Cultural Differences re: morality/sex/etc (semi-NSFW topics)

[unbluffable]

ED: Changed the title to focus this on the main areas covered in OP. We can do another broader cultural differences thread later.

I want this thread to be about interesting interactions that you have experienced with people from other countries that highlight some key differences between America and other parts of the world. Here is what happened to me last night.

I went out with a buddy of mine whom i met at a local casino. For those that don't know, I moved to the Dominican Republic 2 weeks ago and live in the most tourist filled area on the island, which attracts a lot of loose women looking to make a quick buck. My buddy is British, 37, has lived here for 2 years and has gone through 90% of the women in his town of Sosua. He is a very happy and easygoing dude, drinks and smokes weed and is fun to be around. We had a few drinks (Beer for him, Alize and Henny for me) and talked to the girls who werent very attractive, but we try not to pay for sex. They were obviously not happy with it, so we decided that we should just go to his pad and smoke a joint or 5. Which we did. He passed out and I took a cab home.

Here's the thing about the cabs. Most of them are called motoconchos, motorcycles, but they are extremely dangerous to ride at night, since the streets are not lit. But if you take a car, they pack 8 people (4 or 3 in front, 4 in the back) in it and its extremely uncomfortable. This is what ended up happening. We ended up pulling over to help some dude whose wheel broke, and were waiting for 40 minutes for our driver to return. I decided that the best way to spend 40 minutes at 4 in the morning is to hit on the girl sitting next to me. She was probably a 4 on the OOT scale, good body but meh face and I knew i wouldn't take her home but it was good fun. Here is how it went (we're speaking Spanish)
-Hi, my name is arkadiy, what is yours?
-says some dominican name and smiles
do you live in puerto plata?
-si, where are you from
-America
this goes on for a while, i am now stroking her hair and massaging her boobs, still not wanting to get laid, especially pay. at this point she tries to find out what i want to do and how much im willing to pay. I tell her i don't pay for sex (a blatant lie). She is appalled. I say that in America and Russia i get much more beautiful girls and they're grateful to be with me and really she should be paying me. That always gets them. Then she says something which inspired me to make this lame post
But When you go to a supermarket, you have to pay...

they love making this analogy. Ive heard gringos say it before, but this was a first from a girl. It is really a huge part of their mentality, perhaps even in their DNA, although im more inclined to blame it on the upbringing and the fact that it is a poor country.

some other things about Dominican that ive noticed
-they don't take hot showers. weird.
-it is a country of contradictions. They are very Catholic and religious, yet prostitution is so widespread. You can pick up girls in Church no problem. this is just one of many contradictions. In America, everything is black and white.
-there are very few laws and if there are they're not enforced. In US you go to the beach and there's 5 signs saying no smoking no drinking no eating no fire no glass no weapons. Here they're drinking rum on the beach, eating and doing whatever the hell they want.
-you regularly see policemen in uniform in whorehouses. i don't suggest talking to them because you'll end up buying unlimited beers for the po po.
-Girls get busy at a young age. you can have sex with a 12 year old (her brother already did it before you) and the only way you get in trouble is if her dad finds out you didn't give her a few bucks.
-Every girl has kids if she's over 17 or 18. When dominican guys screw them they don't use condoms and girls don't used birth control and abortion is a huge sin here, and a very serious crime. If you go to the girls house, expect to do her on her loft bed while the kids are sleeping underneath(haven't done it but i know ppl who have. talk about weird).

This is all. wow, sorry for the length. I encourage you to post your thoughts, especially people like adsman who lives in a foreign country (Italy, correct?)

RKD

[Shadowrun]

[ QUOTE ]
I want this thread to be about interesting interactions that you have experienced with people from other countries that highlight some key differences between America and other parts of the world. Here is what happened to me last night.

I went out with a buddy of mine whom i met at a local casino. For those that don't know, I moved to the Dominican Republic 2 weeks ago and live in the most tourist filled area on the island, which attracts a lot of loose women looking to make a quick buck. My buddy is British, 37, has lived here for 2 years and has gone through 90% of the women in his town of Sosua. He is a very happy and easygoing dude, drinks and smokes weed and is fun to be around. We had a few drinks (Beer for him, Alize and Henny for me) and talked to the girls who werent very attractive, but we try not to pay for sex. They were obviously not happy with it, so we decided that we should just go to his pad and smoke a joint or 5. Which we did. He passed out and I took a cab home.

Here's the thing about the cabs. Most of them are called motoconchos, motorcycles, but they are extremely dangerous to ride at night, since the streets are not lit. But if you take a car, they pack 8 people (4 or 3 in front, 4 in the back) in it and its extremely uncomfortable. This is what ended up happening. We ended up pulling over to help some dude whose wheel broke, and were waiting for 40 minutes for our driver to return. I decided that the best way to spend 40 minutes at 4 in the morning is to hit on the girl sitting next to me. She was probably a 4 on the OOT scale, good body but meh face and I knew i wouldn't take her home but it was good fun. Here is how it went (we're speaking Spanish)
-Hi, my name is arkadiy, what is yours?
-says some dominican name and smiles
do you live in puerto plata?
-si, where are you from
-America
this goes on for a while, i am now stroking her hair and massaging her boobs, still not wanting to get laid, especially pay. at this point she tries to find out what i want to do and how much im willing to pay. I tell her i don't pay for sex (a blatant lie). She is appalled. I say that in America and Russia i get much more beautiful girls and they're grateful to be with me and really she should be paying me. That always gets them. Then she says something which inspired me to make this lame post
But When you go to a supermarket, you have to pay...

