After reading this article I could not help but wonder the
reasoning for the rise in the idea of sex tourism over the past years. The
authors do a great job in giving what their interpretations are for the rise in
sex tourism and it is directly related to globalization. The fact of the matter
is that countries are no longer made up of just the people that have been born
on piece of land, but have vastly been diversified over the years, and thus has
resulted and many different cultural changes as well. With migration and
tourism, which is directly talked about in the article, the opportunity for sex
consumers and sex workers is greatly increased. I think the authors bring up a
great point in saying whether a person is traveling for tourism or migration,
both scenarios are justified as a person is looking for something better than
what their current location can offer. However, with that being said, the idea
of tourism and migration can be a direct result of sex consumers and sex
workers. These tourists are able to afford to travel to exotic places in which
they can experience different sexual pleasures, yet, as the authors talk about,
employment is at an all time high for people, let alone immigrants, and
unfortunately this is a direct connection to the increase in sex workers. I am
not sure if this is an accurate statement or question, but is it safe to assume
that with these tourists traveling to exoctic places has directly resulted in
the increase of sex workers? I personally believe that it does because if there
was not a demand for sex workers, then there would not be a need for them.
I
think it is important to understand that not all tourism is taken with the idea
of sexual pleasures, but at the same time, as I mentioned earlier if tourist
were not seeking sexual pleasures than there would not be a demand for these
sex workers. The article quotes, “prostituion has become a big business, and
the traffic in persons has taken on new and more sophisticated and extended on
an unforeseen scale to become an international trade…” (pg. 549) Meanwhile “The
Economist” estimates that the global sex industry is worth atleast $20 billion
a year. So obviously there is a demand for this industry or numbers this mind
boggling would cease to exist.
I
was not surprised to see that men are the ones seeking these sex workers, while
the sex workers are typically made up of women, usually poor women of color.
Unfortunately our society has continued with the idea that men are the ones
with the power and women are the ones who are supposed to succomb to that
power. There is not a better portrayal of this then the idea of sex. Last year
in Professor Harris’ class we talked about how sex is directly related to our
society in terms of when the male orgasm’s sex is typically over, whether the
women has been satisfied or not. Going back to the previous point in which
researchers have discover that the sex tourists are typically made up of men
and the workers are typically made up of females, the article does a great job
in raising the point that this is mainly because men are usually the ones that
can afford these types of pleasures. Being able to go on vacation alone is a
lot of money, but men can afford to pay for their sexual desires, while women
are typically what these males are seeking. This idea that males are the ones
with the ability to do these things will not change because as we have seen
over the course of this semester, men are not willing to give up any power to
the female class, and despite the rise in power by the female population, men
are still the ones in control.
After
reading this article I couldn’t help but think of the movie “Taken”, which is
about an American girl who travels to a foreign country, but is taken by a
group who is known for capturing American women and selling their bodies to
rich males as sex slaves. This movie directly connects to the idea that these white,
American women are more valuable than the other women who are on the sex worker
market. I thought this was a good connection to the article as it portrayed the
extremely negative ideas that are associated with sex tourism.
Emily Hunter- I, like Keith, agreed with the fact the article identified migration and tourism as the leading factors for the increase in sex tourism around the world. I like how Keith summarized this by explaining that whether a person is traveling for tourism or migration-the person is always looking for something better than what they have. Yet while both parties desire to gain something they do not have, the ultimate goals are different. The tourists, usually being male, hope to gain access to exotic women that will fulfill their sexual fantasies, while the immigrants will usually be attempting to escape a country ridden by war, poverty, and/or famine. Clearly, the tourists are attempting to acquire something for personal satisfaction and “increased quality of life”, while the immigrants are simply trying to create a life in which they are able to survive.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Keith’s question regarding whether the increase in sex tourism is directly linked to the increase in tourists, I feel that while the two are connected, they may not be directly correlated. For example, there are other confounding factors that determine the number of sex workers in a country. One of these factors is government/societal regulations in regard to immigrant workers. If immigrants are prevented from acquiring high-paying professional jobs, the immigrants will be forced to find jobs that will bring in money, sometimes resulting in sex work. But, of course, if the demand and profit was not accessible because of a decrease in the tourists’ demand for sex tourism, then the immigrants most likely would find a more profitable form of work.
Finally, in regard to the movie “Taken”, while I have never seen the film, it seems this movie also hints at the race value of sex workers and the sex hierarchy that forms because of race. Given the girl captured is American and white, she may be treated as a high end prostitute for the men that live in the country. Darker skinned workers, who are usually lower on the sex worker hierarchy, would more likely be targeted at tourists who are looking for exotic pleasure.
Similar to Keith, I have seen the movie "Taken" (love Liam Neeson!). The pivotal point of the movie that portrays the value of women is at the end when the announcer says, "we save the best for last", and the American girl is up there and is sold for exponentially more money compared to the rest of the women. This article also made me think about a documentary I watched on MSNBC about the sex trade in America. Obviously this is the more gruesome side of the industry, but there are people out there that buy immigrants and employ them underground and it happens in almost every city across the globe. As Emily commented on the connection between increase of tourists and the increase of sex tourism, I believe they do correlate, and the sad truth is it does make sense from an economic standpoint. If people enjoy the product, you should keep supplying it - the premise of supply and demand. But, it's important to recognize that this isn't a pair of shoes that is popular or some Barbie, it's an actual human being and I believe that this might not be recognized partially do to the fact that men see these women as destinations - a quick time out from the real world along with the language barrier.
ReplyDeleteJohn G. - I agree with a lot of what is said in your response. First off I think your third paragraph raises interesting points about the male domination over females in our society today. I couldn't help but think about how this whole sex tourism concept plays right into the hands of "Male>Female" in different societies around the world. It also supports the notion that it is only really men who get to go off and travel on their own and do as they please. It makes you think that women don't have the freedom that men do, which is wrong and really made me think.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as both Keith and Jenn touched on, I have to say after reading the article for 20 seconds I couldn't help but think about the movie Taken (which i just saw again 8 days ago). It really hits home when you think about girls you know that are traveling abroad. And as Jenn mentioned, the highest bidder on the "best for last American girl" paid something like $400,000. Granted its only a movie, I don't imagine its too far off.