nemrut

It amazes me how farangs can go to foreign countries and quite often, behave in such appalling manner. Would this Brit dared to have done the same in his home country...I bet not.

Oriental is a term leftover from the colonial era and often used in a derisive manner to objectify Asians as exotic, alien and uncouth. It is still used today to describe rugs, pottery and such.

Many westerners, usually older ones, still use this antiquated term to describe all Asians much like Thais use farang to describe all white westerners.

The difference being that the term farang is often not intended to offend or demean(although it can be used that way) whereas the use of the term Oriental to describe Asian people often is.

Seems the only real evidence they have is that he aided Al Quaeda with his graphic arts skills. They havent disclosed any solid evidence that he intended to bomb the airport.

Given the history of Vietnam enduring constant war, famine, and more recently, victims of chemical warfare by US, it's rather amazing how well-adjusted they are as a country and society. I feel far safer in their cities at night compared to many developed countries,

I would bet there are far more Brits/Aussies/Yanks that have joined and aided Al Quaeda than Vietnamese.

Farang buying power goes much further in much of SE except Singaporte. What many farang dont take into account when they move to the region is how poor infrastructure and developing economy negatively affects quality of life.

There's a reason average lifespan is at least 10yrs less than in developed countries. Better infrastructure, stronger enforcement of regulations and more environmentally aware populace translates into cleaner air, safer water, higher quality food and proper refuse disposal.

It may seem like youre gettting a steal when you buy a meal or meat on a stick for 25-50baht, then you have to consider what corners need to be cut to make a living selling at such low prices

So if youre under 30, Thailand can be a great place to live frugally but over 45-50, the lower quality of life will take its toll.

What lesson is there to learn? that you don't solve arguments with a gun? if Thai people have still to learn

such lessons, than they're much worse in human relations than I ever gave them credit for.....

No worse the Americans it seems which is far richer, more developed country with the highest gun fatalities in the world - even more than war torn 3rd world ones.

Who is repressed, the Arab men or the Arab women in their home countries who often have to cover up and arent even allowed to drive?

Not to bash Arab men but it's rather interesting they have no problem coming to Thailand to exploit Thais for sex while oppressing their own women back home.

A few hours in airtight container should be fine. Japanese commonly bring their lunch to work in bento boxes which often arent eaten until will after 4-5hrs.

Make sure the rice is well rinsed in filtered water - not from the tap and add some vinegar once it's done when you fluff up the rice and cover back up.

Ditto on that....I get all my shirts, pants and shoes made when in Hoi An....good quality and nice price....???

What's the name of the shops you go to for shirts/pants and shoes?

This type of sadistic, psychopathic behavior seems to be more prevalent in western countries.

It really raises the question what is it about western society/culture that enables such people to flourish undiscovered for so long, then suddenly act out in such a horrific manner as if it were routine behavior.

Did you find out what does it normally costs from your hotel to DM airport?

The thing with Russians is that theyre loud and belligerent even when not drunk, and even more so, when they are.

At least the Chinese don't go around looking morose and start fights at the slightest provocation.

As others have mentioned, the latter is obviously less developed than the former. And if you've been to Thailand, you'll realize that's not an ideal situation to live in for anyone over 40 used to a western lifestyle.

In terms of the people, PH is far less nationalistic than TH and the people there seem to fawn over if not worship farang. Thais are more reserved when it comes to farang so you likely won't get the 'rockstar' treatment that you do in PH.

San Francisco seems to be best place to live until one realizes the summers can be as cold as winters.

Tiburon, California seems to be the best until one encounters crazy rich people and their dysfunctional driving habits.

Honolulu, Hawaii seems to be paradise to until one realizes much of infrastructure is on par w/3rd world countries

Maui, Hawaii is one of healthiest, most pristine places on Earth if you dont go out of your mind w/boredom

much of N Europe - cold, depressing, overpriced

much of S Europe - still relatively cold, overpriced, high crime

Thailand - relatively safe, beautiful but can be dirty and unhealthy like other SE Asian countries

China - massive, limitless exploration possibilities, can be too hot/cold/ polluted

Japan - safest, most civilized country in the world often plagued by overcast skys and cold weather

Take your pick...

"Other than their innate cruelty, thirst for world domination, and disgraceful personal hygiene in public"

Are you sure you're not talking about Europeans, colonialism and US hegemony?

Kind of a silly poll considering China has the longest continuous history (over 5000yrs) of any country in the world. So of course they have been an influence in the region long before farang had ships to sail the world.

The Chinese middle class has reached 500M in less than 20yrs and still growing. This is larger than the entire populations of US/Canada/Australia. In 2015 they spent over $150B in global tourism exceeding US/Europe/Japan combined.

As for the Chinese diaspora, will that has been growing for thousands of years over 7 continents and only get larger. Better start learning Mandarin.

In a lot of Asian cultures, saying 'I love you' is rarely done and viewed as awkward or superficial. Instead 'love' is demonstrated through one's acts or helpful advice.

