å Sunday, November 19th, 2017

In the book Between Love and Money by Amalia L. Cabezas, we learn that in places like Cuba and Dominican Republic, who struggle economically throughout their country, they turn to their most valuable possession in order to increase financially. In this case tourism would be their most prized possession being that their countries are beautiful and attract many people from much richer countries who love to travel. The people of these countries relied on tour related jobs in order to make a better income and it was mostly what they relied on to feed their families. Eventually the people found a way to increase their income and hopefully find a way to move to a better country. The people started rely more on sex tourism since it was more popular and it allowed them to establish relationships with the tourists. Men and women both participated as sex workers in order to establish relationships with people from richer countries in hopes of finding a way to gain citizenship in these countries or in other cases to find romance. Sex tourism is the act of traveling to other countries with less restrictions on prostitution and other sexual activities in order to take advantage of the lack of laws. As income started to increase through this type of tourism police officers and the government turned a blind eye since it was beneficial to the country. Although many knew that this was being done in order to raise their income and obtain other benefits women were still judged. It was unapproved for women to do this since women in these countries were not allowed to express sexuality in any way. On the other hand for men it was okay. Other than women people of darker complexion were also oppressed. They are stereotyped and incarcerated if they happen to appear to be sex workers. Sex tourism had definitely caused complications between citizenship and nationality because it is used as a way to leave their country and shows the true struggle of the people to make a decent income.

In “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic” Amalia L. Cabezas discusses the effects tourism has in countries such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Cabezas establishes mass adjustments both countries had to make due to the changes in both their political and economic order. Both countries had extensive economic and social outcomes. One change includes tourism which aided the economic system, this change brought about sex tourism. Women and men both offered their bodies in exchange for gifts like clothing, jewelry, and meals. Many of these men and women work in hotel workers that work in maintenance, administration, entertainment, reception and even food services. Their position as hotel workers allows them direct contact with tourists. Those who engage in sexual acts do not just want money in exchange for sex. They hope the initial encounter will, in turn, establish stability. This stability of regular payments or regular phone calls will lead to marriage and ideally migration. Although both men and women seek the same goal it is not perceived uniformly throughout gender and skin color. For example, darker skinned women who seek relationships with foreigners are immediately identified as sex workers and prostitutes, both terms are associated with labor and paid work. This is negatively received in the Carribean. On the other hand, their lighter-skinned counterparts are given the leisure to label their relationships as purely romantical and do not endure harassment from law enforcement. Cabeza shares Mari’s, a twenty-three-year-old woman from Santo Domingo, experience with law enforcement. Mari recalls being slapped and even given a black eye from police officers for “bothering tourists”. This reasoning demonstrates the economic need for tourism in their countries. “Bothering tourists would never be a valid reason for arrest in economically thriving regions such as the United States and Western Europe. Additionally, men and women are not equally recognized in their roles of seducing foreigners. Men are observed as “national heroes” who conquer the body of the foreigner while the women are seen as deviant and of poor values.

In the reading, “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic”, the author Amalia L. Cabeza talks about sex tourism in two countries and how it effects both the country and its citizens. Early on Cuba and the Dominican Republic were somewhat closed off from the rest of the world but in recent years these two countries have shifted their policies and seek to promote the money tourism brings into the country. The geographic region of these locations (beautiful beaches and landscape)  make it a natural location for vacation from people all around the world with a majority of these tourist coming from the Unites States and West Europe. Amalia quickly shifts into sex tourism talking about how the government allows prostitution to occur as it supports the economy, most of these occur in hotels and in wealthier areas of the country. In tourist filled areas people are judged different based on the color of their skin which brings up citizenship and how people are mistreated despite being all citizens. In a way it brings up the question, what does it mean to be a citizen. If you were someone of lighter skin walking around it would be commonplace but if you were someone with a darker skin tone people would immediately assume that you’re a prostitute. They would get arrested more often than those with lighter skin. Also nothing thing that is brought up is how males were treat far better than females even though they’re in the same industry; male sex workers  were viewed as heroes while females ones were seen as anomalous. She also brings up migration of how a worker had the possibility or migrating to another country if relationship between the two was great. It also assists in gaining citizenship status in the tourist’s country.

In Amelia Cabezas’ “Between Love and Money”, she displays and explains the occurrence of “sex tourism” and how it has helped to form a relationship between policy and economic practices. According to Amelia Cabezas, “sex tourism” occurs when tourists that travel abroad  with the intent to vacation also aim to participate in sexual relations with prostitutes. The government supports this form of prostitution and  “tourism” because it assists in increasing the economic status of a country. Which in many ways is true since most second world and third world countries, such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, rely heavily on tourism. Prostitutes, whether they be male or female, do it for various reasons. I observed in many cases where homosexual gigolos would do it for pleasure and would accept any gifts the person they had relations with would give them. Females would do it to support their families and themselves having no other sources of employment. Surprisingly, other men and women would have relationships with tourists to establish romantic relationships and/or maybe gain entry into another country. In one instance a Dominican woman had relationships with three tourists who gave her money and supported her at some point and they eventually left her. However, she didn’t sell her body as a prostitute would. Cabezas’ research complicates traditional views on citizenship and nationality by placing an upsetting sexual motive behind it. That sexual relations and romances might compel tourists and provide a country’s population with a opportunity to leave the country and live elsewhere. Meaning they most likely might find citizenship in a first world country and have better opportunities. Nationality is complicated by Cabezas’ research because the government, even with counter action against “sex tourism”, in a way supports it and does not try its upmost best to combat sexual relationships for money with citizens and tourists. The increase in economic status of their country comes at the expense of their peoples sexuality and safety.

