. Perhaps the festival could kickoff on January 1st at midnight, using the New Year’s Eve Downtown celebration as a way to launch both the New Year, and the festival. (This would be especially symbolic during the festival’s inaugural year).

That’s my suggested solution to the Edmonton winter blues: an Edmonton winter festival. I’ve given a brief illustration of what I think such a festival could and should look like, but I’d like to hear your ideas.

After all, for something like this to ever become a reality, the festival organizers would undoubtedly need input from the community. Let’s get a jump on the game and start brainstorming ideas here.

Update: I have found out where you can buy beer from Amber’s Brewery. I have edited this entry accordingly.

Edmonton is a beer drinking city. For evidence of this, one need look no further than, well, pretty much any restaurant in town.

Nearly every self-respecting restaurateur has a couple of brews on tap. The average bar, of course, has a wide variety on tap or in the cooler.

The range of beer that can be found in Edmonton drinking establishments is quite impressive. As well as the standard domestics—Molson Canadian, Kokanee, and Coors Light—you’ll usually find a number of imported suds. Heineken, Carlsburg, and Guinness are among the most common imports found in River City.

You’ll also find Big Rock beers, brewed in Calgary, in a number of fine establishments. Big Rock makes damn fine beer—I’m quite fond of their new XO Lager—and the fact that it’s brewed in Alberta makes it that much sweeter.

However, it’s not brewed in Edmonton.

Thankfully, Edmonton does have a beer brewing industry. It’s small, and there have been some unfortunate setbacks (the Maverick Brewing Company went under in 2006), but it’s starting to grow.

The main player (and, for a while, the only player) in the Edmonton beer industry is the Alley Kat Brewing Company.

I’m a huge fan of Alley Kat Beer. If you’re a beer drinker, and you haven’t tried any of Alley Kat’s microbrews, you’re missing out.

My personal favourite is Charlie Flint’s Original Lager, named after one of the founder’s of the Alberta brewing industry. It a crisp, refreshing blond lager made from Alberta barley and Czech hops.

The Amber is an excellent, slightly sweet ale, that I’m also quite fond of. It’s a reddish-brown ale with a fairly malty flavour. It’s best enjoyed with rich foods, but I find that it goes down quite well on it’s own, too.

The newest player in the Edmonton brewing industry is Amber’s Brewing Company, which is currently available at Sherbrooke Liquor Store (11819 St. Albert Trail). I haven’t tried their beer yet, but I’ve heard some good things about it. I’ll probably pick up a 6-pack of at least one of the 4 brews they make and try it over the holidays.

The one unfortunate thing about Edmonton’s two breweries is that their beer is not being served in a particularly large number of establishments in the city. In fact, I can think of only one place that serves either brand.

Hulbert’s is the only local eatery I can think of where Alley Kat is available.

In a beer drinking city like Edmonton, why aren’t our locally brewed beers being served everywhere? Excepting those places who have exclusive deals with Molson-Labatt’s, Edmonton-brewed beers should be available in just about every licensed place in River City.

It’s a shame that our local drinking holes don’t support our local beer. There is a way to fix this, though.

The next time you’re in your favourite bar or restaurant, ask the server if they serve Alley Kat or Amber’s. If they don’t, ask them to start. If enough people ask for it, the management will recognize the demand, and start providing the supply.

So, take action, Edmonton! Demand local beer in local establishments today!

I was originally going to write about Edmonton-based breweries but, in the spirit of the season, I’m going to write about Santas Anonymous.

To me, Santas Anonymous is a great charity. Basically, people donate toys to them, and then they distribute the toys to needy children around Edmonton. What could be better than bringing a smile to the face of a child on Christmas morning?

Yes, there are needy children all around the world, and we need to help them. But, we also need to address the problems in our own backyard.

There is poverty in Edmonton. Ironically, in these boom times, it’s worse than it’s been in a long time. Giving a toy to a kid on Christmas is just one way of helping.

If you’re going to donate a toy, you’ve got to do it now. Volunteers will begin delivering the gifts this weekend, so today is pretty much the last day to donate toys.

Like most years, what is needed most are toys for kids 9-12.

People tend to forget about kids in the older age ranges, for some reason. Maybe the idea of a 5-year-old going without a toy is more heartbreaking than a 12-year-old?

Whatever the case, they need toys and books for older kids. Go buy a G.I. Joe, or a Ninja Turtle, or whatever it is that the kids are playing with these days, and drop it in one of the donation boxes.

If you’re unable to spend the money, you can also give the gift of time. Santas Anonymous needs volunteers to help wrap and deliver gifts: effective immediately. If you’ve got time that you can give, it’s needed just as much as the actual toys.

Maybe it’s just the time of year, but I really do think this is one of the best local charity’s that there is.

My parents struggled financially when I was younger, but they always managed to put toys under the tree.

