
"It's an Ethical Paradox, an Oxymoron Maze" Vol. 2 EPx15 is a gipsy jazz edit of a dense KNOWsutra (Bertrand Knows) song that still needs some distilling, and so here it flows, from Burlesque Jazzzzzzzzz (1-10) to Gipsy LoFi (11-14) to Indie DUB (15)...

Lyrics inspired by Bertrand Russel's "Marriage and Morals" essay, where he asked: "Are prostitution and traditional marriage interconnected by hypocritical societal structures and discriminatory economic dependency?" 

In this controversial essay, he made the fairly objective argument that marriage often prioritizes financial stability and social status over love, mirroring prostitution’s very transactional nature, and critiques the rigidity of marital norms, such as lifelong exclusivity and fidelity, which often stifle desires and lead to unmet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. What if pr0stituti0n was required as a societal “release valve” for repressed desires, existing mostly as the condemned counterpart to marriage? What if the very notion of "ethical paradox" was an absurd oxymoron that never seems to end indeed? I ponder...

Why not think of marriage as a relationship based on equality, respect, and personal freedom, i.e. friendship? Could practicing truth, and trust, with humility and integrity, help reduce foul plays--including society’s reliance on femmes de joie, for example, heh? Well duh, d'oh, heck yeah! In fact, Bertrand concluded the following: “Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution.” (!) (Marriage and Morals)

And if you're doubting the veracity and value of Bertrand's kind and wise questions and observations, here's a fun fact for ya: marital r⭐︎pe was A-OK legal in almost ALL countries of the world, until the mid-90s?! (GASP)

• • • 
@bananasutra #lyrics

[Verse 1]
Step right up to the paradox parade,
Where the morals they sell come double-edged blade.
They wag their fingers, legislate laws,
Then break ’em in private to polite applause.

It’s a sugar-spun circus, bananas on stage,
Where yes means no and restraint’s just a phrase.
Marriage or market, they blur the scene,
Stamp it “righteous”, don’t ask what it means.

[Chorus]
It’s an ethical paradox, an oxymoron maze,
They shame what they need, still demand it gets praise.
They swear it’s love, then they pay for the kiss,
Condemn the same trade they refuse to resist.

[Verse 2]
In the chapel it’s sacred, divinely endowed,
In the alley it’s vulgar, condemned out loud.
One buys a mattress, one buys a ring,
Different costumes, same bargaining.

They preach purity, polish the lie,
While need’s the product they monetize.
Suit and tie or a scarlet brand,
Same old hustle… supply, demand.

[Chorus]
It’s an ethical paradox, an oxymoron maze,
They shame what they need, still demand it gets praise.
They swear it’s love, then they pay for the kiss,
Condemn the same trade they refuse to resist.

[Bridge]
Here’s a riddle, let logic stew:
Who makes the crime, then blames it on you?
They build the cage, lock the lid,
Then curse the creature they forbid.

[Verse 3]
Russell saw it, cut clean through the fog,
Truth gets strangled by moral smog.
Love’s not a contract, priced or policed,
It’s a living thing begging for release.

Burn the scripts that barter the heart,
Let freedom finish what law couldn’t start.
No paradox, no moral sleight,
Just justice breathing in open light.

[Chorus]
It’s an ethical paradox, an oxymoron maze,
They shame what they need, still demand it gets praise.
They swear it’s love, then they pay for the kiss,
Condemn the same trade they refuse to resist.

[Outro]
Fold up the map, walk out the maze,
No room for riddles in love’s next phase.
The ethical circus packs up its tent,
Let truth be simple, that’s how it’s meant.
• • • 


[05] It's an Ethical Paradox, an Oxymoron Maze • KNOWsutra (Bertrand Knows) Gipsy Burlesque Upright Bass Piano JAZZ

they take a bullet just like anybody else.

art by Mike Giant
samples
-Danger Ahead (Dragnet Theme)
-Long As I Can See the Light, CCR
-The Ballad of Johnny Butt, Sublime
-CNN Live coverage
-Dragnet (radio show), Archer (tv show)
-The Godfather, The Mob, The Third Man, Inglourious Basterds (films)

River

Terry Reid

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