"DUD, he's going there because his "status" rises along with the relative poverty of local women. The worse off they are, the better off he is. So, while your friend can vote Democratic and be honest with the Southeast Asian women he's fucking about his intentions, your friend knows - and you don't have to pretend he doesn't know - that he's exploiting the women he "dates.""
"While some women may only want him for his body (and I'd need to see some shirtless pics before signing off on that), poor and/or much poorer women fuck him while he's "overseas dating" because he lives locally like a one-percenter... and so, however briefly, do the women who fuck him when he's abroad."
"He insists it's not exploitation or colonialism - just a life hack - since his income goes three times as far abroad. He's basically able to live like a one-percenter when he's overseas. You've often advised callers to move to new cities to start fresh, and he argues that status matters everywhere, so why not live where your money and status stretch further?"
"He says he's honest with women, in that he tells them he's not looking for anything serious, but I still think he's lying to himself about the power imbalance - especially in the Southeast Asian countries he visits. He's anti-MAGA, which complicates the stereotype he claims most passport bros fit."
Passport bro behavior centers on traveling to places where local women face greater economic vulnerability, allowing the traveler’s status and purchasing power to rise relative to others. The traveler may claim it is not exploitation because he is honest about not seeking something serious and because his money goes further abroad. The argument presented is that relative poverty increases the leverage of the traveler and makes the relationship dynamics unequal. Even if some women pursue the traveler for physical attraction or for the benefits of his wealth, the imbalance remains. Voting preferences or anti-MAGA views do not remove the underlying exploitation claim.
Read at Portland Mercury
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