Subculture, Expat style

Each country's expatriots are part of a unique subculture. Think of Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald in Europe, or any of Graham Greene’s novels, which continue to define the expat experience to this day. Even more modern books, like the wonderful Prague by Arthur Phillips, portray expat life as having unusual rhythms. Innside each of these subcultures are shared passtimes, a unique lingo, and a set of unspoken rules about relating to the locals.

Thailand has one of the more defined expat subcultures. This is most likely due to The Kingdom's status as a hub for Southeast Asia. In the past this was a region of wars. Now, it's a region of commerce (and the odd small scale armed conflict). It must be said that what I shall say below about expat subculture, does not include every foreigner living and/or working in Thailand.
This video was posted on youtube. Dean Barrett is an old Thailand hand, but obviously not your stereotypical hard-bitten cynic. He is a figure in Thailand's expat community for having written a series of mediocre books about the country, mostly about the go-go bar scene.

Upon first watching the movie, you might notice Barrett's weird use of English. I fell into that in Vietnam while teaching English. After spending the day explaining things in simplified English, I found it harder and harder to slip back into my regular voice. Also, because my friends were Australian, Swedish, and Brits, I had to be cognoscente of these different dialects as well. I caught different sayings and idioms sneaking in to my vocabulary. Still, in public situations, I did my best to speak in the voice of a native Englsih speaker. I think Barrett has fallen into speaking bargirl English. Which might be understandable, considering the amount of time he claims to spend in bars.

Of course, you can’t talk about Thailand’s expat community without mentioning the sex-trade. Not only is it celebrated in this partucular video, it's all over youtube, the internet and virtually any other internet outlet which allows you to search for the word Thailand.

Mr. Barrett, god love ‘im, gives a cursory explanation of the morality issues. In a sense, he’s spot on. “Parachute journalists” condemn “The Industry” with one-sided arguments. There is no mention of the blinding poverty that some of these girls had to endure. There’s no mention of a culture which stresses loyalty to family above almost all else. There’s no mention of the view of sex as “scratching an itch.”
At the same time, Barrett, despite his years in country, comes across as ultra naive about the gritty aspects of this trade. These girls, while mostly there by choice, have short careers before it becomes impossible for them to compete with younger, fitter girls for customers. And surely there must be some psychological effects of sleeping with hundreds of different men each year.

A don’t criticize Barrett for admitting that he enjoys the sexual carnival that is Soi Cowboy, and Nana and Patpong. Who among heterosexual males wouldn’t. There’s an equivalent carnival for gay men as well, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. I guess I have to admit that I have enjoyed and will enjoy again, a trip to certain go-go bars in the three nightlife areas. But, at the same time, it is what it is: an industry, meant to make money from those who are seeking a break from reality. Most guys I know go out of their way to treat the girls working in this industry with respect. I’m sure Barrett is no exception. He’s human, just like you and me. So are the girls working at these bars. Sometimes, as Barrett's one sided monologue shows, that's an easy side of reality to forget.