I'm gonna add my two cents as I think I've mongered in Ruby a time or two.
I say it all the time but I'll say it again: In Thailand, dress well and be polite. Laugh and joke. Works with bargirls, your hotel staff, whoever. Be that Nice Guy--if it feels like a façade, so be it.
Employing Thai sex workers for temporary jobs carries an element of uncertainty, let's put it that way. Their lives may be difficult, they may have alcohol, substance, and gambling problems. They often have a Thai boyfriend or husband and may have a child in their village to support. If interested, I suggest reading Stephen Leather's novel "Private Dancer" (Leather makes it a free download as a PDF, here's the link)--it describes a scenario that I think is worth learning. Fiction? Supposedly.
The atmosphere of Soi 6 and similar places is rich with sensation, and many men find themselves drawn into a bar, and consuming alcohol. The hot/humid climate and attractive women paying attention to him may cause him to drink more than he realizes--impairment of judgement can occur. It's not merely a case of "letting your little head do your big-head thinking": the entire environment throbs with neon, with pussy, with ego-flattery, with an attractive Thai girl stroking your cock through your pants as you sit on a barstool.
Generally the worst that happens is you end up spending too much time in some bar, too much money on some girl, have sex or don't because of "whiskey dick," get a hangover, all that. Not every punt is glorious, we're human, so are the girls, there's a commercial aspect and you might shred a few thousand baht for little added value. It happens.
But here we're discussing how to react to VIOLENCE in this setting, and I have some best practices I'd like to put forward for discussion. Best practices are things to strive for, not goals you must achieve.
1) Never display anger in Thailand. Never raise your voice in anger. Practice "jai yen yen" (cool heart) at all times. Oh, I know how hard this is. You're pouring sweat and cranky, service is poor, the air-con breaks down, they serve you the wrong dish, whatEVER. This is Thailand. Things go wrong ALL THE TIME. Deal how you deal, but don't yell at a Thai person--they will lose face and both they and people around will notice. You may become angry but do your best not to let it show.
2) Never get physically violent with a Thai person. In private it's not good, but in public, can be dangerous. Passersby will side with the Thai and if young and male, will likely join in. This is listed by Dr A above, and it happens. Some guy picks a fight and finds himself curled up on the sidewalk with ten strangers kicking him. It's got nothing to do with the incident--it's just a bunch of Thai guys who are "getting back" at rude farang after seeing one too many farang behaving badly. This behavior is reprehensible, but it happens. The police will not seek justice for you in such cases. It may not escalate to that level, but it can and does, and you DO NOT WANT TO BE THAT GUY.
3) If you witness violence at the level of this particular incident, get the hell out. There is no other option. When you are clear, call the Tourist Police immediately (110). Tell them there's a fight at Ruby Club on Soi 6. Do not get involved.
I know it would massively suck seeing some drunk farang choke a Thai woman, or watch another guy stomp him, or whatever went down. It's our nature to want to help. But this is not a coward/hero situation. You are a farang, and in a violent situation, you will not accomplish anything. DO call the Tourist Police...from a distance. That is the best way to help, even if the response is not a squad of crack professionals rushing straight in to sort things out. Call 110, after you get safely away.
That's my two cents. As I mentioned before, I cut my deals on the street outside and spend enough time in the bar to hand the barfine to the woman behind the counter, then upstairs for some quality companionship.
JtB
[ Last edited by JackTheBat at 14-2-2018 22:41 ] | |
