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Assignment 11: Miguel Montana

One of the main focuses of  “Between Love and Money: Sex, Tourism, and Citizenship in Cuba and the Dominican Republic” is the almost toxic necessity of tourism in nation’s predominantly affected by American influence and political governance. It’s no surprise that the U.S. has had a lot of meddling in South American countries, particularly in their sustainability and democratic viability, but what’s also interesting is the reactionary position that U.S. influence put these nations in. Cuba and Dominican Republic both have had to adapted to aggressive tourism policies to maintain sustainable economic growth, which then in turn has forced the local economies to adapt to these practices in any way possible, which includes prostitution. The reason this particular field is often the most viable and lucrative one, is that it offers the workers that partake in it an opportunity to travel away from these countries through sustained relationships with their clients. Though this does pose a possible solution to a problem that shouldn’t have existed in the first place, there are very obvious ramifications to this line of work both in the representation of the country itself and the ethical nature of it, too. It’s not ethically wrong to sell out your body, but the issue therein becomes when it’s closely tied to your identity which is what forces these workers to adapt to. There’s a disproportionate difference between being a sex worker because you want to be and one when you have to be, and the conditions in these countries are that most people don’t have much of a choice otherwise if they want to live a sustainable life. This is where the ethical nature of this practice, even if endorsed by the government, comes into play. If there isn’t any other viable form of work, then there’s a concerning issue on the social growth of this nation in particular and of those that tour into these countries in the first place that isn’t being addressed at all.