Mr. Clear Conscience

It is fairly well written about how really really deep inside every man who go to Bangkok for it's nightlife has a guilty conscience.

Oh and shame shame of them cause God is looking and stuff.

Welp, this isn't responding to that.

That is a response to Anna Schmidt, who pitched in with "Facing the Truth" which basically agreed with Harry in spirit, with almost a psychology Ph.D dissertation of just what kind of sad sad men who can't understand this is a bad thing, with a good dollop of "seriously people, what's the matter with you!?!"

And I can't really answer that, so this isn't that either.

But someone did answer that, Korski did a good job with "The Real Truth About the Whoring Grounds of SouthEast Asia"

And he did great! I'd vote in his favor if it was a debate. (As a rule, he who speaks longest wins I'd always say)

This isn't response to that either.

So what is this about?

Well reading back over a lot of other submission, I did notice a lot of accusations and justifications for what is happening and a whole lot of them do seem like "holier than thou" folks yelling at "It's all good and I got fact and truth on my side you pretentious prig!" people responding.

So I thought "Hey! I should definitely chip in cause my two cents are definitely new and interesting!" (spoiler alert, no it's not.)

First, don't expect to find any truth here. I hate truth. I love lies and illusions. It makes my dull life full and enjoyable. Women don't wear makeup in pursuit of the truth, and the last honest man was Abraham Lincoln and we shot him for that.

Anyway, one of things that keeps being repeated is that this bargirl scene is a bad thing (to both girls and Thailand), and we are contributing to it and that is bad.

And…. Yes, I think bar scene is kind of a bum deal for the girls and for the society that allows it to happen, and yes, every single man that frequents such places and parttakes in the services offered is indeed contributing as well as perpetuating the sad situation.

But so what? How is that different than every single person who works in the tobacco industry? and I am not talking about the CEO, but even the guy who grows tobacco? or delivery men? or those who sell it in a store? If you are against smoking for whatever reason, they are all painted the same.

What about Alcohol? Porn? Beef (if you are Indian)? or meat in general (if you are vegan)? Violent video games?

I'd imagine you can pick anyone in random from the street and you can find someone else who will froth at the mouth that whatever job the first person is doing is harming something in one way or another according to whatever values / beliefs / prejudice / pet peeve second person have.

Does that justify anyone's participation in the bar scene? No. It isn't a justification, but their conscience shouldn't be any dirtier than those who fill up their gas tank knowing they are killing mother earth and their children and their children's children, ya-da ya-da ya-da.

Then they would ask "Then why don't you do it where you live?!"

And I'd say "For the same reason people GO ON VACATION!!!"

I can't say for certain, but I am betting most of us can eat, sleep and wear bad Hawaiian shirt wherever they live.

But they still go to another city, state, country cause IT'S DIFFERENT THERE!

And lot of times it's legal.

You probably can't really sit down with a good steak with your friends and family in Calcutta (I am guessing), but if you really like steak, you might plan a vacation to Texas and kill and eat half a cow. I can't smoke weed in East Coast US, but I might fly to the West Coast, or to Amsterdam and light up.

It isn't that most of us fly half around the world to do "bad things' they can do at home just for the heck of it. We do it cause what we want isn't available where we live and / or they will most likely be put in jail where they live for doing it.

That's when they point a finger and say "ah-Ha! so you do feel guilty! I bet you wouldn't tell anyone about this "trip" where you live!"

And I'd say neeeewp. See, the way guilt works is you do something that you are not allowed to do in a time and place where it is not allowed, like I don't fart on a crowded subway cause I'd feel guilty about the pain and suffering I'd cause, but I don't feel guilty when I let one rip in my own room alone. I am not doing something where I am not supposed to do them, and I am making effort to go where it is allowed. Unless of course if you believe in never having sex with girl who only have sex with you cause she want something from you.

And OF COURSE I don't tell people. When was last time you walked into lunch with your co-worker and heard "hey did you see the latest porn from Playboy channel? it was smoking hot!" Porn is multi-billion dollar industry with more than 70% of men from 18 to 34 visit a pornographic site in a typical month yet not a typical discussion topic. Religion? Sex? Politics? Breast Feeding? Natural Child-Birth? Viagara vs Cialis?

There are lot of things I don't talk to people about not because I am ashamed but because it would be creepy!

Stickman's thoughts:

The point you allude to that most everyone is probably doing something that someone else would find wrong, offensive, or maybe even reprehensible is, I believe, entirely true! But so long as it is not harming others, then I wonder if it is such a big deal. It is when our actions actually harm others that perhaps we need to consider what we're doing…