You see many things in Bangkok that you don't see in many western cities. One thing you see often is older men with younger women. Now, you do see that in Canada. Celine Dione and her late husband would be one example and Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair would be another. There are also many sighting of what would be referred to as trophy wives with middle age guys. The attraction in these relationships on the surface appears to be power and/or wealth. Western women are attracted to both. Beneath that observation is that most of these guys have other things going for them such as good looks, athletic bodies, personality, etc.
However, in Thailand, these relations are referred to as 'Farang, looking after me and my family' and 'I look after farang'. Your average Thai man in Bangkok is used to this and accepts it for what it is. Younger guys are often jealous and resentful as they can't understand why a beautiful young Thai girl would go for a old farang.
Thavorn and I observed a many faceted reaction as we walked down Sukhumvit. There was a group of 25-45 year old Thai men sitting around a corner waiting for transport somewhere. They all had the same company golf shirt on and they struck me as the type of person that would be stringing fiber optic cable throughout the city. I think they may have been trucked in from up country but I am guessing at that. The looks Thavorn and I received were everything from puzzlement, to jealously, to hostility, and perhaps a little humor.
They don't understand that younger Thai women want something that most Thai men can not give them. They want a future where they don't have to worry about health care, worry about being abused by a drunk boyfriend, worry about their husband cheating on them, and an education for their children that the previous Thai guy abandoned. In other words, they want what most farang women take for granted.
For the most part, the Thai guys sitting around that corner of Sukhumvit just don't get it and never will until the school system starts teaching respect for the opposite sex.
Thavorn's brother is a perfect example of a no future kind of guy. He has little education, does not want to go back to school to learn a trade and makes a living selling BBQ chicken from a cart. He is 26 and has two children under 5 that are looked after by his Thai wife. He will be doing the same thing 30 years from now. I see many Thai women in the village that just want out. The internet has shown them that a different world is out there, and unlike many guys are willing to go out there and grasp it.
TTYL
No comments:
Post a Comment