Contradictions

Phuket is often talked about as being paradise, but once enchantment has worn off, you begin to wonder about modern Thailand. How have decades of tourism, American GIs and loads of money affected the Thais? Has capitalism corrupted them? Have they lost themselves in greed?

Despite the dreamy postcards, all the grace of Thailand cannot disguise the truth about tourism – a lot more foreign men visit Thailand than women. Sex is one of the main tourist attractions in Thailand. Patong does, indeed, resemble a sexual supermarket : discos, go-go bars, massage parlors... “Thailand is the playground for the world’s frustrated men” (Ian Buruma). Walking down Bangla road, you see a display of drag queens, lady boys, prostitutes, strippers... and amused tourists. This openly direct sexuality is so different from daily life, so absurd, it almost isn’t obscene. It is like a cartoon, almost makes you laugh because it’s so outrageous. It’s a show for the farangs, a fake world set up to make money. It is confusing, because while all this industry takes in the cash, Thais are also deeply concerned about their image, about “not loosing face”. To hide this side of Thai tourism and its bad image, another image is presented to the world : the ancient Thai culture. There appears to be a contradiction between the image of the Land of smiles, its delicate tropical flowers and unique hospitality, and the world of live ping-pong shows. But then again, both coexist. The same girl dancing on the bars on Soi Bangla will donate part of her earnings to a Buddhist monk the next morning, to earn merit. Her culture outside the bar is amulets around her neck, images of Thai Kings and Buddha. “The apparent ease with which Thais appear able to adopt different forms, to swim in and out of seemingly contradictory worlds, is not proof of a lack of cultural identity, nor is the circus of Patong proof of Thai corruption – on the contrary, it reflects the corrupted taste of Westerners, for whom it is specifically designed.” (Ian Buruma). Maybe!

The Western liberalism embraced by the Thai sex industry is very unrepresentative of the majority of Thai attitude to the body. The lack of clothing worn by tourists bothers Thais. Baring your flesh on beaches is very much a Western practice. When Thais go swimming, they often do so fully clothed so they find topless bathing distasteful. No Spanish beaches here!

Thai women dress very conservatively, usually with long sleeved shirts and long pants. In fact, they are very concerned about being protected by the sun. They wear long hats or scarves. They do not want to tan. They often wear whitening creams or very thick sunscreen on their faces.

Nothing is black or white, nothing is so simple. And economically, a young Thai woman can earn a phenomenal amount of money selling her body : more in a couple of years than her parents earn in a lifetime.

Different countries, same argument, same consequences...