What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Have questions or resources regarding Khmer Culture? This forum is all about the Kingdom of Cambodia's culture. Khmer language, Cambodian weddings, French influence, Cambodian architecture, Cambodian politics, Khmer customs, etc? This is the place. Living in Cambodia can cause you to experience a whole new level of culture shock, so feel free to talk about all things related to the Khmer people, and their traditions. And if you want something in Khmer script translated into English, you will probably find what you need.
MekongMouse
Expatriate
Posts: 1264
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2014 10:17 pm
Reputation: 6

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by MekongMouse »

frank lee bent wrote:screwing in public is not normal for barang
Unless you're drunk, then it's okay.
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by frank lee bent »

at a certain age, screwing and drinking become incompatible
Anchor Moy
Expatriate
Posts: 13458
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:37 pm
Reputation: 3974
Tokelau

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by Anchor Moy »

frank lee bent wrote:at a certain age, screwing and drinking become incompatible
Ok sorry to change the subject for a minute- what's the deal with separate bank accounts ? Why is this weird ? And how relevant is this to Cambodians - many people I know here do not have a bank account at all.
Just curious as to why this was on the list.

Right, carry on with drinking and screwing - not a particularly western pastime either...unless all these kids are virgin births.
User avatar
Bitte_Kein_Lexus
Expatriate
Posts: 4421
Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 7:32 pm
Reputation: 1325

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

I have to agree with the Cambodians here. I often cringe when I see foreigners (often tourists, but also expats) kissing/fondling each other in public. It also gets to me a bit when foreign girls dress scantily or wear bikinis. However, that's not much of an issue because A LOT of Cambodian girls in the capital wear less clothes than the average tourist. The amount of short skirts and very short shorts is mind blowing. I don't mind it of course, but it just shows that Cambodian's can't really claim to dress modestly anymore. Same goes for bikinis as they've become way more common than before, so I don't feel bad seeing barangs wearing them anymore. Still, I think public displays of affection are a bit weird here and people should make an effort to avoid them.
Ex Bitteeinbit/LexusSchmexus
Anchor Moy
Expatriate
Posts: 13458
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:37 pm
Reputation: 3974
Tokelau

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by Anchor Moy »

Agree there's a difference between PP and S'ville dress culture and the rest of the country. I think ? most Cambodians in the big cities at least are ok with swimsuits or bikinis on the beach or around the pool, but not elsewhere, which seems fair enough.

Or do they think its shocking, but want to act sophisticated ? (Real question.)
User avatar
Bitte_Kein_Lexus
Expatriate
Posts: 4421
Joined: Sun May 18, 2014 7:32 pm
Reputation: 1325

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

I think a lot of Phnom Penhnites try to look sophisticated when they go to the countryside. I've noticed a strong trend in the past two-three years, where they often seem (to my eyes) to be looking down on their fellow (rural) countrymen. It's not quite overt, but I see it when they're haggling over gems in Pailin with a certain air of disdain/raised pinky, or making a big effort at dressing up with the high heels/hair/purse when going up Bokor, or trying to show off their Ipads by taking selfies at every opportunity. They want to look the part, so they'll often adopt a more revealing western/Korean style. I think it's still quite rare to see a "good" Cambodian girl in a full-out bikini at the beach. Only a few more years though...
Ex Bitteeinbit/LexusSchmexus
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8892
Cambodia

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by John Bingham »

Here are some points that Cambodians don't like about Western Culture

1. You guys are likely to have more partners in a life time.
2. You are too open.
3. You have separate bank account.
4. You don't look after your parents when they get old. Why not look after them instead of sending them to care home.
5. You spoil your kids.
6. You kiss and make love in public
1. We (men and women) might have more partners, but they are generally relationships which involve mutual respect, with the odd messy one-night stand thrown in. In my experience, visiting prostitutes is very much frowned upon in most western societies, and generally thought of as something only the desperate indulge in. It's almost unheard of for young men to visit prostitutes. Here it is commonplace, and the following study confirms that Cambodia has the highest proportion of (local) men who indulge in prostitution in the world: http://prostitution.procon.org/view.res ... eID=004119
Although I am quite aware that most Cambodian women do not have multiple partners, there are obviously a whole lot of Cambodian women who are involved in prostitution, so this skews the figures somewhat too.
2. Not in my experience either, I don't think it is a bad thing that many Cambodians are very open though.
3. We have multiple bank accounts. Women usually have their own careers and their own resources and don't need to rely on their husbands so much.
4. We don't usually have to look after our parents, they are in most cases quite well able to do that themselves, having assets and also social/medical services on hand. We certainly look out for them though.
5. We don't all spoil our kids, even wealthy families teach their children to stand on their own feet and after a certain age (usually late-teens although it might be slightly older now) are pretty much left to fend for themselves. This contrasts hugely with the children of the wealthy I know here who are often bought luxury vehicles and taken care of right through their 20's and after. We used to laugh at kids who drove around in cars their parents obviously bought for them, it was something to be ashamed of.
6. It's certainly not so much of a taboo to show affection or kiss in public in the west. I don't particularly like seeing people doing this, but it is very rare indeed to see anyone "making love" in public. We certainly don't have the huge number of short-time guesthouses you see here where couples go to indulge in illicit relationships.

Anyway, I'm not trying to say one society or culture is better than the other, I just posted this to help in understanding the differences.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
MekongMouse
Expatriate
Posts: 1264
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2014 10:17 pm
Reputation: 6

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by MekongMouse »

Anchor Moy wrote:
frank lee bent wrote:at a certain age, screwing and drinking become incompatible
Ok sorry to change the subject for a minute- what's the deal with separate bank accounts ? Why is this weird ? And how relevant is this to Cambodians - many people I know here do not have a bank account at all.
Just curious as to why this was on the list.

Right, carry on with drinking and screwing - not a particularly western pastime either...unless all these kids are virgin births.
I think Cambodians feel it signifies a lack of trust and unity in a marriage. And even with no bank account, isn't the traditional way of handling money for the husband to give it to the wife right away? That's basically a shared bank account.
User avatar
StroppyChops
The Missionary Man
Posts: 10598
Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 11:24 am
Reputation: 1032
Australia

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by StroppyChops »

∆ good post, John
Bodge: This ain't Kansas, and the neighbours ate Toto!
potty
Expatriate
Posts: 1284
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:20 pm
Reputation: 0

Re: What do Cambodians not like about Western culture.

Post by potty »

yes, brilliant post.

to add to the "kiss and make love in public".

"making love in public" is outright untrue.

that couples abroad may "kiss in public" may happen, just because they are on a honeymoon or a similar trip where romance was the reason for the trip in the first place... but i cant confirm, that this is a common thing to happen... nowhere...
back home, they most likely dont kiss in public at all...
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 136 guests