richard_smith237

11 minutes ago, Celsius said:

7 hours ago, bob smith said:

But now I am financially sound having made a number of good business moves in my youth.

I have what I consider to be a good life.

Plenty money in the bank, sound investments, few women scattered about the country who I can just call whenever I am in town etc..

I do what I want when I want and nobody is my boss.

 

You are doing 90 day reports? There is your answer.

Those are two different concepts...

a) how we fit in with immigration policy 

b) how we fit in with within the Thai social hierarchy

Example at hand - my wife would fits in with the UK community very well, people wouldn't know she's not British, give or take one or two grammatical foibles in her speech... Yet, she is subject to immigration restrictions.

That said - simply because many overseas cultures are more multicultural and multiracial I think it's be far easier for a Thai fit in, in the UK, as the natural assumption is that they are living in the area and generational...   That is not true of Westerners in Thailand... and perhaps therein lies a difference.

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Exactly... and the IMF - Impossible Missions Force isn't even real....       

 

For some godforsaken reason you've taken my post completely out of context

 

The International Monetary Fund isnt out to get you or me or anyone else for that matter and nor are all the other organisations named by the original poster I quoted

Au contraire Mr Chivas...  we're in alignment on this...

...  my 'deliberate' distortion of the IMF acronym was to point the finger of ridicule at the conspiracists....    

28 minutes ago, bob smith said:

31 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

That doesn't mean you have to become a conformist weakling... but showing awareness for and being respectful of your surroundings goes a long way.

How do you get along with the Thai's?

 

bob.

No differently than I get along with anyone of other nationalities... 

A couple of my closest friends are Thai...     

I generally get along with people very well and avoid the tools in any society. 

22 minutes ago, bob smith said:

perhaps the Thai's should look inward then?

 

Maybe they shouldn't be so quick to judge a book by it's cover?

 

bob.

Perhaps you should evolve your game bob...    Instead of needing all Thai's not to judge you based on the way you act, interact, behave and appear....     

....  improve the manner in which you act, interact, behave and appear....  

Its easier to play their game, than it is to have everyone else around you play yours.

That doesn't mean you have to become a conformist weakling... but showing awareness for and being respectful of your surroundings goes a long way.

4 minutes ago, Random8 said:

 

Weak retort.  I expected as much.

Seems you are looking for an argument...     I found your comment stupid, apologies if that upsets your sensitivities and you now want to enter forum sparing match...      Its not going to happen, you'll need to up your game if you want engagement.

21 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

But the problem with our position is that our behavior is not consistent in the eye of many Thais.

I.e. we might have a good job in a reputable company and make a lot of money. But then, Thais may see us in shorts and a cheap t-shirt, no decent designer clothes like they would expect from a reputable manager.

And then maybe they see us being nice to the service people, even the Burmese, and even if they are dark brown. That is obviously confusing for many Thais.

Only those lacking in critical thought...  

Its also possible not to look like a slob in shorts and t-shirt... 

Army print (DPM) cargo shorts and vest or worn out t-shirt are never going to cut it.

All the Thai's I know treat the 'service people' (their maids etc) extremely well.

27 minutes ago, Random8 said:

36 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

And when someone mentions such tosh as above...  I think to myself they have shacked up with the first bit of fluff they met in a bar and now have a chip on their shoulder 'cos they are treated like dogs !!!....     

 

I don't recall you mentioning anything about your wife.  My comment wasn't aimed at you, but apparently I hit a nerve.

 

You already know what I'm thinking...

& I never thought you were referring to my situation....  my response based solely on the ridiculous flaws in your comment...     the 'nerve' you struck, was one of a lack of tolerance for such comments.

43 minutes ago, bob smith said:

funny.

 

fancy coming to the saloon with me one day?

i'll get the first round in!

 

don't bring onemorefarang though.

 

bob.

I'd be too concerned that you'd run off with my Bar Girl and take her to Koh-Chang while I took a quick nap... 

Just now, Random8 said:

Pet peeve:  Farangs who consider themselves "better" because of the perceived social status of their Thai wife.  Anytime someone wants to tell me (unsolicited and apropos of nothing) what education or occupation their wife has or better yet, how Chinese they are, I think to myself "...dickhead".

And when someone mentions such tosh as above...  I think to myself they have shacked up with the first bit of fluff they met in a bar and now have a chip on their shoulder 'cos they are treated like dogs !!!....     

8 minutes ago, Chivas said:

17 hours ago, johng said:

 

They =  The Hierarchy Enslaving You ....simple, government and above them IMF,WEF, WHO  and above them ??

 

Seriously you need to get yourself a life rather than following such spurious utter complete shight

 

"The Hierarchy Enslaving You"

 

🤣🤣🤣

 

Utter utter utter whackjobs and as per the other post thats extremely polite out of deference to Asean

 

Exactly... and the IMF - Impossible Missions Force isn't even real....       

31 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Make of that what you will..

....you are hanging around in bars 'where the dogs of society howl'... 

59 minutes ago, connda said:

If the woman marries a foreign man, she essentially shares his rank and status within Thai society -- although she herself is still a Thai native and as an individual and when considered unassociated with her husband still fits within the Thai hierarchy as a Thai citizen -- but her husband rates around the status slightly below a soi dog.

A lot of the above also depends on the status of the Thai female... 

If she is of a well regarded status, this is often visible in the manner in which she speaks (socio-phonetics), the way she carries herself, dresses etc...      Thai's pick up on this and extend this status to the partner...

So the extension of status seems to work both ways...

i.e. 

Thai female of higher status - that status is extended to the husband (or until he shows otherwise).

Thai female of lower status - her status may be elevated slightly, but his may drop.

