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Assignment 11

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.