Personally I think they look pathetic rather than offensive. However, most Thais would not like to see this and their culture should be respected by visitors.
Disgusting, and entirely against the tenets if Buddhism. However, not surprising given the idolatry and greed exhibited at so many temples in Thailand, so very far removed from the philosophy and advice advanced by Siddhartha Gautama.
The govt need higher numbers of low-spend tourists to meet it's revenue requirement. They could have pushed for lower numbers of high spenders but chose not to, sad to say.
Used not to be the case. In the old days people here with money kept a very low profile. Increasing Chinese influence changed all that, and showing off has become the norm.
Yes indeed. A Japanese friend told me recently he no longer wanted to holiday in Thailand because of the numbers of chinese to be found all over the country.