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From KSL:

Some students say health club showing pornography
January 16th, 2008 @ 10:00pm

Some college students in Utah County are calling some music videos pornographic, and they are trying to get a health club to take them off its screen.

The controversy involves two Gold's Gym locations in Utah County frequented by BYU and UVSC students. Five organizations are banding together to keep the videos from being shown at the gyms.

The organizations that fight pornography in the community are upset with the videos at the gym and say they have collected nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition calling on Gold's Gym to quit showing the videos.

Gold's Gym officials here in Utah agreed to hear their concerns this afternoon, as the students prepared to protest.

The Gold's Gym near the BYU campus is one of 19 Gold's Gyms in Utah. A majority of this gym's customers are BYU students. Dallen Johnson says, "I've had to leave, honestly! There have been four times I've run out of the cardio cinema because of racy and inappropriate things being shown, things I personally view as pornography."

The students have documented five music videos played on the Gold's Gym music video network which they call objectionable. Jesse Yaffe says, "Once you are a member here, you basically don't have the choice anymore. You're forced to watch indecent material because you go where there's a TV. They've got the Gold's Gym membership network, and certain videos they play are extremely indecent, and some are outright pornography."

The protesters say Gold's Gym is not the only business they are concerned about. "The things I see the most is people have no idea how it affects people and how widespread it is and how serious of an issue it is," says Nicole Braden.

Managers at Gold's Gym told Eyewitness News today they use Gold's TV network instead of cable channels like MTV to offer more conservative videos but can't control individual videos that are shown.

They say cardio machines have individual monitors which allow gym members to watch any channel they want.

Gold's says music helps to energize people who are there to exercise and say they don't want anyone to be offended at the gym during their workout experience.

The students gave Gold's 10 days to remedy their concerns before they start picketing the health club. They outlined four specific issues they'd like resolved:

- No rated R movies or sexually explicit or racy PG-13 movies.

- Change the content of Gold's Broadcasting Network or don't show the Network.

- Keep external TV's on decent and clean stations, or let members choose the channels themselves.

- Install blinds on the aerobics room to block the dancing, which is very provocative.

Let me see if I have this straight. Some PG-13 movies are pornographic, and we should be shielded from aerobics classes because they are "provocative."

Oh jeez. Anyone here that goes to the gym regularly knows that the outfits worn by patrons are far more “pornographic” than anything that could be shown on the TVs. Some people really need to find a hobby.

<--- (Reads books on the treadmill while exercising peripheral vision)

I'm going to picket my local YMCA unless Mr. Sweaty, who's always on the elliptical machine in front of me, wears a tighter, more binding jock strap because I personally view it as pornographic and provocative.

Seriously though, just what is Nicole Braden saying in this quote about how the protestors are worried about more than just Gold's Gym? "The things I see the most is people have no idea how it affects people and how widespread it is and how serious of an issue it is." Is there an epidemic of provocative aerobic excericise? Or is she talking about how some people think parts of popular cutlure are "too suggestive" and others don't? In other words, contemporary life in general? Good luck picketing that.

Blixa wrote:I'm going to picket my local YMCA unless Mr. Sweaty, who's always on the elliptical machine in front of me, wears a tighter, more binding jock strap because I personally view it as pornographic and provocative.

Seriously though, just what is Nicole Braden saying in this quote about how the protestors are worried about more than just Gold's Gym? "The things I see the most is people have no idea how it affects people and how widespread it is and how serious of an issue it is." Is there an epidemic of provocative aerobic excericise? Or is she talking about how some people think parts of popular cutlure are "too suggestive" and others don't? In other words, contemporary life in general? Good luck picketing that.

I would personally like to picket this sentence.

Funny stuff. I go to a gold's gym in utah county 4 times a week.

