Runamile

We've been here before!

It depends - most things do.

It depends, in this case, particularly on the socio-economic background. Many, many Thai women, possibly most, wouldn't remotely consider marrying a foreigner, or doing anything else with a foreigner, for that matter - just not in the mindset. That said, the mindset might change through, for instance, workplace contact.

Sure, of course, there are some who see us as rich, and are unable to see when that's patently not the case (though arguments about relative wealth are still likely to apply).

Strangely, though, the discussion I've had with Thai women revolves, not around the advantages of marrying a foreigner, but the disadvantages of marrying a Thai. I hear about alcohol (very, very often), sometimes drugs, domestic violence (often) and unfaithfulness (very often). Don't know how you guys feel about being a default option, but that's what I hear; and it, surely, doesn't suit me.

@GOLDBUGGY

There are 101 alternative endings to your story, most of them ending when you choose to leave the company, be that resignation first thing Monday morning, with or without notice, through to leaving eventually, having immediately, that weekend, instigated a job search. I'm not sure which action I'd take, it probably depending whether the job was for interest/fun or money, but I do know that I would seize the initiative, albeit not in the heat of the moment.

I fully take your point on jealousy, not that it excuses bad behaviour. Surely, though there are a couple of points in what was or is a Buddhist country. Jealousy, covetousness, is strictly "out". Definite bad karma. Hospitality obligations are definitely, or were definitely "in".

I ask my usual question; "What happened to so many Thai people in so few short years?". Seems to me there must be a huge number of Thai people walking around with extraordinarily bad karma. Presumably they just don't care or centre karmic obligations singularly within the family??

@JLCrab

Here's hoping, too.

Where do I catch that songthaew?!

@ Wordworx

Apologies.

We better not let on to Thai Airways that you can cause similar light injuries with plastic cutlery. I used to work with young offenders. One attacked a tormentor with a plastic knife stolen from the canteen at a young offender institution. He didn't exactly cause life-threatening injuries, but he drew blood much in the same way as happened on the Thai flight.

It was most unprofessional of me when I laughed in response to "they're hard plastic, you know". Not least, he was right! Poor Atilla - Turks also have a strong sense of face!

@Maroon Watcher

Clearly we've had different experiences in China. For me, it's the moneyed that are the issue, not those in poverty, who can, be so delightful.

Anyway, I could refine that a lot, according to various demographics, but best shut up, since our focus is Thailand.

I flit between the two.

@Woodworx

Little Emperors, indeed. The one-child policy has led to some hideously spoilt children. Economic development has meant Little Emperors with money! Oh, Lord. Spending a night in a Chinese hotel has become purgatory. Open doors, shouting across between rooms, multiple meetings in the corridor. Smoking - any and everywhere. Best ever, though, was a lady whose early-morning throat-loosening exercises were opera-singing. I can't tell you the number of arguments I've had, though they were a bit one-sided on many occasions in that the other party couldn't understand what was wrong in their behaviour. Nonetheless, they complied, I could sleep or whatever; and I'm sure I don't care if, in their eyes I was eccentric and lost face. I do remember a guy brushing me aside, in reception, finding himself, shortly, in a different location. With him there seemed to be a slight element of playing Alpha male for the benefit of his family. Well that wasn't going to really wash anymore, but it was easier to put the foreigner in the box labelled "weirdo" than worrying about losing face - to a foreigner! Unthinkable!

The horrors of "new money" behaviour aren't , though, limited to Chinese people. I've had many a disturbed night in a Bangkok hotel thanks to similar behaviour as above from a whole variety of peoples from East of the Bosphorus. In fact, the one thing in common was that they could afford to stay in the hotel. I think that is the whole point. New money doesn't travel well.

Equally, though, new money isn't that nice a thing to come upon in its country of origin. Many countries suffer this blight. Rudeness, assuredly, is not a Thai monopoly, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be challenged. Words of caution are, though, required - don't become the colonialist Exterminator and don't take risks. Thais are known for their hunting packs in a way that, for instance, Chinese aren't. Thais also come back. Funny thing in all this is that Thais are treating us on more of a level, meaning more as each other. In China, you may "push it" more because, essentially, you're below consideration in the eyes of many.

In another thread, I tired of apologists for a version of Thai culture that THEY have dubbed "Thai Culture".

As I remember it, Thai culture was one where guests were treated with great respect. I also remember when, perhaps more important, Thais treated each other with respect.

I have only once "called" a Thai, predictably a taxi driver, a gentleman who believed he knew way better than me what was in my mind - over and over. Finally, as he began to accept that I know me better than he knew me, he told the assembled multitude that I, clearly, needed a mental hospital; and maybe he should take me there. He shrank away when I pointed that one more word and he'd need the hospital, albeit for physical issues. What happened to the polite wai in response to my polite "No thank you?"

I suspect that good manners are of such recent vintage that most, actually, remember them. Certainly, in China, when I've "called" behaviour, I've either received straightforward apologies or a very embarrassed look. BTW, I'm a sufficiently old hand that I can detect the difference between embarrassment in the eyes and aversion of gaze as a confrontation avoidance mechanism.

