Psychology of the Thais

They never keep an appointment on time but expect you to and then wait for them.
Do they have respect for themselves as they don't seem to have it for others, especially on the highway?
Do they really just tolerate foreigners or does there underlie a deep mistrust of them.
Do they just want to accumulate money or deep down do they have regard for those less fortuate than themselves.

What do others think?

Naam Jai wrote:They never keep an appointment on time but expect you to and then wait for them.

Well certainly punctuality is not a strong point but then again I've never been tied to a strict time so it works both ways. Maybe I'm just lucky that I'm told jai yen yen.

Naam Jai wrote:Do they have respect for themselves as they don't seem to have it for others, especially on the highway?

I accept about the roads/highways and that baffles me. They just do not do road courtesy. Last night we were crossing the road going to centrepoint. Car is stopped so we can cross? No a guy decides there should not be no gap and goes tight to the bumber of other guy so we walk around him. Same on highway nobody lets you in or out... it is war. TIT. Road manners/courtesy is a long way off.

Naam Jai wrote:Do they really just tolerate foreigners or does there underlie a deep mistrust of them.

Not sure if there is mistrust... There is the element that see an opportunity to make money (enter my samlor friends) and then there are those that do not care whether we are Thai or fahlang and just carry on about their business.

Naam Jai wrote:Do they just want to accumulate money or deep down do they have regard for those less fortuate than themselves.

If they follow their buddhist beliefs i.e, nam jai they should help those less fortunate than themselves. Yes they would like to improve their financial status but there is more to it than money per se... There is quality of life. They would like a nice comfortable home, friends and family taken care of and not to have to worry about mundane things like paying for their child's next school term. And in my g/f's case being able to keep all her teeth intact if prick ex-husband was on the lao kao. (Still waiting to meet him.)

I will add more when I have more blood than alcohol in my system.

NJ I was not going to reply to your drivel but as Alan as seen fit to do so, so will I.

Are Thia people always late? Yes learn to live with it.

Do they respect themselves? As nation that managed to avoid occupancy during the 1900's I think warrants our respect.

Do they tolerate falang? Who gives a sh@t if they do or dont, I'm here enjoying myself and most people are friendly with me.

Money? Show me a person that doesn't care about money accept for the odd hippy living in a tree

Get over yourself or go back to the land of milk and honey from whence you came.

Thanks Roy, My sentiment exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

N J. from your recent posts i can see you have several issues with thailand and its people, my advise to you is do what most other falangs here do, that is forget your past life and attitudes and instead of bitching about thais try to learn there ways. im not saying your wrong and thier right, but you live here so get used to it. if thats beyond you then leave. as for you question about mistrust of foriegners, think about it, as roy said theyve managed to stay free but they have watched all thier nieghbors raped and pilaged by british and french colonialists for years, so if you want there trust im afraiad you have got to earn it.

they have watched all thier nieghbors raped and pilaged by british and french colonialists for years, so if you want there trust im afraiad you have got to earn it.

I would guess that the Siamese and Vietnamese in Laos and Cambodia, and the Burmese in Siam and Lanna, did more raping and pillaging than the British did in Burma, Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak. The French, did not do much of anything with Laos and Cambodia with the exception of letting the Vietnamese run the bureaucracies of those countries.

The French differed from the British in that they did not tolerate any nationalist movements. Those people met their fate at the guillotine. The British, in the early 1920s, gave the Burmese the most liberal franchise in all of the British Empire. Women got the vote in Burma before there was full female franchise in the United Kingdom.

You left out the Americans and their shutting down an independent Philippines at the beginning of the 20th century. Arthur MacArthur, the American General was in charge at the time. Certainly the Americans engaged in their fair share of pillaging and raping although one is uncertain if this rivalled the level of activity engaged in by the Filipino military during their times in power.

Constructive criticism I can take but there is no need to be a Rude Roy. Stimulating conversation is what Roy is trying to stiffle.
Not good for your site Lee.

Constructive criticism I can take but there is no need to be a Rude Roy. Stimulating conversation is what Roy is trying to stiffle.
Not good for your site Lee.

Naam Jai wrote:They never keep an appointment on time but expect you to and then wait for them.

[b]guilty of the first part
[/b]

Do they have respect for themselves as they don't seem to have it for others, especially on the highway?

highways and roads are pretty scary places here at times too. i think it's universal to a degree

Do they really just tolerate foreigners or does there underlie a deep mistrust of them.

you could be talking about any nationality. how many brits tell you they have left the uk because of the multicultural mix? and for us aussies the white australia policy is only a generation ago.

Do they just want to accumulate money or deep down do they have regard for those less fortuate than themselves.

you could be talking about any community again. people here are in debt to the eyeballs, living beyond their means and that's the way we are encouraged to live: consumerism. why should we expect anything different from others?

What do others think?

i you wanna stay and not do your head in you have got to get over it

N.J.

On a previous thread, you stated, " lets stamp out racism on the forum"

Do you not think, that your post above, has an element of racism in it!!!!!!!!!!!

Ralph, How can you say that about good ole NJ. If he does not get his way he throws blame around. That is why he is keeping on getting on the Mods. He has to blame someone. One always hits their second childhood. MAYBE???????

You don't have to like everything about the Thai culture or their manners and ways to enjoy your life in Thailand,BUT you best learn to understand and accept that it is their country we are ''using''!It is advantageous to know and understand the predominant negative possibilities that face us falang expats so that you can be proactive in your defence against them if you feel it is warranted!

Change the things that you can change to make your life here more enjoyable(yourself and your attitude),don't waste energy on trying to change everyone everyone else!Bitch and moan as much as you need to other falangs that understand the difficulties you have with the adjustments!It is therapuetic for most of us plus an awakening for a few that are capable of using the ''upper''brain most of the time!Those that don't like it,will probably let you know,but so what,this is an area where YOU are the most important person!

Realizing that not everyone enjoys foreigners and their foreign manners in a ''homeland'' and amongst the natural resentments of the locals,give credit to the Thais for their reasonable acceptance and smiling faces(sincere or not)because those would be hard to find in our ''homelands''!

Yes,a majority of the Thais are ignorant,yes the educational system sucks,yes corruption rules and reigns,yes many of us are only tolerated as ATM cards,yes yes yes to many other things,but IMO, Thailand is the best place and the most enjoyable place I could be living and hopefully they will not tire of us to much or get to many Asians supporting them that they don't need or want us anymore!

I might sound pessimistic to many( I like to think of myself as an imperfect realist )but I hope to spend the rest of my life here

Tilokarat
Intelligent comment is always good to see, among the ( personal) rubbish some spout.

Roy wrote:
Do they respect themselves? As nation that managed to avoid occupancy during the 1900's I think warrants our respect.

Sorry Roy, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Thailand during WW2. Albiet they were invited in by the Thai government of the time but they were still an occupying force. To the estimated 100,000 Thais worked to death on the Thai-Burma railway the Japs must have looked like an occupying force.

John

I sometimes wonder what our feelings would be like if we were back in our homelands and our countries had an influx of foreigners who had plenty of money, never worked, had expensive cars, lived in nice houses and nabbed the best looking women. What would our attitude be to them?
Probably not as welcoming as the Thais are to us.

Oh, I forgot. We do have foreigners who come to our countries and don't work.