Anonymous said…
I have actually been here from the beginning, and enjoyed all the elements from your stories that resonated with my experiences.
Re the nature of Thai gay boys, you seem to be arguing that these dysfunctional behaviours are a “Thai” thing, whereas I’m leaning towards interpreting them as a “gay/feminine Thai” thing. Unfortunately I don’t know any straight Thai guys in the way I know gay Thai boys. These behaviours do seem to be common amongst the latter, but I have no idea if they are common amongst the former too.
If they are more of a gay thing, I think that raises different questions about their origins.
Perhaps some of your readers who have more experience of straight Thai boys (eg University lecturers or high school teachers) could advise re their maturity / childishness ?
H.
Sorry Mr. H, I had you mixed up with another “anonymous” who said he had just read the blog for two weeks.
I have several friends among the farang teachers in Bangkok. You know, the gay teacher mafia. According to them young Thais are a bunch of crybabies. The suprise is not that they behave like children when they actually are children, but that they stay that way at university level.
Gay boys are drama queens. That adds to it for sure. Have you heard or read much from the straight side of the fence? Farang men with Thai girlfriends… it all sounds familiar. Drama and upheaval. Many of the stories are about bargirls, but some of the ordinary girls are no better, I understand. Have you read the classic “Patpong Sisters” by Cleo Odzer? She did a Ph.d on Patpong girls while shagging around with straight Thai men. The bargirls come across as master manipulators and the straight men are not easy either.
xxx
November 23rd, 2005 at 11:40 pm
Interesting “conversation” going on these last few days on this site. Thanks for brokering it, Silom Farang.
However, I think that we should be careful making generalizations and stereotypes. Not ALL gay boys are drama queens. Not ALL Thai boys are selfish and immature. Not ALL Thai university students are crybabies.
But if we change “all” to “many”, I will be happy to agree, in many cases
(By the way, I speak as a male university teacher in Bangkok with a mature drama-free Thai boyfriend.)
November 24th, 2005 at 12:56 am
A mature drama-free Thai boyfriend? You don’t say. Is he
(a) Thai-Chinese?
(b) Over 30?
November 24th, 2005 at 4:32 pm
I agree that you stereotype too much. “All” Thai boys are this way or that way. You explain away the different experiences by the examples of a few friends’ boyfriends. There are trends, but people are individuals, too.
After all, if “all” Thais were the same, wouldn’t your boyfriend be a lying, cheating scammer, too?