Amelia Cabezas, ” Between Love and Money: Sex and Tourism and Citizenship in Cuba and The Dominican Republic”, gives the reader insight into the underground economy of prostitution in different countries and how tourism has affected the surge of this underground economy. Amelia Cabezas creates this idea of “Sex Tourism”. That tourists and travelers to different countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic go to different countries not with the sole purpose of engaging in sexual activities with the peoples there but rather that it is part of the experience there. That this whole idea that prostitution is common amongst tourist sites motivates people to visit these places even more so than their beautiful beaches, etc. The government also allows this to happen because their governments rely on “sex workers” so why say or do anything. But then the author gives us with the “romance” side. Which isn’t a correct label for acts like these. She says homosexual men engage in sexual acts with no expectations of receiving any type of money for it ( most likely because their environment doesn’t support openly gay men so they look for alternate ways to feel satisfaction) and women look for romantic relationships with tourists ( If you read closely money and citizenship status in other countries were motives most likely for these relationships).  Citizenship status and nationality is complicated only if your not accustomed to seeing and observing these actions yourself. Its normal in society to see why tourists visit other countries. And its pretty obvious as to why people in poor countries sell their bodies to anyone from a first world countries with a chance of becoming a citizen in another country maybe for a better life. Nationality is complicated because you can see tourism helping the country financially but then again what are the intentions of these filthy men/women, to take advantage of people who are poorer than them.

In Cabezas’ “ Between Love and Money,” she adds to the dialogue concerning sex tourism and citizenship. The Caribbean has a very strong tourism industry and with relation to her research Cabezas show how tourism promotes sex. Cabezas did her research in Cuba and the Dominican Republic where those in the hospitality and resort industry like chambermaids and beach boys engage in sexual relations with foreigners. Having a sexual relationship with and accepting gifts from these tourists became a source of extra income to support their families for these workers that have meager wages. A lot of “sex workers” don’t like to accept money from tourist but rather accept gifts or even offer to pay sometimes in an effort to disassociate themselves with the prostitution or in the hope of the relationship blossoming into something more. Some of the people Cabezas interviewed said they hoped to have a long lasting romance with frequent visits and even a marriage proposal with would in turn lead to migration. In regards to citizenship, the social condemnation of some sexual practices and the heterosexual patriarchal structure in Cuba creates “partial citizens”. The state actively controls the sexuality of women. Cabezas argues that sexual citizenship- public life is no longer dominated by heterosexual males, but rather based on gender and sexual diversity- will allow for a society where people who don’t conform to the heteronormativity of today’s society to have control and responsibility over their own sexual lives. Sexuality also complicate traditional views on nationality because when we usually talk about nationality we are referring to a person or group of people belonging to a specific country. However, because of sex tourism, people with the same nationality are segregated. Cabezas writes that lighter skinned Cubans are able to be receptionists and at the front desk of resorts when tourists enter but dark-skinned Cubans are performers (which gives of a very sensual notion to tourists) or are back-kitchen workers. Also, mulata Cubans are automatically labeled “sex worker” if seen with a foreigner while a lighter-skinned Cuban who dates a foreigner is not. Darker skinned people in the Dominican Republic also run the risk of being arrested for prostitution if they are caught in touristy areas alone while their light-skinned counterparts who may engage in prostitution are not viewed in the same light. So although one may be of the same nationality; race, class and skin color does influence the general population’s perception.

Hoshchild, Isaksen and Devi argue that “the commons” are eroded as women migrate outside their countries producing what they term as a “care drain.” This “care drain” is the movement of women from their native countries into first world countries to secure jobs in nursing or as domestic workers. Following the assumption laid out that women are the main care givers in these cultures it follows that as women leave their own families to care for those of their employers in the north their own children suffer the loss of their primary caregiver. While the term “common” was previously used to describe communal lands in 15^th century Europe, they have added on to this term to bring about the idea of a “social-emotional commons” (407). This social- emotional commons relies on the trading of services and goods within a society. These “global care chains” exist in order to move capital from the south to the north through care labor but also from the north to the south in the form of money and presents. This money and gifts sent to relatives and their children are what supply the commons with more material capital. Through understanding how the commons work and how capital is moved we can better understand why migration is seen as “eroding the commons”. For children left behind the absence of mothers which are seen to be the pillars of culture and care caused grief. Many children and adults expressed dissatisfaction at having their mothers leave and the bonds that were unable to form because of this. Some even felt resentment towards their mothers and insisted that the material wealth created through migrating were not worth the destabilization of their family lives and childhoods. Through these accounts we see that while migration serves as a way to bring capital to third- world countries it causes what the authors believe to be a break down in the commons and in family structures in these countries. While economic capital is brought in care capital is exported leaving generations of children raised by aunts, and grandparents. I believe it’s important to be critical of these conclusions. Would children feel this amount of grief if women were seen differently in their societies? Can women ever be both economic women and caring mothers?

