paborn

Bless you. A sane a reasonable approach.

I do the same thing, but for two reasons. One is that they please my eye and I want them to remember me. But, number two is also very important. Spreading some money around the bar. In my country, we just when through a new holiday - not a day off or anything like that but one we call small business Saturday when we are encouraged to shop at small stores. If we want them to exist they must have patronage. The same thing applies to our bars - if we want them to exist we need to keep them in business. The boys won't be there without an incentive to come and the bars need us to spend or they will go out of business and this is a small business I want very much to support. I can't, as yet, get my guy on Amazon.

The boy who gets a tip at least as some money that night. Despite generosity, there is another potential motive to consider: do we not want to keep a good supply of guys in bars?

A good point. The bar managers are not stupid. Buying a drink for a boy means he is sitting with you and has a chance to persuade you. It's about more than forcing a tip or a drink.

A Geek in Thailand is available as a Kindle download on Amazon

Exactly the sort of remark that makes me come back. Say big tippers and I'm fine. Your constant anti-American remarks need, however, to be challenged by the sane among us. I never said anything of the sort. I have consistently advocated for tipping in accordance with Thai practices. Thailand is a low tipping environment and I have never held otherwise. Whether I or others tip more generously should not concern you but the fact that many of you are too tight-fisted to tip a kid, at least a bare minimum, is a disgrace. Unlike the discussion of finding a market acceptable tip for off services, this thread is just about how to get away with stiffing young guys working in bars and bringing you drinks - shame on you. Trying to hid behind a dislike of my country is cowardice. Scooby, how about shutting this thread down before it gets worse?

My blood pressure is fine, thank you for caring and I'm not agitated. However, your mistaken idea that Americans invented tipping is absurd, ill-informed and, well, just wrong. If you would drop unnecessary and ill-willed mention of my country and discuss only the notion of tipping by local standards in Thailand all would be well..

it sounds like your trying to be fair. that's all anyone can ask.

Sad. You really don't see the hypocrisy, do you? You really don't seem to get the concept that I'm discussing tipping in THAILAND. I don't care whether you tip or not but don't pretend that tipping in go-go bars is to be blamed on the ugly American or that you are somehow noble for your beliefs.

You're blindly attacking one of the people here who seldom posts and are very circumspect in what he writes. No one is asking that you be overly generous or wild or even AMERICAN in your tipping. But, I'll say it again and you can whine. If you can barely afford to come to LOS then save for a few more months and be decent in the way you treat the boys.

Wow, the truth must hurt. 1. Yes, I do participate. I'm merely expressing some exasperation at how little some want to tip kids in a third world economy. I find it shameful - but, up to you. 2. I never told anyone to stay at home if they don't meet US tipping standards. I said you should stay safely at home if you can't afford a decent tip and I made very clear that I was talking about the local Thai bars and a reasonable market rate tip. 3. We have been all over the idea of different cultures having different tipping practices. THE BARS DO NOT EXIST IN THOSE OTHER PLACES. THEY ARE IN THAILAND WERE IT IS CUSTOMARY TO TIP. This nonsense of US Cultural norms is nothing but a smokescreen to hide behind. The truth is some people are just to tight fisted to give a kid a fair and reasonable tip BY THAI STANDARDS.

Lower the tone on this board????????/ You have to be kidding. Sure, this is one of the politest boards around and I often applaud that. But, these endless discussions of penny-pinching is what leads many to not post. It is unbelievable, in fact, almost unbearable. American Cultural supremacy??? Really, are we going back to that endless discussion of tipping? Frankly, if you can't afford to tip the staff you should stay at home. We are NOT - for the very last time - tipping in Australia or the Pacific Islands we are discussing go-go bars in Thailand. Christ, give it a rest.

Another good read is "Mindfulness and Murder", by Nick Wilgus, a murder mystery set in a Buddhist monastery. Thanks, Forressteind I just read book one and two and they are terrific reads.

"the staff are salaried" - yes, they go home each night to their lovely condos and get some rest. You know, I'm not a wealthy man but I can afford to travel to Bangkok and when there I tip at least reasonably if not generously. How can we not tip at least 10 to 15% and look ourselves in the mirror?

Peter, you may a lot of sense. I may be wrong here, but there was a theme to the Stickman article that he did not quite believe this and strongly doubted it would ever come to pass. To me, it seemed like putting the rumors out there and, letting them wilt in the light of day. Am I wrong it reading it that way?

Other countries as yours may have many more seemingly incredible ways to protect their own citizens. I researched this and if even a foreigner, stays in PH for more than 6 months they have to secure an exit clearance from an immigration office two weeks before departure. I don't know if this applies to PH citizens but it seems likely that it applies to a list of countries where there have been issues. Bureaucracy may be byzantine but, if one looks carefully, there is a rule, not just random airport problems.

How is that possible? Do they need an exit visa of some kind for their own country?

No, we seem to have that in common.

OK. so it is different. That was not clear. Thanks.

Well, of course. The bar poll was on Gay Bars in Thailand. I thought that part was obvious. As far as I know, the whole topic of offing guys and tipping them is driven by perception. Most of us could all have perfectly satisfactory sex with people in our own age group & pay absolutely nothing for it. However there is a perception problem. We might not find such partners to be attractive. Is that not precisely what I have been saying? By the way, not to start another issue, but "perfectly satisfactory" in a line about not finding a group attractive is pushing it a bit.

OK, for you one more point. I agree with you. What I mean by perception is that it is perceived by the market segment. A true muscle lover would not even consider the twinks of Sunee Plaza - but, their admirers perceive them very differently. All I'm saying is there is no intrinsic value divorced from those who are receiving it. I like. the slim but toned boy next store guys. Bithe the muscles of Jupiter and the scrawny twinks of Sunee have no value - TO ME. Only to those who like them. The basic, inescapable fact is that there is no universal type - well maybe Colton Haynes or Ryan Phillipe but maybe not. That could just be MY perception.

Vinapu, I don't need to see the guy to understand the market.

Hank, I'm going to damp the flames since I won't be responding anymore. But, please understand I never said they did not bring value to those in that niche market. Of course, they do and the marketing is brilliant. But, there is no intrinsic value to them only perceived value to those who admire them. Do you know that diamonds are of NO value? They are extremely plentiful but the diamond cartel keeps the supply low and markets the hell out of them.

Vinapu is ( as usual), right - if you want sleaze in its purest form just go directly to Pattaya.

They have a varied assortment, it's why I like it.