Good Morning DINKS. Over the past week I came to the realization that people will do almost anything to make money. I am not sure if the need for wealth is pure human greed or it is a natural human survival instinct; but either way people will do whatever it takes to make money.
I recently watched a movie called The Client List which stars Jennifer Love Hewitt. It tells the story of a mother and wife (Hewitt) who loses her job in a bad economy. She and her husband are about to lose their house, they can’t provide food for their children, and their bills are not getting paid. They have asked for a mortgage loan extension from the bank, but unfortunately the bank was unwilling to help them out.
Hewitt is a licensed massage therapist who takes a job as a prostitute in a massage parlor as a last resort. She earns excellent money working as a prostitute. She enjoys her new lifestyle where she can afford to keep her home, provide for her family, and buy her husband and kids nice things. Unfortunately Hewitt’s new dream life becomes a nightmare when she becomes addicted to drugs in order to balance her work life with her home life. After she is arrested her attorney asks her why she did it and her answer was “It’s better than waitressing.”
I also recently watched an episode of Anderson Cooper that featured people who make money off of selling Murder Memorabilia online. Murder Memorabilia consists of personal belongings from serial killers throughout history such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy. I appreciate that Anderson Cooper’s new daytime talk show (Anderson) tries to explore controversial topics, but I actually couldn’t believe what I was watching.
After watching these entrepreneurs discuss their business, their websites, and their online auctions I asked myself, can people really make money off of anything? The rule of good business is that if there is the demand for a product then the supplier will make money, but is there really a demand for murder memorabilia? I am not sure that I want to buy a lock of Charles Manson’s hair, or a toenail from John Wayne Gacy; but I guess that some people do. Otherwise these online websites would not be making money. I personally feel that having a personal belonging from a serial killer in my home may be extreme bad karma.
Towards the end of the show the entrepreneurs were confronted by family members of the serial killers victims. The astonishing thing about the confrontation between the victim’s family members and the entrepreneurs who are profiting from their loss was that the entrepreneurs never once offered their condolences. If we are taking pleasure in the loss of life does it make us just as guilty as the serial killers who were convicted of horrible crimes?
If you were experiencing financial hardship,
would you do whatever it takes to support your family?
Let’s take a poll, feel free to answer the following 3 questions anonymously or as yourself, but let’s all be honest. If you lost your job and you needed money not only to live, but also in order to afford the basics for survival would you:
- Do something illegal?
- Do something that you considered to be immoral?
- Sell sex for money?
I’ll go first:
- I don’t think that I would do something illegal like rob a bank or steal from people because I am extremely afraid to go to prison.
- I would probably do something that I considered immoral if my family’s survival depended on it.
- I would consult with my boyfriend first, but I would also probably sell sex for money if it was in a controlled environment and if I was always safe. I personally don’t think that selling sex for money is wrong, but I don’t agree with the associated danger. I wish that the government would step in and regulate the profession so that they could charge taxes and the workers would be safe (not on the streets).
Photo by amagill
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
Hmm I’m not sure how far I’d go. I would probably do something immoral, but I’m not sure what.
I don’t think I’d ever do anything illegal because if I had a family, being in jail would be pointless. I’d probably just move to somewhere I could find a job. Or get a fast food job.
No, no, and of course not. There are always other options.
I think it really depends on the circumstances. As a last resort I would probably consider all of these things, although can I sign up for the selling sex for money now? I kid. If I had a family to support, I’d definitely be more willing to go to greater lengths to support them. If it’s just for me alone, I’d probably just find other ways to deal with the problem and make do with what I have.
In all honesty I don’t know what I would do in each situation. I guess I’d have to experience it and find out. I never thought I’d do some of the things that I’ve done in my life (like get divorced), but life happens.
1. I don’t think I could do anything illegal because like you, I’m so afraid of prison.
2. I might do something immoral
3. Selling sex for money would be hard for me, just because I have a very untrusting/shy personality
I would definitely sell sex in a controlled environment. I am a phone actress, so I have no problem going to the next level. However, since I am an entrepreneur, I want to be a madame.
Mistress Susan if you ever need a business partner or someone to work the books let me know :-)