I'm not exactly sure about the definition of a moral compass but I was surprised to read a a college woman trading 2 weeks of sex for a guided jungle tour down in Brazil. It's an adventure she has no qualms about since in her mind all of the involved parties benefited. In trading her feminine charms for a service she wasn't alone, a recent survey of students at the University of Michigan found that 27% of men and 14% of women had offered services or items in exchange for sex. While I found these numbers to be high I wondered where the line was drawn. When you are in college and not in a committed relationship, aren't 75% of your actions revolving around sex? Does it count if you help that cute coed with her psychology homework or treat her to a Dave Matthews Band concert and get lucky later that night? I thought most people considered that a successful date rather than a transaction of goods for "goodies"!
Recession Watch
FILES - A sign reading: "I'll be right back" is displayed next to an interview room in a branch of Germany's federal employment agency, the Bundesagentur fuer Arbeit, in Berlin on July 15, 2008. German unemployment fell further in August, but the biggest European economy is flirting with recession and its job market will probably feel the effects later this year, analysts said on August 28, 2008. AFP PHOTO / JOHN MACDOUGALL (Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A small pet dog is presented during the third annual Pet Fashion Week August 23, 2008 in New York City. It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling? That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity. At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A small pet dog is presented during the third annual Pet Fashion Week August 23, 2008 in New York City. It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling? That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity. At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A small pet dog is presented during the third annual Pet Fashion Week August 23, 2008 in New York City. It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling? That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity. At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A small pet dog is presented during the third annual Pet Fashion Week August 23, 2008 in New York City. It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling? That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity. At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A small pet dog is presented during the third annual Pet Fashion Week August 23, 2008 in New York City. It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling? That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity. At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A small pet dog is presented during the third annual Pet Fashion Week August 23, 2008 in New York City. It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling? That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity. At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
BEIJING - AUGUST 22: Chinese workers operate a real estate company at the Central Business District on August 22, 2008 in Beijing, China. Chinese officials have reiterated that Beijing will not experience economic recession after the Olympic Games as predicted by many economists. The Beijing Olympics will end on August 24. (Photo by Andrew Wong/Getty Images)
Getty Images
BEIJING - AUGUST 22: Chinese cyclists ride across a junction at the Central Business District on August 22, 2008 in Beijing, China. Chinese officials have reiterated that Beijing will not experience economic recession after the Olympic Games as predicted by many economists. The Beijing Olympics will end on August 24. (Photo by Andrew Wong/Getty Images)
Getty Images
BEIJING - AUGUST 22: A man talks on his mobile phone as he stands in front of the new headquarters of China Central Television under construction at Central Business District on August 22, 2008 in Beijing, China. Chinese officials have reiterated that Beijing will not experience economic recession after the Olympic Games as predicted by many economists. The Beijing Olympics will end on August 24. (Photo by Andrew Wong/Getty Images)
Getty Images
While society as a whole may find this reprehensible, I think at the very least it shows that our college students are paying attention in class. After all, aren't they simply realizing the effects of supply and demand as well as what scarcity do to a market? Sure a student job is a better way to earn enough money to get by in college and it doesn't involve a walk of shame in the morning but then you'd have to stick to a schedule and be under control of "the man". That said, I don't think we're destined to eschew paper money for a more universal currency anytime in the near future.
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