NOTStickman's Guide
to Bangkok

 

First, before you do anything else.  Please go and read the current Stickman Bangkok weekly

Weekly 3/9/2006
The Dangers of Over Exposure

The Dangers of Under Exposure: John Galt's Take.

The "keen" Stickman this week drew a comparison between bad photography and the bargirl.   He said that "over-exposure" to the bar industry takes a heavy toll on the girl and that tends to further exclude her from being a viable partner.   I tend to believe that "birds of a feather" do "flock together" and in many ways, a lot of the hardened bar girls end up being a good match for long time bar goers.   Misery likes company and to each his own.

However, I think Stick missed something very fundamentally significant.  

What about under exposure?

I read Stick's one paragraph story (week before last) about how his boss (school administrator) asked him to cheat on a school assessment test.   I read it again carefully about how she falsely set up two shorter 9th graders to show off their skills with Microsoft Excel and while pretending that they were 7th graders so the school evaluators would be fooled.   The whole class knew what was happening.   Stick participated by receiving the signaling phone call.   Stick said that he "protested" but the end result was that the lesson reinforced that day was "Cheating is Ok".  

I asked one of my workers today (have 9) "Did any of your teachers ever cheat on anything while you were in school?"  Was that a common occurrence?"   He responded by saying that it was well known that a teacher would would break rules and do things contrary to school policy.   He said this was common place and unquestioned by students.  It was the norm.

If this is true, if cheating is commonly encouraged by example, then how do students ever learn the true value of honesty?    If teachers cheated and therefore students cheated (say by circumventing reading English by reading the same book in Thai??) how would a student find value in mastering a subject when they would never know for sure if they had really mastered it?

If judicious cheating is the normal, and if students are not exposed to integrity, honor, honesty, ethics, then I think we have a problem here of "under-exposure".

I think the rich folks in the country study real well.   I think those who make the bulk of the money cut corners.   I think they follow in tradition and wrongly take advantage of others when the opportunity avails itself.   I think those upper crust students tend to learn real well from their teachers all the "proper" ways to get ahead in the world.

Strangely enough, when I encounter a new bar girl, I find her very honest.   She is likely to be more trust worthy person on average.   Perhaps this is why these lowly kids never manage to have a decent shot in life.   Perhaps their resistance to dishonestly help puts them at a disadvantage in their society (in addition to other factors).    The world of Thailand just seems stacked against them.  What a conundrum.

I employ one university educated worker here.   I caught her cheating on her time card about 2 years ago.   I had to buy a time card machine to straighten her out.    As a profession, she never felt it was a necessity to resort to selling her body.   She clearly has found ways for herself to succeed.   Where her English skills are I do not know.   She'll not currently be able to advance where she is working with customers from abroad.   English was a subject she likely cheated in.

No, the new bar girls seems to be making a choice that is logical and necessary based on the true value of her choices and she does seem to be honest at least at the start.  What you see in Pattaya, Soi Coyboy, etc. are girls that are forced to reckon with the harsh reality that if they are going to make good, they have little choice but to take care of them themselves.  And yes, in some cases they turn to the dark side and start ripping off foreigners.   OMG?  Where did that behavior come from?

If you have been following this column for a few weeks now, you know that I have a position that strikes down the idea of bringing non-professional teachers here (exception being retired pensioners with Thai family and young volunteers).   I say, send them all home, and clean up the system.   Lay down some ethical rules and hire only qualified professional instructors.  You get what you pay for!

 

From The Galt Mail Bag

A reader writes:

I wrote to the Stick IMMEDIATELY after reading the TEFL International offer in his column, and before reading your same-same concerns, noting to him in great detail the reasons why I considered the offer a phoney-baloney scam, foremost being that the $200 Non-Refundable "Deposit" positively failed the smell test, asking him to look into it and clarify it for his readers, as the only way for readers to get clarity on too many unanswered questions was to...pay $200 Non-Refundable - first.

I was taken aback that he did not reply or mention it in his column - UNTIL I saw who one of his advertisers is...you guessed it...TEFL International.    -- JS

Yes, Mr J.  the Stick is going commercial and ignoring ethical values for cash.  He has been in Thailand way too long.  It's one of the reasons that I'm here making a statement.   I'm not surprised that he would not respond to you.

Stick is just one step ahead of the dishonest bar girls.   He sees suckers coming over here and he is making efforts to stick his hand in their pockets even before they arrive.   WAIT a minute,  I realize now that he is one step behind the bar girls, because he has superior skills and can make good without defrauding people.   When you have the clear education to succeed and still lie and cheat people, then you're very low indeed.

Take a Guess

My site has been up for 2 weeks now.  Who do you think is most interested in it? 

The answer is here at the end of this column.

 

Galt on the Megaphone: Attention Local Campers!

