Wats & Working Girls: How Thailand Balances Buddhism and Red Lights [S7.E42]

Wats & Working Girls: How Thailand Balances Buddhism and Red Lights [S7.E42]

Greg and Ed begin a new series called "Thailand: Land of Contradictions" with the first installment addressing a fascinating, apparent conflict in Thai culture: how can Thailand have so many temples on the one hand, but also so many 'working girls' on the other?

The Land of Smiles is well-known as a very Buddhist country, in the sense that approximately 95% of Thais identify as Buddhist. Now many might not be strict in the truly religious sense, but there's no doubt that many aspects of Thai culture and society are informed by underlying Buddhist beliefs. However, the country is also very well-known as providing many outlets for adult entertainment and companionship. The guys note that applying standard Western common sense, these two just don't seem to fit together.

However, with their combined over 40 years of experience swimming in the chaotic soup of Thai culture, Greg and Ed do their best to explain what's going on through a Thai lens. Ed notes the contrast between the Western notion of 'burning in hell' versus the Eastern concept of 'bad karma' as well as the difference between a culture based on guilt versus one based on shame. Greg applies some Google-fu and comes up with some more academic takes on the issue, including one of weighing a sin against one's intentions while carrying out the sin. The boys do their best to make sense of it.

Experts they are not, but listen in for two amateurs with a lot of experience doing their best to resolve this apparent mystery of Thai culture.

Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. We also sometimes post on Facebook, you can contact us on LINE and of course, head to our website (www.bangkokpodcast.com) to find out probably more info than you need to know.

Jaksot(562)

Bangkok Podcast 10: Launch Party!

Bangkok Podcast 10: Launch Party!

Thanks to all who came to the Bangkok Podcast launch party at Bistro 33! It was a great success and we truly enjoyed seeing old and new faces and making new friends. On this episode of the podcast, To...

18 Heinä 201021min

Bangkok Podcast 9: Smiling Albino

Bangkok Podcast 9: Smiling Albino

Traveling is never as easy as they make it look on television travel shows. What many people forget is that an entire production team has been hard at work for weeks before the host ever shows up. As ...

11 Heinä 201035min

Bangkok Podcast 8: Thai Language Series 2

Bangkok Podcast 8: Thai Language Series 2

In the second of our ongoing Thai language series, we continue talking to 'Thai Language Jedi' Rikker Dockum about the complexities of the Thai language. In this episode, we jump onto the much-discuss...

4 Heinä 201038min

Bangkok Podcast 7: Transportation

Bangkok Podcast 7: Transportation

When people hear 'Bangkok' they usually think of either red light districts or traffic jams. Well, because they are such good boys, Tony and Greg don't have much experience with the former, but plenty...

27 Kesä 201034min

Bangkok Podcast 6: Jodi Ettenberg

Bangkok Podcast 6: Jodi Ettenberg

For our second interview, we are very happy to be joined by Jodi Ettenberg - lawyer, world traveler, riot survivor, political commentator, and fan of all things related to chowing down. Those of you i...

20 Kesä 201030min

Bangkok Podcast 5: Thai Television

Bangkok Podcast 5: Thai Television

In this episode of the Bangkok Podcast, we discuss something that many foreigners living here have a hard time wrapping their heads around - Thai television shows. From dramatically-enhanced soap oper...

13 Kesä 201032min

Bangkok Podcast 4: Thai Language Series 1

Bangkok Podcast 4: Thai Language Series 1

One of the problems with living in Thailand is that it’s so easy to get by without being very skilled in the Thai language, a mistake that many expats make. To provide some inspiration, we are very ha...

8 Kesä 201035min

Bangkok Podcast 3: Your First Time In Bangkok

Bangkok Podcast 3: Your First Time In Bangkok

Rarely does someone move to Bangkok with a full support network of friends ready to help them out; more often than not, the first few weeks or months are a bit of a struggle as you figure out how the ...

31 Touko 201032min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

sita
olipa-kerran-otsikko
kaksi-aitia
ihme-ja-kumma
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
i-dont-like-mondays
uutiscast
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
kolme-kaannekohtaa
mamma-mia
rss-murhan-anatomia
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
aikalisa
rss-nikotellen
meidan-pitais-puhua
loukussa
naakkavalta
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2