Ping pong show
Encyclopedia
Ping pong shows are a staple of the sex tourism
industry.
The show consists of women using their pelvic muscles to either hold, eject, or blow objects from their vaginal cavity
. Such objects include: long string, whistles, pens, cigarettes, candles, darts, razor blades, chopsticks and, of course, ping pong balls. A male member of the audience may be brought onto the dance platform to hold a balloon while a dart is shot at it, or the girl may do a shoot around the table at balloons tied to each customer's chair. Another activity is the shooting of goldfish
into a bowl, or stuffing a rather large frog inside to see how long she can keep it in. Women and girls who perform in the ping pong shows have, in some cases, been seriously and irreparably injured.
with scantily clad girls dancing during the breaks between shows. Tourists are brought in by employees working the streets asking passersby if they want to see a show and frequently having pictures of the show in a booklet. Once in, rather than a cover charge
, the drinks are 3–4 times the usual amount and a purchase is required. It has also been reported that there may be an arbitrary "exit fee" if not enough was spent. This is in line with the tactics of the usual ping pong show, where customers are borderline coerced for "tips" at least once every minute. Women employed in ping pong shows arrive at 6 P.M. and leave at daybreak. They stamp a time card and are penalized 5 Thai Baht (USD $0.14) for every minute they are late. Each month, they receive two nights of vacation and, if they don't miss any additional nights, they will earn only 6000 Thai Baht (USD $181).
Most women working at ping pong shows are prostitutes. Tourists who support ping pong shows and other forms of sex tourism in Thailand may inadvertently contribute to human trafficking and child prostitution. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. is one of the few prominent U.S. politicians to propose legislation to curb domestic demand of the international sex industry. "The buyers of commercial sex must be sensitized to the harm they cause women and girls and to the fact their money fuels modern day slavery," Smith said at a joint briefing of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking
and the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus in July 2009. “A cultural shift that recognizes the link between commercial sex and the trafficking of women and girls would starve the modern-day slaveholders. If potential buyers knew of the unspeakable lives of servitude and degradation these victims suffer, I think they would think twice before laying down their money.”
, a feminist scholar and law professor, alleges that ping pong shows are a disturbing, but logical, extension of an inherently misogynistic industry; “Pornography of Asian women sold in the West has been almost entirely a pornography of torture,” writes MacKinnon. “This is just presenting that in the flesh.” MacKinnon also notes that these shows perpetuate a stereotype of the “exotic East,” which Edward Said
dismissed as a racist and Orientalist
fantasy.
Sex tourism
Sex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary...
industry.
The show consists of women using their pelvic muscles to either hold, eject, or blow objects from their vaginal cavity
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
. Such objects include: long string, whistles, pens, cigarettes, candles, darts, razor blades, chopsticks and, of course, ping pong balls. A male member of the audience may be brought onto the dance platform to hold a balloon while a dart is shot at it, or the girl may do a shoot around the table at balloons tied to each customer's chair. Another activity is the shooting of goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
into a bowl, or stuffing a rather large frog inside to see how long she can keep it in. Women and girls who perform in the ping pong shows have, in some cases, been seriously and irreparably injured.
In Thailand
In Thailand, shows generally take place in a strip clubStrip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
with scantily clad girls dancing during the breaks between shows. Tourists are brought in by employees working the streets asking passersby if they want to see a show and frequently having pictures of the show in a booklet. Once in, rather than a cover charge
Cover charge
At bars and nightclubs, or restaurants with live entertainment a flat fee for entry, sometimes known as a cover charge, is made, in addition to payment for food and drink...
, the drinks are 3–4 times the usual amount and a purchase is required. It has also been reported that there may be an arbitrary "exit fee" if not enough was spent. This is in line with the tactics of the usual ping pong show, where customers are borderline coerced for "tips" at least once every minute. Women employed in ping pong shows arrive at 6 P.M. and leave at daybreak. They stamp a time card and are penalized 5 Thai Baht (USD $0.14) for every minute they are late. Each month, they receive two nights of vacation and, if they don't miss any additional nights, they will earn only 6000 Thai Baht (USD $181).
Human Rights Concerns
Performers in ping pong shows are often trafficked from countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Human rights organizations (such as Not For Sale Campaign) denounce ping pong shows as inherently misogynistic. “The attitude that [sex work in places like ping pong shows] is empowering gives a green light to traffickers. We’re trying to fight the commercial sex trade, not empower the sex trade,” says Taina Bien-Aime of Equality Now. Thai women who work in"ping pong shows" often worked in factories before being laid off during the economic downturn. “Working 14 hours [a day] in a factory or blowing ping pong balls out of your vagina should not be a person’s only choices in life,” says Bien-Aime.Most women working at ping pong shows are prostitutes. Tourists who support ping pong shows and other forms of sex tourism in Thailand may inadvertently contribute to human trafficking and child prostitution. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. is one of the few prominent U.S. politicians to propose legislation to curb domestic demand of the international sex industry. "The buyers of commercial sex must be sensitized to the harm they cause women and girls and to the fact their money fuels modern day slavery," Smith said at a joint briefing of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
and the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus in July 2009. “A cultural shift that recognizes the link between commercial sex and the trafficking of women and girls would starve the modern-day slaveholders. If potential buyers knew of the unspeakable lives of servitude and degradation these victims suffer, I think they would think twice before laying down their money.”
Feminist Analysis
Catharine MacKinnonCatharine MacKinnon
Catharine Alice MacKinnon is an American feminist, scholar, lawyer, teacher and activist.- Biography :MacKinnon was born in Minnesota. Her mother is Elizabeth Valentine Davis; her father, George E. MacKinnon was a lawyer, congressman , and judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit...
, a feminist scholar and law professor, alleges that ping pong shows are a disturbing, but logical, extension of an inherently misogynistic industry; “Pornography of Asian women sold in the West has been almost entirely a pornography of torture,” writes MacKinnon. “This is just presenting that in the flesh.” MacKinnon also notes that these shows perpetuate a stereotype of the “exotic East,” which Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
dismissed as a racist and Orientalist
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
fantasy.
Further reading
- Leon, Harmon. "Life is Like a Ping-Pong Ball in a Bangkok Strip Club". nthWORDNthWORDnthWORD is a quarterly online magazine for creative people, by creative people. The magazine publishes works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and art by both established and emerging writers and artists, as well as mock ads...
, Issue 2 (Spring/Summer 2009), pp. 29–36. - Ollett, Luke. "Impartial account of a ping pong show" June 2009