Economy

[Icegodofhungary]

Though I suspect AI will just further alienate the complacent and there’ll be a larger pool of the disengaged.
I’ve met dozens of these new Japanese girls who are nowadays replacing Chinese students in the brothels. What strikes me is how well educated-but uneducated they are. Most seem to be at university level, but have little idea of the opportunities they have in this digital economy. They appear lazy. Even 10 years ago you wouldn’t be getting these sort of women in sydney brothels.

I've met a lot of these young Japanese women too. I have considered myself pretty lucky that they've decided to do this job rather than make money on OnlyFans or some other platform. Perhaps some are lazy, but a lot of them I've met actually seem to work very hard - some are working one or more legit jobs (in restaurants or aged care or other things), doing their sex worker job a few days a week, and sometimes going to language school or some sort of vocational training or something too. I wonder if Japan (somewhat ironically) has just not embraced the internet the same way most of the rest of the world has? Even when I was there quite recently you seemed to need paper forms and receipts for everything, online bookings etc. on their own seemed not enough. Or maybe these girls would rather do sex work to make money where they're not going to meet anyone they know, rather than risk an acquaintance or family member come across them doing something risque online?

[Icegodofhungary]

I felt like growing we have been lied to, go to uni don’t go to tafe don’t do manual labour.

Alright went to uni got a useless degree 30k down the drain god help gen z with their hecs debts and can’t get a job.

Every company I’ve been wants to offshore IT and backend office jobs.

Every person I know that’s worked at a big4 been laid off.

Growing up in the south western suburbs we all laughed at the suburbs now me and my mates my age are going past Liverpool cause we can’t afford Bankstown etc.

Every Govt job advertised these days you need to be either indigenous or LBGTQ whatever the fuck it is to be considered.

Yeah, my company missed out on a government contract at least in part because we couldn't show we had an indigenous person working for us, or demonstrate our indigenous hiring practices. We are a very small company only about a dozen people, and we have people from almost as many ethnic backgrounds (only like two aussies), but we don't have an indigenous person. Would be happy to hire anyone who can do the job, but in my many years of doing this I have never come across someone I knew to be indigenous in my field. So fuck knows how our competitors are ticking that box for the government work (probably hiring ring-ins or making up some bullshit about their hiring policies ... hmmm, maybe I can get AI to write a bullshit hiring policy for us, problem solved).

[GoldfishMan]

I felt like growing we have been lied to, go to uni don’t go to tafe don’t do manual labour.

Alright went to uni got a useless degree 30k down the drain god help gen z with their hecs debts and can’t get a job.

Every company I’ve been wants to offshore IT and backend office jobs.

Every person I know that’s worked at a big4 been laid off.

Growing up in the south western suburbs we all laughed at the suburbs now me and my mates my age are going past Liverpool cause we can’t afford Bankstown etc.

Every Govt job advertised these days you need to be either indigenous or LBGTQ whatever the fuck it is to be considered.

I've already seen 3 of my ex-colleagues at a big 4 been laid off in the last month. And you know how stupid it was? The greedy MOFO manager who was only after his KPI stupidly picked the wrong one to lay off. Out of the 3, that 1 lady was the only person who knew how to do the work that she did.

She was a contractor so they tried to offer her a perm position once they realised they made a mistake. Unfortunately for them she had already got a new contract role by then and boy, she really let them have it. It was a thing of beauty!

I swear if shareholders get to see the level of stupidity that exists in the ranks of management at these big banks they wouldn't be so ready to invest in them. It's just one layer of stupidity covering for the next layer of stupidity. 90% of them are simply not qualified to make the decisions that they've been tasked with. You've got people with no IT background being a CIO cos he moved "across" from a similar rank in the org. Then he ends up having to hire a "tech CIO" to "help" him. FFS...

All of them are just feeding off the gravy train because our banks are allowed to milk as much profit as they want from the Australian public. The Aussie gov does nothing to reign them in. AFAIK, Oz is the only country where you pay a higher interest rate on a car loan than on a mortgage. Go to the USA, SG, Malaysia, etc., it's the other way around. I told this to a banker friend of mine in SG he was scratching his head cos it makes no sense at all.

[stallionmachine123]

I've already seen 3 of my ex-colleagues at a big 4 been laid off in the last month. And you know how stupid it was? The greedy MOFO manager who was only after his KPI stupidly picked the wrong one to lay off. Out of the 3, that 1 lady was the only person who knew how to do the work that she did.

