Pattaya sex tourist brings Youtube to an all-time low
The Internet is a dangerous resource. It gives anyone with a phone line access to a wealth of technology that can then be used to do the most bizarre things. If you’ve ever been to Pattaya, then you will know that the city attracts its fair share of oddballs. I have been to Pattaya a handful of times and it is what it is. There were a couple of times when I took friends to Pattaya just so they could see how nuts parts of the city are.
Although there is more to Pattaya than prostitution, there are a large number of bar girls working in the city. For those people who try and speak in defense of Pattaya, such words often fall on deaf ears because there are people like Aaron McCreanor making videos about “picking up Thai hoes” and posting them on YouTube, where millions of people can watch them.
No big deal, you might think. But is Aaron McCreanor representative of the typical sort of person whom Pattaya attracts? Watch this video, imaginatively titled “Aaron picking up more Thai hoes in Pattaya Thailand”. There’s really nothing out of the ordinary in it, until halfway through when you see Aaraon mocking a Thai bar girl who is having Aaron’s named tattooed on her left breast. A second girl has “Aaron” tattooed on her back. All this while the lyric “Stupid girl” is repeated.
Aaron names the girls “stupid tattoo girl number one” and “stupid tattoo girl number two”. Take a look:
So what’s the problem? They obviously weren’t dragged kicking and screaming. Perhaps my misguided judgment finds it somehow deplorable that a person would allow someone to have their name tattooed on their body and then call that person stupid.
What are other people’s thoughts on this? Should YouTube even allow this sort of material to be plastered over its channels?
May 13th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
He seems like a disgusting person.. an exploiter. What a moron!
I hate to see those Thai women behaving that way, too. The whole thing is just tawdry.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I wonder if his friends on facebook know this video as well. I know for sure that if I would see one of my friends acting like this, it wouldn’t be my friend anymore.
If you like to have these kinds of power over other people, you’re one step away from applying for a job in a place like Dachau or Auschwitz.
Disgusting.
But should YouTube ban this kind of movies? In their Terms of Use they say: “..If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don’t post it.”. I think Aaron crossed this line.
You considered flagging this video as inappropriate and let YouTube decide? Cause I don’t think they see everything that’s posted. I’ll join you.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I hate fuckers like Aaron.
When I speak to anyone about Pattaya or even Thailand people in the west people have a bad image in their head. The reason is probably because of people like Aaron. Aaron and the other men that go their to exploit the beautiful country.
Thanks to people like Aaron now I feel strange going to Thailand because people will think I am just another creep from another country coming to do what he just did in his youtube video. OR am I wrong?
Even I being a tourist would wonder about other tourists there because it makes me think what they are really there for.
I got friends in Thailand though I have never been there. They are so nice.
Am I supposed to turn a blind eye to these exploiters?
Obviously I have mixed emotions. Im not even sure what to think of this all…
I just wish someone could set me straight and I would like to hear from a Thai persons point of view about this.
Considering I have never been there maybe I should just shut up.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Why even mentioning this Matt ?
We all know there are tons of dickheads like him. We all know there are other videos and websites dedicated to the go-go bar life, some are even listed in your top 100 blog list.
Crediting them is acknowledging them.
With all my friendship, this is not what I’m waiting to read from your blog.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:16 am
…yes, well it is clear that the guy who made the video is challenged in various ways and has numerous deficits, the underlying questions are:
1. Why were these girls kicked out of school after 6th grade?
2. Why is there no Child Support system to help them pay for the expenses of raising their children?
3. Why is the only real pension system for the parents of these girls the earnings of the girls rather than a realistic state pension?
4. Why are the Isan Districts so economically undeveloped and the Isan people placed in a difficult and handicapped subgroup position in the overall scheme of things?
