I don't get it. There's blatant prostitution/peep shows going on at the carnival, yet at the same time, it's trying to provide family entertainment. Wouldn't families be put off by this going on at the same location that they're at with their kids?
shareMy take on it would be that this was from a time period where the man totally wore the pants in the family. Women had no real say back then and hubby ruled the roost. Now I'm sure maybe some families were exceptions, but definitely most were dependant on the husband/father/man.
That being said, the women had to obey their man and if he sent them one way at the carnivale while he went to the peep show she just did what she was told, like it or not. It was probably a pleasant diversion from the hardship of keeping care of the house and kids that was what she focused on. The kids definitely just saw the fun and games. (well daddy too come to think of it )
Its been a while since I actually watched the show, but I don't think the peep show was down the main "midway" and its not like Rita-Sue and the girls were hawking their wares out in the open........
Well apparently the show has them because back in the day they were a real thing. I'm sure separate from the more family friendly attractions. TBH I don't pay super close attention to where the attractions are generally set up in the carnival but it seems like the "cootch shows" are held kind of out the way and to the back.
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"Betty's voice brought darkness to the land." - Amanda Tanen
Even so, it's at the same location. Where it goes on is really not relevant. Let me put it to you this way - if prostitution was going on at Disney World (even if it was hidden behind closed doors out of sight), would you still take your family there?
shareThat's kind of besides the point. You're also viewing it from a totally wrong perspective. These people live in the Great Depression, times and attitudes especially among the people this carnival is catering to was totally different. And the fact is that people DID take their entire families to carnivals in the past and many of those carnivals had cootch shows. So the fact that it happened often answers your question. I'm sure there were people who DIDN'T like it but these carnivals wouldn't have included them if it didn't draw a crowd, also back then parents would have no problem sending their children on their own to ride rides while they attended a peep show.
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"Betty's voice brought darkness to the land." - Amanda Tanen
I'm not saying that the show is inaccurate. Also, back in the 30s, weren't people far more religious than they are today? Most people back then went to church every weekend, while today that's very rare. Seems strange for church going folk to want to attend such a carnival with their families.
shareI agree it's strange, but that's people for you. Ha.
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"Betty's voice brought darkness to the land." - Amanda Tanen
@prydain: You're absolutely correct. My old man did just that. LOL
"...the dick swagger you roll with; I'd think you could spot crazy pussy". Rust
These weren't family affairs. Not in the sense you're thinking of. While you might take kids there, or they might go on their own, this was not "wholesome" entertainment. There's a reason that carnies have a seedy reputation. They were associated with disreputable raucous entertainments.
Part of our perception of these things has been changed by theme parks like Disneyland. But Walt Disney specifically imagined his theme park as an antidote the carnival culture of his youth: the theme park would be clean, orderly, and wholesome for the whole family.
Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.
I remember going to carnivals when I was a kid in the 70s and there were freak shows and cootch tents even then. You don't see them anymore because it's not pc and prostitution is internet driven now in the US at least.
"...the dick swagger you roll with; I'd think you could spot crazy pussy". Rust
Carnival's of the past were very much different to those of today. For example you do not see "freak" shows anymore unless you are specifically looking for that particular type of show. You won't see the fat lady, or the bearded woman, lizzard boy etc. And what made these types of shows really any better than the peep shows? In todays world there are many more oppertunities for people with "deformities" than there once were and "freak" is almost a non existant term even though these people exist...In Season 1, the lobster girl Ben goes to see, she really is a lobster girl it wasn't prostetics shes from a long line of them shes like 6th generation. Mathew McGrory from Season 1 the "giant" he is very real...he left the show and eventually died of his deformities. I know you ask about prostetution but I just wondered about why freak shows were anymore family fare
sharejust a few years ago, the San Gennaro festival in New York had a freak show.
Don't forget, for some of these people, carnivals were a legitimate way to earn a living, not to mention being around people who accepted them as they were.
And some ended up quite well off in their old age and retirement if they had been careful with their savings. People with severe deformities don't always have avenues of employment. And going into a freak show was, let's face it, not strenuous work - as long as you didn't mind the staring and gawking.
Still it was better than trying to live off charity ...
It was pretty standard fare for a carnival of that era.
shareLet me put it to you this way - if prostitution was going on at Disney World (even if it was hidden behind closed doors out of sight), would you still take your family there?That would be the only reason I'd take my family there.
its only a problem in the hypocritical Land o the Free,
why she was hung as a Harlot; but ok for men to pay to see it
due to the whole Puritan / Libertarian [ you know, titties & cunny = bad/ lynching = ok ; antiabortion but pro death penalty] amerikkan dichotomy
This was before the disease of political correct "family values" infested society. And you can find similar setups in just about every western film, where a big whorehouse is at the very center of town and people go there all the time, without there being any shame in it.
Prostitution has always been a part of society, and it was not anything you'd need to shelter children from, until religious zealots started going all puritan.