richard_smith237

The Juvenile Mindset of Policy-Making: A Farce in Motion

If STDs are a concern, ban sex.
If alcohol causes problems, ban booze.
If road deaths occur, ban driving.

If obesity is a problem, ban food.
If online scams are increasing, ban the internet.
If teen pregnancies are up, ban hormones.
If domestic violence occurs, ban marriage.
If mobile phone addiction is rising, ban phones.
If depression is spreading, ban feelings.
If fake news is a concern, ban thinking.
If people misuse freedom, ban freedom.

This is the level of thinking we’re dealing with - reactionary, simplistic, and devoid of any genuine depth or critical reasoning. The root causes are never examined, let alone addressed. There's no discussion about better education, improved access to healthcare, community support, or behavioural awareness. Just sweeping, kneejerk prohibitions that scream: “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I want to look like I do".

It’s worrying. These people gain prominence, pushing absurd announcements that make it painfully clear they lack the intellectual tools to govern. Yet no one challenges them - and that’s the deeper rot. In a culture crippled by kreng-jai, where subordinates won’t call out idiocy, even the most moronic policy goes unchallenged. Nobody dares say, “No, boss… that’s utterly dumb”.

And so we watch another Emperor strut proudly in his new clothes - stark naked, but surrounded by silence.

10 minutes ago, Marco100 said:

In Koh Phangan . A small island . An astonishing 1255 days 😂 , really ? Did he hide in the mangroves ? With a Bamboo straw ? The Dear Hunter ? I think the record is around 15 years in Isan and the guy needed to get deported as he he had no other way to go home .

How hard is it ??...       No one checks my Immigration records in country... 

I fly in.. passport goes in the safe and I leave it there.... usually within 90 days cos I travel a lot) - but it would be just as easy to carry on with regular life here for years...    no one stops me and asks for immigration status.

I reckon I could go years without getting caught - especially if I moved away from my initially registered address...  

Unless of course I pass an immigration crack-down and am then expected to prove visa status (which has never happened do me here in decades).

I'm wondering if there will be any investigation into the brand (and quality) of rebar used... (possible the SKY brand from the Xin Ke Yuan Steel Co >>> ???? ) - all initially condemned and since whitewashed as safe...   

... Yet this looks like another 'rebar failure' or very poor workmanship... 
 

There is, admittedly, a trace of anti-tertiary education bias in some circles. Those who’ve graduated from the "School of Hard Knocks" or the "University of Life" might carry a touch of bitterness - or perhaps just pride in having carved out success on their own terms. That success, however, often comes through alternative paths that are not without their own costs and compromises.

Another undeniable factor is the financial burden of university. Tuition fees, accommodation, and living expenses add up significantly - and that’s before we consider the opportunity cost of delaying full-time work by three or four years. For many, that’s a serious deterrent, especially when immediate income is needed or when the return on investment isn’t guaranteed.

In my own case, university was indispensable. My career would have been impossible without it. Yet, I sometimes wonder if I might have been happier taking a different route - becoming a plumber, perhaps, starting my own business, working with my hands. There’s a certain appeal in the straightforwardness of skilled trades. But in the UK, that too comes with complications: as your business grows and crosses tax thresholds, financial penalties can feel disproportionate to the rewards.

That said, having a degree undeniably expands your options. It provides professional and geographic mobility, and if it’s from a highly regarded university, it opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. It’s not just about the job - it’s about access, credibility, and perceived competence. It’s about being able to choose: to work for someone else, to work for yourself, or to shift careers entirely if life demands it.

Some have floated the idea of bypassing university altogether - taking the money saved and giving it to our children to invest instead. It sounds enticing, but raises tough questions. How long would that money last? What happens if the investments fail? What’s the fallback plan? Without a qualification, what do you lean on if the venture collapses?

That, ultimately, is the crux of the university argument: it's something to fall back on. But the same might be said of a trade - a solid, practical skill can be just as much of a safety net.

Then there's the looming presence of AI. In twenty years, which jobs will still exist? Will pilots still be necessary, or will automation rule the skies? Will we have a trained pilot on every flight - just in case? No one really knows.

Forecasting the future is a fool’s errand, but what seems certain is this: the capacity for critical thinking, adaptability, and continuous learning will be invaluable. In that sense, education - formal or otherwise - is a form of future-proofing.

Finally, we can’t ignore the social capital that top-tier universities offer, both in the UK and the US. These institutions are often less about the education itself and more about the networks they create. But then again, elite international schools in places like Thailand offer similar networking value, often tailored to local or regional contexts.

