What do people living in Thailand think about their country's reputation as a brothel for foreigners?
I'm just wondering. And if this question makes you angry or offends you, then you understand how I feel, especially with all of the children involved in the sex trade in Thailand.
Thailand - 9 Answers
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1 :
The reputation as a brothel for foreigners is somewhat unfair. Yes, there is prostitution in Thailand, and yes, there are places where it's out in the open, but the truth is that prostitution is no more prevalent in Thailand than it is in most major cities in the world. I live in Los Angeles and we don't have any 'red light' districts, but there's more prostitution here per capita than there is in Thailand. The difference is our prostitution is on street corners and back allies. And our prostitutes don't get checked regularly for HIV. Not to mention the pimps and drug use that is usually associated with it. And, and let's not forget the number of run away kids involved in the trade here. As far as how Thailand feels about it's reputation, I don't think they like it. But it's usually self-righteous farangs who don't really know what they're talking about who further the reputation, not the Thais. As far as children involved in the sex trade in Thailand, Thailand has cracked down on underage sex pretty severally. Not to say that it doesn't exist, but then again you have to realize if it weren't for perverted white dudes coming over and looking for it, it probably wouldn't.
2 :
I live in thailand and I know there are very few "brothels for foreighners". Its just not like that, Having said that, Its true thousands of young women go to the tourist areas like Pattaya, Koe Sumuei etc hoping to meet a white man to marry them and take care of their family,and many are succesful. Recently a Thai (He was the electriction that wired up my house ) came round to my house with his beautiful 23 yo daughter with a 53yo American (A contracter on holiday from Iraq ) that she had met in Pattaya. They wanted me to translate for them. Obviously they all hope the relationship will continue.. Maybe it will or maybe the guy will put it all down to experience and find another beauty next time. As for child sex If it exists, it's not seen, Iknow a lot of it is played up by the media. In Pattaya its common to see little girls walking by the bars selling roses, or what ever, I heard of a man who picked a little girl up and sat her on the bar and bought her a coke. He was secretly photograghed and his picture appeared in a German news paper above the heading "Child sex in Thailand " That event was brought to light by Media watch. It sells news papers and many believe it to be true. Rest easy it 's no worse in Thaland than it is any where else, I hope this makes you feel better..
3 :
do you know there are more brothel for thai men then for foreigners. think about it.
4 :
They don't think about, they are largely unaware that some Westerners think there are children involved in the sex trade, as they have never seen any evidence of it with their own eyes or on any of the many investigative TV news programs in Thailand. As for whether your question offends Thais, I doubt it does, the sensationalist news articles that you base your query on have little basis in reality and are nothing to get upset about. As for prostitution, yeah that's common, but no more common than any other East Asian country, so they are not particularly concerned. The only difference between Thailand and Japan or Korea, is that in Thailand foreigners can participate, while in other Asian countries there are no foreigner signs every were and only locals are allowed. It's this tolerance towards foreigners that has allowed Thais to be painted in negative light, as Western media and agenda driven academia have painted legal prostitution between consenting adults as something far more sinister in order to paint as bad a light as possible on men who travel there.
5 :
Frankly, many Thais do not know about this seedy reputation that had been spreading outside of Thailand, because it is not so. Tall stories spread faster than bush fires and the few exploits that some guys may have, their tales will seem like the country is just one Bangkok. I had Thai friends visiting me and they were quite surprised by this foreign invoked reputation about them. To them, it seems like all foreigners think that all Thai ladies are whore. Really. And they do not like it at all, I can assure you. But, what can be done to curb or control this when you get replies that affirm to this. There are 60 over millions Thais, so does the bars in Bangkok and Pattaya house all of the Thai women? So, it is really ridiculous and sick to hear of visitors boasting of their exploits like they had been around the whole country. Somehow it is these few people who seems to have the loudest voices than the hundre thousands other genuine visitors. Fact is, many foreigners are exploiting the Thais, not just the children only.
6 :
Thats ridiculouse,,I guess you are immagining prostitutes in Thailand are the same as in your country. all tarted up and wearing skimpy clothes and looking like whores.. Its not so Ask any man who has been here.. Would an average man in America marry a whore, knowing she is a prostitute,, I dont think so, yet the average guy can meet a bar girl here , fall in love and marry her
7 :
i think that white people who come to thailand,only for buying sex (sex with adult or children or whatever) are disgusting. it's not thai that start this reputation,it's white men who started this. think about demand and supply. if white people don't look for,don't buy,don't make demand on this sex business. then the supply will not increase or even end.
8 :
Thais look down on prostitution, so it's not a proud reputation. But Thais will usually offer positive reputations before they acknowledge the prostitution problem. The most common one I hear is The Land of Smiles, the Tiger of Southeast Asia (every Asian country thinks they're the Tiger), Asia's Kitchen, and other ones to do with elephants and hilltribes.
9 :
As nowhereman pointed out, the biggest portion of the sex industry in Thailand caters to the need and desires local men. It is just that the part of sex industry, which targets foreigners gets the most attention by foreign media. To locals, the sex industry is no major issue; one soap opera was for example about a mama-san running an upscale brothel while another was about a girl who worked her way up from a less than honorable job in Pattaya. But undercover reports on massage parlors were made by ITV before Thaksin took control of that TV station and Thai newspapers do on occasion also write about it. You have to understand that prostitution -- although illegal and not morally acceptable -- is viewed very differently in Thailand compared to what is normal in the west. Most Thai “working girlsâ€, especially those of rural descent, are in that line of business as parts of their families, to which they have obligations. Many girls are working mothers with children to support and almost all feel bound by the (morally) obligatory repayment to their parents of the meritorious debt the girls incurred at birth. Respect and obedience to elders, trust in their wisdom and protection, and the need to return favors received are all strong themes in traditional Thai culture. A Thai woman can – even if working as a prostitute – pursue virtue and merit making. It is not the exchange of sexual services for money that makes a Thai girl “ruinedâ€. It is when girls turn their backs on their families they are condemned by society. If they are good daughters and bring money back to their families, people disregard the source of the money. It’s just their karma that they are prostitutes and a person’s karma must be accepted. There is no way to alter one’s fate. Happiness is accepting one’s position. Happiness is being with people who understand and respect that position. The cardinal point is that the girl’s sexuality is not considered something that she has entire disposal of. It sounds strange in Western ears of course, but ultimately it is considered a resource that belongs to her family. Consequently, the very fact that the girl offers the sexual services for a cash reward is looked upon as an excuse: she has not been loose; it is defined as work. The girls working at Patpong and similar places and associating with farang on a daily basis may also become “ruined†by distancing themselves from Thai values and rules of behavior. They become westernized. But girls working in Thai nightclubs and karaoke bars dressed in long traditional Thai silk dresses are never called “ruined†just because they sell sex. Of Thai moral values, the obligations towards the family come first. But Thai people also despise public nudity. When they talk about the bad girls in Patpong, they explicitly point out their disgust for the sex shows, but even the go-go dancers in their diminutive bikinis are offensive to Thais. So, even though prostitutes (as in all societies) are considered “low classâ€, there is in a Thai cultural context a distinct differentiation between different “types†of prostitutes depending on their behavior (virtuous, respectful, “Thai†or not) and job task (e. g., sex show performer or lounge hostess). By the way, I don't quite understand your reference to children. This is such a miniscule part of the Thai sex industry and is certainly not acceptable to anybody in Thailand ... except to the policemen paid to turn a blind eye.
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