Guest Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I love the whole concept of 'make merit'....you can do 'bad' things' date=' go and get spiritually cleansed and begin again...[/quote'] Um.....are you talking about Buddhism or Christianity? I'm no expert on either but some of the last few comments made me roll my eyes a bit. With Christianity, you can be a mass murder and repent just before your execution and your sins will be forgiven....maybe. With Buddhism, all the bad things you do in your life are cumulative as well as all the good things. If your REAL bad you may come back as a lower life form like a cockroach or something. As I understand it, Buddhism makes things like wai'ing a shrine in Nanaplaza perfectly natural to them. If you don't "get" that then you don't "get" Thailand IMHO. That would include me! I have simply learned to accept it as the way it is over there without trying to see it through western eyes. The irony people seem to see in wanting material things and money while at the same time being a good buddhist is...again...looking at it through western christian influenced eyes. They simply DON'T see it that way! In fact, many things we may consider fundamentally good or bad may be very different from many of the things they see as fundamentally good and bad. Logically, spiritually etc. At least that is my take on it and I will readily admit I am no expert on Thai culture. That is the template I have come up with and it seems to fit the patterns I have observed over time. Yes, the same concept, or similar exists in Buddhism...you goto the temple, contribute 'something' and pray....a monk may give you what is in effect a 'blessing' altho' obviously it's not the same as a christian style blessing. I live here (LOS) and have a very traditional thai GF...upper middle class...they are very devout and go at certain times of the year to 'make merit' (her words, not mine...but many thais use this phrase). I also went to a new years buddhist ceremony and got cleansed...so i have another year to sin sin sin!!! Until my next cleansing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibblies Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 So are you saying the it is more culturally acceptable (excluding self-perceived necessity)in Thailand to grow to be a hooker than the west?Your argument sounds an awful lot like someone trying to rationalize taking economic advantage of third world women. Donâ??t get me wrong, there is no condemnation in that, I just refuse to go along with theory that these women are at heart happy with the choices they made, which in many cases they felt they had to. When I go with a third world hooker, I am fully aware of that I am able to do so because of my economic advantage and donâ??t fool myself into believing she is thrilled to be there. TH It sounds like you've still got the old Christian/liberal 'guilt' problem with all this talk of exploitation and your distinct implication that having sex for money is the worst thing a woman could do. Why? To me, it's simply an exchange of goods and services. She gets money, you get sex. There's no more guilt or exploitation involved than, for example, buying a lunchtime sandwich from a girl in a bakery. I don't feel any guilt about eating it although I bet she wasn't 'thrilled' to make it and, technically, in your parlance, I 'took advantage' of her. Nor was I necessarily thrilled to do my job that day. I, like her, did it for the exchange of money. (Hey, come to think of it, I wasn't really 'happy in my heart' to do it and I was also 'taken advantage of'! Why don't you feel sorry for me too? ffs. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 <> Buddha wasn't a Thai people, so I'm amazed he gets respect wasn't he from the Indian subcontinent somewhere...Nepal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Actually I think Bhuidda is like 543 years older than Christ. He was suposedly born in what is Now called Nepal...but then I have been recently told I don't know anything about Buddhism, so what do I know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 To me, it's simply an exchange of goods and services. She gets money, you get sex. When girl is making sandwiches she doesn't endanger her physical or mental health. Sexuality is a bit more complex thing than just to use your body for manual labour. What you say is probably true when talking about hardened pros that have been in the business for years but there is a long way from an innocent village girl to emotionally numb harcore hooker. I wouldn't want my daughter to walk that path, would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 "...but there is a long way from an innocent village girl to emotionally numb harcore hooker..." Actually, it is a very short road, and the decision to travel it is all too often made very quickly and without thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Yes it can happen very quickly but the changes in her mental state are huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Agreed! I look at how much for the worse SSG has changed in the 5+ years I've known her, and how fast it happened. Also Tonsil girl, and many others...doesn't take long...don't think many/any really consider this when they rush into it blinded by money... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianTroy Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Actually I think Bhuidda is like 543 years older than Christ. He was suposedly born in what is Now called Nepal...but then I have been recently told I don't know anything about Buddhism, so what do I know? Siddhartha Gautama was born 620 years BC and he became aprox 60 years old others say he became 80years old and the numbers where Buddhism became an equivalent to religion differ about 200 years. For christians it is easy, they took jesus birth as the kick off for everything, with Buddha it is kinda more complicated, because he was a prince at first and became spiritual later. Some people say the Budhism and it's variations began 280 years after he died and some others say it started when he began teaching in India. However he is way older then Jesus and so is Buddhism! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 So are you saying the it is more culturally acceptable (excluding self-perceived necessity)in Thailand to grow to be a hooker than the west?Your argument sounds an awful lot like someone trying to rationalize taking economic advantage of third world women. Donâ??t get me wrong' date=' there is no condemnation in that, I just refuse to go along with theory that these women are at heart happy with the choices they made, which in many cases they felt they had to. When I go with a third world hooker, I am fully aware of that I am able to do so because of my economic advantage and donâ??t fool myself into believing she is thrilled to be there. TH [/quote'] It sounds like you've still got the old Christian/liberal 'guilt' problem with all this talk of exploitation and your distinct implication that having sex for money is the worst thing a woman could do. Why? To me, it's simply an exchange of goods and services. She gets money, you get sex. There's no more guilt or exploitation involved than, for example, buying a lunchtime sandwich from a girl in a bakery. I don't feel any guilt about eating it although I bet she wasn't 'thrilled' to make it and, technically, in your parlance, I 'took advantage' of her. Nor was I necessarily thrilled to do my job that day. I, like her, did it for the exchange of money. (Hey, come to think of it, I wasn't really 'happy in my heart' to do it and I was also 'taken advantage of'! Why don't you feel sorry for me too? ffs. ) I don't feel guilty, I am just honest with myself about mine and her motivations. Are you saying that economic advantage has nothing do with me being able to pay her 40 bucks baht to have sex? I would not go to the expense or trouble of paying the several hundred dollars in the US for an equivalent hooker. You can be honest about that and not feel guilty. I think those of you who do not acknowledge the economics of the situation and go on about laziness, quick money, same as selling muffins in a bakery, etc are the ones that are feeling guilty and are rationalizing their behavior. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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