{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Bangkok Double Pricing Debate (2.33)","description":"On this episode we get into one of Thailand's most contentious topics - double pricing. But first we talk about selfies in a ball pit and a hidden hipster hangout. Just down the road for us on our side of the river is a hidden hipster hideout in Bangkok called called The Jam Factory. And by \u201chidden\u201d, we mean new to Evo. Because it\u2019s pretty well known by everyone other than him. Also Greg visits Central Embassy and attempts to lose his child in a giant plastic bubble bath filled with selfie takers. But as interesting as both of those topics sound, neither are what we\u2019re talking about today. Let\u2019s just get this out of the way: We think double pricing sucks. Thailand is notorious for pricing things like museums, national parks, landmarks, and other civic works differently depending on where a visitor was born. Foreigners -- we stand out a bit -- pay an inflated price, where Thai nationals pay much, much less. Sometimes Thai nationals pay nothing at all. As representatives of the foreigners overcharged, we don\u2019t like it. But we try to understand the rationale for it on this week\u2019s episode and present their side. We\u2019re not sure we did a good job. But here are the excuses main arguments most often offered to justify dual pricing in Thailand: Foreign workers make more money than Thais, so they can afford it. Tourists don\u2019t pay Thailand taxes to support those civic works. (Note: both of us pay taxes in Thailand) It\u2019s a nationalistic benefit reserved for Thai citizens. All of those are valid concerns. However, we\u2019re not buying it. Listen in to learn how we carefully (and hopefully respectfully) dismantle each of those excuses arguments. And though we try very hard not to push our own agenda on our adopted country, here\u2019s what we think could be the consequences if the dual pricing issue isn\u2019t addressed (which it hasn\u2019t been for decades, we get it.) It may be seen as racist to a world becoming more and more aware and intolerant of racism. It\u2019s a deterrent to tourism as it has been to other countries that have done stupid things in the name of squeezing out a few bucks from hapless tourists. It\u2019s a constant PR black eye that will cause (and perhaps is causing) people to seek out their SE Asian vacation\/expat home in other neighboring countries. Now, hopefully we didn\u2019t go overboard on complaining. It\u2019s not what we set out to do. And if you have a different opinion, we invite you to leave a comment below or on our social channels. Let\u2019s keep the conversation going. One great way is our new LINE account, just for the Bangkok Podcast. Hey, we\u2019re in Thailand, and LINE is huge here. So of course we have a LINE account. Follow along and talk to us there, too! Love, Loathe, or Leave Almost half a year ago, we talked about Bangkok\u2019s \u201csaluting security guards\u201d in an early LLoL segment. But Greg forgot something key to the conversation that Gregory Hines would be proud of. Listen in to find out why we\u2019re being so mysterious, and whether or not this clicks for us. (Heh.) Want more? If it\u2019s your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it\u2019s a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We\u2019d love to hear from you, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg\u2019s tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that\u2019s your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast!   ","author_name":"The Bangkok Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/www.bangkokpodcast.com","html":"