jfarmer017

Hmm...let me just say that I am skeptical about the accuracy of this information.

What stops your boyfriend from cheating on you right now? Do you two spend 24 hours a day in each other's company?

Happy trails, firecat69. Nice to hear you enjoyed yourself. I have never posted a "trip report" myself as kiss-and-tell isn't my style. Nothing against it, just a preference. And I tend to be more of a boring homebody these days, so not much to report. However, since I'll be flying in for a more traditional vacation (2 weeks only), I'm considering being a bit more proactive and will consider starting a thread of my own.

With mileage upgrades and $2000, I am flying economy to Dallas on American Airlines, business from Dallas to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, and back down to economy from Hong Kong to Bangkok, also on Cathay Pacific. I inadvertently made an appointment in Pattaya on the same night as I am arriving. I am loath to make that drive after 27 hours of traveling, but I am also eager to keep my appointment. So that will put me in Pattaya in late December. Now just deciding when to hit the road back to Bangkok. I travel quite frequently from work and tend to enjoy more elongated visits--usually from one to three months depending on my schedule. January is the only month in which I have never been, due to specific obligations of my work. However, because of a fluke, I will have a couple of weeks free in early January, and I decided to make a truncated road warrior visit before returning in April for a more extended visit.

Frequent traveler and familiar with the scene. My schedule has hitherto kept me away during the new year but this year will be returning right after the Christmas holiday. I tend to generally stay based in Bangkok with a brief respite in Pattaya but not sure which to choose for New Year's Eve. I am not sure what the entertainment options tend to be at that time of the year but can typically enjoy myself in a wide variety of social settings. Budget is not much of a concern, and my sex life is no need of assistance.

Thoughts?

Econ 101. As a seller, you are going to ask the highest price you believe you can get. It's only logical to quote a higher price to somebody you believe has a greater ability to pay. It's also good business to be friendlier to locals who are likely to be repeat customers than a foreigner who will probably be a one-off. I loathe haggling so primarily restrict my shopping to places where prices are marked and firm. Considering the significant difference in material prosperity between myself and the average Thai, I am certainly not going to lose any sleep over being gouged to the tune of a few dollars.

Racism is baked into the modern DNA of Thailand. The country changed its name from Siam to Thailand in bit of ethno-nationalist fervor to privilege one ethnic group in the country over others. It is a hierarchical, class-based society where not only entire ethnic groups and races of people are socially ranked but individuals within races as well. Individuality and the celebration of individual differences are not strong characteristics of Thai society. It is a source of pride within Thailand that, unlike all her neighbors, Thailand was never occupied and colonized by a European power. And there is a good deal of ethnic tension between Thais, Burmese, and Khmers. I suspect a number of visitors to Thailand encounter the face-saving, superficial pleasantries of the people and probably mistake this for some kind of enlightened open-mindedness.

Uhh...no. An anonymous person on the Internet telling another anonymous person that they do not believe the story they just told is not akin to a gang of people physically assaulting someone and stealing their money. I never asked for the guy's profile and don't care. Maybe his story is 100% true. I have repeatedly said that, but after reading it the first time, before there was a single comment, my initial impression was that I did not believe the story. Sarcasm. I get it. By the way, I care way more about the skyrocketing price of prostitution than I do about the Palestinian peace process. Priorities please. At least with pimps and whores, I am pretty sure I will close the deal. Cure for cancer? Eh, too many people on this planet as it is. As for all the new member crap, he posted a discussion titled "it's not the same in pattaya any longer." That heading is obviously an attention grabber, and it's a topic a lot of people have strong opinions about. So of course there is going to be pushback. As for the "holy grail topic of boy prostitutes," forums abound with stories (some have been shared here) about negative experiences with men in Thailand. There is not some kind of knee-jerk reaction to castigate anyone who has had a negative experience of a moneyboy. This is very simple. I did not find the details of his story believable, and that's what I said. I never floated any theories about his motives or intent. But I am curious, if another poster puts up a story that rings untrue, how should people respond? Ouch. That hurt. It was almost like five guys punching me in the face in the bathroom. Yes, I read his story. For his details to make any sense he would have to have been the victim of a planned extortio. He said, specifically, "Quite evidently from that outburst from him that someplace in my room he had or had intended to plant that drug in my room and probably call one of his police fiends if I did not give in to his blackmail attempt." That's called extortion. Though, admittedly, if the guy had not already planted drugs in the room, how could the farang be worried that the guy "had intended to plant that drug in my room?" Was he just going to stand in the middle of his own hotel room while the boy searched for a place to plant drugs? You don't need to be a Thailand expert to think this guy's story is Swiss cheese.

It is fun to watch these topics take on a life of their own. I must admit I find a word like "bullying" to be grossly misused in this context. Anytime you post information about a personal incident you were involved in, it's going to be read critically. And some people are going to be skeptical. It should not be a cause for hurt feelings and certainly is not bullying if you write something and someone tells you they do not believe it. My response would be: "fine." What do I care? Yes, cliquishness and tribalism can infect any forum, and good forums and active members do their best to fight against that tide. But that does not mean one should blindly throw away their critical judgment just to be opening and welcome to new members. As to the OP, remember he claimed only to be a newbie vis-a-vis this forum. He had said that he was a regular and frequent visitor to Thailand and was opining about the long-term decline of Pattaya. Even if his story was totally true, it would not support his thesis. It's also important to remember that the OP did not claim he was the victim of a crime of opportunity or that a shouting match had progressed as a result of disagreement over price after the act (the kinds of stories people are repeating here and that anyone with any regular involvement in Thailand's commercial sex scene have heard before). He was saying he was the victim of a planned extortion. That alone would be enough to set his story apart, but as I said in my OP, the details just fell flat and did not seem believable. If the story happened exactly as described, the only lesson one could take away from it is that it is risky to invite people not personally known to you into your room. If you don't already know this, learn it fast.

The funniest thing about bogus posts is reading the poster's subsequent attempts at defense. They invariably come off as phony and inauthentic. If I remember correctly, a new member on another forum claimed to have recently traveled to Pattaya for the first time and asked about sending money back to guys that he had met. It is the exact kind of newbie question that has been discussed to death on forums and is immediately answerable with five minutes of Googling (spoiler alert: it's a bad idea). When members expressed skepticism about his intent, he waded back in to claim the same self-righteous victimhood before leaving in a huff.

I am never one for mob mentality, but I have to admit that as I read the OP, my bullshit meter was also tingling. I am not going to say the story is a lie, but I will admit that I am skeptical about its authenticity. Something about it is a little too pat. The "quote" from the boy seemed to hit an especially flat note. I pretty quickly abandoned the go-go/bar scene after my first few trips to Thailand and meet most people now either through friends of friends while going out or on social media sites. I have probably used GR for about four years now and have had minimal problems with meeting people from there. Yes, there are the occasionally embarrassing and awkward moments where a guy shows up looking like a fright and nothing like his online persona, but those situations can usually be defused pretty easily with a little tact and guile. Anyone who uses that site with any regularity should learn pretty quickly the things to look for to sort the bogus profiles from the genuine ones. I have to admit, I would love to see this profile that allegedly said "all the right stuff."