As I mentioned in class, much of
Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia resonated
with me in a particular way due to the amount of time I spent living,
working and traveling in South East Asia. I think that this is a
terrific performance piece, both in style and substance, yet I can't
quite get over my strong negative reaction to the amount of time he
spent describing his exploits in Bangkok's red-light district,
Patpong. This is such a tiny part Thailand, yet it seems to be the
association that Westerners almost always make.
I
realize that it makes a hugely entertaining story for SG's monologue
(I laughed), and he did attempt to highlight that these particular
form of in-your-face ping pong shows and parlors developed as a
result of the GI's stationed there during the Vietnam War. However,
I can't ignore that this point of origin is uniformly eclipsed by
naive sensationalism. It's all tourists who go to these
hypersexualized venues, and it has become sadly normalized
Yes,
concubinage/prostitution does exist historically/contemporarily as an
element of Thai culture, but the places Thai men go are vastly more
subtle and discrete. Or so I'm told... I've never been to one of
these places or shows, tourist or local, that was staffed by women.
(I'll leave the ones employed by men and in-betweens up to your
imaginations...well, maybe just a hint to pique your interest, this
is a non-fiction course afterall and I can be just as subject to
sensationalism as SG... I was okay with the make-up, but once the
ladyboys started taking off my pants, I had to get off that stage...)
I won't go on at length about all the beautiful and wonderful things
about Thailand, Thai people, and Thai culture (although I would love
to), so I hope that my indignation at the stereotype speaks for
itself about what this place means to me. (I will be writing my love
letter to Thailand, but haven't done that yet...)
Don't
get me wrong though, overall I thought that Swimming to
Cambodia was superb. I thought
SG's performance was nearly impeccable and the issues he explores are
certainly still germane. Cambodia is still reeling from the effects
of Pol Pot and Vietnam from our presence there. The wounds we
inflicted on that country are immeasurable. What I hadn't realized,
was the extent to which our involvement in Vietnam had set the stage
for Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge to commit their atrocities against
the Cambodian people.
My
preferred memories of Cambodia are of Angkor Wat and
of slowly getting stoned on a pier over Boeng Kak Lake in Phnom Penh.
We didn't visit the the actual killing fields there, but we did go
to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The building complex was
originally a school, but the Khmer Rouge transformed it into a
notorious prison/interrogation center/place of torture and execution,
of the estimated 17,000 interred there, just 7 are known survivors.
It was a chilling place to be, and the images of it are still as
vivid and haunting as if I had just been there. Look it up on
Wikipedia if you want more information.
On
the street of Phnom Penh, I purchased a boot-leg copy of the book
(yes, they boot-leg books in Cambodia) First
They Killed My Father by
Luong Ung, the daughter of a high-ranking official under Lon Nol.
She was five when Pol Pot's army stormed the capitol, and the book is
the horrific account of what her family endured. Most of them didn't
survive. It's a tough read because it's so real and recent, but I
highly recommend it.
Okay,
it's getting heavy so I think that's enough for this blog. I've
attached some pics & vids of Cambodia. I have so many that it
was hard to choose, so I apologize if you think I've posted too
much...
3 of the many temples at Angkor
Boeng Kak Lake
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Market in Phnom Penh
Silly tourists in Cambodia
Thanks for sharing Bryan!!!
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