How Rich Thais View Poor

[Prakanong]

No suprise really, just look at the way GURU in the post is going. Look's like that is now a plaything for "named offspring" to pout and pose, and also to add some pretty disparaging remarks about Indians and Farangs in recent weeks. They, may have money and connections, but they have little in the way of anything else to contribute to society .

See these people outside of Thailand and they are usually meek and mild and shitting themselves as nobody fawns over them.

I suppose many societies have trhis mob though but its just that in Thailand they think they can get away with murder (literally they can).

Come the revolutions and all that, Proletarians of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains.

The place might have been better off if it has become one of the Socialists Republics of the region - Vietnam looks to be doing OK as does China

[naka]

If you read further into her blog, you'll see that she stood up to question the Minister of Information (aka the man who censored youtube) when he spoke at the FCC, and was quite confrontational with him. Now that's guts. Oh -- how I would have loved to be there!

And if you delve deeper into her blog, you'll find a post where she agonises over what matching carrybag to buy for her "sugalicious" pink Sony VAIO laptop.

So? Nothing says one can't look smart and be smart at the same time.

I'd rather read about pink laptops than old farts complaining about how the price of beer in Pattaya has gone up 5 BATH == Thai conspiracy against farang == impending crash of the economy == DOOM!

It's a blog yo, not a semi-annual report from the united nations.

Yo ! Girls of the world unite, Fashion knows no class boundaries, fashion is serious stuff.

Interesting comment about looking smart though ! Duh! It's a laptop

Naka.

[Prakanong]

've had Thai women with money tell me how sick they are of farang men thinking Thailand is one big brothel.

You have to understand that this is Thailand's reputation Worldwide, and for good reason, so of course it will attract more than its fair share of visitors looking to pay for sex.

I'd be sick of having it paraded in my face too.

They can't have their cake and eat it too. The massive sex-for-sale industry caters mostly for the local populus, so either get rid of it or put up with having the reputation and the stigma.

Yes, its not just the west.

The Chinese, Singaporeans, etc all see Thailand as Asia's largest brothel - certainly the view of a lot of guy's I come across through business and women too - I cover the whole of Asia.

Just as in the UK etc its "Nudge nudge wink wink" when Thailand is mentioned.

The guy's in my MBA class are having a guy's weekend away - where are the heading? - golf and sex

Now whose fault is it will just cause circular arguments but do they want rid of it - nah they do not want to pay the costs of not having it - its a welfare state for Isaan and elsewhere.

[cmsally]

Maybe my experience is different as a woman; but as in the west, here I have found the people on the higher levels that come from very good families to be extremely polite and not looking down on others. There are those somewhere in the middle that can be pretty condescending but often they are not as high up as you think. As is everywhere, it is a pretty mixed bag and the game of oneupmanship is normally a mechanism for self defence.

[geriatrickid]

I read the lady's blog. Guess what, she observes and says the same thing alot of westerners say. Interesting that those that have read the blog aren't so critical of her.

She's the kind of girl I go out with sometimes. Not a snob, just possessed of self confidence and a wicked fun sense of humour. She also has a good eye for observation such as "presence of this guy who was talking loudly at the top of his lungs to the staff about the pile of clothes that was in front of me. I looked, he was fat, old like wrinkly, and I was dead sure he could not have been younger than 50". She could have been with me last time I went to Jungceylon as some slob on a junket made a mess of the clothing bins and expected the clerk to clean up after him. If that had happened back in Brisbane/Naples/New York the clerk would have thrown something at the oaf.

She also offers statements that have been repeated in the general forum in varying forms. And guess what, alot of westerners agree with her."Hey Sexpats? What is it about them that makes guys want to share their futures and fortunes with? To me, they're like toilets that you just relieve yourself in and move on. You don't marry them. And trust me, if you didn't have the money, they wouldn't marry you too. " Call her a snob if it makes you folks feel better, but hers is the predominate Thai view and it isn't any different than what westerners have in their own countries. She's smart, she's sassy and damm if she aint sexy. That must terrify alot of old geezers that are used to having their way with an impoverished person. Too bad. Thailand could use some more women like her.

