I was chatting with a friend the other day and he happened to mention that he was “dating” a gal who works in a Nana Plaza go-go bar. It is needless to say that one doesn’t “date” such a gal, but merely pays a certain amount of money for a certain amount of time and sex.  So as I was literally standing on his chest and attempting to pound some sense into him, he blurts out some rubbish along the lines of her being different because she has only worked in the bar industry 4 days and therefore he has met her before she has become tainted.  My friend did manage to survive my assault (although it is doubtful he will survive what she will do to him) and the incident reminded me of just how many guys have told me that if you meet a gal early in her “professional” career it increases your chances of finding a somewhat unspoiled gal.  Now that does bring up a rather interesting subject-just what percentage of the negative personality characteristics associated with entertainment providers are acquired after a gal has entered the industry?

I have given this subject much thought this week, and have arrived at the conclusion that although the vast majority of the gal’s character is set in stone before she arrives in the industry, there are 3 distinct changes that tend to occur in the girl’s life after she begins working as a pro:

1) For the first time in her life, she is surrounded by peers who are heavily into drugs, alcohol, gambling, scamming and living a totally hedonistic lifestyle.  Ironically, one could probably say the same thing about many westerners who live overseas for the first time.

2) Her entire concept of money is ruined forever by the reckless and frivolous amounts of cash that are literally thrown in her direction.  Before these gals come to the nightlife jobs they are usually living in a poor rural area where every baht counts.  After just a few weeks (days?) of living and working in the industry money runs through them like beer through a punter with a bad prostate.  One of my best bargirl friends told me that she now views 1,000 baht in the same way that she used to view 100 baht, and 10,000 baht is the equivalent of 1,000 and so on.  This effect of a 10x multiplier happens so fast that it would be nearly impossible to record the actual timeframe.

3) She now has access to Thai boyfriends.  As hot as these gals look to us, in Thai society they are the bottom of the barrel.  Most have never had a chance to have a Thai man spend time with them in any meaningful way.  With their new found wealth, they can pay the rent, motorcycle and whiskey needs of a low-class Thai boyfriend.  Sadly though, much of the money that they originally thought they would send home to their family is now ending up being spent in order to keep the guy interested in them.

Bearing all this in mind, does my poor lost friend actually have a better chance with his new found love, knowing that she is new in the industry?  I have repeatedly told him that there are millions of “normal” Thai gals who would love to have a western boyfriend; therefore it is just not necessary to take your chances with a bargirl.  He says that he is looking for the one good gal among the sharks, the proverbial needle in the haystack. My response to him was “why look for a needle in the haystack when there is a huge pile of needles right over there not hidden in a haystack?”

Read Khun Lee’s other WoWasis columns for more advice on navigating the adult dating scene through the backstreets of Bangkok