She was a contractor so they tried to offer her a perm position once they realised they made a mistake. Unfortunately for them she had already got a new contract role by then and boy, she really let them have it. It was a thing of beauty!

I swear if shareholders get to see the level of stupidity that exists in the ranks of management at these big banks they wouldn't be so ready to invest in them. It's just one layer of stupidity covering for the next layer of stupidity. 90% of them are simply not qualified to make the decisions that they've been tasked with. You've got people with no IT background being a CIO cos he moved "across" from a similar rank in the org. Then he ends up having to hire a "tech CIO" to "help" him. FFS...

All of them are just feeding off the gravy train because our banks are allowed to milk as much profit as they want from the Australian public. The Aussie gov does nothing to rein y them in. AFAIK, Oz is the only country where you pay a higher interest rate on a car loan than on a mortgage. Go to the USA, SG, Malaysia, etc., it's the other way around. I told this to a banker friend of mine in SG he was scratching his head cos it makes no sense at all.

My last company not public more of a family run business got one of the boys to be CIO who had no IT background he basically hired a bunch of people under him as his tech advisors.

He told us all that overseas workers is cheaper and we will replace you there if you want to leave.

I was one of the first to leave and 2 years on not one local software dev remains.

[Wayne]

I've met a lot of these young Japanese women too. I have considered myself pretty lucky that they've decided to do this job rather than make money on OnlyFans or some other platform. Perhaps some are lazy, but a lot of them I've met actually seem to work very hard - some are working one or more legit jobs (in restaurants or aged care or other things), doing their sex worker job a few days a week, and sometimes going to language school or some sort of vocational training or something too. I wonder if Japan (somewhat ironically) has just not embraced the internet the same way most of the rest of the world has? Even when I was there quite recently you seemed to need paper forms and receipts for everything, online bookings etc. on their own seemed not enough. Or maybe these girls would rather do sex work to make money where they're not going to meet anyone they know, rather than risk an acquaintance or family member come across them doing something risque online?

Oh I agree. I’ve used the word lazy poorly. I meant it more like you say: somehow disconnected. It surprises me how educated Japanese women (and I guess, not just Japanese we meet in brothels) somehow seem not tuned into the digital world evolving around us. Yeah, sure they have every gadget under the sun. But they don’t seem to have made the collective mental leap into understanding the real world is now online. This thread is fascinating because it’s discussing AI and how it’s changing workplaces: all workplaces, even brothels. My point is that these young Japanese beauties currently in Sydney would not be here if they had the understanding of their Chinese peers. I think you are also right about Japanese internet uptake. I think Japan was the last major economy to adopt the internet (because, as I remember hearing, the houses were so small they didn’t have room for home computers). Contrast that again to China, where everything went online with super fast connectivity.
And you are also right, I think, that there will always be a proportion of girls who would rather just do sex work than anything else that requires thinking.

[pmmeyourknee_]

Agreed - I’ve only been punting for 3 years or so but I think given the level of quality at a place like Ginza - $300 for an hour with a gorgeous woman in her prime that you can do almost anything to.. is very very good value.

I have considered myself pretty lucky that they've decided to do this job rather than make money on OnlyFans or some other platform.

And you are also right, I think, that there will always be a proportion of girls who would rather just do sex work than anything else that requires thinking.

There's clearly a gap between what's considered Beautiful here in Australia and in Japan.
Japan does have Onlyfans (it's called Fantia), and these girls could absolute make an account, but they probably realize they wouldn't make much money because of their subpar looks (By Japanese Standards)
The most beautiful women wouldn't become prostitutes, especially selling body abroad to foreigners lol. There's a ranking to entertainment jobs depending on your looks, which roughly goes like this:
Idol -> Announcer -> Bikini model -> Streamer -> JAV -> Hostess -> High end escort -> Sex worker -> so on...
The girls we see here are probably towards the end of the list. The top tier ones stay in Japan. Go to Soapland in Japan and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I know it sounds crazy to call some of the girls we saw here "not pretty", but beauty is subjective right? I guess this is a blessing in disguise for some of us. Also does it matter how Japanese people rank these girls? Who cares. So just enjoy..

