Possibly a Perv

Here in Belfast, the 2005 Irish Dancing Championship is in full swing. As the location, Waterfront Hall, is right next to our hotel, Debra and I sauntered over and paid our admission fee. Irish dancing isn't really our cuppa camomile, but we had a couple of hours to kill, and the championship promised to be a good opportunity to study an interesting cultural phenomenon and take some memorable pictures.

Photographing the actual performance turned out to be verboten, but the lady at the ticket booth told me I was allowed to take pictures of the dancers in the roomy hallways, where they were practicing, doing exercises, and dolling themselves up before being called onto the stage. That sounded more interesting to me anyway, as it would possibly provide a truer glimpse into what makes the participants tick. So for about 45 minutes, I smiled at (and with) the proud contestants and their hangers-on, and took shots left and right. Without exception, everyone seemed only too happy to pose.

Then my picture-snapping drew the attention of one of the championship organizers, who took it upon herself to clear my presence with a supervisor before I was once again allowed to proceed. Not that she seemed very pleased about it. Hardly five minutes after that, a representative of Waterfront Hall cornered me and told me to stop taking pictures since I wasn't an "accredited photographer". To my astonishment, she then explained the reasoning for allowing only pre-approved shutterbugs on the premises: "It's for the safety of the children, you see." No, I didn't see, I said — what on earth did she mean? What was she implying I was about to do with my pictures? "That's just it," she said. "We don't know."

She was essentially telling me to my face that I might be a child-porn fiend and a smut peddler.

Granted, the dancers today were mostly young — about 8 to 17. And although I wasn't taking pictures in any dressing rooms, natch, and was in fact in a public area within plain sight of a hundred or more adults — with my wife in tow at all times! — it didn't matter. The mere fact that I was there with a professional-looking camera was giving this woman the willies. "Did anyone complain?" I asked, still trying to grasp where she was coming from. "No," she conceded. "I'm just telling you what our policy is. I'm sure you understand."

Well, no. "For the safety of the children..." Is there a secret network of Irish-dance pervs I should know about? People who get off on Michael Flatley videos? More importantly, are we now all so paranoid about imagined dangers to our kids that any man who has the temerity to take pictures of them at a public event is considered a sexual predator until he somehow proves his innocence?

I put my camera away — but honestly, hours later, the foul taste still hasn't disappeared.

[posted by Rogier]

Comments

[Poustman]

I recall an old SNL skit 'Ruining It For Everyone' or something like that. Satirical look at how some of these things originated.

Jerks and freaks go beyond the pale, so others feel they have to go beyond the pale in prevention to counteract the jerks and freaks. Regular people who are harmless are the only ones who really are hit, because the jerks and freaks will simply go further still beyond the new boundaries. Meanwhile the jerks and freaks have succeeded in changing things enough so that most people feel a low background paranoia much of the time. Sucks.

[Hermes Ten]

As an amateur photographer in America I simply don't take photos of children because of the very atmosphere you describe. It's too dangerous. And every man with a camera is a suspect these days, even if the subject isn't children. It goes like this: if you're taking photos of people you're a pervert; and if you're taking photos of buildings or structures you're a terrorist. I think you can still take photos of dogs and cats though, and perhaps flowers and sunsets.

[Norbert Jensen]

I (German) recently visited Ireland and photography wasn't allowed at an astounding lot of places, for example the National Museum in Dublin. Couldn't even take a photo of the dome in the entrance hall before someone rushed by (I was interested in taking shots of the architecture, not even the exhibitions themselves).

About the described paranoia, it seems to be a problem of the English speaking countries. I haven't heard of such nonsense here.. yet.