(…there are, of course, many other videos available on the internet which are far more disturbing and morally ambiguous than this video, for instance in the kathoey area…………)
May 14th, 2008 at 1:57 am
Why mention it? How many videos of girls being made fun of getting tattoos, which are permanent, BTW, have you seen on YouTube? And how many times have you, and other readers, heard the name “Aaron McCreanor”? None. That’s why I mention it.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Why mentionn it? Of course Matt should mention it. This kind if thing is sickening, and there are too many streets in thai resorts like this, places I wouldn’t show my kids.
It really degrades the Thai experience, but the worst part of it is the dehumanizing effect of this trade. Matt, you gave me another reason for never going to Pattaya.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Matt,
This is hardly news or even informative. You live in SinCity and yet have you been down to Walking street, interviewed a select few and worked out if they feel it’s wrong or right?
No offense, but you come across as a journalist but often this blog is more like an extension to Gossip Girl.
If the kid wants to bang women, who let them get ink’d at the same time, then all for him, because it’s an industry that keeps Pattaya going and many MANY people with a roof over their heads.
As for degrading the “Thai experience”, fuck me, what experience is that? A nasty class system that makes most middle-age attempts look democratic? A raging drug distribution hub that is responsible for more smack being sent around Asia than anywhere else in the world, or the swarms of falangs who flock to Thailand to get more pussy than the RSPCA?
May 14th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Btw, Chris has nailed it on the head…. so many Why’s and What’s and yet the “Thai Experience” will keep silent on shit like that, as the HiSo’s don’t care or give a rats about the lower brown skinned people among them.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Are you saying I live in Pattaya? I have heard from many people who think this is wrong. What’s your point? Should I fly up there at my own expense for the sake of a blog post?
Maybe that’s because IT IS A BLOG. What do people expect from me? I work six days a week plus freelancing. If my blogging doesn’t meet your high standards then I can’t help that. I write about what’s on my mind as and when it happens.
It seems that what is acceptable blogging for most bloggers is not for me. I’m now not allowed to post a video of something I thought was crossing the line.
Is it supposed to be news? Informative? It’s JUST A VIDEO.
I am sick of people telling me what I can and cannot write about, about what should and should not interest me, about what I can and cannot think about.
It’s BS. Other Thailand bloggers can post about their cats, their cellphones or what movies they’ve seen and nobody bats an eyelid, and yet I can’t post something like this, despite recent posts covering vastly different topics.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Matt,
When you start posting about social situations, you are opening yourself up to being taken seriously. You don’t post about your cat, but you have written an entry about the sex trade, and abuse of that trade, in the post.
You live in Phuket, which i’d go as far as saying is on par with Pattaya, full of utter fuckups from the west who love the bar girls and sex life, that is Phuket.
You asked the question “Should YouTube even allow this sort of material to be plastered over its channels?”,
Well, this is the Internet, the freedom to exchange ideas and information in a free manner. Tell me Matt, is Aaron over the legal age for sex? What about the lady in the video? Why should youtube not post consenting acts between two adults? Why should this information be stopped? Thailand has, for decades now, been a destination of sinful activities, no matter what the press office wants you to believe.
No-one is telling you to do anything, it’s your blog but guess what, you advertise it so people visit it and comment. Just like I can write into your editor and speak out about one of your articles written during your working hours, you will open yourself up for comments that question why you wrote it and also answer back.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:58 am
The issue is over girls scarring their bodies with this guy’s name and then being publicly mocked for doing so. I think I’m justified in feeling some sort of emotion about that and I still question whether such material should be carried by YouTube. It has nothing to do with sex and the sex trade. Can’t you see that?
You’re not questioning the content of the article, you’re questioning me. There is a difference.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
And have you actually been to Phuket?
May 14th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Quoting you: “What are other people’s thoughts on this? Should YouTube even allow this sort of material to be plastered over its channels?”
I’m pointing out your naivety over the how this Internet works and questioning why you feel that an act between two consenting adults (and i’ll go out on a limb here to say they are) should be censored.
Tell me Matt, how is getting your partners name on your body and then breaking up with them, different to Aaron having them do the same thing. I bet he paid them a fair chunk of change, I don’t know any stupid bar girls, they play stupid but damn those girls know how to hustle like the rest…
I have yet to see anything in that video that is breaking any Thai law, let along international law, so why would it be banned?
