Thailand's Hypocrite Johns - Sex Tourists That Don't Pay For Sex

The way that westerners look at Thailand is often hypocritical, the media is buzzing with reports of sex slaves, human trafficking, and child prostitution. Often this is overstated, as in the case of the documentary film "Bangkok Girl", which has been criticized for faking the death of a prostitute, as well as a recent scandal involving "The Grey Man", a foreign aid group that has been accused of faking cases of child prostitution, in order to justify it's own existence. There is undoubtedly cases of these kind in Thailand, just as there is in any country in the world, however it is my belief that it is far less common than the western media represents it to be.

When male tourists travel to Thailand, they are often thought of as "sex tourists", and their colleagues, friends and family back home may even gossip about them, or question them about their trip. The fact is that most single male tourists travel to Thailand with the intention of sleeping with Thai women, and even those who don't, often find themselves giving in to the temptation. While most people in the West are disgusted by this, having lived in Thailand my entire adult life, I look at it differently. It is easy to criticize what you don't understand, and those who make the most noise, often have the least understanding. One of the most informative books on the subject was written by a mother and daughter from Finland, who spent several years in Thailand, and took the time to research the subject before offering criticism. The book is titled "Thailand Men's Paradise?"

In the book the women tackle the subject of "hypocrite johns", young men that sleep with prostitutes, and yet they don't pay them. The twisted logic indoctrinated into their minds is that by paying for sex, you are exploiting these women. Amazing as it seems, they are convinced that by sleeping with prostitutes and not paying them, they are somehow less exploitative, an absurd illusion. Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly enough to satisfy most of their critics back home, and they proudly speak of their conquests in which they did not have to pay. Some of these men might be honest with the women, and others might make grand promises that they never intend to keep.

One of the most distasteful attributes of hypocrite johns, is that they are often the first to criticize "sex tourists", referring to them in a negative light, and proudly exclaiming that indeed they never pay for sex. Even many of the paying sex tourists will take part in discussions about "the other guys", those who they feel are "the real sex tourists". You won't meet many guys in Thailand that will admit to being a sex tourist, however there are many that will be happy to point one out to you.

I don't consider myself a sex tourist, however I am sure there are a lot of soccer moms in the Bible Belt that would disagree with me. Not to say that I have never payed for sex, who could make such a bold claim, surely any man that has ever been divorced can assure you that we all pay in the end. My point is that I don't spend my days sitting around chirping about people who might be a lot like myself, because that would make me a hypocrite.