Edited September 19, 2007 by geriatrickid

[technocracy]

I read the lady's blog. Guess what, she observes and says the same thing alot of westerners say. Interesting that those that have read the blog aren't so critical of her.

/snip

To save repeating the above . . I actually thought it was quite an amusing read! The only people who would take offense at that article are the types of people who are criticised.

Edited September 19, 2007 by technocracy

[JR Texas]

I read the lady's blog. Guess what, she observes and says the same thing alot of westerners say. Interesting that those that have read the blog aren't so critical of her.

/snip

To save repeating the above . . I actually thought it was quite an amusing read! The only people who would take offense at that article are the types of people who are criticised.

Not directed to Technocracy......just wanted to add that Thai people who have always been "rich" do often "look down on" those that are not. There is a tendency for them to think that they are the chosen ones and the rest are just fodder.

In my own life, I have been poor and rich (no, not that rich, but very comfortable with many choices). I think this has given me a different perspective on things. I would never look down on people because of their financial situation.

In addition, I would never judge people as being good or bad because they have or do not have money. Relatedly, I would never judge people as a result of their external appearance.

History has shown that the poor sometimes take revenge on the rich. Rich people need to keep this in mind. Compassion is order of the day. Dylan was right when he said: "And the loser now will be later the win........oh the times they are a-changin."

[girlx]

it seems to me that the writer isn't insulting all people who are economically beneath her. Her tone is sarcastic, certainly, but she's not insulting all poorer Thai women, just prostitutes!

this is true, and i agree with her.

[Prakanong]

it seems to me that the writer isn't insulting all people who are economically beneath her. Her tone is sarcastic, certainly, but she's not insulting all poorer Thai women, just prostitutes!

this is true, and i agree with her.

Then we have to define prostitute?

Is it someone who takes money after the act?

Someone who is with someone who they might not be except for their economic status?

How many more definistions?

SPG's in Singapore as all hookers - hmmmm

[BADBRAD]

I found her tone annoying throughout the entire blog, but didn't really see the post in question as a statement aimed at or about class differences. More of a rant about old farang/young Thai relationships (a topic which has been done to death on this forum just in the 4 or 5 months I have been here) than anything else. She came across as a judgemental bitch to me, but that's just my opinion.

P.S.- And no I'm not old and fat and no I don't have a young Thai girlfriend/wife. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Edited September 19, 2007 by BADBRAD

[Plus]

I can't see where in that blog she looks down on poor. She has some choice words for prostitutes, not poor, in fact she sympathises with sales staff.

And what about the "ho"? Didn't she act snobbishly herself?

Have you not seen these girls - cheap whores demanding high class treatment when all their claim to status lies in their client's wallets?

I also tend to agree with "toilet" metaphore - use it in private if you need to. You don't urinate in public, why should you flaunt your whores?

People don't do it at home, why do they think it's ok in Thailand? It's not, and it has nothing to do with class issues whatsoever.

[Heng]

History has shown that the poor sometimes take revenge on the rich.

Every few hundred years or so... and even then they manage to hand it all back in about 10 minutes (in historical terms). But hey, whatever gives them hope is a good thing.

[roietjimmy]

It is not just the elite and snobish that are critical of people engaged in prostitution. Even within the poorest sectors of society, prostitution is deemed to be wrong/immoral. Even the most hard core within the industry have a "cover story" for their families and friends back in the village. We have all heard numerous variations. Some examples "I work as a waitress in Pattaya", "I work as a maid in a hotel in Phuket", "I am a student in Koh Samui", "I sell noodles in Bangkok" etc. Given these waitresses, maids and students are sending the family amounts of money far beyond any believable salary range of their chosen cover job profession, the degree to which these cover stories are believed is questionable but they allow the family a save face position.