18 minutes ago, ChumpChange said:

How they see you and how they treat you is very different. Two very different things. And that's the most important part. Who cares how they see you. High, low, or in between, doesn't matter. As long as they treat you with superficial respect and a smile that's all you need. If you think it's ever really going to be more than that then you are just fooling yourself. 

You've projected....     

Some of us can pick up on genuine like and respect vs superficial platitude... 

I have some very close genuinely true Thai friends...    through them I've made other acquaintances who are friendly, but I feel a underlying lack of genuine feeling (if that makes sense), with others I can feel a genuine like, respect, consideration... 

Other groups I can see are genuinely considerate and place me firmly within their 'bracket' in the Thai 'socio-totem-pole'....

18 minutes ago, ChumpChange said:

On the other hand, the OP constantly posts long complaints about how he's paying good money for things and still gets no politeness or respect. Now that's a problem if you can't even buy yourself some courtesy in Thailand. But people who are in that category of the OP are a rarity and are typically a product of how badly they treat others. But that's a subject for a whole different discussion. 

Thai's are as astute as anyone else...  they see what we see, are often more tolerant on the surface, but underneath make their judgements as we do.

They are able to place us on this 'socio-economic-educational totem pole' as easily as we can place each other, initially that judgement is based on appearance, behavior, even who we are with...  and that evolves as then know us more.

Thus: Some are treated like soi dogs because thats how they behave, others are treated with mutual and equal respect as that is manner of treatment they attract...  the often becomes genuine care

The difficulty I seem to encounter is when interacting with some Thai's who'd other Thai's would place lower on the socio-totem-pole, the uneducated Thai's who lack the discretion of how to place us, or through experience (mainly in area's of high tourist footfall) have had poor encounters and carry some form of grudge or are simply ignorant. 

This may occur more in tourist areas, less so in area's such as Bangkok where the 'type of expat' ranges from 'tourist to execs' so we are often treated with the benefit of doubt until we prove otherwise....  but this is the same anywhere in the world... 

So where do we fit in.

1) Exactly as other Thai's - treated with a respectful indifference until our position is established.

2) Once our 'position' on that socio-totem pole cab be established we are 'thought of' accordingly, but generally treated politely. 

How and where we fit in on that socio-totem-pole is something that is individual to all of us, there are no hard an fast rules.

53 minutes ago, Screaming said:

This tread is really funny, arguing about the seating at the "fine dining" establishment of Terminal 21.

If this thread is not your cup of tea... what are you commenting for then ???...

There's an ongoing haemorrhoid thread which could be right up your alley... (pun intended)....   

1 hour ago, Taboo2 said:

As I have said before, the folks I see speeding on motorbikes are the Farangs....they love to rev those bikes up and make noise and speed like a Motto racer.  

 

RIP.

Yeah... 'cos Thai's are never found doing that, eh...   

Some people come out with some weird 'anti-farang' shyte sometimes... have such folk gone so native that they adopt a bias solely in favour of the locals and always point the finger at the foreigner as if that makes them more in tune with their own Thainess or something... ???

8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What do you do in such situation? 

IF there is no where else to sit, just take one of the 'reserved seats' on a larger table, assuming its just one or two people. 

If they don't like it, thats kind of tough.

But, they are only avoiding the issue you were potentially facing in ensuring there was somewhere to sit when they had  a tray full of food...  completely understandable and not really the end of the world. 

51 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Well, she clearly hasn't been found....    that much is obvious. 

 

Nowhere does the article mention that they or her family are aware of her current whereabouts. 

The only know the date on which she left Switzerland. 

 

The article is very poorly written and you made the mistake of directly quoting something that is quite misleading.

 

 

Expand  

According to the Swiss police, she has "been found." Why do you think you know better than they? 

I, too, think their quote means, "We found out that she left Switzerland, so our responsibility to find her ends there," but it could mean, "We found her, but will not reveal her whereabouts to the press." 

The report we are reading is translated from the MCOT news article, which is probably translated from another source, most likely in English...   Unless MCOT news interviewed the Swiss Police themselves...

Thus: we are dealing with a 'double translation' which flawed at the best of times often with incomprehensible contradictions... 

So.. in this case, I don't beleive I know better than the Swiss Police - thats just a bit of dumb gaslighting on your part. 

Its quite obvious what is written: Swiss Police found out that she left the country and have reported that.

They have not stated anywhere that they are aware of her whereabouts and she is safe.

If you want you can believe a translation of a translation... go ahead, fill those gullible boots.

I could be mistaken... But, as I understand it...  Agreements with Visa and MasterCard prohibit passing on the fee's to customers....  Yet they do... 

But... It could be argued that the those paying by other means are given the a ~3% discount... 

20 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

37 minutes ago, CanadaSam said:

40 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

"Fortunately the Swiss police have informed her family that she has now been found and had left Switzerland to travel elsewhere with her foreign boyfriend a while ago."

 

Wrong! 

 

The Swiss Police only found that they have left Switzerland some time ago, probably by checking immigration or airlines.

 

She has not been found, nor does anybody (I assume) know where she is!

Not wrong... That was a quote by the Swiss police. They are the ones who claim "she has now been found," not me.

Now, maybe by "found" they mean they have "found" information about her; or maybe by "found" they mean they have actually located her but are not revealing her whereabouts or status because that would be an invasion of her privacy; or maybe the "has now been found" has been mistranslated from Swiss to English somehow. 

But, whatever the case is, my post was not "wrong." 

Well, she clearly hasn't been found....    that much is obvious. 

Nowhere does the article mention that they or her family are aware of her current whereabouts. 

The only know the date on which she left Switzerland. 

The article is very poorly written and you made the mistake of directly quoting something that is quite misleading.