Sri Lankan Scrubs
Guy passed out on the street, Cotta Road
The housekeeper’s father sold her for a bottle of booze when she was eight. Many lower income men are the same. They don’t work and what money they do get is spent on booze. I know countless families where women are the main breadwinner, whether they’re working here or forming the majority of workers abroad. What’s surprising, however, is that many upper income men are the same. Not on the same scale of cruelty, but they also don’ work.
By many, of course, I mean some. Most Sri Lankan men are decent and somehow make a living. It’s also not necessary that households be male-headed. What I find striking is that male joblessness is just as common among my friends as among the servants’ husbands. Myself for example.
For about two years I’ve done just enough freelance work to travel and have a decent time. At the same time that I left regularly employment I moved back in with my parents, thus paying no room or board when I was in town. I could have done this indefinitely with no social opprobrium.
Many other intelligent men I know get either bored or humiliated with the job market and just quit. We do freelance work on the edges of advertising agencies and NGOs, but nothing steady.
Women, on the other hand, will take whatever job (or two) to pay the bills. And they will also run the household. Many men simply don’t want to lower themselves to the level of working for survival. If they come from a ‘good’ family they’ll be given access to a house and a car and food and generally let be. If they’re not from a ‘good’ family they’ll wander off and drink and also let be.
Recently I got a steady job because I felt bad and now I feel better. But I understand the lure of inertia on the other side. It’s just that behind every lax and carefree man, there’s an overworked and stressed out woman.
Posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011 in Behavioral Economics, Sri Lanka.
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
The chutzpah of this government knows no bounds. Every government since Independence has had to balance placating Sinhala nationalists (AKA racists) while at the same time actually running a sensible, inclusive nation that doesn’t send minority citizens, capital and foreign investment fleeing. Basically, they’ve had to pay lip service to nationalists while at the same time trying to run an actual nation. Every government has also generally failed, SWRD being killed by a nationalist monk and everyone after almost losing the country to various rebellions. In that context Mahinda is actually doing a better job by virtue of not being dead and not losing control of the country. But he’s still not doing a good job.
“t many upper income men are the same. Not on the same scale of cruelty, but they also don’ work. ”
I’m a bit surprised by this. I don’t think I know anybody who has given up work unless they are retired. They may be fiddling around trying to run inefficient/marginal businesses but not really unemployed as such.
Isn’t freelance work…work? Are prostitutes freelance workers? Does the secretary who goes to bed with her boss to further herself at office a freelance prostitute or a full time secretary?
I think you meant to say that most Sri Lankans are fucked up. They really are.
Lefroy, you’re wrong. Can’t you see she’s really refering to Sri Lankan MEN here. Ruki/ Bonchi is a girl.