Someone wise used to say “character is what you show when you think nobody’s looking”. There’s no better example of this than former US VP Algore’s apparent attack on the international therapeutic massage industry. It took some time to settle in, but the ramifications of what Algore has allegedly done are far-reaching.
This industry has worked so hard to put forth the image of therapy and healing and has done a terrific job creating a level of comfort and credibility into its ethics (including that no sexual contact take place, so asking a licensed massage therapist for sex is asking them to reject their professional standards), that no one but the densest pigheaded idiot around would think that when you call for a therapeutic massage that you’re going to get “your chakra released” (link).
Now as a public figure, you’re supposed to be a role model. You (broadcasting from your mansion with a $1300/per month energy bill) tell people to go buy hybrids, and a whole bunch do. You (fly in on a private jet and) tell them to calculate their carbon footprint, and they probably do, while chanting “reduce, reuse, recycle”. How many Gorebots are going to be out there now looking for happy endings after getting their “adductors” massaged?
Among the friends who are connoiseurs of therapeutic massage, I always thought it took some stones to get nekkid under the cover. I always keep the boxer shorts on. There’s kind of a trust there, me being a married man, and you never want the masseuse (I only patronize females) to think you’re looking for “that kind of massage”.
When you look at how much a massage therapist makes for the work they do, it’s not all that much. How many hours per day could you give massages? I don’t know the answer to that but it couldn’t be an eight hour shift, and it IS physical labor. So there you are, a former Vice President who always was on the side of women and workers (right? of course…) and you’re going to say for $75 dollars or so this woman should do what? No, keep your tip Mr. Vice President, nobody wants to see it. For that money, who would want to take the risk of some eco-weenie wanting to show you his?
Now I don’t know what the market price is for the “other massage” or related services, but I imagine that there are two classes: the ones doing it for drugs (which would be less expensive) and those doing it for high-end clients (like Governors or New York and nearby states southwest of New York), which would be more expensive. So not only would he be sexually assaulting her but also insulting the heck out of the masseuse by placing her in the lower, “doing it for drugs” price range.
I don’t see this being prosecuted because it’s difficult to prove, but I enjoy seeing Algore humiliated after attacking this industry of hardworking entrepreneurs (link):
PORTLAND, Ore. — Detectives interviewed former U.S. Vice President Al Gore this past week in San Francisco, a law enforcement source has confirmed to KATU News.
Portland police detectives interviewed Gore on Thursday, questioning him further about allegations that he sexually abused a licensed a massage therapist.
Investigators had filed a special report in January 2007, recording the massage therapist’s claims that Gore grabbed and groped her when she gave him a massage at a Portland hotel in October 2006. The woman went public in a June 23 National Enquirer story and held up “soiled” pants for a June 30 Enquirer cover.
On July 1, the Portland Police Bureau reopened its sexual assault investigation into the former vice president. Officials said the extra review was needed as detectives looking into the matter this past year failed to notify high-ranking officials of the decision to drop the case.
The Enquirer has published the stories of two other massage therapists. Those therapists, who worked at hotels in Tokyo and Los Angeles, have also claimed Gore made unwanted sexual advances toward them.
Now with more allegations out there (link), it’s becoming more clear that Al Gore apparently puts “the rapist” back in massage therapist.