Cabeza’s research touches on a largely ignored component of research in sexual tourism in the Caribbean: How these “sex workers” identify themselves. According to her work the term “sex worker” cannot be applied to men and women who have romantic and sexual relationships with European tourists. In both The Dominican Republic and Cuba these men and women reject the idea of themselves as prostitutes and see their relationships with these tourists as friendships that can help them acquire some capital to rise out of poverty. Most women do not see these encounters with tourists as an exchange of sex for money but would rather receive gifts that could build the relationship and lead to marriage and migration. While both men and women participate in these sort of arrangements women receive much more scrutiny. In Cuba men that date foreigners are seen as national heroes for “conquering” the bodies of foreign women (118). Meanwhile women are placed under heavy surveillance and their behavior is criminalized. Light skinned and dark skinned women both participate in courting tourists however only dark skinned women are met with abuse and disgust. Light skinned women’s relationships with the tourists are seen as “romance” while dark skinned women are always thought to be prostitutes. Mass roundups of dark skinned women in clubs and even individual women walking alone at night are read as prostitutes. They are arrested and made to pay fines for their “immoral behavior.” Women’s “deviant” sexual behaviors are tied to nation building and citizenship because their means of survival are criminalized and they are constructed as outsiders in their own countries. While the government, tourism industry and the police work to “protect” tourists from the unsightly dark-complexioned poor they punish the native population for attempting to better their lives.

In Amalia L. Cabezas’ article, “Between Love and Money”, she talks about sex, tourism, and citizenship in
Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Globalization has a big impact to these countries on how sexuality is tied with citizenship. She interviews multiple workers that work in the tourist area. The tourism industry is the primary economic development strategy in both Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The information that Cabezas gets from the workers at the resorts are very interesting. The people from Cuba and the Dominican Republic talk about pingueros and sanky pankys which are men who look for foreign tourists, providing sexual services and companionship to both men and women, straight and gay. Some young men that are considered to be pingueros admitted that being a pinguero is a business which helps them provide for themselves and even provides for their family. One of the most important social impact of tourism is the fact that it involves sex tourism.  Many of the young men and women hope that their connections with foreigners will lead to marriage and migration. Cabezas also mentions how studies show that  that most pingueros, jineteras, and sanky pankys prefer to accept gifts of clothing, jewelry, and meals from tourists rather than to negotiate money for sex. They prefer that because accepting direct cash is basically prostitution which they do not desire. Getting married is one of their hopes so they can end up getting a visa. This right here shows how sex tourism does complicate the traditional views about citizenship and nationality. Also tourism deals with occupational segregation because the training and distribution of work are organized according to racial, sexual, and gender considerations. Most of the front desk workers are lighter skinned Cubans, while entertainment workers and back-kitchen help are mainly black. Race plays a big role in whether or not you are considered a sex worker. A mulata from Santiago living in Havana is automatically categorized as a sex worker meanwhile a pale skinned university student, who only dates foreigners and eventually marries a Frenchman, is not considered a sex worker.

In the reading, “Global Care Crisis: A Problem of Capital, Care Chains, or Commons?”, the authors goes on to discuss about the increase migration of female workers to other countries in search of work. Parrenas gives the example of a Filipina mother whom left her home country in search of work to support her children. Often times when these workers leave their counties to find work, they’re hired as nannies or caretakers of other people’s children. The author in a way wants us to think of the idea that one leaves their child and home behind to take care of another person’s child in order to support their own child. From the view of many, people naturally assume that these mothers are “bad mothers” or irresponsible; even the kids aren’t very pleased with the absence of their mom during their childhood. Many don’t understand the sacrifice these mothers have made all for the purpose of giving their child a better opportunity. These mothers have to enter a new country working hard to take care of other people’s children instead of their own, not knowing anything with the mindset that in the end her kid will get a better opportunity. The kids more often than not don’t see it as the mothers do, they disregard the remittance and/or gifts the mothers sent to them and over time start to resent them. The kids just want to be with their moms like the other kids around them, growing up they’re unable to see their moms or have a strong parental figure they can go to for support. The authors also bring economy into this talking about the shortage of workers in first world countries or more wealthy ones needing to ship caretakers from less developed countries. In all of this, its really the kids that suffer, they effect deeply psychology that may impact over the years.