If you were reporting on this, you’d honestly say youtube should ban it? don’t you remember the last fuckup that happened when Thailand told youtube to ban “bad” content?
Consenting adults, doing nothing illegal, yah ban them to hell!!
Wow it’s good to see they teach journalists the real rights and wrongs today, thank god we have them out there on the streets, huh?
May 14th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Have i been to Phuket?
Yes, many times, as with many other locations in Thailand, or did you forget that?
May 14th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I find it hard to believe that you think this is the same as someone having their partner’s name tattooed on their body. For a start, I wouldn’t allow my partner to do such a thing and then mock them on the Internet for doing so.
I think I’d raise the issue of whether such public humiliation should be allowed on YouTube. I think I raised it here by using a question mark. Did I say it should be banned or did I say: “Should YouTube even allow this sort of material to be plastered over its channels?” Notice the question the mark. If I thought it should be banned, I would have flagged it. Did I? No. You’re jumping to conclusions.
If the persons being defamed involved filed a complaint to YouTube, would it be banned? I really don’t know.
So you’re telling me the girls consented to being publicly ridiculed on the Internet?
Another personal attack. Uncalled for.
I asked because I didn’t know. I have no idea where you’ve been in Thailand and as you think Phuket and Pattaya are the same, I’m a little confused.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
The fact you said that youtube should “allow” the material, amounts to censorship. Who are you to decide if it’s degrading. What’s degrading in your mind might not be degrading to others. Anal sex is degrading to Mormons, but half of the Internet has people being taken up the ass, should the net be controlled?
“So you’re telling me the girls consented to being publicly ridiculed on the Internet?”
Hang on, I’m pretty good at making sure my camera is hidden when I’m doing documentary photography, but as you can see, the girl knows the camera is there, so what, you think she didn’t notice it?
“Another personal attack. Uncalled for.”
Do you see any mention of me pointing at you? Do you see the words “Matt” “Whatismatt.com” or any other reference to you included in that statement?
“I asked because I didn’t know. I have no idea where you’ve been in Thailand and as you think Phuket and Pattaya are the same, I’m a little confused.”
No Pattaya is 1 hour from BKK, Phuket is on the other side of the country, geographically they are different but they both have the same pull when it comes to the sex trade. In that aspect, they are the same, streets dedicated to go go bars and sex.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
It’s not about the filming. It’s about the final video. Do you think she was aware that she would be portrayed in that manner?
YouTube is a public website that “allows” and does not “allow” different kinds of videos. They have terms of service. There is material that is not allowed. the owners of YouTube decide what is allowed. Maybe neither of the girls have a problem with the video. I don’t know if they have seen it. If they saw the video and were to contact YouTube, would it be removed? I guess we’d have to contact YouTube. It’s a valid point of discussion. It doesn’t imply that I think YouTube should take the video down. I never said that.
Then who on earth are you referring to?
There are streets dedicated to go-go bars and sex in many of Thailand’s cities, some of these streets where no foreigners go. So are they all the same? Patong is similar to Pattaya. Phuket, I feel, is very different.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I agree with both sides of the coin here. Although I think Aaron comes across as a complete prick in the video. Wether its moral or not, it’s not illegal. The music video you showed the other week of a gang robbing and pilaging a city could well have been banned also, but you found it intense and well edited….. Censorship is a VERY grey area. The lines are very difficult to be drawn. Really enjoy your blog though
May 14th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
A blogger should never - ever - get involved with his/her readership. That’s golden rule number one. Number two is to never - ever - justify yourself. As soon as you do, you have lost the ground. I don’t know of any serious journalist loweirng him/herself to justify him/herself. Read Robert Fisk.
Write hat you want and please you and then let your readers fight amongst themselves….