[britmaveric]

Kitty whinges all the time - its rather tiresome. Anyways its more a reflection on who she is rather than who she denigrates. The more you read the more its obvious that she is the one who lacks class. People who constantly put others down do this because it makes them feel better about their own lives.

[wamberal]

Most well-off Thai men either have a mia noi, or will at some stage in their lives.

And most Thai men that I have socialised with want to end the night at a sauna, or massage parlour.

All that their wives can do is grind their teeth and criticise the girls who profit from their husband's fat wallets.

[Scott]

You can't make a silk purse from a sows ear.

[somtaamgaiyang]

It would be just as easy to look down on the landed rich kids, being spoilt from day one, having every door under the sun opened for them to get ahead by daddy, the probable under hand dealings their parents have to undertake to get business done, never having an identity other than to be their father's son oir daughter, living off businesses created by daddy or grandad etc etc

One would have to say that as we well know in the west it normally takes 3 generations to mess up a company and looking at the hi-jinks of the so called hi-so youngsters in Bangkok, it wouldn't be far from the truth.

They may think they have the right to look down, but in reality their lives are often as unsatisfying, mundane and boring as any one elses. The rich in Thailand have simply had a chance that the poor have not, they are no better or worse than anyone else.

[Plus]

Is that a post defending social status of prostitues?

[Scott]

One would think so. I am afraid I just haven't ever met one that fell into the "Mother Teresa" category as of yet.

[somtaamgaiyang]

What is there to defend? They are working in a terrible industry that the Thai government or Thai rich doesn't seem to be very keen about stopping. Social status has nothing to do with cash in hand. Do people think that working as a prostitute is any morally less worthy than being an army general taking kick backs from arms dealers? I certainly don't. I know how dirty business is in this country, so I have very little respect for cash as a measure of the man.

If the rich want to get rid of prostitution in Thailand, they should stand up and do something about it. Does anyone honestly believe that the majority of these girls work like this because they want to??? We are constantly reminded that foreigners have no say in the way that Thailand is run, so if they don't like prostitution, they should get of the asses, spend some of their own time and money and solve the problem. I am sure with the billions of baht lying around in land and bank accounts in Thailand they could afford to take thousands of these girls into their businesses and train them up to do something very useful. They could set up out reach charities to protect these girls, to provide education, will it ever happen?

The rich of this country appear very happy to look down their noses at the poor or lower classes without actually doing anything themselves to change the situation. I pity the girls who work in this industry.

[jumnien]

Like all countries in the world, Thailand has a wide variety of prostitutes ranging from truly repulsive skeasers to girl next door types who garner a little cash on their backs from time to time. I think the OP refers to an article regarding the former type.

[somtaamgaiyang]

The rich educated Thai attitude towards this industry is so perverse that I will never understand.

They hate that Thailand has an international reputation for it, they supposedly despise hookers, they supposedly despise farangs marrying their young women and yet they do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT. But they feel no shame whatsoever that in the 21st century this is financially the best employment that most of these girls can find in Thailand. By doing nothing they are to my thinking complicit in its existence and are more morally responsible for its existence than the girls working in it. We have had a coup because someone was pouring money (rightly or wrongly) into the rural areas.

They get all excited about coyote dancers, spaghetti tops and revealing dresses when it touches their gilted existence in full knowledge that there are hundreds of thousands of people working in this business right in the centre of every city in the country.

If this were my country (and I am repeatedly reminded that it is not), if I hated the existence of this industry so much I would try to do something onstructive about it. I have given up wondering why the rich complain about it but don't do anything about it.

[canadiangirl]

If this were my country (and I am repeatedly reminded that it is not), if I hated the existence of this industry so much I would try to do something onstructive about it. I have given up wondering why the rich complain about it but don't do anything about it.