In the end, university isn’t the only path, but it is a path - and for many, a valuable one. What matters most is not whether someone has a degree, but whether they have real options, a plan, and something solid to fall back on when life inevitably throws its curveballs.

5 hours ago, khunJam said:

This forum is chalked full of liars, especially from the young men.

Exactly what is it you have against young men? You were one once, weren’t you ?

Out of curiosity: how old are you? And what, in your view, constitutes “young men” ? 

Are we talking under 30? Under 40? Under 50?

It’s just that in several recent threads, you’ve launched into what can only be described as unhinged rants against young men as a group. It comes across as bitter, poorly thought out, and riddled with flawed generalisations.

I can’t help but wonder - what exactly is driving this hostility?...

On this thread we have unhinged posters making any accusations and sweeping negativity against all foreigners. 

.... we have unhinged posters making sweeping negative remarks against Western Females.

.... we have unhinged posters making sweeping negative generalisations against all things Thai.

.... we have unhinged posters making sweeping negative comments against Thai's in general.

They all clearly have issues with balance and controlling their bias - so, what triggered your upset agains the 'young' (whoever they are and whatever age 'you' consider as young... ?

5 hours ago, jonworldtexan said:

 

Thanks for the info.  I had to get a new plate for it, I know it was pre-owned by someone in Bangkok.  They gave me a new Chiang Mai plate.    It's a 2021 model and used.  

Understood - in that case, there was likely 6 months tax owed on the previous registration.

i.e. the tax had expired on the Motorcycle (under original plates) for 6 months prior to your 're-registration.

Thus; Your 12 month Tax payment (the square you get) was back-dated to 6 months and you get the remaining 6 months on the new registration plate before having to re-tax for another 12 months.

30 minutes ago, khunJam said:

Your narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration young boy.

That was a pathetic, unintelligent, and unfounded dig. Throughout my comments, I’ve consistently pointed out the absurdity of the sweeping generalisations some are desperately trying to shoehorn into this discussion - driven more by bitterness than balanced thinking.

Young lads, old lads, and everyone in between - most are decent. The problems come from a handful of losers scattered across all ages. Yet your confirmation bias conveniently focuses only on the misbehaviour of younger offenders, ignoring the fact that older idiots exist too - perhaps because you identify more closely with them.

Maybe you’re a bitter boomer trying to live vicariously through a demographic you relate to, which blinds you to the same barstool nonsense and misdeeds you’re so quick to blame elsewhere.

You’re also repeatedly attempting to force an argument with me, but instead you underscore your lack of critical thought which is overridden by your bias. Instead of accepting that you might be wrong, you’d rather throw barbs.

There are fools in every age group, and the young here are not the sole purveyors of dumbfluckery... far from it IMO.

4 hours ago, SEAsia Traveler said:

Three hundred expat stereotypes:

 

{clipped}

Quite the post… and yes, it perfectly illustrates the point: no generalisation or stereotype truly holds water - despite the efforts of some to dress up their lack of thoughtful insight, like claiming there are more young troublemakers than old fools, as some sort of wisdom.

2 hours ago, khunJam said:

2 hours ago, atpeace said:

I know and it is entertaining watching some of the younger crowd trashing older men dating younger Thais.  Do they really think we can't see the irony in their attitude.  There has to be 10x the number of younger socially inept youngsters here vs the back west that are now gods in their minds.  Clubbing and generally living a life of a real player that was impossible back home.  Not all but MANY.  Good for them but hating on others is silly.

Here is an example of an eloquent wise individual.
Our youngsters here on this platform have been dumbdown by their copy paste routine. So obvious and yet they think the no one notices that they are wearing their underwear outside their pants.

Both of these posts seem driven by a deep-seated dislike for younger generations, with the authors gaslighting themselves through invented falsehoods to prop up their own confirmation bias.

In truth, they simply reveal who the miserable old farts are. Regardless of age; be it young, middle-aged, or olde, decent people tend to get along and approach life with a balanced outlook.

As for the idea that there's somehow ten times the number of socially inept youngsters here compared to the West, where they’ve supposedly ascended to godlike status in their own minds - that’s utterly preposterous.

Thailand is an ego boost for any man, young or old, who gets called “handsome man” as he walks past a massage parlour, but let's not kid ourselves - the boomers lap it up just as much as the younger lads do. The difference? The younger ones often aren’t paying for the hottie they’re dating. Thailand’s middle class has grown, social norms have shifted, and there’s far more openness now than in years past - it seems some forum members are becoming bitter about this, but they're not seeing more competition, they're just seeing their own decline.

