[Phnom Penh, 3/7/23] It’s 10AM. I’ve had my coffee but no breakfast, and yet, I’m already at my plastic table on the sidewalk, in the shade of a tuk-tuk, typing this sentence. See how much I love you? I have some thoughts to develop. If they suck, you can yell for the
Knife sharpeners, ice cream vendors, vegetable sellers. Each providing a useful service, each worthy of at least some shred of human dignity. Seems so foreign in 2023, yet we know this all would have been perfectly normal on the streets of any American city at the turn of the century. (Not the LAST one, obviously. The one before that.)
Of the dozen or so Vietnamese vendors riding by my house everyday chanting out their merchandise or service, I understand about 70%, which reflects my overall level in the language.
The ones I can't understand sound like magical mantras veiled in mystery. I kind of want it to stay that way and would probably be disappointed to learn that it means, say, "nail service" or "cardboard disposal". Your articles are very inspiring as always, Linh, thanks!
As someone who taught thousands of young black people and read their life stories in their journals, set in poverty and the violence of the drug wars, I retain some sympathy for those who do not want blacks depicted as violent. But that does not help those kids who bear the brunt of the violence either. Certainly telling them that racism is so systemic that their attempts to live a good life will always be foiled doesn't help. Gee, you'd almost think those white virtue-signaling "allies" are in it for their own self-serving gratification.
Your commentaries and observations were what I looked forward to at The Unz, but no doubt your Substack audience is more appreciative, plus there is the bonus of NOT having your commenters refer to the Vietnamese author as a "Chink" who needs to "go home". As you would sometimes remind them - at least you still have a home to which to go.
This was me until I quit my federal intelligence job: "Much more likely, he’s been turned into a dazed and quietly embittered machine performing monotonous tasks endlessly. Worse, he’s become superfluous, to make room for real machines and a greener earth, for the private jet set." I had a sneaking awareness that my job was useless except to provide the USG official stamp of compliance to the work of contractors. The contractors were paid more than me, but their companies were paid about 200% more per billable hour than the salaries of their employees. I'm convinced we were in Afghanistan for 20 years just to create wealth for the contracted corporations.
Linh, and dedicated readers of Linh, I want to drop an advert for the works of the late and great journalist Colin Flaherty. Probably his most infamous work is the book "Don't Make the Black Kids Angry." I bring this up because of how Linh mentioned how the media deliberately refuses to report on black crime. Colin's videos can still be found on YouTube, but there are probably more to be found on Alt-Tech platforms. Anyway, Colin's obsession with reporting on what he called the Greatest Lie in America cost him his journalistic credibility and kicked off the NPR, NYT, etc.
I am due for a cop shop interview at 9 in the morning, because of long overstayed visa. They're going to ask for a lot of money I don't have, but they won't throw me in jail because I would become a superstar in there. Let's see...
One thing I notice is how colourful things seem in Cambodia, from the clothes to the advertising to the objects around (or maybe that's just an effect of the camera filter with high saturation). Here, everything seems mostly grey, from the buildings to the people to the weather. I was in a line for the cashier in a shop the other day. The woman in front of me was paying for her items, several shirts, blouses, dresses, pants -- all of them were either black, or white. I think most women dress in black these days. But I think that wasn't so common before. Except maybe for nuns.
Rereading this as I usually do, I am struck by how beautiful your photos are. Yes, I see how much you love us or was that irony? Anyway, looking forward to despatches from Our Man in Laos.
You're being quite productive, Linh. Very good essays lately thank you. You should practice intermittent fasting more often. I've been doing this for 6 months and I've lost 7 kilos. I only eat between 12-8pm, but I can drink coffee no sugar in the morning.
I also have noted the absence of Jewish influence in SE Asia and, as you note, how normal life is here. Best kept secret.
Always looking forward to your articles and photography ! Your description of daily life in all these different countries and cultures is really great.
Knife sharpeners, ice cream vendors, vegetable sellers. Each providing a useful service, each worthy of at least some shred of human dignity. Seems so foreign in 2023, yet we know this all would have been perfectly normal on the streets of any American city at the turn of the century. (Not the LAST one, obviously. The one before that.)
Of the dozen or so Vietnamese vendors riding by my house everyday chanting out their merchandise or service, I understand about 70%, which reflects my overall level in the language.
The ones I can't understand sound like magical mantras veiled in mystery. I kind of want it to stay that way and would probably be disappointed to learn that it means, say, "nail service" or "cardboard disposal". Your articles are very inspiring as always, Linh, thanks!
As someone who taught thousands of young black people and read their life stories in their journals, set in poverty and the violence of the drug wars, I retain some sympathy for those who do not want blacks depicted as violent. But that does not help those kids who bear the brunt of the violence either. Certainly telling them that racism is so systemic that their attempts to live a good life will always be foiled doesn't help. Gee, you'd almost think those white virtue-signaling "allies" are in it for their own self-serving gratification.
Your commentaries and observations were what I looked forward to at The Unz, but no doubt your Substack audience is more appreciative, plus there is the bonus of NOT having your commenters refer to the Vietnamese author as a "Chink" who needs to "go home". As you would sometimes remind them - at least you still have a home to which to go.
This was me until I quit my federal intelligence job: "Much more likely, he’s been turned into a dazed and quietly embittered machine performing monotonous tasks endlessly. Worse, he’s become superfluous, to make room for real machines and a greener earth, for the private jet set." I had a sneaking awareness that my job was useless except to provide the USG official stamp of compliance to the work of contractors. The contractors were paid more than me, but their companies were paid about 200% more per billable hour than the salaries of their employees. I'm convinced we were in Afghanistan for 20 years just to create wealth for the contracted corporations.
Linh, and dedicated readers of Linh, I want to drop an advert for the works of the late and great journalist Colin Flaherty. Probably his most infamous work is the book "Don't Make the Black Kids Angry." I bring this up because of how Linh mentioned how the media deliberately refuses to report on black crime. Colin's videos can still be found on YouTube, but there are probably more to be found on Alt-Tech platforms. Anyway, Colin's obsession with reporting on what he called the Greatest Lie in America cost him his journalistic credibility and kicked off the NPR, NYT, etc.
I am due for a cop shop interview at 9 in the morning, because of long overstayed visa. They're going to ask for a lot of money I don't have, but they won't throw me in jail because I would become a superstar in there. Let's see...
One thing I notice is how colourful things seem in Cambodia, from the clothes to the advertising to the objects around (or maybe that's just an effect of the camera filter with high saturation). Here, everything seems mostly grey, from the buildings to the people to the weather. I was in a line for the cashier in a shop the other day. The woman in front of me was paying for her items, several shirts, blouses, dresses, pants -- all of them were either black, or white. I think most women dress in black these days. But I think that wasn't so common before. Except maybe for nuns.
Rereading this as I usually do, I am struck by how beautiful your photos are. Yes, I see how much you love us or was that irony? Anyway, looking forward to despatches from Our Man in Laos.
You're being quite productive, Linh. Very good essays lately thank you. You should practice intermittent fasting more often. I've been doing this for 6 months and I've lost 7 kilos. I only eat between 12-8pm, but I can drink coffee no sugar in the morning.
I also have noted the absence of Jewish influence in SE Asia and, as you note, how normal life is here. Best kept secret.
sjuttiosjuaring
Always looking forward to your articles and photography ! Your description of daily life in all these different countries and cultures is really great.
I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful writing
seeing a post from you in my email is a treat
Love the photographs, Linh, and your writing, too. Is there wifi everywhere? Or do you have to go to a cafe with internet to upload?