When degradation works in our favour

There are perks to being a man.

You know how, as a society, we do this thing where something evil eventually becomes part of mainstream culture? I'm talking about the cycle where something starts off as an underground signifier, gathers counter-cultural momentum (usually with a young generation), becomes established and eventually is accepted as a societal norm. Some examples might include: Galileo's theory of the universe, electric guitars, dancing, smoking pot and Ellen DeGeneres.

Well, currently we are witnessing the gradual acceptance of a previously taboo activity. And it really, really snuck up on us.

Pole Dancing.

Think about this. Consider your reaction when you read the above statement. It was probably something along the lines of "Pole Dancing? That's not so bad. It's a good workout. I wonder if that place is free for stagettes?"

It's remarkable. There's pole dancing videos on YouTube, many of which are tutorials. Women appreciate the athletic coordination required and want to take lessons. There is a national championship for many countries, and some women are lobbying for it to become an Olympic sport.

Essentially, as a man, you fall into two camps on this one: you have a daughter, or you do not.

If you do not, this is a golden age for humanity.

If you do, this is the equivalent of growing up in the cold war era of whoredom.

The pole is proving an even crueler double edged sword than ever we could have imagined.

Say your daughter takes pole dancing lessons recreationally. Say she then falls on hard times. Well, she has all these skills already, what might a natural stop-gap employment option become? The greatest fear of every father -- nay, the sole purpose -- is keeping your girl off the pole.

Yes, I am aware having a skill set does not preclude a conscious decision. However, this is like sending your child to meth-cooking class for summer camp and saying the skills will prove useful in AP chemistry. Just don't use that knowledge for anything bad kids!

The YouTube factor (a very accurate gauge of day-to-day society I find) is even more amusing. Sights that we once had to pay money to sit in a sticky club for are now available at the click of a mouse for pre-pubescent teens worldwide. The bonus? It's legal and culturally justified! No content warning! No secrecy! No stigma! (OK, less stigma.)

Being in the no daughter camp, I'm not going to lie; I am greatly pleased by the fact that I can watch Miss Pole Dance Australia on a whim, or some chick who calls herself a "vertical ballerina", or a talent show that places pole-dancing right there alongside break dancing and stand up comics.

And for proponents who think it can be carried by it's technical merits solely? Please, go ahead. Take all the eroticism out of it. Make it as kosher as you'd like. But you'll sell me a bridge before I believe that if Nastia Liukin hoped onto a pole in her Team USA uniform, males wouldn't flock from the five continents to judge her technical score.

You can put an ugly sweater on Natalie Portman and call her dowdy, but sometimes there's just no hiding the truth.

It's a great time to be a man.

I hope I never have a daughter.