[thefatness]

These new tariffs announced by Trump could upend economies and see more girls from Asia especially South East Asia come to Australia for sex work. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were all hit with 45+% tariffs. Thailand, Indonesia, China and Taiwan were hit with approx 34% tariffs whereas Malaysia, Korea and Japan were hit with about 25% tariffs. The US is usually the largest or second largest export market for these countries

[ChadThunderrcock]

There's clearly a gap between what's considered Beautiful here in Australia and in Japan.
Japan does have Onlyfans (it's called Fantia), and these girls could absolute make an account, but they probably realize they wouldn't make much money because of their subpar looks (By Japanese Standards)
The most beautiful women wouldn't become prostitutes, especially selling body abroad to foreigners lol. There's a ranking to entertainment jobs depending on your looks, which roughly goes like this:
Idol -> Announcer -> Bikini model -> Streamer -> JAV -> Hostess -> High end escort -> Sex worker -> so on...
The girls we see here are probably towards the end of the list. The top tier ones stay in Japan. Go to Soapland in Japan and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I know it sounds crazy to call some of the girls we saw here "not pretty", but beauty is subjective right? I guess this is a blessing in disguise for some of us. Also does it matter how Japanese people rank these girls? Who cares. So just enjoy..

I have been to Japan & all over China. The prettiest girls there have no need to travel abroad.

The most beautiful Japanese girls already have a "Papakatsu".
In China, the most beautiful girls are "Xiao San".
Both are the same thing. Essentially they already have a sugar-daddy.

The prettiest girls there who are in need of money, are already being taken care of & sponsored by some very rich man. So these girls have no need to travel abroad & sell their bodies to random foreigners.

[stallionmachine123]

Wait till these Asian mamasans learn how to get AI to do images of the girls.

We all will be getting catfished hard.

[Daysgone]

Wait till these Asian mamasans learn how to get AI to do images of the girls.

We all will be getting catfished hard.

Sadly, we're already seeing that with some shops/agencies.

[GoldfishMan]

These new tariffs announced by Trump could upend economies and see more girls from Asia especially South East Asia come to Australia for sex work. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were all hit with 45+% tariffs. Thailand, Indonesia, China and Taiwan were hit with approx 34% tariffs whereas Malaysia, Korea and Japan were hit with about 25% tariffs. The US is usually the largest or second largest export market for these countries

What does everyone think about these tariffs?

Before anyone shoots from the hip, let's look at the facts. Things have always been cheap in the USA. Take a look at the price of a Merc or a Bimmer, any model, in the USA vs the price you'd pay here. It's a joke. You're easily paying at least double the price buying the same car here. The same goes with just about any imported item you can think of.

How can things be so cheap in the USA? Well, because of tariffs of course! For all these years, the US have not been taxing the importation of foreign made products nearly as much as most other nations. Why did they do this? One can only imagine that it is because they (the USA gov) wanted their citizens to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Let their hard earned $$$ go further, they probably said.

So now we come to the Trump tariffs. He's really smart in doing this. He's dressed it up as "make America great again". Period. Full stop. But is it really just that? Hell no... The full statement is
"let's try to make America great again, but you'll have to start paying the same price for every luxury you've been enjoying hitherto as everyone else in the world. Small disclaimer: No guarantees that it'll work, but you'll still have to pay for it".

My honest opinion is they've got all the right to do this for their economy and it almost feels right. Why would they not tax importation of Mercs and Bimmers when their own Chevies are taxed to smithereens in Germany? That made no sense at all and totally feels like injustice.

So the likely outcome is, moving forward, Americans will be forced to pay the same price for Mercs and Bimmers as all of us. I personally applaud this. Bravo, well done Mr. Trump. FMD, I've always hated and envied how they could get stuff so cheaply. Now fuck em, they're actually being fucked over by the same guy that they voted into office! Do they know? I reckon not yet, but they will soon do!

