Is Bangkok Really This Seedy/Amazing

[ms. sally]

I've been reading the Bangkok series by John Burdett. I'm curious to know if Bangkok is really like it is portrayed. The books are fiction. In them Bangkok is shown as a city of severe corruption where the police and army are no better than the gangsters and almost everyone is up for a bribe. That part doesnt surprise. Please shed light if not accurate.

Im more curious about the very casual way thais view the sex trade (i.e its no big thing, just a regular job for the women that do it. Not as demonized as it is in the states) and also the concept of karma being used to justify just about anything (i.e a woman sleeps with men for money (bad karma) but uses the money to put her sister through med school (good karma) so they cancel each other out in the big picture).

I've heard some say this is accurate, others say its a very exaggerated portrayal.

Those in the know please speak up.

Thank you.

[ms. sally]

What of the concept of Karma as being a moral "get out of jail free card" so to speak? Do Thai buddhist use the idea of balancing karma to allow them to commit crimes, as long as the amount of karma is then replenished by doing good?

Are there Thais on Sufu?

[PainZtaking]

I'm Thai and I'm Buddhist. Prostitute is not ok in most of Thais point of view. It's considered as the lowest part of society.

That balancing thing is bullshit. In our belief, if you do "bad karma", u will have to pay for it. Good karma doesnt erase bad karma.

example: u rob a bank, u will spend ur life in a prison

In buddhism, we believe in next life. we believe that we have the next life to pay for the bad karma that we did.

sorry for my terrible english

[ms. sally]

But is it possible to spend less time repaying bad karma in the next life, if you balance your good and bad deeds in this one?

[PainZtaking]

nope. good karma doesn't cancel bad karma.

Basicly, it's like...

You do bad thing, bad thing will happen to you.

You do good thing, good thing will happen to you.

But, they don't cancel each other.

[nak soo kaao]

Having spent a lot of time in Bangkok I am going to have to go ahead and agree that prostitution is greatly looked down upon. However, some regular girls have also told me that while they regard them as "dirty" they don't think they are bad people because in general they are just supporting their family by the only means they see as the most profitable.

And from what I understand the sections that cater to foreigners that england has mentioned are a significant portion of the business, but the majority caters strictly to Thais.

[ms. sally]

Cool. The books romanticize it, make it seem like its a game (it is often referred to in the books as "the game" and girls are "on the game" when working).

I was curious to hear if it really was as casual as he writes.

[LeicaLad]

The picture is never so simple as the “snap shot” of novels written for a prurient audience would make it seem. To certain extent, all of the previous comments contain some truth, particularly in certain contexts.

There is a famous woman lawyer, top of the Thai legal profession and from a very high society family, who spent years on improving legal rights for women in Thailand. She always refused to judge girls who worked in the sex industry, saying, “A girl has to do what she must to get by in this world.” (I heard her say this directly.) She didn’t “approve” in a western sense, but neither did she judge. She was adored by many. She retired as a Buddhist nun.

The Thai are simply more matter-of-fact about the existence of commercial sex, and less quick to moralize. It is also true that social norms have undergone significant changes over the past 20 years, with patterns of sexual behavior looking quite different for the generation coming of age now than it did for previous ones.

The simple view of Buddhist karma in this thread is also quite weak. People make merit in hopes of improving their lives, both in this life and the life to come. It is not a “balancing act” nor a quid pro quo, but an earnest hope that regardless of their shortcomings and failures that they might, somehow, be granted a better chance in their next life. The selflessness of many young people who suffer to support younger siblings and older parents is real, not just in Thailand. And that are ample studies for which references may be found by simple search that provide thorough details.

The Burdett novels you are reading, as with the larger series by Christopher Moore, are written for the foreign bar flies that hover around Nana, Cowboy, Patpong and the beach resort bar zones. These are cheap thrillers written to sell. Do you think pulp thrillers give a true picture of life in America? You cannot hope to get an even vaguely accurate view from these.

Thus, I would suggest your msg is more of a troll than a serious question.