How The Pandemic Has Upended The Lives Of Thailand's Sex Workers

[dbrenn]

On 04/02/2021 at 10:44 AM, PatOngo said:

If this is a reflection of the distribution of wealth in Thailand, the image of the country should be seriously questioned! ????

 

 

 

 

Thailand is no different from the western world these days. Poverty is rife everywhere. 

[PatOngo]

4 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Thailand is no different from the western world these days. Poverty is rife everywhere. 

No need to apologize!....By the way, it's a Thailand forum, not a western world forum!  

[BritManToo]

On 2/5/2021 at 6:39 AM, NobbyClarke said:

People do what they have to do to make money.

I am very sure they don't enjoy their job. I think if I was getting groped, mauled, abused and occasionally raped to make a living I would enjoy my free time.

I've never found that to be true (but wonder how many people in the world do enjoy their job, I never did).

Most of the ladies I've encountered seemed to insist on the sex as part of the evening/night, (even when I was too drunk to be interested), it always surprised me.

 

Maybe you've never been to Thailand?

Or never taken a bar girl home?

Or just make poor choices?

 

But I do feel sorry for the ladies who can no longer earn a living.

The poorer Thai families have a rotten deal, scraping to make ends meet to pay the corrupt free government schools their compulsory extras. Then trying to pay their kids university fees, which have doubled under the current government.

Edited February 7, 2021 by BritManToo

[dbrenn]

8 hours ago, PatOngo said:

No need to apologize!....By the way, it's a Thailand forum, not a western world forum!  

I wasn't apologising. I was correcting a daft mistake that you made.

 

You erroneously claimed that Thailand's image should be questioned because of its distribution of wealth, when wealth disparity is obviously as bad in most places, western countries included. 

Edited February 7, 2021 by dbrenn

[PatOngo]

48 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

I wasn't apologising. I was correcting a daft mistake that you made.

 

You erroneously claimed that Thailand's image should be questioned because of its distribution of wealth, when wealth disparity is obviously as bad in most places, western countries included. 

Well I must say, for all my life I have earned MUCH, MUCH better than 300 baht per day! 

[dbrenn]

11 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Well I must say, for all my life I have earned MUCH, MUCH better than 300 baht per day! 

Aren't you the lucky one, looking down on Thailand as you do. 

 

Now try living on the dole in the dump you came from, because your industry has been shipped out to China. Or have a bash at making ends meet on a zero hour contract at Amazon, living on the bones of your backside in a crime ridden hell hole in the West. 

 

Again, you made a daft generalisation and you were wrong. 

Edited February 7, 2021 by dbrenn

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Which Western bankers? must be millions working in banking and probably a few hundred max involved

They are known, and none have gone to jail for what they did, far as I know. It's even in a movie called The Big Short.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/7/2021 at 12:50 AM, teacherclaire said:

How The Pandemic Has Upended The Lives Of Thailand's Sex Workers

 

Should read:

 

How The Pandemic Has Upended The Lives Of Thailand's Sexpats. 

LOL. Any expat with enough money should be enjoying the much greater choice of temporary partners now they don't have to compete with the 2 week millionaires.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/6/2021 at 5:23 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

But I hate it when I see that mothers send, or should we say "sell", their daughters into the nightlife business and then they demand big money from their daughters.

I have no idea what happens in the Thai scene, but I never went with a Thai bargirl that wasn't in it from choice.  None of them appeared to be unhappy with their choice of occupation, and few were still doing it a year later, so I assume they either made enough money to quit or found a farang to marry.

None that I associated with appeared mentally affected, fundamentally unhappy, or coerced to go out with men.

Of course, some that I associated with were not nice people, but that was because they were like that anyway, and not because of the job.

[madmen]

So how will Mr sex tourist soon to become expat find a wife now ? We can't all marry generals daughters and university girls ????

[PatOngo]

2 hours ago, dbrenn said:

Aren't you the lucky one, looking down on Thailand as you do. 

 

Now try living on the dole in the dump you came from, because your industry has been shipped out to China. Or have a bash at making ends meet on a zero hour contract at Amazon, living on the bones of your backside in a crime ridden hell hole in the West. 

 

Again, you made a daft generalisation and you were wrong. 

Comfortably retired thank you...no luck involved...no need for the dole...where I came from is not a dump...life is good...enjoy yours! ????

