Ahhh, the ambiguities of Thailand. I think I’ve included this phrase before in my blog, but my friend John summed it up quite nicely – “there are no rules in Thailand until there are rules. Then they’re unbreakable.” Finding a single reason for any problem is often impossible, in much the same way that finding two Thais to explain an aspect of Thailand to you the same way is also impossible. One of these is the concept of ‘gig’. If you’ve been in Thailand for any length of time, you’ve likely heard the term, which can also be spelled ‘kik’, ‘gik’, ‘kig’ or any variation thereof. It pays to be familiar with the term, because you’re probably going to be asked by someone (probably a taxi driver) if you have one. Basically, (very basically), a ‘gig’ is someone who is more than a friend but less than a boy/girlfriend. However, if you ask five different people, you’ll get five different answers.
The word started among teenagers – not sure when – and, as this comprehensive page explains, comes from “guke-gik-joo-jee, which refers to the (mutual) intimate level of flirtation between two lovers–from the soft giggling, pecking, and tickling, to the act of making out and foreplay.” But it’s not that simple. Much like the word ‘fag’ has morphed from ‘bundle of kindling’ to ‘cigarette’ to ‘homosexual’ (at least in the USA), ‘gig’ has changed over time too. If you ask an older person, you’ll likely be told that it means someone, usually of the opposite sex, with whom you have a very close relationship with. But ask anyone of a younger generation and you’ll likely get a much more bawdy description. I asked a few friends and got everything from ‘someone who you spend time with when your boyfriend is out of town’ to ‘fuckbuddy‘. One friend said it was someone you cheat with; another said ‘someone you hang out with and have fun with, but not necessarily sex’. A third friend said it was someone that you have a relationship with, but with no expectations of emotional attachment’ (yeah, that happens often). My friend B summed it up quite well when she said, “it’s more like they don’t want to feel guilty about what they are doing so they created a new word for it… but still, a snake is a snake no matter if you call it a puppy or a kitten.”
This is a petunia.
Personally, I think it’s just a nice way of saying “I’m lying to and cheating on my boy/girlfriend but don’t like how ‘cheating’ sounds, so I made up this word.” So be prepared. A rose by any other name….
Nice take on it. While I agree with the accuracy of the angle you took on it, I also believe that the gik fad isn’t necessarily a mere ‘reaction’ to the social norm, as much as it’s a reversion to previous existing, yet suppressed social norms.
Good point, Siamerican. This could spiral off into a whole other conversation about whether the ‘gig’ experience is an extension of the natural human (moreso male?) desire to ‘be fruitful and multiply’, which is suppressed by long-term, one-person relationships. Or maybe we all just want to be like James Bond.