In assuming most men going on holiday alone to Thailand, are going to have sex with prostituted women or men?

[Grennie]

It is estimated that about 1% of Thailand's GDP is earned through sexual exploitation tourism.

In 2003 (the last year for which full figures are available) some 545,000 British residents arrived on visits. If you remove the children, and the British citizens visiting for business or reasons other than a holiday, you arrive at about 489,000—314,000 men and 175,000 women. That is 139,000 more British men than women coming to Thailand for a holiday—a gap of 28 per cent.

In no other international holiday destination, is there such a big difference in the number of women and men travelling there. There is no obvious reason for this apart from prostitution.

i expect prostitution is one of many other reasons why some go there, and only an exclusive reason for a few

still confused about how prostitution can be horrible and a huge issue but only just some men are paying for it

here's a thing that was true when i was a girl: no one ever went broke selling sex. were broken, maybe, but never went broke.

14 February was a day of rememberence of missing and murdered indigenous women in my country. some of these women worked in the sex industry. all of them were likely seen through a lens of sexualised violence by their killers- what 'women like that' are for. it is the same gaze that a lot of tourists to SE Asia turn to women and children there, i expect.

posts which are dismissive of women and children who experience racist and sexualised abuse are revolting, as are ones which attempt to center the feelings of men

really, just barf.

FYI men who have 'luck with women' whatever that means also pay for sex

people you know do.

even the married, good neighbour, normal ones.

"still confused about how prostitution can be horrible and a huge issue but only just some men are paying for it"

There are a lot of men paying for it.
There are also a lot of men not paying for it.

I have friends who've been there for diving, walking and beach holidays. That's what they're into. Not into buying sex.

I know one person who was a total sexist who went for sex.

Ugly men like sex too. Hell, they even dare to aspire to sex with beautiful people. My mate is the first to admit that be is ugly and has to pay for good looking sex. I feel sorry for him. The ugly are discriminated against and exploited too (even the wealthy ones). My mate is criminally ugly, poor bastard.

"people you know do.

even the married, good neighbour, normal ones."

Yes - and many people don't.

You think only men who have no luck with women sexually exploit prostituted women, men and children? That is a myth.

No - that's just an example I used.

"You think only men who have no luck with women sexually exploit prostituted women, men and children? That is a myth."

I did not say only. You have just said that. What's the word when someone takes something and then uses that as a "You think only..."

I remember reading about that tactic in a book about dealing with difficult people.

i am bemused by this attitude that only desperate ugly weirdos pay for sex, and that is allllll they do whilst on holiday. perhaps they wear a helpful badge?

many people may not pay for sex, but there sure are a lot of humans selling. someone is buying. given the size of the industry, a not insignificant number of someones.

people also don't necessarily explicitly inform their nearest and dearest that one of the holiday activities they plan to indulge in, after visiting a beach and rock climbing, is the sex industry. funnily enough.

maybe all those men who don't buy sex would like a trophy? we could inscribe it with 'meets minimum standards of human decency'

maybe after all these trophies are awarded, we might have time to listen to the voices of th women and children who work in the sex industry

I can only comment on what i have seen. I worked in a very male dominated sector. Prostitutes were regularly used (particularly when abroad). I did not see one good looking man pay for sex. They were getting it for free (pulling at nightclubs and shagging attractive colleagues). The ugly,overweight and short were the only ones paying for access to a pretty woman. Last resort sex, I suppose.

My ex indulged while he was there because he could have two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen with no strings.

He was in his twenties, solvent and astonishing good-looking.

astonishingly

Property - You talk as if these men have no choice. I don't see women who are considered ugly paying for sex with handsome men.

Men are not entitled to sexually exploit women, men and children. They are taking advantage of the desperate poverty of many.

And I can tell you from knowing lots of women who have been in the sex industry, that you are wrong. Even Hugh Grant paid a prostituted women.

That's where I read it.
Dilbert - and bizarre absolutes.

dilbert.com/strips/comic/2001-11-05/

Yy Grennie. Hugh Grant was at the very peak of his fame and popularity when he did that.

It's so depressing how often this happens. Any attempt to talk about male violence or oppression of women as a class gets howled down and derailed by NAMALT (not all men are like that). Along with demands for data to back up every point, all in the name of "accuracy". We're not allowed to talk about the industrial scale of rape being carried out by British men in Thailand and perhaps consider the racist and sexist context which creates this because we might offend some random bloke who likes temples and climbing. Because the feelings of men are more important than women and children getting raped. Fuck that shit.

property you should feel sorry for the women and girls raped by your mate.

And Hugh Grant was considered to be a very very handsome man. He could easily have found a beautiful women to have sex with. But no, he paid a prostituted woman. You might find it useful Holly to read research about why exactly men pay to sexually exploit? It would shatter some of the myths you seem to believe.

maybe all those men who don't buy sex would like a trophy? we could inscribe it with 'meets minimum standards of human decency'

maybe after all these trophies are awarded, we might have time to listen to the voices of th women and children who work in the sex industry

^^ exactly this.

posters are making interesting points here.

lonely men pay for sex. ugly men too. also good looking ones. also husbands. also fathers. there is no 'customer type' and the idea of 'doesn't need to pay for it is irrelevant'.

it is a huge industry everywhere. it is not financed by a small group of incredibly busy men. it is surely delusional to think otherwise

The only criteria for pays for sex, is that a human has a penis, and has money. Beyond that, you can't tell by looking which men will and will not pay to sexually exploit mainly women and children.

Flora

The OP was not talking about the problem. That would have been a useful discussion.

It was asking if she was being unreasonable to assume most men going on holiday to Thailand are going to have sex with prostitutes.

That was the title. So what did Grennie want? To discuss the exploitation of women or to ask if she was being unreasonable to assume that?

Now you say that because some people disagree with her, they are attempting to minimise the problem.

No - it's saying some people think she's being unreasonable to assume that.

If this was a different thread title but was about the massive sex industry, I think it would have been less provocative.

As far as I am aware, none of my male friends have mentioned using prostitutes. I can think of someone who I knew in the past who might. On any of my "boy's nights out - which I did", no one ever talked about it or bragged about it. Maybe they would keep quiet. I had friends who thought they were God's gift to women and would try to chat up anyone they could.

Sports personalities and celebs and politricans have all been caught with prostitutes

And many haven't.

So yes - all types of men might use prostitutes. But many types of men would be revolted at the thought.