We were the kind of poor where the kids don’t know that they’re poor. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky.

I never had to go without gifts on Christmas morning, but a lot of kids do, and it’s up to the more prosperous in our society to look after those in need.

Again, you might not be able to afford to buy a toy. But, if you’ve got some spare time, you can help wrap and deliver gifts. And, let’s be honest, we all give to charity because it makes us feel good.

What would make you feel better, putting a toy in a box at the mall, or physically handing it to a needy family?

A lot of people come to this site looking for date ideas. I have written a lot of things on this site that could be considering date ideas. Every time I review a restaurant or a bar, that let’s potential daters know if that place might be a good choice or not.

But, I think I can do a better job of providing you with Edmonton date ideas. So, I’m compiling a list of ideas and putting them here. Feel free to add your own ideas to the comments section.

In addition to the ideas below, don’t forget to check out the Edmonton Restaurant Guide and the Edmonton Nightlife Guide for more ideas. I’ve also written about free fun in Edmonton—dates don’t always have to be expensive, as long as they’re fun and memorable.

Edmonton Date Ideas

• Grab a coffee at an independent cafe (Three Bananas, Axis Cafe, Remedy, etc.).
• Take a long walk through the river valley; this can be done in any season, though the winter might not be ideal, if you’re date doesn’t like the cold.
• West Edmonton Mall is a great choice for the consumerists in the crowd: food, drink, gambling, shopping. Hell, there’s even a hotel if you need quick access to a bed (but, please, avoid the theme rooms, they’re tacky).
• Festivals!
• Go for dinner at any of the River City’s great local restaurants. Some of my personal favourites are: Doan’s, Two Rooms Cafe, and Padmanadi (review).
• Drive. This city is designed for automobiles. Go for a drive around the city, without a destination in mind. Grab some food from a drive-through. The inclusion of fast food means that this is probably not ideal for a first date.
• Smoke shisha together at Co Co Di Restaurant (10160 100A Street).
• Go to a movie. This sounds boring and unoriginal, I know, but Edmontonians are notorious for their love of film (probably because our winters are so damn long). To keep it interesting, avoid the big multiplexes and go see an independent film at the Garneau or the Princess.
• Go for drinks. It’s not particularly unique to Edmonton, but going out for drinks is a great way to get to know one another. Alcohol is a wonderful social lubricant, and can help ease the awkwardness that can accompany those first few dates with a new partner—just make sure not to get drunk and embarrass yourself. Presumably, you’re on a date because you actually want to get to know the other person, not just because you’re hoping to get laid, so choose a pub or a lounge instead of a dance club (this way you’ll actually be able to hold a conversation without shouting). I’d personally recommend Sherlock Holmes or Red Star. Suede Lounge is a nice place too, if you feel like being a bit more trendy.

I don’t normally paste press releases directly onto the blog, but in this case, I think the release summarizes the news more effectively than I can.

I will point out that the deadline for applications is today. If this is something that you’re interested in, you’ll need to send in your application immediately.

***

The City of Edmonton / Next Gen Board Recruiting 2007
Information & online application: www.edmontonnextgen.ca
Note: Closing Date for Applications - November 15, 2007.

Next Gen, a project of The City of Edmonton, is looking for new members. If you are you between the ages of 18-40 & passionate about making Edmonton a city of choice for young people, get in touch!

What is the Next Gen? Next Gen’s mission is to create a city that attracts young people between 18-40 years old and gives voice to the Next Generation in the life/growth of our community. Next Gen is committee that involves a cross-sector of civic-community collaboration, and brings together diverse volunteer Next Gen Edmontonians and staff from City departments. The Committee as a hub for networking and learning events, and fosters leadership opportunities.

Who are we looking for? 8 Community members between the ages of 18-40 who live in Edmonton and have a demonstrated passion for Edmonton. Individuals who are willing to assume a leadership role on projects, initiatives/events and are able to work with volunteers with various backgrounds. Individuals who have Board/Committee experience and/or experience working with volunteers.

Individuals who have unique ideas, perspectives/strategies for implementing the 9 recommendations which focus on the areas of marketing/communications, sports/recreation, business, arts and culture, mentorship, architecture and urban design, transportation, and urban living.

Responsibilities: A time commitment of approximately 10 hours a month which includes preparation time, meetings, attending events, working on projects and initiatives; Attend 10 regularly scheduled meetings of Edmonton’s Next Gen Committee during the year. Meetings are held on a monthly basis at a downtown location every second Monday from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Additional meetings may be held at the call of the Co-Chairs.

Attend/participate on at least one working group of the Next Gen Initiative; working groups meet once a month; these meetings are held on a monthly basis either during the day or evenings; work with committee members/volunteers on various projects/initiatives; participate/represent Next Gen in consultations, focus groups/stakeholder meetings, public events & media.