Many here have complained about colonial behaviours by farangs. It's a real problem. Equally, though, it's a similar act of pretension and superiority to rote out excuses for bad behaviour. It has the tone of "you can't expect more from them", even you "can't expect more from their culture" - a culture that has, until recently, been one of the utmost grace; and one that many Thais would prefer was restored. Undoubtedly, it would be better if those Thai people spoke out than farangs speaking out. Maybe, a cultural issue, and one for all time is that Thailand is a little too live and let live?????? Thereagain, for many farangs, that's the very attraction of Thailand.

Seems to me that these guys were happily within the word of the law, if not the spirit of the law.

Men are, sadly, allowed to bare their chests. Witness many a farang moob!

Thinks he dropped a bit of a <deleted>.

@ BigToe, MGP.

I'm not trying to minimise this act of intimidation, for which she was a target. She was not, however, a target for the bullets, as the headline implies.

That kind of sensationalism does not help the present situation in Thailand. Chinese whispers could easily have her dead within a few viral minutes, so inflaming a situation that these columns, mostly contributed to by farangs, show is already inflamed more than enough. Responsible reporting is important, truth is important.

For your information, I subscribe to none of Thailand's feudal groups. I'm on record, often enough, including these columns, saying kleptocracy is kleptocray. It really matters little who the kleptocrat is. Sadly, in my opinion, the Shinawatras on the one hand and Suthep and cronies on the other, is a zero choice for Thailand. That's the whole sadness at this juncture in the rocky history of Thai democracy.

@Chiang Mai

I rather thought the discussion was about ease and cost of currency exchange and transfers. Naturally, all transactions have to be under the Central Bank rules of that country. The asset/liability profile of a bank - its safety - is a whole other issue, an issue which, in honesty, we tend not to consider.

I have to bank partly in China - I don't want to even think about that! Interestingly, though, just looking at exchange costs produces a clear winner there.

BTW, of that Top 50, I'm very unsure how many are ordinary retail banking operations.

@Oreganobag

Surely the point is one of horses and course. For the globally mobile expat, given a certain, sometimes quite high, income, and given the willingness to see dead money hanging in the account, Citibank and HSBC make sense.

Equally, many contributors here aren't globally mobile, but expats who have semi-permanently, maybe permanently, settled in Thailand. They may have wife, children, etc to prove it.

The two are completely different beasts, including that the latter, often, want to belong, the former to feel they're mobile.

Personally, I only keep the bare minimum in any country I live in, but, the whole point is, thus far, I only live in places, not settle in them.

Sensationalist reporting? As best I can see the target was the young woman's car, not the young woman.

Citibank and HSBC - but you need multi-currency accounts. Those can be quite expensive to the extent that they insist on quite a lot of "dead money" in the account.

Zips, guys.

You guys ever been to India? Wow, eye candy everywhere:

Holy cow...I'm in love!

But, don't get your porker out!

The cow is now claiming that when it said Moo, it was referring to a Thai backstreet.

I'm not sure on this milking stool or upturned bucket.

I think there was an accomplice. That's why the Thai police are "looking for " the cow's boyfriend.

He, of course, has relationships with several cows, so was easily able to buy-off the police.

He's now in hiding while he gets his story off pat; and hides his other stable products. He's also planning to milk the story for all it's worth, having sent some udderly disgraceful cheesy pics to the press.

Looks like TAT has a whole new potential customer base.

Watch out for the ads in Farmers Weekly

My guess is they'll start with short-time short breaks.

It was all a big cum-on. The cow wasn't wearing underwear.

I think there's a bigger point. Current collective behaviour is cancelling Thailand........ Tourism, cancelled ......... Global Political Respect, cancelled ..........

@pmugghc

Many believe in virgin birth.

@luckytrev

Your'e so right. We farangs can prattle on, but we're from more evolved political systems and countries that have also evolved to a higher point of economic development.

Thailand is a developing country, economically. Politically, I don't know whether it's evolving at all. I guess the best we can say is that it's an immature democracy.

To carry the systemic points forward, the fact is that we are all in a reasonable personal economic position. To state the obvious, nearly all of us is likely to have had initial contact with Thailand because we could afford a holiday! We feel we have choice, especially economic choice, but it's amazing how wealth, not feeling your back to the wall all the time, allows feelings of choice more broadly than just the economic.

We are used to political systems, indeed, whole moral systems where give and take is normal. Quite a lot of us are, even, altruistic, supporting systems, politicians, taking individual action for the benefit of others, and doing so, often, to our own dis-benefit. These are mind-boggling ideas for Thailand!

Finally, Westerners have a strong sense of process, never mind due process. We could criticise the process of the ban on the singer, even if we, ourselves, had problems with that singer. Thais, not alone, in Asia, are very often unable to distinguish process from outcome. Specifically, they would be utterly unable to see that poor process could be applied the other way around; and, to that extent, if it's a red singer banned next time, they would happily, and illogically, protest that ban. After all, the two events would be unconnected!!!!!!!!!!

Mob rule. Nothing more, nothing less. Ridiculous.

The bar is set very low, but, thereagain, is very specific.

By chance, are you writing from Dubai? If so, there should be no problem.