 

 

The Great Galt was Busted this Week

No, I was not visited by the men in brown.   For about 6 days I was purchasing Google advertising and aiming it directly at Stick's site.    Stick's readers were seeing my "NotStickmanBangkok" ad while reading through the Stickman pages.    He caught up with me and blocked me from his site.

Now I have a good idea of what Stick readership is like based on the number of impression and clicks that I received.   His readership is pretty strong.  

 

Ok, so blocking my site from your ad space is a no brainier.   But what about this rip-off artist?    Doesn't Stick care enough about his readership to block this guy who clearly is out to rip-off people who want to come here and work on the beach?

Stick could easily block this guy as well, but Stick receives money from this ad (as he did from mine as well).  As long as Stick is taking money, what incentive does he have to do what's right by you?   This is the my rub with Stick's work.

 

 

 

 

WTS?! (What the Stick?!)

(This is section of the column draws direct attention to something very specific about what Stickman has said in his last weekly column.)

I have to give the students at school full marks for ingenuity.  One of my fellow English teachers gave the students a book to read over the second half of the semester, so what did the kids go and do?  They went and sought out the book in Thai, and have been reading the Thai version instead of the English version!

Ingenuity huh?   You give them full marks do you?

The Galt Company is looking to hire in the future but sadly, these kids will loose out to more English skilled workers.  What time is your clock set to Stick?

 

Galt the Picture Connoisseur

I purchased this cutting edge photograph from a guy selling it off the web here in Thailand.  He swore it was original but I've got my doubts about it.   Seems like people are ripping each other off on the net nowadays.   If I could read Thai I might be able to tell what the note inside the picture says but Oh, well.   If I were a sleuth like the Great Stickman I'm sure I could figure it out for sure. 

This is a photo of the new Suvarnbhumi airport.   It's a dandy photo isn't it?   And just think, I have this exclusive scoop on this photo which to my knowledge had yet to be published on the web!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guess Taken?

Our goal was to hit 2,000 this week but we were way short.   I'm going to pump up my Goggle advertising in a couple of weeks and we'll will hit those numbers at some point.

The hits have been neck and neck between the US and the UK.  Each day the US and UK trade places for number one.   Thailand always seems to be in third place.  

Readership tanked this week.   Numbers are solidly down.   Not a big deal.   My Google ads were off Stickman's site, we had bad weather in the US and big news stories distract people.

Ok, may this column sucks too?   It's good fun for me.   I still bet you solid moneys that readership will be on the increase in the coming months.   You know why?   Because I tell the truth, and I like to provocative.

I'd say we had about 800 visitors this week if the Google tracker is accurate.

 

 

 

John Galt: An Equal Opportunity Antagonist.

The Great Galt's spies another fake this week.   I took this front page article from a guy that promotes his web site here in Thailand.  Can anyone tell me why you would suspect this interview to be fraudulent?  Most of the signs would only be noticed if you have spent time in Thailand.   Foreigners at home are unlikely to notice.   The guy who wrote this article obviously has not been here very long.   I won't name his site here because he needs to work harder and more honestly for the exposure.   Email me if you know the answers (and there are several substantial clues for those of you familiar with the Thais).

Me: So, when did you first realize you wanted to be a katoey?
K: Oh, forever. I always knew.
Me: So at what age did you begin to change? What’s the actual process?
K: The first stage is to take female hormone tablets - I started this at age 11.
Me: 11?!
K: That’s right. Then I had silicone breast implants at 15. (she shows me)
Me: Um, very nice. You had them at 15? That seems a little young - is it legal?
K: (laughs) This is Thailand, you can do anything here!
Me: So I see. Any other work?
K: Yes, I have silicone in my nose, I got that done at 21, and then had my adam’s apple reduced at 24. I’m 28 now.
Me: And that’s everything you’ve had done?
K: That’s right.
Me: So you’re still um, endowed in the male sense?
K: Yes, I still have my penis. And I’m keeping that!
Me: No more surgery planned then?
K: No, this is the finished article!
Me: Now, are you a “he” or a “she”, in English (in Thai there is only “khao”, which is non-gender specific). I can’t call you a phoo-chai (man) or a phoo-ying (woman), right? Only a katoey (ladyboy).
K: That’s right - there are three genders: male, female, katoey. But I think it’s better to call me “she” instead of “he”.
Me: And how long have you worked here?
K: Only three months. Before, I worked in a ladyboy cabaret show - I’d never worked in a bar before I came here.
Me: Do you like it here?
K: Sometimes - it depends on who comes in. I like you.
Me: Right. Um, thanks. Do you prefer Japanese or farang men?
K: Oh, farang - always. You are cute.

 

The Galt Gets Prime Exposure !

BangkokBob.net has given me a very nice plug on his Links pages.   I have never contacted him prior to seeing this. 

But, as you see, he made my link larger in size than Stick's.   Bob, are you making a statement here?

 

 

 

This is the Great Galt (never mind that man behind the curtain) signing off.

 

John Galt

 

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