[PatOngo]

3 hours ago, dbrenn said:

Aren't you the lucky one, looking down on Thailand as you do. 

I hope you hug every one you see, oh, and if it makes you feel better db, hug a few for me! 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I have no idea what happens in the Thai scene, but I never went with a Thai bargirl that wasn't in it from choice.  None of them appeared to be unhappy with their choice of occupation, and few were still doing it a year later, so I assume they either made enough money to quit or found a farang to marry.

None that I associated with appeared mentally affected, fundamentally unhappy, or coerced to go out with men.

Of course, some that I associated with were not nice people, but that was because they were like that anyway, and not because of the job.

I think many Thai just accept in whatever situation they are in and try to make the best out of it. Maybe it's a Buddhist thing, not sure.

And I think many also realize that complaining wouldn't change anything - except maybe the person who they talk to doesn't want to hear it anymore and stays away from them.

[BritManToo]

15 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Well I must say, for all my life I have earned MUCH, MUCH better than 300 baht per day! 

How well would you have done if you were born to a Thai farming family, the local school didn't have electricity, and your family stopped paying for it when you were age 12?

 

The luck was where, when and to whom you were born.

Edited February 8, 2021 by BritManToo

[PatOngo]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

How well would you have done if you were born to a Thai farming family, the local school didn't have electricity, and your family stopped paying for it when you were age 12?

 

The luck was where, when and to whom you were born.

I have no idea, I was'nt born to a Thai farming family!

[PatOngo]

22 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The luck was where, when and to whom you were born.

Totally beyond my control!

[Excel]

On 2/6/2021 at 12:51 PM, hotandsticky said:

 

 

I suppose that being rich, happy AND hung like a donkey is something to be grateful for ????

Actually being rich and happy is something I am grateful for, however being well hung, exceedingly well hung, is something I have always found to have a significant drawback ????

Edited February 8, 2021 by Excel

[Fat is a type of crazy]

17 hours ago, dbrenn said:

I wasn't apologising. I was correcting a daft mistake that you made.

 

You erroneously claimed that Thailand's image should be questioned because of its distribution of wealth, when wealth disparity is obviously as bad in most places, western countries included. 

I disagree with that. When American's talk about capitalism they must love what they see in Thailand. In 2018 Thailand was third in the world for the unequal distribution of wealth with 1 per cent of the richest Thais owning  58 per cent of the nation's wealth. They are only behind China and India. Source: Bangkok Post

The pandemic has no doubt made it worse.

 Australians and many Europeans have actually saved during the pandemic due to less spending and generous government support. The United States lesser so but still more generous than Thailand.

I just look at workers in say the building industry. Say what you will about unions but in Australia workers are paid high wages and developers still get to make a healthy profit. In Thailand they get low pay and terrible conditions.

If any nations needed a fairer distribution of wealth it is Thailand.

[Enzian]

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I have no idea what happens in the Thai scene, but I never went with a Thai bargirl that wasn't in it from choice.  None of them appeared to be unhappy with their choice of occupation, and few were still doing it a year later, so I assume they either made enough money to quit or found a farang to marry.

None that I associated with appeared mentally affected, fundamentally unhappy, or coerced to go out with men.

Of course, some that I associated with were not nice people, but that was because they were like that anyway, and not because of the job.

This has been my experience also, and something not mentioned so far on this thread is that Thai females attitudes toward sex in relationships, and sex work aside from that, is profoundly different from what we expats grew up with. It comes out in a thousand ways. Thai females are more likely to cheat, polls show. Sex is just a normal daily function, nothing special (except when it brings means to live). Buddhism suggests that we are many different persons as we move though life, so a former sex worker can dismiss her past as something done at a different stage, by a different person. Christian shame and guilt doesn't exist. And there is too much uncertainty about sheer survival to get hung up on sex. And so on.

[brewsterbudgen]

5 hours ago, madmen said:

So how will Mr sex tourist soon to become expat find a wife now ? We can't all marry generals daughters and university girls ????

Don't worry, there are still girls around; the bars and gogos in Pattaya are open again and hopefully Bangkok will follow soon.  

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Australians and many Europeans have actually saved during the pandemic due to less spending and generous government support.

I don't know anyone in the UK that managed to do that.

All the folk I know are deep in debt, behind in their mortgage/rent payments and unemployed or on short working hours with reduced pay.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

25 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I don't know anyone in the UK that managed to do that.

