Social Question

AK's avatar

Which of these scenarios would you be okay with and why? (or why not)

Asked by AK (1597points) June 18th, 2021

I watched a couple of videos from a youtuber, who makes travel videos. In the first video, he was walking and filming (in a third world country) and three kids ran upto him and pestered him to buy from them (some hairpins, dolls…little things). He was angry and even pushed one of them physically. People in the comments were seething mad too, at the insolence of the kids.
In the second video, the same youtuber is walking and filming (in a developed country) and he was accosted by a group of pretty girls, who hounded him to step into the bar/casino (each girl represented a different bar in the same locality). Literally hounded him but the youtuber wasn’t angry. He was ‘captivated by their cuteness, persistence and marketing skills and didn’t mind them luring him into a dubious bar, run by God knows who, in a shady locality…the comments section was also full of similar sentiments.
So, if you are the tourist, who would you indulge? The street hawkers (who maybe haven’t had a bath in a couple of months) or the super cute girl hustlers?

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22 Answers

jca2's avatar

I wouldn’t care about cute females at all. As far as little children go, I’ve been to Mexico and made the mistake of giving money to children, and they didn’t leave me alone after that.

It was wrong of him to push the children. I don’t know why I’d only have two choices to choose from as far as the two types of videos. None of the two choices are appealing to me.

AK's avatar

@jca2 The first scenario was children trying to sell something, not begging. Maybe I should remove the word ‘indulge’ from the description. I was asking about how you’d feel in those scenarios. Is being accosted by pretty girls more tolerable than being surrounded by dirty kids? Both of them are trying to sell you something…

jca2's avatar

@AK I’m a heterosexual female so pretty girls don’t do anything for me.

zenvelo's avatar

This question reeks of colonialist privilege of tourists being “bothered” by street urchins. How insolent of children trying to make a living!

I am not okay with either scenario, where a “tourist” gets angry at poverty, or where girls are exploited for their “cuteness” and possibly being trafficked.

Dutchess_III's avatar

The kids. They’re just trying to survive.

Nomore_lockout's avatar

I’d be a chump for the kids. Not their fault they were born into poverty. I’d buy something and give them some spare change. The hookers or whatever can go suck an egg. PS – the guy should have his ass kicked for pushing that child. What a piece of shit. We aren’t all First Worlders, Sparky.

Nomore_lockout's avatar

“People were seething at the insolence of the kids”? What about the insolence of the You Tube jerk off who pushed a child away? I’d be grooving to have an entourage.

AK's avatar

@jca2 Ah, a hetero woman. The pretty girls will leave you alone but the pretty boys (who are also employed to do the same work) might walk up to you. But you are not their primary target. Women don’t gamble much or drink much. They want men….
@zenvelo The youtuber isn’t white, so, colonial privilge is not the issue. He’s definitely of a mixed race (I’m guessing hispanic/oriental because his name is hispanic and he looks a bit oriental) and the developed country he visited is Japan. Those girls are not being trafficked. They are paid employees.
@Dutchess_III Yeah, they are trying to earn an honest dollar, no doubts about that.
@nomore_lockout They aren’t hookers brother. They are actually college kids who work to pay the college fees. But I guess the job of luring a male gambler into a den, only with their looks and cuteness, is kind of exploitation. Japan isn’t known for treating women the right way, even though it is a developed country.

janbb's avatar

Truth is it would bother me to be mobbed by any group of people when in a foreign country – or the USA. I don’t take kindly to being accosted but I would probably be ruder to the “cute women.”

AK's avatar

I’ll add more context. I actually commented on the Japan video, called him out on his double standards. My comment was drowned in a sea of replies of other viewers, ridiculing me for not seeing the point. (what that point is, I still don’t know). Some said that the girls were making an honest living but those kids werent! (their logic is, this practice is allowed/accepted in Japan). Infact, kids are encouraged to take up part time jobs like this (and other similar jobs), whereas, street hawkers are illegal. When I pointed out the girls are also hawking and it doesn’t matter if it was legal or not….I was told, I’m an idiot. Anyway, it made me curious about how we people perceive certain things are ok and some as not ok, despite the premise of both being the same.
@janbb I can understand that. I am used to seeing street hawkers and like most other people in my country, I can spot the honest ones, because we are used to dealing with them. But I can understand why that would upset you.

zenvelo's avatar

@AK you don’t have to be white to be “colonialist”. Being Latino or Asian doesn’t exempt you from being an asshole.

And Those girls are not being trafficked. They are paid employees is a supposition that is false more often than most people are willing to admit. Japan is a major destination, source, and transit country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.

AK's avatar

@zenvelo While I can’t deny what you said about trafficking or the colonialistic mindsets, I gave you info that is at hand. Those girls are legitimately employed. Statistically, most college kids prefer this kind of job, as the pay is good and work isn’t too difficult. That is a norm in that country and it is well documented. Trafficking could be happening for sure, but not in this type of employment. Anyway, the question was not about morailty and trafficking. It is about double standards in our perceptions.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Employed to do what?

AK's avatar

@Dutchess_III To bring customers into the place of business.This type of solicitation is quite common in Japan. You’ll find college girls, dolled up like anime characters (with frilly frocks, bare legs and amazing makeup that makes them look like an anime character!), standing outside all kinds of shops in touristy areas (of which there are many in Japan). You’ll find regular jean clad girls doing the same. Their job is to bring in customers. It could be a sushi bar, cake shop, sea food restaurant…or even an electronics shop! They employ college kids (mostly girls) The video I saw was in a locality that is famous for bars and gambling but these girls are pretty much everywhere. It is kind of a legit employment there.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Got it. Thanks.

janbb's avatar

@AK You find that in tourist places like Bourbon Street in New Orleans too but there the hawkers are usually men, I think.

seawulf575's avatar

I’ve seen both and both are somewhat sad. The children are probably out there trying to bring in money for their keepers and the “cute girls” are usually in the same boat.

Nomore_lockout's avatar

I still wouldn’t have a problem being followed by kids. “Here, give me eight of those cotton candies for my pals here. There you go chief, hand those out to the fan club, and here’s a little something for your little bro”. Children are harmless. I’ll just blow it all anyway.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Pretty sure they’re looking for cash to take home not candy.

Nomore_lockout's avatar

@Dutchess_III I’d help them out with that as well. A little cotton candy wouldn’t hurt either. As stated. I’ll only piss the money off anyway. You don’t buy beer, you only rent it.

AK's avatar

@janbb Men hawkers dressed up as cosplay players in New Orleans? That is how these anime dolls of Japan look like.Cosplay culture is pretty big in Japan….I find it absolutely weird but people there seem to be ok with it. Cosplay events are very common there. I was part of one such event. We all dressed up as Avatar movie characters and went to watch that movie in a theater. Other people who came to watch also were dressed like blue avatars. It was super weird for me and I was self conscious and decided that I would never ever do that again.
@seawulf575 Yea. Some children work for keepers (or are enslaved by them) but many willingly work to support their families. The girls are different though. They are working to pay off their college debts. Of course, there are girls who work for keepers, like zenvelo said in his comment but these girs aren’t that.
@Nomore_lockout These hawker children can be irritating too. They know how to tug on your heartstrings and are always on the look out for a fast buck. I jus wanted to know wha people feel when they encounter these people. It is perfectly ok even if they don’t like hawker children….as long as they hold the same sentiments to all hawkers….

janbb's avatar

@AK No, just hawkers, not dressed up as cosplay players. I didn’t think that was the salient comparison. (I find Japanese culture very hard to understand.)

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