In the cinema, they don't show r-rated movies. If you don't like the pg13 movies they show in the cardio cinema - DON'T GO IN THERE! I only ever go in there if they're showing something I want to see. Jeez.
The tvs showing the 'golds gym network' are few and far between. If you don't like what's on that station - DON'T watch that TV! There are plenty of other tvs. Besides - I've never seen ANYTHING pornographic on them. They basically show MTV type videos (which can be racy - but they're not pornographic). Again - don't watch it if you don't want to!
Install blinds to the aerobics room? Are you serious? You're at a freaking gym people! The girls are going to be wearing sports bras! They're going to be doing various 'dancing moves'! If you can't work out without taking your eyes of the women doing kickboxing, while being mesmerized and getting a boner, you've got deeper issues than the golds gym policies.

This is insane. And people wonder why BYU has a 'holier than thou' reputation.

This could be a parody, if it weren't for real. lol.

Runtu wrote: Dallen Johnson says, "I've had to leave, honestly! There have been four times I've run out of the cardio cinema because of racy and inappropriate things being shown, things I personally view as pornography."

Run! Run for your lives! Wait a minute, wouldn't racy shows help your cardio?

Install blinds on the aerobics room to block the dancing, which is very provocative.

LOL!

Like I've said before, Mormonism keeps their members at a pre-teen to teenage level in mentality.

You are not being forced to have a membership there. BYU has facilities you can use. Nobody is forcing you to watch the TV, turn your head away or change the channel on your personal video. Nobody is locking the doors to keep you in. It is a private establishment that you are PAYING to use. Demand a refund and GTFO.

Why doesn't the Mormon Cult just come out and force all women to wear burkas? Mormon women are responsible for a man's sexuality. If a man is aroused, it is the fault of a woman. If a man rapes a woman, the woman is responsible because, well, she was walking pornography. Mormon Cult leaders should just issue a mandatory burka for all Mormon women to keep them from tempting those poor Mormon males.

What about all the nudity in the locker rooms? It's dangerous for BYU students with SSA issues!


Phaedrus

Some of this is obviously silly: e.g., having to be shielded from aerobic dancing?? And Latter-day Saints don't seem to have ever know what the word "pornography" means. If the exposure of more of the body than is usually seen is "pornography," then, of course, so is much of the great art of the West over the last 2500 years. So, much of this is too silly to give any credence to.

On the other hand, I do think there's a lot of crap shown on the videos of the Gold's Gym Broadcasting Network. Much of it, in line with our culture more broadly, reinforces values of materialism--that life is about having wealth, fame, and a perfect body. (Of course, the latter belief is one that's in the gym's interest, though I don't necessarily think that's why they show such videos. Videos like this are standard fare. They reflect broader values.)

I listen to the music at the gym, and like much of it. And I occasionally watch some of the more interesting videos. Most of the time, though, I read, which is an option for many others as well. Gold's Gym also offers a number of options for what shows people watch. There are various stations, and they can be hooked up to through headphones. So, perhaps some compromise could be reached, in which fewer TVs play the Gold's Gym network, more people tune in to other channels at their own discretion, and LDS gym-goers learn that aerobics are really okay.

Don

Phaedrus Ut wrote:What about all the nudity in the locker rooms? It's dangerous for BYU students with SSA issues!


Phaedrus

I for one am tired of having to look at old man butt.

*Sung in my best Tevye voice*:
Petition... PETITION!

Who Knows wrote:Install blinds to the aerobics room? Are you serious? You're at a freaking gym people! The girls are going to be wearing sports bras! They're going to be doing various 'dancing moves'! If you can't work out without taking your eyes of the women doing kickboxing, while being mesmerized and getting a boner, you've got deeper issues than the golds gym policies.

LOL!!

Hey, WK, I didn't know you were local. I've been to the various Utah Valley Gold's Gyms a number of times. Ironically, the gym a few blocks from BYU is the one where one is most likely to be mesmerized by scantily clad women working out. Perhaps the gym should just ban BYU students...

Don