With the unveiling of Belle de Jour as a highly educated cancer research doctor the other day, the reactions have varied from surprise that it wasn’t one of the esteemed journalists previous guesses, relief that it’s over and shock that it may glamourise prostitution.
I’m more intrigued about struggling doctorate students having to resort to offering personal services so they may become professionally qualified to look after us in the future.
Apparently this isn’t a new thing, I’m just living in a cave.
So, I’m a citizen of a country that doesn’t fund it’s top students adequately? I kinda knew that.
This issue makes it difficult for aesthetically challenged doctorate students without rich parents, doesn’t it? Belle – or Brooke – is a good looking girl, I can understand punters shelling out £300 for something on that menu but what of the girl with no sense of fashion, style or a great set of gazzas? What happens when her student loan runs out?
She has to hit the shops, bars and temp agencies like any other person but that combined with the homework, the thesis, what becomes of her then?
What of the girl with an absolute aversion of selling her own personal services? Are these students being forced from the world of medicine, science, engineering, etc because they can’t afford to continue and any alternatives are simply not viable?
Is there a stream of nearly men and women whose only stumbling block has been a lack of money, not a lack of talent, skill or dedication?
We fund bankers but not students. We face an ecological crisis, we need to make fundamental changes to our own sustainability and repay huge debts yet we don’t help educate a work-force capable of fulfilling these immense tasks in achieving a better future for everyone.
We accept a government willing to sell the silverware (including The Student Loans Company) to fund its own mistakes and keep the status quo, should we then be really surprised that it is also comfortable with its own tax-paying citizens selling themselves too?