I’ve seen it firsthand - been here since my twenties. Now, nearly three decades on, I don’t attract the same kind of attention from the women I’d actually be interested in. These days, it’s more of a passing glance from a working girl hanging off the arm of an ageing expat, seeming to wonder if she could’ve done better. That subtle sideways look from the hi-so stunner in Emporium? That’s a decade long gone gone... 

Some older folks grow bitter with age, while others learn to embrace it - it all comes down to outlook. But let’s not point fingers at the younger guys. They’re just doing exactly what you (both above) would have done if you’d been here in your twenties and thirties. And don’t kid yourselves - they’ve got game. It’s just that the game has changed, and they’ve adapted with it.

12 minutes ago, RAZZELL said:

You'll never get a ticket that cheaply.

 

You can regularly get a single On Oman from Phuket to the UK for about £160.

Thats good to know... 

For flights over Christmas - BKK-MAN-BKK:

$741 (£545 / B 24200) - Eco - from BKK-MAN-BKK over Christmas (18th Dec - 7th Jan) - No luggage / no meals  

$885 (£651 / B 28900) - Eco - fro3 BKK-MAN-BKK over Christmas (18th Dec - 7th Jan) - 23kg luggage / 1 meal

$1582 (£1164 / B 51650) - Premium Eco - from BKK-MAN-BKK over Christmas (18th Dec - 7th Jan) - 23kg luggage / 1 meal

Only 2 seats left on the outbound flight - seems busy

14 minutes ago, neek said:

If I have any trouble with the IDP from Thailand I will wave my UK license translation politely and smile 🙂

Ultimate backup plan (IF you are worried) and want to use your UK license.

Renew your UK driving licence (claiming loss) - have it delivered to your / a UK address where its registered. 

Post Passport photos (of you) to the Same address.

Have someone (friend / family) take that Driving license and PP photos to obtain an IDP on your behalf.

Post both DL and IDP out to you.

IDP's in the UK can be obtained on your behalf, but need to be done so in person (at participating PayPoint Store)

15 minutes ago, neek said:

Thank you - yes, I installed the DLT queue app, and when logging in you have to specify if it's as a foreigner or a Thai national.  Using it alongside my wife on her phone, there is no option to apply for a IDP as a foreigner.  I even don't see the same list of offices when accessing other parts of the app, offices we would visit in Bangkok are available on my wife's phone but greyed out on mine.  So, as you say, one seems to just have to go and try on the day.

At DLT Area 3 (Bangchak) there were 3 Queues

1) Those with Bookings.

2) Foreigners

3) Everyone else.

I could not make a booking for an appointment, as you have experienced. 

So I went to the foreigners queue... no issues, they checked my documents, gave me a ticket and directed me to the right area (along with Wife who'd gone through the booking queue)...  

All worked out - quickly. Both Wife and I drove in Japan (being doing so for a few years on the trot) - using the same process... Note: 1949 convention IPD is only valid for one year (whereas 1968 is for 3 years).

On 7/3/2025 at 12:33 PM, neek said:

Hi all, I'm a British national with a British passport (no Thai passport), holding both British and Thai driving licenses, and planning a trip to Japan where we will hire a car.

 

Would an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued in Thailand be accepted by a Japanese car rental company, given that I am not a Thai national?

Direct answer: 1st Hand Experience: 

- Foreigner (Brit) with Full Thai License (5 yrs) 

- Obtained a Thai IDP - 1949 version.

No issues driving in Japan (two separate car hire companies used).

In Japan the car hire company expects to see both the Thai license and the IPD.

-----------------

Note: you need a 5 year Thai License to obtain an IDP in Thailand. 

IF someone just has the temp 2 year Thai Driving License, they cannot get the IDP

There are two main versions 1949 and 1968 (japan is only a signatory of the 1949 convention) 

----------

DLT Queue - there is no option for a foreigner in the Online IDP Queue Booking.

First hand experience again. Wife had an IDP Booking...   I couldn't get one.

The Non-online queue was huge, hours long.

I went to join the back, then noticed there was a 'foreigners queue'  (DLT Area 3 Bangchak).

We were in and out in about 30mins (both with 1949 IDP's for driving in Japan).

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I risk death every time I travel on a Thai road.

Even after the flaw in your earlier comment has been clearly explained, you persist in drawing fundamentally flawed comparisons.

Surely, you can see the glaring disconnect in trying to conflate two entirely separate aspects of risk. The gap between them isn't subtle and the presence of one risk does not negate the other.

i.e. Put simply: the fact that more people die on the roads doesn't mean a death from rabies isn't a legitimate concern. The existence of a greater risk elsewhere doesn't invalidate the seriousness of a separate one - such and idea would be stupid, and you're not stupid, are you BritManToo ?....   

