Well, we're back from Las Vegas. It truly was a world unto itself - a pretty sordid world. Never before have I seen quite the level of open encouragement to indulge yourself in all your basest vices, as I did in that city. Signs glimpsed by Papaya Daddy & myself: "Seven deadly sins: one convenient location", "Seven deadly sins? We demand a recount!", and "Finance your fun with our bank!". [Aside: can you name the seven deadly sins*? We looked them up when we got home. They really aren't all that glamorous or exciting - my guess is the sign makers didn't know what they were, either.]
There were fun things to do in Vegas. But the enormous casinos you had to drag your kids through in order to get anywhere bothered me, the endless smokiness everywhere bothered me, the crowds bothered me, and the in-your-face money extraction industry bothered me. (Evidently 86% of Vegas visitors gamble, with the average visitor spending $626 just on gambling! And I didn't see a single gambler who looked like they were enjoying themselves. That's a lot of money to waste on something that isn't fun!) But all this paled in front of the shameless peddling of women, everywhere, all the time. I don't consider myself a prude, & I'm not just talking about the enormous billboards and flat panel displays of almost-naked women everywhere. I'm talking about the newspaper vending machines (free) every fifty feet or so, chock-full of open pornography flyers & details on how to buy the women pictured (okay, so the women had small stars over their nipples to keep this from being "frank" porn - not a lot of difference in my book). I'm talking about the men handing out "business cards" with pictures of naked women and their prices ($49 special)! I'm talking about the way these cards were strewn over every single sidewalk, as well as stuck into railings, trash can cracks, etc. I'm talking about the guys wearing T-shirts that said, "Hot Babes - Delivered to your door in 20 minutes!" who accosted you as you strolled. I'm talking about the billboard trucks that drove slowly up and down the Strip all day long, picturing naked women in suggestive positions on beds & the number to call so they could appear on your bed. I'm talking about the almost 200 Yellow Pages of "escort services" in the phone book. It really made me angry (one of the seven deadly sins, by the way, but maybe it was an appropriate anger).
To my surprise, I found out once I got back that prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas & Clark County (although it is legalized in smaller counties of Nevada)! Obviously it is a law that is not taken very seriously - from what I can find out, enforcement is limited to occasionally arresting the prostitutes themselves. This seems to be missing the point. Maybe they could do something about the demand, the nauseating advertising, the open invitation to "Come & sin all you like! It's fun and there are no consequences here!" - perhaps occasionally arrest somebody who hires a prostitute? The US State Department suspects that Las Vegas is one of the main US hubs of international human trafficking (modern slavery), with most victims forced into the sex industry.
The one thing on the Strip that I really loved were the fountains at the Bellagio. There were hundreds of jets, covering an enormous area, and occasionally they "performed" a choreographed routine to a piece of music. The talented fountains expertly interpreted a fairly wide range of musical genres, sometimes spurting up to 200 feet in the air. It was delightful, fun, awe-inspiring (for a water-lover like me), and helped to wash away some of the visual pollution paining my eyes. The one irony of the fountains occurred when they "performed" to a somewhat sappy, sentimental song with the refrain, "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free." I thought it was an odd choice of song in a city that celebrates one's worst instincts, where thousands of people are encouraged to further enslave themselves to gambling addictions as they lose their savings to large, rich casino owners ("finance your fun"), and where human trafficking thrives in an openly supportive environment.
We were so glad to get away and gaze upon wide, open, clean spaces once again. The kids & I did have fun, but I do not feel the need to return - ever. Even though I never did get to see the volcano at the Mirage erupt!
***The seven deadly sins are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath (or anger), envy, and pride (worst of all). They were believed to lead to deadly deeds & destroy the life of grace in those who indulged in them.
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2 comments:
Auntie 'P' and I agree with you.
I've had opportunity to visit Sin Vegas before, it holds no allure.
Watch the second movie of the Godfather Trilogy if you've never seen it.
It is principally about the NY mob's move to Vegas.
Even though Puzo meant it to be fiction, the characters are thinly veiled, and based on real people.
It is also a marvelous job of acting by Al Pacino, showing a decent man's descent into evil monstrosity.
We really enjoy your writings!
I won't always write about sports, but when that topic crosses my mind you can take the night off!
Heather, so when's our next girl's FUN TRIP to Vegas? Honestly, I can't see the attraction there for any reason. The details you recount are really disturbing, as if it's fun to engage in the shameless objectification of women. Glad you enjoyed the fountain, though! You always were a sucker for moving water.
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