RE: It’s a Wrap: Thoughts After Steemfest
To be honest in my personal point of view and experience, trying not to be bias since I am from ASEAN countries, actually Bangkok is considerably one of the cleanest in the ASEAN region.
just their public toilets are at par with Singapore's cleanliness
And so far, the capital city even when I was walking around the alleys and going through street food, there was no sign of dog meat around; but PORK everywhere.
As for sex trafficking, yes, that is most unfortunate and undeniable, but perhaps when one truly sits down and talk to the locals and understand their current situation, maybe there is a clearer vision on what is happening on the 3rd world countries that are doing their best to improve, day by day.
As of Steemfest, this is my very first and for the very first time I see practical people, honest to the problem that is at hand, and are still willing to push forward for those who are willing to stick through the mud and rot during this renovation period.
Should they still behaved like what it was that I have heard the last 3 SF from those who went there, I think I would have just walk off and not bleed further.
Despite of your criticism of the country, I am glad that you have found optimism towards what Steemit Inc are trying hard and the new features rolling out under test net and beta testing.
Let's just put aside all the personal differences and hopefully, work as a whole if one's self interest realise that staying around could still really see some good for the steem blockchain in the future.
Nice meeting you.
I was at SF3 last year and I agree--it was not as productive a conference as it should have been. I, too, saw people behaving badly, and Krakow took a bite out of them. Or at least a few of them. Few people attended presentations and there was almost no interaction at all from Steemit, Inc.
My problem with Thailand was somewhat mitigated by the fact that the nation as a whole has outlawed the dog meat trade, which is one of the most brutal and barbaric practices known to the human race. However, black market dog meat trafficking activities still go on every day around the Mekong River, and until Thailand is able to get a proper handle on this, I don't believe ethical and cultural mores will improve much. There's a known and established link between animal abuse and violence against humans, so it's all connected. This my initial complaint about the choice of venue, and I am still very much against supporting any nation or culture that freely engages with or celebrates the sadistic abuse of animals, as I believe it's a direct reflection of the core value system.
You can read more thoughts of mine about this topic in this post: https://steemit.com/steemfest/@rhondak/and-this-is-where-we-re-supposed-to-go-for-steemfest-4 . I applaud any efforts Taiwan has made to put an end to this horrific practice, but there's still a long way to go.
Nice meeting you as well. I'm glad you shared your thoughts.