Sex tourists are not an homogenous group

Western, white, male sex tourists have been travelling to ‘Third World’ countries for many years and there is nothing new about the sexual exploitation of local women in this context. Indeed, there is long history of sexual exploitation of women under colonial rule and western men have long projected racist fantasies onto the ‘primitive’/natural Other. But the long haul tourist industry is turning this kind of post-colonial fantasy into an item of mass consumption. Sex guides written by white western men, such as Travel and the Single Male by Bruce Cassier tap into the idea of ‘difference’ to justify the sexual exploitation of Black women in these countries. They tell tourists that prostitution does not have the same meaning in the Caribbean as prostitution in the West. The sex guides say that Caribbean women are not really prostitutes but ‘nice’ girls who like to have a good time. A key component of sex tourism is the objectification of a sexualised racialised 'Other’. As author and self-confessed sex tourist Bruce Cassier says: "You think of those incredible....women, ranging in colour from white chocolate to dark chocolate, available to you at the subtle nod of your head or touch-of-your-hat." The racist stereotype of the exotic and erotic Black woman is also an image that is used to sell sex tourism in countries like the Dominican Republic and Cuba. ‘Blackness’ and the ideology which constructs it, is part of the commodity that sex tourists are buying.

Sex tourists are not an homogenous group: they may be women or men, Black, Asian or white, homosexual or heterosexual, middle class or working class. Numerically, the main group of sex tourists are Western, white, heterosexual men. However it is important to recognise that even amongst this group, there is diversity in terms of sexual interests and attitudes towards prostitute use. Although it is necessary to recognise differences between sex tourists in terms of their sexual practices, I want to tentatively suggest that sex tourism offers all of them opportunities to affirm a particular ‘racialised’ and gendered identity. So far as white male sex tourists are concerned, it is not just cheap sex that they pursue. They also like travelling to ‘Third World’ countries because they feel that somehow the proper order between the genders and between the ‘races’ is restored. Women and girls are at their command, Blacks and Hispanics and Asians are serving them, shining their shoes, cleaning their rooms and so on. All is as it should be.

The Sinulator is a device that lets you connect a sex toy to your computer

The Sinulator is a device that lets you connect a sex toy to your computer so that other people can control it for you over the internet. After announcing to the room that I had one of these, I really had no choice but to open the box and pass the thing around.

If you've ever been to a baby shower, you're familiar with the "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" that ensued. We were all impressed with the surprisingly substantial vibrator, which features rotating plastic pearls in the shaft and a vibrating bunny for external stimulation. Also, it's pink.

Here's how it works. Your Sinulator package includes the transmitter, a vibrator and a receiver. You download the client application from Sinulator.com. During installation, you connect the transmitter to a USB port. (If you use Windows XP, make sure to read the installation note in the user guide and save yourself some frustration.)

When you're all installed and have the client running, you attach your toy to the wireless receiver and switch it on. Finally, you go to Sinulator.com and choose a name for your toy. After that, anyone who knows your toy's name can set your toy a-buzzin' using the Sinulator control panel. Neither of you has to register or divulge any personal information -- not even an e-mail address.

The control panel looks like a grown-up version of a driving toy for baby, with buttons and levers and sliders that you manipulate with your mouse. I laughed when I first saw it -- now you can have sex and drive a race car at the same time! If that's not a popular male fantasy, I don't know what is.

But it gets even better. You probably want to stick to the dashboard if you're at the office, but for home use, the Interactive Fleshlight is where it's at. The Fleshlight is a standard, sleeve-style vibrator for men, with a twist: It's also a transmitter. It measures the speed and force of each thrust and communicates those metrics to the software, which translates them into vibration and pulse on the other end.

In other words, a man can be thrusting in Cleveland while a woman is penetrated in Seattle, and the cybersex experience gets one step closer to the holodeck.

Cybersex is here!

The Sinulator lets anyone control your sex toy over the Internet!
The most fun you can have when you are apart...
The Sinulator lets someone control your sex toy over the Internet.

It installs in minutes and is easy to use. No web site or web cam is required. All you need is a PC and an Internet connection. Anyone can do it!

All your partner needs is access to the Internet. The controls will work on just about anything (Mac, PC, Linux, Palm, WebTV, airport kiosk, etc.). Within minutes - you'll be able to call or email anyone anywhere and let them control your sex toy over the internet.