For more information contact:
Christine.Causing@edmonton.ca
Telephone: (780) 496-4889

# # #

Until recently, I was looking at purchasing a condo. Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances, this isn’t a realistic possibility at the moment.

Despite the high cost of rent in the city, it is still more affordable for me to rent than it is to buy, even after my rent increases to $975 come January.

However, I’d rather not pay that high of a rental rate. Admittedly, as I live in a 2-bedroom apartment, that’s actually a fairly decent rate in the current market. It’s a 50% increase over what I currently pay, but it’s not outside the typical market price.

But, I live alone, and I would like to keep it that way if possible.

I tend not to do well with roommates. And, having got used to living alone over the last 7 months or so, I don’t like the idea of coming home to find someone else sitting on the couch.

If I were living with a girlfriend, or one of my brothers, that would be different. But, excepting those 2 situations, I’m not fond on the idea of living with a roommate. Besides, I’ve done it before, and it nearly destroyed the friendship I had with my roommate at the time.

Because of this, I’m looking for a place with cheaper rent. If I could find a 2-bedroom unit for less than what I’ll be paying here, that would be ideal. That’s not likely to happen, though, so I’m looking at 1-bedroom units.

I’ve called a few places so far, and it seems that they’re all in the $800+ range. At that price, it almost seems better just to stay put. Sure, it will cost more than moving to a 1-bedroom unit, but by fewer than $200 in most cases.

This has got me to wondering if there is anywhere in this city that is still affordable for the average single, middle-class person.

For the average working couple, the rent for a 1 or 2-bedroom apartment isn’t unreasonable. It’s not cheap, but with a double income, it’s not too bad. What about single income households, though?

While I can afford to pay $975 a month, it’s a bit of a stretch. I imagine the same is true for a lot of other people, as well.

There is low income housing the in city (though, not nearly enough of it), but I make too much money to qualify for it. I feel like I’m in the weird position of feeling as if I’m living on a low income, ironically due to the fact that I’m not. It’s very strange.

Ideally, I’d like a place that has a balcony. In fact, unless I get really desperate, I won’t even consider a place that doesn’t have a balcony. It must also have a powered parking stall.

It would be nice if I could find a place in a pet-friendly building. I don’t have pets, but I wouldn’t mind getting a cat or similar small animal if I was renting a place that allowed it. That’s not a requirement, though.

If anyone happens to know of a place that might suit my needs, I’d appreciate if you could give me a shout about it. I think I’d prefer to wait until January to start seriously looking, since I’d rather not be moving over the holidays (which, given that it’s already halfway through November, and I am required to give 30 days notice to end my lease, would basically be inevitable if I were to find a place in the near future). But, if the price is right, I’d be willing to move over the holidays.

The real question I want to ask though, isn’t about my situation specifically. It’s a much more general question.

Is there anywhere in Edmonton that still charges a reasonable price for rent?

I was looking at the keywords that bring search traffic to River City Writer this morning.

While most of the keywords are related to Edmonton, I was surprised by one of the long-tail terms that brought in someone from Winnipeg: winnipeg prostitute throw facebook group.

Not quite sure what exactly this searcher could possibly have been looking for, aside from a Facebook group involving Winnipeg prostitutes…and throwing (throwing what?), I plugged the query into Google. The results were surprising.

It turns out, there is a Facebook group dedicated to discussing throwing things at hookers in Winnipeg.

According to the CBC:

Gloria Enns, an outreach worker who counsels sex-trade workers at Sage House in Winnipeg, said the ugly pranks being discussed online are real.

“They are not just talking about it and internet e-mailing about it, but they’re actually doing it. We’ve had women who were assaulted with thrown bricks in their face. One had a full bottle of beer thrown in her face,” she said.

“I know that those people on the site represent a tip of an iceberg of hatred out there, and of people who are willing to be violent against women.”

Winnipeg police said they are looking into the site’s content and its members. Throwing an object at someone could be considered assault, they said, and charges could be laid.

While this is pretty fucked up, the sad truth of the matter is that this sort of thing doesn’t just occur in Winnipeg.

It happens in Edmonton, too.

When I was in high school, an acquaintance started telling me about a game that he and his friends had played on the weekend, called Spoons.

The game involves driving down streets known to be frequented by prostitutes, and throwing spoons at hookers from a moving vehicle. If you hit the woman, you get a point.

If you miss, you have to get out of the car and retrieve the spoon. This, you don’t want to do, because it means potentially getting your ass kicked by the prostitute.

It also means having to confront the fact that you’re playing a game that is essentially about degrading a fellow human being.

I’m not sure that I need to say more about this. I’d like to think that it’s universally accepted that this sort of thing isn’t cool.

But, people are obviously still doing it, so there are still people who think it’s acceptable to treat another person like an animal, simply because they aren’t as privileged as they are.

I honestly don’t even know what else to say about this, other than that I find it pretty abhorrent.

What’s your take on it?