Do what exactly? Make prostitution illegal? It already is. Eliminate it? No rich country has succeeded at this, why would one expect Thailand to? Try to find alternative employment for the women? Many NGOs, run by foreigners and Thais already do this.

Most people don't care about prostitution as long as it's not shoved in their face. In my understanding, Thai men treat prostitution as something that happens behind closed doors --- which is also the attitude of most Western countries to the matter. For example, I live in one of the major sex tourism destinations for North America -- and you'd never know, by how much day-to-day contact a normal person has with the industry. You won't find it unless you go looking for it. It's discrete.

I suspect that a great part of what offends Thai sensibilities, rich or poor, on this matter is the lack of discretion of so many farang, as well as the "Thailand is my playground, what are you going to do about it?" attitude of entitlement. I would hardly be pleased if someone treated my own country this way.

Oh, how inconvenient of the Thai people to have opinions which interfere with farang having fun in Thailand! How dare they?

Edited September 19, 2007 by canadiangirl

[trader1]

Nice post canadiangirl.

[jumnien]

Nice post canadiangirl.

Yes, well put!

[canadiangirl]

The vast majority of people who are disdainful of anyone outside their class level are simply insecure. If you were to take away their fortune and their material objects (and status) they would be pitiful, pathetic and useless lower beings--which is what they fear most.

So does that judgment apply to those who disdain the rich?

Couple good posts from CG.

Thanks Heng!

One must have to be quite jai yen to be Thai in this forum sometimes.

[Plus]

I don't think Thais despise prostitution any more or any less than your average Western country. It's flaunting prostitution as an occupation equal to any other (done by foreigners) that pisses them off. Come to think of it, it's still not that different in the West either.

You can say that Thais flaunt their mia nois, but being a mia noi is absolutely not the same as being a whore.

[Jingthing]

I don't think Thais despise prostitution any more or any less than your average Western country. It's flaunting prostitution as an occupation equal to any other (done by foreigners) that pisses them off. Come to think of it, it's still not that different in the West either.

You can say that Thais flaunt their mia nois, but being a mia noi is absolutely not the same as being a whore.

Wholesale versus retail?

[AA1]

2 days ago, in a book that I am writing about My Early Years for my 3 English children, I talked about how my Edwardian grandmothers on the rare ocasions when they met would sometimes verbally (and politely!!) spar with each other - 1 being 'County' and the other 'Town' - on such important matters as "How to keep a full Stilton in prime condition" or at least how their late husbands thought it should be done!! It was amusing to watch especially as my County Grandmother was a bit of a snob.

I then wrote the following for the children:-

"I hope that we have brought the 3 of you up to judge people for what they are and NOT where they come from".

All people Farang or Thai could benefit from following these words.

[JimmyCA]

If this were my country (and I am repeatedly reminded that it is not), if I hated the existence of this industry so much I would try to do something onstructive about it. I have given up wondering why the rich complain about it but don't do anything about it.

Do what exactly? Make prostitution illegal? It already is. Eliminate it? No rich country has succeeded at this, why would one expect Thailand to? Try to find alternative employment for the women? Many NGOs, run by foreigners and Thais already do this.

Most people don't care about prostitution as long as it's not shoved in their face. In my understanding, Thai men treat prostitution as something that happens behind closed doors --- which is also the attitude of most Western countries to the matter. For example, I live in one of the major sex tourism destinations for North America -- and you'd never know, by how much day-to-day contact a normal person has with the industry. You won't find it unless you go looking for it. It's discrete.

I suspect that a great part of what offends Thai sensibilities, rich or poor, on this matter is the lack of discretion of so many farang, as well as the "Thailand is my playground, what are you going to do about it?" attitude of entitlement. I would hardly be pleased if someone treated my own country this way.

Oh, how inconvenient of the Thai people to have opinions which interfere with farang having fun in Thailand! How dare they?

How could it be any more in your face than in Thailand? HELLLOOOOOOOO