How's the for a story to get people angry? Family campaigners last night blasted a group for teaching pole dancing to girls aged 7.Yeah, it does seem wrong. I know people say schools should be less academic and teach skills that will be useful to their students in their future jobs, but that's not aiming that high, is it?
The controversy started when they put pictures of the classes online. A spokesman for Christian group the Mothers' Union said: "Children are being targeted with an activity that's part of a male club culture which objectifies women."
He makes a good point. But dressing up in a school uniform with pig-tails also does that; good luck trying to ban that in schools.
The teacher, 18-year-old Jess Leanne Norris insisted that "nothing rude is going on". She said: "What I teach is pole fitness - nothing else. I've never received any complaints."
It's all about branding. If you call it a "pole dancing lesson for kids" it seems wrong, but if you call it "advanced fireman pole training" people won't mind.
Kate Eaton, whose seven-year-old daughter "loves" the classes, added: "It's not sexual. I've put pictures on Facebook because she wants people to see what she can do."
It is innocent but it just seems too easy to make it seem seedy that it might just be a bad idea from the start.
I don't think it was helped by the other class being held in the gym at the same time, the under-10s Monopoly money throwing lessons.
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