All the folk I know are deep in debt, behind in their mortgage/rent payments and unemployed or on short working hours with reduced pay.

 

In Australia many people got more money than usual as the dole went significantly higher and many wage earners got more than usual.

I didn't say every country in Europe but it seems like UK assistance is pretty good. 

An employee in the UK, if the employer couldn't pay,  is paid 80 per cent of their normal pay. There's lots of other assistance too. 

If your self employed  there's grants and ongoing assistance.  

If you run a successful business in Australia and the UK then the extra money will not compensate you for your previous profit  but it keeps you going.

As far as I can see most employees in Thailand, especially if they were off the books as a large number are in Thailand, got nothing like this level of assistance. Same for businesses. 

As you say some people everywhere would be doing it tough if they have large ongoing expenses and a reduced income.  As a Thai it's significantly tougher than in the countries I noted. 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Fat is a type of crazy

[BritManToo]

Just now, Fat is a type of crazy said:

As you say some people everywhere would be doing it tough if they have large ongoing expenses and a reduced income.  As a Thai it's significantly tougher than in the countries I noted. 

Thailand,

No heating bills, and everyone has a family farm to which they can return, food grows everywhere. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

37 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Thailand,

No heating bills, and everyone has a family farm to which they can return, food grows everywhere. 

Everyone has a farm to go back to blessed with ample food for all. Sounds amazing this Thailand place.

I suppose it's your expectations. Many Thai working people I guess are used to doing it tough whereas the english have been known to whinge a bit if things aren't how they want them to be. 

I know of many thais who are doing it tough, without farms to fall back on, and who would love some of that UK government support

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I know of many thais who are doing it tough, without farms to fall back on, and who would love some of that UK government support

I wouldn't mind a bit of Uk government support either.

Nobody ever gave me anything, not even a free COVID vaccination.

Edited February 8, 2021 by BritManToo

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/4/2021 at 11:17 PM, Bangkok Barry said:

Thailand is not alone in having poor people, so why is it that it is Thailand which has a worldwide reputation for prostitution?

Because it's not hidden away where it's not obvious like in hypocritical countries that like to pretend prostitution is a bad thing, while tolerating it so long as it's not obvious.

When I lived in London every phone box was adorned with cards for prostitutes. It's legal as long as it's done in flats and not by streetwalkers.

 

Thailand is refreshingly open about the oldest profession.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/5/2021 at 12:07 AM, Burma Bill said:

 Sadly, not only Thai sex workers but also those from Laos, Cambodia and Burma who worked in the Thai sex industry.

You seem to think prostitution is a bad thing. It's obviously not so, in the eyes of every western government that permits legal prostitution, of which there are many.

I never met a Thai bargirl that thought she was doing something wrong or bad. Most even enjoyed the lifestyle, as long as it wasn't going to be for the rest of her life. Many only do it for a year or two.

The sad thing was that some of them thought it was the same in other countries and were fooled into going overseas to work in the same business by lies about how much money they'd make. I knew two personally that went overseas and were never heard from again.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Because it's not hidden away where it's not obvious like in hypocritical countries that like to pretend prostitution is a bad thing, while tolerating it so long as it's not obvious.

When I lived in London every phone box was adorned with cards for prostitutes. It's legal as long as it's done in flats and not by streetwalkers.

 

Thailand is refreshingly open about the oldest profession.

 

You contradict yourself, saying it is hidden away and then talking about the number of 'adverts' in phone boxes. My wife found them amusing. But I know what you mean. The difference is that in most countries and cities - like London - it plays a very tiny part in the economy. In Thailand, as the closed businesses show, it plays a far larger part. Such as in Pattaya, where I doubt many went primarily for the beaches (sorry, bearing in mind your user name ???? ).

 

And if you have travelled to many cities in continental Europe the sex business is very far from being hidden away because it is legal. Not much hypocrisy there.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Bangkok Barry

[brewsterbudgen]

It's also worth noting that prostitution has always been part of Thai culture, with a very high percentage of Thai men using prostitutes from karaoke bars, soapies and having "giks".  I would think the sex tourist trade must represent a fairly small proportion of the total business.  

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You seem to think prostitution is a bad thing

With respect, I was not referring to prostitution as being bad, I was commenting about the OP and the loss of Thai jobs in the Thai sex industry. It is not only Thais that are affected but workers from neighboring countries.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Burma Bill
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