In case you haven't heard people go to bars on George Street, get drunk, do stupid things and it is their own responsibility. If you agree with that statement then we'll get along just fine. If not then keep reading and we'll see where we end up.
There's this guy named Kirill who somehow has made a career of taking crappy pictures of drunk people doing stupid things in clubs. While I happen to think that his career is the real crime here I'll carry on accepting that you can make a career out of most anything if you're willing to leave your conscience at the door.
Back to Kirill. He was here at club Allure a while ago a made a bit of a stir because there were underage girls in the club (not his fault) at the time and some topless photos were posted on his website. It was the talk of old St. John's town for 5 minutes or so and then it passed. And now he's coming back again.
So once again we give media coverage (read "free publicity") to a guy who knows how to play the game very well indeed. If that wasn't bad enough there's a petition online to ban him from George Street clubs.
Now let me be clear that generally speaking I think this guy is a douchebag. He exploits drunk people, mostly women, to make his career. But at the same time consider that if you skim his pictures there are no forced pictures or video, and everyone certainly appears to be having a grand old time. Is it stupid? Yes. Is it illegal? No. The end.
If we started banning every asshole and idiot with questionable morals from George Street the place would be a ghost town. Not to mention the fact that we live in a free society where people can do as they please, and that includes getting drunk and getting photographed doing stupid shit. Proposing a ban for a person is fucking stupid. If you don't like what he stands for then don't go. If you really hate what he does then convince others not to go. If you want him to fail and have to choose another way to make his money then be smart and talk sensibly to young men and women about making responsible choices. And then accept that won't work and carry on.
Banning people you don't agree with is just this side of book burning. Grow up and accept that there are a whole bunch of people out there who do things you don't like. If you don't agree with people then work to change the conversation or shut up.
Cheers.