May 14th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I’m not so sure about that. I think bloggers have a right and a duty to respond to comments. Most of the top bloggers in the world, from Pro Blogger and John Chow, respond to comments, especially if the blogger is being questioned for what he or she has written.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:52 am
So have we finally made bloggers into journalists?
this argument has been going on since the blogs started, do journalistic approaches and ethics apply to all blogs, or just certain ones?
May 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
well well its looks like another member of the aaron fanclub, so ure a journalist then matt? makes a change from a crazy tattoo artist with a chip on his shoulder, but surely u should have done more reserch instead of just copying tatt2’s blog, so what was it that really annoyed u about the video? was it the girl getting the tattoo? do u have any idea of why she got it done before u make any asumptions? u protray me as some sort of guy thats goes to thailand just to get girls to tattoo my name, ure totally wrong buddy, i lived there last year and wasnt just one of these 2 week sex tourists that u make me out to be, in fact u know noting at all, you are suggesting this and that about me and trying to create a witch hunt, yes i amit the “stupid girl” part in the video didnt do my image any favours but hey i can live with that, im hardly the worse person in pattaya, why dont u have a witch hunt for the drug-dealers and the nasty underworld of pattaya that really treat the girls badly if u care so much about showing them respect, or would that be too dangerous for u or maybe im just a easy target for ya to rant about, i really dont need to explain every reason behind my video’s but i have already said on addicts and tatt2’s blog excatly where in pattaya this girl can be found and in what bar she works in, i changelled tatt to go and meet her and ask her what she thinks of the tattoo coz im still in contact with her, but of course he declined and never posted it on his blog, but hey if your man enough to carry out what u started maybe u can go visit her and then write on this blog what she thinks
May 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
No, this is definitely not a witch hunt. Once this topic drops of the bottom of the front page, it will likely be forgotten.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
No, this is definitely not a witch hunt. Once this topic drops of the bottom of the front page, it will likely be forgotten.
wow matt.. after the big intro u have written about me im suprized by your lack of response, after all the points i made out to you in my last post the only thing u can reply to is the witch hunt part, kinda dissapointing dont u think.. god your talents are wasted in the [my place of work removed].
May 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I have no intention of bickering with you about this.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
its not about bickering.. the fact is that u have posted this one sided story about me and have asked people to reply on their veiws u have answered everybody elses points, so why not mine?? or maybe u thought u could just brag away without any comeback, or maybe i wouldnt see this at all, but u see i own the video i can veiw which sites its being posted on
May 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
You have the right to reply and I think you can say your piece without this descending into an argument. I’ve said all I have to say, so if you want to dispute anything, do it here in the comments, clear the air and leave it be.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:57 am
First of all - no matter what anyone says - Thank you Matt for posting this blog. Its sparked good debate - just what you need.
And to Aaron, I can see your point now. I was making assumptions and your not such a fucker after all I guess.
I just want to say….
No matter what anyone thinks of us we are what they want to think of us…
Everyone will always say what they want to say and think what they want to think. I will not let that stop me from doing what I want to do. I know my intentions and what I want to do.
Say and think what you want to but our life goes on. Smart people know this.
I dont think anyone should take this posting too serious because everyone makes stupid choices but it doesnt mean they are stupid people.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:37 am
Well, even after his response, I still don’t agree with him. Firstly, there were two girls in the video. Secondly, while there are far worse people in Pattaya, this isn’t about them. The video stands alone as what it is. This isn’t about a witch hunt or finding Pattaya’s worst.
I still don’t see his point.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am
aaron makes me want to cry, my websites down because of him and all i do all day is sit on my keyboard and try to drum up customers for my shitty shop, like who wouldnt want to get a tattoo done by a unquailfied tattooist who is used to tattoing pig skin
May 29th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Not the real Tatt2Dude, obviously.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
If you google this guy’s name you get all sorts of responses. I wonder what his friends back in Ireland would think of him treating a human being like garbage and him going to the trouble of making and uploading a Youtube video to prove he can win the battle of the intellect over a drunk chick with a sixth grade education and lacking common sense.
Aaron McCreanor’s mentality comes shining through in his semi-literate screeds on here. What sick, contemptible trash.