A future for Soi Pratuchai?

[cdnmatt]

nice post Oliver. I think there's a few other variables at play too.

- Thais have become more modernized / Westernized, so family loyalty isn't quite what it once was. still very strong, but not quite as much as decades ago.

- Many will disagree with me, but middle class here has expanded greatly over the last 15 or so years. All that Gdp growth Thailand has enjoyed -- some of it has trickled down to even somchai selling somtam in the village. Hence, there's not as much of a need to prostitute yourself.

- probably most importantly, the stereotype of the farang has changed quite a bit over the decades. I would imagine back in say the vietnam war era, the stereotype was farangs were generally GIs who were young, healthy, good looking, had a pocket full of cash, and all the ambition in the world. Nowdays, I think it's changed into more of a 65yo fat, alcoholic guy living on a small pension, and wears a wife beater every day. Hence, ambition to rush down to Pattaya to get hitched with a farang has waned a little.

- Another one is the media in this country. They love to chastise foreigners for anything and everything wrong, and I'm uncertain if that was the case 30 or 40 years ago.