Life is a journey. Truly inspirational words and you’ve heard them here first. It takes us here and there and, you might say, just about anywhere. For a great many of my friends, travelling has been apart of their lives. They did it when they were younger and even as adults. I don’t mean they have travelled to the corner store or even to another province (or if you are one of my American friends: states). I mean they have travelled to other countries and other continents and experience different cultures, languages and values. For myself, I never did that. My family never travelled anywhere that wasn’t Canada. Until I was 17 years old, I had only known Ontario and Newfoundland. I took it upon myself to travel to America and see New York City, went on a wild ride to Tennessee to Bonnaroo, and to go see my beautiful friend and lover Midori in Cleveland, OH. However, that was it! Going to America is hardly seeing a new culture, a new way of life, a new language, values. But it is still somehow in our current climates. I dreamed of travelling to far off places. I thirsted for new knowledge of the world that wasn’t splayed out in books, magazines and geography textbooks like a cheap floozy! I wanted to taste her in the flesh. That is a major reason why I came to Thailand. I thought this would be truly a departure from Western civilization. It is. It really is. The sights, smells, tastes and sounds are different (that includes the men here wink wink). My mind was open to new things and it hungered to learn as much as possible. To be a voyeur when I needed to be and partake when I was invited to partake. It was all very exciting. Then it became wrong. I couldn’t figure it out at first. There was something wrong and it was also so familiar that I didn’t realize it at first. Maybe because I didn’t want to.
*I do not condone this at all*
What was it that was weird in Thailand? I had gone across this world to experience something new, but something followed me. Something scary. It was familiar. It was Western as I had known Western to be.
Racists.
My Western companions all walked onto a plane. Sat down. Enjoyed the benefits of affording this plane. Got off the plane in Thailand. Got their luggage. And inside that luggage they proceeded to unpack that racism they brought with them.
It was kind of sickening feeling to realize these racists were in my midst. I had these thoughts and ideas that people who decided to uproot their lives and come to work in Thailand would be open minded, maybe a little woke. I thought people who travelled and experienced life in another country through the eyes of the natives of that country had some awakened spirit or were open to such possibilities. I am well aware of those who fly to resorts to other countries and act horribly and are there for the beach and hedonism are not those people. I understand that. I am speaking to those people who came to another country to work and have a life that was more befitting to them. As North Americans, we live like kings and queens in Thailand. Our dollar is much greater than that of Thailand we can afford anything and everything. I am able to come here and not have a job and live pretty high society on $1,500 CAD for 2 whole months. Without batting an eye. The privilege we have at home is staggering, but here…here it is astronomical.
The complete disregard that I have witnessed to the people of Thailand by Westerners is so embarrassing and so disheartening that it actively makes me want to go home and be away from it. It is so much easier to be surrounded by racists in Canada because I can make white noise with it. However, in Thailand, there is one racist white person and me standing right there and it is so obvious that we are from the same place and so we must think the same. It’s gross.
All of my friends that I have made here have all experienced really gross, racist bullshit. Beware. This may not be news to most who travel, but it is to me. This is a new thing.
This is what I can’t understand:
Story 1: A person comes to Thailand to work and teach. They come here as an immigrant. Live here. Take a job. Profit greatly from this job. Get paid much more than Thai people because of their privileged. Like 3-4 times more. They are able to buy expensive things, live in nice accommodations. Proceed to call Thai people disgusting, animals, shame their way of life because it is not what they think is perfect. Continue to live here. Continue to shame. Continue to take money from Thailand. Continue to be gross. Never leave.
Story 2: A person in a Western country learns of people from different countries immigrating to their country. The person has a notion that this newcomer is stealing jobs from the person’s fellow country persons. They despise this newcomer. They say racist stuff about this newcomer. They want laws to keep this person out. They continue to do nothing helpful. Continue to be ignorant. Continue to be hateful. Never change.
This person is the one and the same person.
This is too simplistic. This is not informed enough. But, it is as I understand it right now.
I came to travel to find out more about the world. Be enriched. Learn about myself. I learned a lot more than I had intended and have been awakened to how deeply rooted this problem is and how willing people are to bringing that luggage with them, even though the airline has put a restriction on weight limits. They paid the charges.
My Big, Fat, Gay Trip 