Interesting to read about the reality TV show on virgins auctioning off their virginity. The female stands to gain $20,000 plus a share of the proceeds of the auction.

The article did not relate the premium on the virginity of a male, if there is such a thing – a premium on it, that is.

Having been trained by my discussions with Marxists on this board, I can now critically deconstruct all this. Obviously the abnormally high price represents price gouging by the female virgin. It’s a market failure caused by the discriminatory behaviour of all the other virgins. Virgin – the airline – was prosecuted or harassed by the gubbas a couple of years ago on suspicion of discriminating in favour of younger prettier air hostesses, and against older uglier ones. This is similar to that. It’s time the government stepped in to do a bit of its famous one-size-fits-all social justice – but what?

Firstly the price should be regulated. People before profits. There are many men out there who are sexually disadvantaged. They are ugly, they are poor, they have warts on their nose, they have bad breath, and bad attitudes. But let's not blame the victim. The moral standards of any civilization should be judged by how “we” treat the most disadvantaged among us. There are many young good-looking women, so obviously “we as a society” have the “resources”.

Men have been conscripted to serve the good of the country, even where it is known that they are likely to be killed, and of course many have been killed in this way. So obviously any objection short of, or including death, is no objection at all. Gender equity demands the conscription of all virgins into public brothels for the public good. No more price gouging – the fair price is the regulated price for seasoned prostitutes. We reason in favour of one infringement of personal liberty by pointing to other established infringements of liberty...right?

Good Grief Peter.

This is a game show - not real life. Virginity is not a universal commodity. It is not listed on the stock exchange. Maybe instead of the Footse we could have the Tootsie.

We don't conscript bakers into baker brothels to ensure that bread is always sold at the same price!

But Peter H in the interests of playing the game, aren't you the one that pushes for freedom of the markets, for the market to dictate the price? If it is an Auction as opposed to a fixed price, the buyer has the power to stay or to bid higher. He is not forced to buy something for a higher price than he considers the 'commodity' worth. And an Auction ensures no price fixing.

If male virginity is not valued the same as female virginity (ironically by other males) then the price that is paid will be what the purchaser deems the value to be.

Using a Marxist analogy is very droll but not relevant.

I have never quite understood why so many men want a virgin. It's the last thing that ever appealed to me and I'm pleased to say that I have never had a personal encounter with one. Is it because some men are reluctant to be compared with a previous lover ?
I have also found that a double standard is often encountered as I haven't yet spoken to a female who is particularly attracted by virgin males. Experience in this field is often considered important I have observed.

Well observed Pelican and Snake.

Peter H could you please enlighten me as to the actual point of this thread?

Thank you

Peter, nice work.

Pelican:"We don't conscript bakers into baker brothels to ensure that bread is always sold at the same price!"

Quite right, we allow Woolworths and Coles to do that for us. I'm sure that they'd be just as willing to act as the outsourced provider of virginity services, although I reckon the various church-based charities would put up a pretty good fight to do so themselves. Tradition and all that.

snake:"I haven't yet spoken to a female who is particularly attracted by virgin males"

I used to look very young for my age and I had quite a good success rate claiming to be a virgin. Quite a few people like the idea of being first.

Severin:"someone please tell me what's going on"

It's OK dear, noone wants to put YOU into a brothel - your window of opportunity has long-passed. You'll have to work out some other way of picking up.

While I suspect the piece might be intended as humour (?), Peter Hume, I'm not entirely convinced you have your economics right.

>>Obviously the abnormally high price represents price gouging by the female virgin. It’s a market failure caused by the discriminatory behaviour of all the other virgins.<<

We are seeing a perfectly normal demonstration of classical supply and demand at work here, dealing with what is effectively a non-renewable resource, with multiple competing purchasers. The supply would be tending heavily towards the inelastic end of the scale, since there is a finite limit to the amount that could come onto the market in response to a rise in price.

There would be some increase, no doubt, as the perceived value to the supplier is met by the price uplift (cf. "Indecent Proposal" starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore).

However, I cannot see this as "gouging", simply normal market forces at work. There is no discriminatory behaviour on the part of "all the other virgins". They will become available when the price reaches their expectations, taking into account all the external factors - desirability of the purchaser being, I suspect, paramount.

But then, we tend to disagree on most matters involving money.