So look at your wife's unsolicited commentary as a demonstration of caring and concern for your well-being :-)

Trump is appealing to Americans who feed off fear, anger and hatred along with strong antipathy toward immigrants. The irony is that most of Trump's supporters dont understand that their very way of life and standard of living has been made possible by the people they demonize - non-white immigrants.

It is because of immigrants that the US has become a world power through a strong economy. Unfortunately, facts are often ignored in the US where half the population believes in creationism and that man walked the earth with dinosaurs despite all the evidence indicating otherwise.

"this was drunken thuggery fuelled by alcohol as a volatile situation spiralled, albeit just a brushed arm initially, albeit just a brushed arm initially"

It's pretty amazing that so many farang dismiss the initial contact as trivial 'brushed arm' when the video clearly shows the Brit man grabbing the Thai man by the arm and casually pushing him aside as if he were a child.

This was an incredibly offensive act and is what led to the confrontation Had the Brit sidestepped to avoid someone who had been clearly drinking, none of this wouldve happened. Instead he acted out in an arrogant and clearly aggressive fashion. Perhaps he had been drinking as well prior to this altercation?

Let's not forget the same Brit restraining another Thai man from behind so his dad could assault him. What was he thinking? I'm in Thailand surrounded by Thais, but no matter, I'm going to hold another Thai so he can get his face bashed in.

And what about the Brit mother? Clearly she wasnt thinking straight and was under the influence of alcohol to so rashly slap a local in a foreign country.

What kind of people act this way as guests in a foreign country? Clearly theyre not as innocent as many other farang and western media make them out to be.

Being elderly does not give one a free pass to assault others without retaliation.

From CBS News in the US:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thailand-gang-attacks-uk-family-video/

Check out the comments. I wonder if TAT reads these things. They should be very worried. But what are the chances of that?

It's interesting how the article mentions no details leading up to the attack and portrays the Brit family as entirely innocent.

The Telegraph did the same here going so far as editing out the initial push by Brit son of Thai man:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/28/shocking-video-emerges-of-british-family-being-brutally-attacked/

Neither article mentions the assault by the Brit mom which exacerbated the situation nor the Brit son holding the Thai man so dad could punch him around 1:15.

As mentioned by others, the Brit family is not innocent by any means - son forcefully pushing someone out of the way, then restraining man to be assaulted, mother slaps another.

What kind of people behave this way as visitors in a foreign country? It really speaks to a level of arrogance, entitlement, and sadly, disdain many farang have for non-whites. Would this British family have been as bold in the UK?

Imagine if the family were Thai or Asian behaving similarly in the US/UK/AUS. My guess is that the outcome would have been much worse, especially if the family were black and the attackers were white.

Doesnt take much for Thai bashers to come out of the woodwork but news like this and they become raving, backseat vigilantes.

For those of you who think Thailand is so dangerous and Thais 'scum of the earth' why not move to Mexico, South America, or even the Philipines?

They practically worship farang there and you'll be treated like a rock star.

The vicious attack was uncalled for but look at it from Thai perspective.

All too often farang drunk or otherwise, treat Thais with disdain and openly disrespect them by intentionally bumping into people or pushing them out of the way like the Brit in the video did.

If a certain type of visitor to your country often repeated such a pattern of behavior, there would be pent up anger and hostility as well.

Let's not forget how common it for Brits to be even more violent toward each other over a football match so let's quit demonizing Thais.

Many on TV, presumably Americans, seem to dislike Obama.

Curious if those who share this sentiment believe Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton would do a better job. They are the likely presidential nominees but to me the former comes across as belligerent, loud-mouth buffoon, while the latter often appears to be shrill, angry and stirring up drama.

Despite Obama's flaws, name another US president that stepped into office and had to deal with so many issues affecting millions of lives: banking collapse, global financial meltdown, housing crash, and let's not forget 2 wars. On top of this, he was able to Health Care Reform, something Republicans refused to acknowledge and failed to do during all the years they occupied White House.

IMO, Obama will likely go down in history as one of the most capable presidents US ever had. He has accomplished more in his 1st term than Reagan, Bush Sr, Bush Jr combined.

You are not talking about morals and Thai values here. You are talking about Thainess.

The three skewed values I mentioned—the more times you can insert 'krub' or 'ka' into a sentence the more polite you are, even when cheating or lying or arguing in the street; the ridiculously puerile notion of 'face' and how one would rather be a convicted murderer than accept the embarrassment of being cut off in traffic, or abandon a significant asset such as a motor vehicle because you embarrassingly drove it down a footpath; and the obscene accumulation of unusual wealth by government officials and quaint names for overt corruption such as 'tea money'—are all perfect examples of Thainess.

Replace krub/ka with sir/mam, face with ego, tea money with lobbying and the same applies to your home country under a different name.

Obviously face is more complicated than ego, but the negative actions you believe are caused by it are just as common in your own country when egos are bruised, hence the prevalence of violent crime and road rage in US/UK/AUS.