white dudes were hanging out in a bar nearby.
I’m currently in Bangkok, and it’s a bit of a shock to be honest. Everywhere I go, I see old white guys who are completely out of shape, hanging out with one, two or sometimes even three local women who are dressed in sexy outfits. It’s clear what kind of relationship they have, and it’s not a pleasant sight.
In the bars, it’s the same story. You see these old, out-of-shape white guys drinking and surrounded by young, local women. On the street, there are more women looking for a lonely old white guy who had no chance back home. It’s a sad reminder of the power imbalance and exploitation that is so sadly intertwined with sex tourism.
These old guys fly to Thailand to take advantage of young, desperate women; many of them have no choice or are desperately poor. You don’t see old, out-of-shape Thai guys flying to Sweden to find young, beautiful blonde Swedish girls. So it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here.
It’s hard to avoid this kind of thing in the area I’m staying in. I went to a nice Thai place for dinner recently, and sure enough, there was an old guy with two women totally fixated on him. And nearby there were more old white guys in a bar, surrounded by young women.
It’s a heavy thing to witness on vacation, but it’s a reminder of the reality of the world. Yes, sex tourism is an issue and there is exploitation involved, but it’s a complex issue that needs to be addressed in a way that takes all sides into account. It’s not something that can be easily solved, but it’s something that needs to be discussed and understood.