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. 


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