23 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

The existence of one risk doesn't negate the importance of addressing another.

1 hour ago, SoCal1990 said:

There is a certain type of long-term expat in Thailand who seems to complain about just about everything, the corruption, the traffic, the bureaucracy, the air pollution, the heat, the visa system, the customer service, even about the locals.

With the exception of most of the locals, all of the above are valid complaints, or at least valid subjects of a discussion which many will find negative - that does not mean the Thai experience on the whole is a net-negative because people also have some observations that are not solely positive... 

... A realistic outlook often involves looking at both positive and negative aspects of anything, any place, anyone.

1 hour ago, SoCal1990 said:

Some of these types of foreigners have been here for decades, are constantly criticizing the country, but never actually go somewhere else, or back to where they came from, even though they feel unhappy. 

Some... but those same characters you describe are the very vocal tip of the iceberg - they'd be the same anywhere, no matter where it is.

1 hour ago, SoCal1990 said:

If a place makes someone that unhappy, why do they stay? Maybe it's a kind of quiet addiction to the chaos, or even just the comfort of complaining?

Sometimes having a whinge about something and finding out that others have made similar observations is enough to realise, its just the way it is and not a big deal...  

1 hour ago, SoCal1990 said:

I suspect there could be some unspoken truth that, despite all the moaning, Thailand still offers a kind of freedom or simplicity they don’t feel they’d find back home and that's why they stay. Or maybe they really do want to leave, but they are simply stuck here for financial reasons. 

Many different reasons - I think the greats is the point that 'familiarity breeds contempt' and they may just need a reset, whereas others are just in a crappy area, and others are just miserable where-ever they are.

Another reason to avoid the regular taxi's and go with BOLT / GRAB / InDrive wherever possible...   But, it also seems this was a 'private' hire rather than flag-fall.

So many of the regular taxis are just animals - its completely hit and miss with them... 

I've been in so many taxi's whereby the drivers are watching a movie while driving. I ask them to turn off their phone, its dangerous and I dont want an accident...   some understand and comply... 

But...there have also been a number of taxi's who've refused to stop watching something while driving, so I get them to pull over and get out.... 

Questions

1) Did you buy the Bike AFTER it was registered and taxed (i.e. did it already have white plates on the back ?)

2) Did you buy the Bike new or second hand ?

Other points: 

- Tax is for 1 year year, from Registration.

- Don't bother trying to reach any official system via e-mail here, its a no goer.

21 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

3 hours ago, beano2274 said:

Turkey is the land of hair transplants, great prices with all inclusive hotel stays, fly there with different Hair Lines

Not sure why you're getting so many laughing emojis for this post. You're spot on. Turkey is the place. Maybe the empty heads that make decisions aren't aware of this fact.

Fly there with different 'Hair-Lines'.... 

12 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Anyone riding a bicycle after dark is just asking for trouble. RIP to the both of them.

Indeed... After dark, without lights...

Also likely at a guess...  the bicyclist heading in the wrong direction on the shoulder... 

... The motorcyclist riding down the shoulder (which some think is a motorcycle lane) and not on the road itself.

6 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

On Samui they catch all soi dogs and vax them, the release them with a collar that tells they are vaxxed. 

I wish they'd make it mandatory for collars to clearly state who is legally responsible for the dog.

If a dog is allowed to roam freely and ends up attacking or mauling a child, there should be no ambiguity about who is accountable. Owners need to be held responsible - full stop.

As for dogs without collars or identifiable owners, they should be removed. If no one is willing to claim responsibility for feeding, housing, training, and socialising them, then society shouldn't be expected to carry the burden either.

Stray dogs aren’t just a nuisance - they’re a symptom of neglect and a potential danger.

A major part of the stray dog problem is their territorial nature, often fighting over scraps, feeding on rotten waste, and spreading diseases like mange roundworm, hookworm, tapeworms and rabies. It's a miserable existence for a lot of the animals themselves - and it only gets worse as they breed uncontrollably, creating future generations doomed to the same suffering.

This isn’t just about public safety, it’s about compassion. Turning a blind eye while packs of strays suffer in the streets isn’t humane - it’s cruelty disguised as kindness.

The solution might be tough, but it’s not heartless. Proper action now can end an ongoing cycle of neglect and pain.... Catch and spay if there are funds...  Or, take harsher measures if we have to... not a popular opinion, but truthfully, a necessary one.

3 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Interesting that Italy near top and Argentina near bottom since Argentina had so many Italian migrants.

Must come down to the quality of BBQ'ing and Asado.....