Capitalism’s Triumph: The Case of the Lusty Lady

Abstract

As the title of this chapter indicates, capitalism did indeed triumph in the case of the strip club/peep show, the Lusty Lady but not without a fight. The Lusty Lady workers were extremely devoted to being both a cooperative and unionized. In fact, one of the former dancers, Lily Burana wrote a piece for The Atlantic that sums up how they felt, she said:

To many of us, dancers, patrons, and support staff alike, the closing of the Lusty Lady means not just the demise of a singular San Francisco institution, but another nail in the coffin of the Bay Area’s Bohemian class—a triumph of capitalism over native culture. The way of all things in this town, it appears, at least for now. So, Lusty Lady, as we must, we surrender you to the ages and to the clutches of big business. Oh, sweet Lady, you dive, you dreambox, you were something special. You will be missed. (2013)