they love making this analogy. Ive heard gringos say it before, but this was a first from a girl. It is really a huge part of their mentality, perhaps even in their DNA, although im more inclined to blame it on the upbringing and the fact that it is a poor country.

some other things about Dominican that ive noticed
-they don't take hot showers. weird.
-it is a country of contradictions. They are very Catholic and religious, yet prostitution is so widespread. You can pick up girls in Church no problem. this is just one of many contradictions. In America, everything is black and white.
-there are very few laws and if there are they're not enforced. In US you go to the beach and there's 5 signs saying no smoking no drinking no eating no fire no glass no weapons. Here they're drinking rum on the beach, eating and doing whatever the hell they want.
-you regularly see policemen in uniform in whorehouses. i don't suggest talking to them because you'll end up buying unlimited beers for the po po.
-Girls get busy at a young age. you can have sex with a 12 year old (her brother already did it before you) and the only way you get in trouble is if her dad finds out you didn't give her a few bucks.
-Every girl has kids if she's over 17 or 18. When dominican guys screw them they don't use condoms and girls don't used birth control and abortion is a huge sin here, and a very serious crime. If you go to the girls house, expect to do her on her loft bed while the kids are sleeping underneath(haven't done it but i know ppl who have. talk about weird).

This is all. wow, sorry for the length. I encourage you to post your thoughts, especially people like adsman who lives in a foreign country (Italy, correct?)

RKD

[/ QUOTE ]

1. No
2. That is sick
3. Why would they care if laws arent enforced

4. Good idea for a thread but i dont like the execution

[unbluffable]

What i meant by black and white is you don't see policemen in whorehouses or strip clubs, girls who go to church don't prostitute, etc. not sure why you disagree.

2. i agree. it is appalling to see dominican men constantly pimping out their sisters at a young age. My friends and I have nothing to do with girls under 17 or 18.

3. Thinks like abortion is enforced because they're super catholic about things like that. Likewise, Drugs are super serious and you get in lots of trouble. When i was talking about enforcement i meant things like DUIs, driving with no licence, carrying guns, etc.

If you help me to take this in the right direction i will be grateful.

[HP]

In regards to prostitution, my views have changed very much after traveling to non 1st world countries. I recall talking to some local Cambodians who saw me pay 2k US for shooting some guns and stuff, and were like "How can you do that but not pay 50 cents for sex?" I don't even remember my logic for why I wouldn't want some hookers

I actually find it hard now to comprehend how some one could think prostitution is wrong. People pay for entertainment, why not sex? Assume adults, consensual, etc.

Another one for me was when in Zambia, walking around some villages my first thought (and have thought up to that point) was "wow, the life expectancy is so low, standard of living is so low, etc etc."

Then after a while I noticed (I could be mistaken) these people seem to work like a few hours a day tops. All they have to do is grow a bit of corn (each family looked to have a relatively small amount of land to farm) and maintain their huts. At least in the season I was there it looked like very little work

The above can be said of some Cambodian villages I visited briefly

Also, everyone seemed fairly happy and content. Maybe there was a correlation?

Basically after the trip my view of my culture (1st world whitey) being superior was not obvious. What is the point really of increasing the standard of living? Cause if it's to make us happier, it's not obvious to me it's working

[unbluffable]

I agree HP. People here are extremely happy. The men are very very lazy, only want enough money to live for a week, drink lots, chase skirts and live a great life (in their mind). You really don't hear them complain.

Women are similar. Very amiable, happy, easygoing. They enjoy what they do. THEY ENJOY SEX, ESPECAILLY WITH AMERICANS. They take money because they have 2 or 3 kids by the time they're 20 and need milk food and clothes. You wouldn't believe how small their appartments are, yet they are still happy.

the most amazing thing to me about people here is how little they care about the future. If you offer a taxi driver 1000 pesos right now or 100 pesos every day till he dies he will take the 1000 every time. Every god damn time.

[The Bride]

[ QUOTE ]
-it is a country of contradictions. They are very Catholic and religious, yet prostitution is so widespread. You can pick up girls in Church no problem. this is just one of many contradictions. In America, everything is black and white.

[/ QUOTE ]

My perception of America is that it also a country of contradictions. For example, by Western standards it is very religous and moralistic, yet it also has the largest porn industry.

[unbluffable]

Porn is hard to regulate and easy to make. Internet makes it easy to distribute. Religious organizations have no way of combatting it

They have no problem regulating prostitution, underaged drinking and online gambling.

i think you provided a bad example.

[TheMetetron]

The current republican administration is one huge contradiction. America is full of it if you are looking.

This thread idea isn't bad, but not really executed very well.

[almostbusto]

unbluffable-

F the haters. you get my vote for thread of the day, really interesting read. more anecdotes plz.

[unbluffable]

i will wait for a few more responses and will post more stuff.