Posted on 08/19/2006 2:18:44 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
I personally had asked that a thread about Phuket and the tsunami be reviewed by the moderators. The types of comments posted on the thread ranged from the "wrath of God" to the "notice the predominance of male victims" insinuating that only sex tourists vacationed there. Not surprisingly, the thread was removed by the moderator.
Kissing the tarmac upon returning home? Well, I love America just as much as the next guy, but doesn't that sort of classify the entire world as an unliveable hellhole? C'mon, I've been to Ireland, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Iceland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. All of those countries have high standards of living. They are hardly starving and living in filth.
I've also been to Guatemala, the Philippines, China, Mongolia, India and Pakistan, and, yes, I can understand why you would appreciate America after seeing the poverty in which millions of the inhabitants of those countries live.
The whole world except for America is not Third World. Reminds me of the "Simpsons" episode where a man tells Lisa that in other countries, people eat bugs and sleep on the floor. Lisa asks him specifically which country/countries, and he replies, "Norway."
America is a great nation and we have much to be proud of, but so do inhabitants of other fine nations, i.e., Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, for example. If you start talking about the starvation, political tyranny and unhygienic conditions endured by Australians, you'll get laughed out of the room.
Best Regards,
P.M.
I studied in Thailand for a short while. I greatly enjoyed my time exploring almost the entire country (stayed away from the jungled borders) and I would love to go back.
People don't realize that the deviant sexual activity is tolerated only by a few. The majority disapprove. The problem, most likely, is that the matriarchal societies of the hill tribes traditionally viewed prostitution as something that was a great job for women. As in, "Men are so stupid for PAYING us to do these small things for them." Women would traditionally go down to the city for a life of prostitution for a few years so they could save up a nice nest egg to build a good rice house. When that attitude was mixed with the numerically larger patriarchal society of the Thais, it became toxic. Every westerner should be familiar with how a patriarchal society views prostitution, after all...prostitutes are stupid, worthless people who are so detestable that they will sink to selling their bodies. The hill tribes did not change their view of prostitution until the onset of STDs, when men began to want younger and younger girls so that they would be "clean." Now there is so much money in prostitution that the brothels can pay off the police to even return their 11 year old runaways back to the brothels.
Just a small history/culture lesson, and one I learned from a Hmong man (hill tribe) who was a Thai professor at Silpakorn University.
Thai women are extremely modest and will not wear tank tops or shorts, either. Their bathing suits are usually black and have sleeves and a longish skirt. They do not date until they are at least 18 (usually), and they are very shy and innocent about sexual matters. Just as a general rule, of course.
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