Author Topic: Indonesia to deport US ‘digital nomad’ who tweeted that Bali is LGBT friendly  (Read 1644 times)

Adventine

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This story is a perfect example of how becoming a digital nomad can go horribly wrong. I find the Indonesian government's stance on LGBTQ people shameful and disturbing, but I also found the blogger's actions problematic, especially regarding her visa and the wrong assumptions she made about what she could and could not legally do with that visa. Remote work is still a gray area of legislation in many countries and can expose digital nomads to accusations of working illegally. Bottom line: do your research about the country where you plan to relocate.

Sources:

Indonesia to deport US ‘digital nomad’ who tweeted that Bali is LGBT friendly

Not ‘Eat Pray Love’! Netizens slam American’s tweets on lavish lifestyle in Bali

Key takeaways:

- Make sure your visa allows you to work and earn money in the country where you are living. This blogger made the fatal mistake of advertising her e-book and consultancy services related to Bali tourism, while living in Bali. Basically, in the Indonesian government's eyes, she was suspected of running an Indonesia-based business on a tourist visa. According to the SCMP article: "Her lawyer Erwin Siregar said Gray had a social cultural visa that was valid until January 24 this year." This visa is not the right one to run a business in Bali.

- Learn the norms of the country where you plan to relocate and avoid irritating cultural sensitivities. Indonesia is intolerant of its LGBTQ population (which is shameful) but it's unwise for a foreigner to advertise the country as LGBTQ-friendly when it is clearly not, and to sell services based on that premise.

- Educate yourself about the tax laws of the country where you live. Even if it comes from US or other outside sources, make sure you don't run afoul of local tax laws that may be be triggered by long-term residency.

- Do not underestimate the resentment that people in developing countries may have towards digital nomads from developed nations. This lady and her partner enjoyed a lifestyle that was cheap by US standards, but out of reach for many locals. It isn't just about the economic disparity and gentrification, either. Indonesia's difficult history of Western colonization also fueled the online backlash against them.

EDIT: clarification on wording/grammar.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2021, 09:43:47 PM by Adventine »

expatartist

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This has been making waves in the online Asian / travel writing communities I'm a part of. Her naivete was stunning if not surprising. Good links, Adventine.

Adventine

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This has been making waves in the online Asian / travel writing communities I'm a part of. Her naivete was stunning if not surprising. Good links, Adventine.

Same in my part of the world, where digital nomads and influencers are also quite common.


The Twitter discussion around the now-deleted/hidden posts are illuminating and give more context as to why her self-promotion was received so poorly by Indonesians.

Adding a few notable tweets here:

From the blogger herself: "We include direct links to our visa agents and how to go about getting into Indonesia during COVID."

From others:
"So it's actually NOT about her BEING lgbtq, it's her making false claims about Bali being queer friendly that's an issue, because Indonesia is not lgbt friendly. It's a dangerous claim and has upset the local lgbt community."

"Can i just drop in and say, you can criticize her for glamorizing the Bali life with a western lens and being irresponsible for encouraging travel to a developing country during a pandemic. You can do that without bringing up BLM and being anti-black in the comments and rts."

Edited to add a much better tweet I found that summarizes many of the problems surrounding this case from an Indonesian point of view:

"The reason Kristen Gray thinks Bali is queer friendly is because a)she’s a foreigner, and b) economic leverage means financially dependent locals won’t say much. If Bali is queer friendly, then why am I told daily I am diseased and need conversion therapy to be cured?

"What she considers low cost of living is built on the backs of our monthly minimum wage of USD $180.  The luxury lifestyle she heralds likens Bali to Disneyland, a manufactured experience where we locals are meant to smile & put on a show so she can claim this place is “magic.”"


It's a sobering story for anyone who glamorizes the digital nomad lifestyle.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2021, 01:03:21 AM by Adventine »

deborah

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There has been a fair bit of reporting in Australia as well - mainly the “if you go to a place, you need to follow its rules” type.

cangelosibrown

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It never ceases to amaze me how poorly people think through the consequences of what they write on the internet.

I've traveled/digital nomad'ed enough to fully expect all the rest of the naivete. But I somehow still expect people who make money off the internet to understand some of the dark side of its power.

Adventine

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@bloodaxe I've been reading the follow up news stories about this case. I agree that if she hadn't drawn attention to herself on Twitter, none of this would have happened and she would still be living happily ever after in Bali.

It'll take some more reading, but my opinion is changing. I now think that the fatal mistake was the tone-deaf self promotion on Twitter.

WhiteTrashCash

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I've only recently become aware of the "digital nomad" phenomenon through various YouTube channels that they run and the entire thing seems really exploitative to me. They also frequently seem to live off of internet handouts so I don't really know how they can keep doing this during the pandemic when so many people are out of work. It is a fad that reminds me of the "tiny house movement", which I imagine is also seriously uncomfortable right now during the pandemic.

Fish Sweet

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I saw all of this happening in real time on Twitter, and a lot of SE Asians express their anger about the whole situation on my timeline.  This woman's entitlement and colonizing attitude was really pathetic to see.  It's not shocking to me that she didn't expect the kind of blow-back she experienced from her twitter posts, but it is somewhat... funny? to me to see that it was her greed (trying to promote her ~tips n tricks book on how to avoid COVID restricts to get into Bali) that got her in this hot water.

cangelosibrown

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I've only recently become aware of the "digital nomad" phenomenon through various YouTube channels that they run and the entire thing seems really exploitative to me. They also frequently seem to live off of internet handouts so I don't really know how they can keep doing this during the pandemic when so many people are out of work. It is a fad that reminds me of the "tiny house movement", which I imagine is also seriously uncomfortable right now during the pandemic.

As a long time digital nomad, these people annoy me. I ran across a few of the influencer/blogger types on my travels, and they're all working so hard to make it look fun and easy. The truth of course, is that the people that are easily visible on the internet, are easily visible on the internet because they're trying to make money off the internet. In almost all situations they're the worst. I'm sure there are people happily living in tiny houses or in a van who aren't posting daily pictures of bikini yoga on top of their van. I was a digital nomad (I never used the term irl, but it is the most clear term) for a long time. I had a flexible job and could be anywhere, so I floated for 4-5 years. No hocking garbage on the internet required. It was great, but definitely not for everyone.

erutio

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What is a digital nomad?  Someone without a permanent e-mail address?