[BongoMongo]

I think the impacts of the tariffs just announced is going to mean a hell of a lot of volatility and chaos in the short and medium term. For Australia, I think the impacts we need to watch for are from the impacts to Japan and Korea, who will be hit pretty hard in industries like automotive. Both are top 5 trading partners with Australia, above the US, which at the moment ranks only 7th. If their economies tanks as a result, we could be in for a shock also as we provide a lot of raw materials for that industry…

[thefatness]

I think the impacts of the tariffs just announced is going to mean a hell of a lot of volatility and chaos in the short and medium term. For Australia, I think the impacts we need to watch for are from the impacts to Japan and Korea, who will be hit pretty hard in industries like automotive. Both are top 5 trading partners with Australia, above the US, which at the moment ranks only 7th. If their economies tanks as a result, we could be in for a shock also as we provide a lot of raw materials for that industry…

I think we need to keep a closer eye on China bro. Everything is made in China and the US economy is driven 70% by consumption. Imagine as an importer of Chinese goods in the US you’re faced with a 34% price hike overnight - electronics, toys, furniture, clothes and just about anything made of plastic. If China’s economy slows down then we’ll be impacted especially mining. A US recession coupled with massive inflation is also on the cards.

[BongoMongo]

Yes good point, China is the obvious one. But they’ve been preparing for this for much longer and have a large domestic market. I suspect they’ll be able to find alternatives from US in the long term and have a better ability to shift the economy to other industries, e.g. they’re already the world leader in EV production driven by domestic demand and arguably the world leader in AI and tech. An authoritarian government has the advantage here to be able to more quickly make changes to industry investment and profile. In addition, I suspect the China government will end up subsidizing much of the tariff impacts so will lessen indirect impact to trade partners.

But you’re right they’ll likely have a more immediate effect on the Australian economy.

Globally it’s likely that everyone will be facing a recession…I’m waiting for when the Americans realise what shit they’re in and they’ve basically given away their hegemony for nothing…let the rioting begin…

[ChadThunderrcock]

Some good responses on Economics here and how it will affect our markets. I'm sure it will be American citizens who will foot the bill for the 10% Tariff on Australian imports. Not us.

But more importantly is how would it affect our Punting market and the ML/WL/FS shops here

And the Punter's ability to punt

[fted]

I'm sure it will be American citizens who will foot the bill for the 10% Tariff on Australian imports. Not us.

Yep, that's how tariffs work. But Trump has sold it to the MAGA faithful as being the other way round. Beggars belief.

[stallionmachine123]

Yes good point, China is the obvious one. But they’ve been preparing for this for much longer and have a large domestic market. I suspect they’ll be able to find alternatives from US in the long term and have a better ability to shift the economy to other industries, e.g. they’re already the world leader in EV production driven by domestic demand and arguably the world leader in AI and tech. An authoritarian government has the advantage here to be able to more quickly make changes to industry investment and profile. In addition, I suspect the China government will end up subsidizing much of the tariff impacts so will lessen indirect impact to trade partners.

But you’re right they’ll likely have a more immediate effect on the Australian economy.

Globally it’s likely that everyone will be facing a recession…I’m waiting for when the Americans realise what shit they’re in and they’ve basically given away their hegemony for nothing…let the rioting begin…

Can’t wait to see the day AU has more investment in tech. We have only two big tech companies who don’t even profit and their products aren’t great.

[BongoMongo]

Haha thundercock asking the real questions here!

[Icegodofhungary]

There's clearly a gap between what's considered Beautiful here in Australia and in Japan.
Japan does have Onlyfans (it's called Fantia), and these girls could absolute make an account, but they probably realize they wouldn't make much money because of their subpar looks (By Japanese Standards)
The most beautiful women wouldn't become prostitutes, especially selling body abroad to foreigners lol. There's a ranking to entertainment jobs depending on your looks, which roughly goes like this:
Idol -> Announcer -> Bikini model -> Streamer -> JAV -> Hostess -> High end escort -> Sex worker -> so on...
The girls we see here are probably towards the end of the list. The top tier ones stay in Japan. Go to Soapland in Japan and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I know it sounds crazy to call some of the girls we saw here "not pretty", but beauty is subjective right? I guess this is a blessing in disguise for some of us. Also does it matter how Japanese people rank these girls? Who cares. So just enjoy..

Thank the stars for subjective standards of beauty. Tell Japan I'll gladly take a few of their 'less pretty' girls off their hands.

[GoldfishMan]

Yep, that's how tariffs work. But Trump has sold it to the MAGA faithful as being the other way round. Beggars belief.

It's because the majority of his supporters are disillusioned uninformed angst ridden folk who will just clutch at anything thrown their way. They are too busy being angry to think about what it actually means to them.

These are people who will only realise what they have signed up for when the result is staring at them in the face, when it is too late.