JonnyF

It's about controlling the language. Once you accept these terms, they'll create more and try to force them on you. It will never be enough. The over-reach will never end. Same as we used to have to say coloured people. Now, that's incredibly offensive. We have to say people of colour which apparently is fine. Once we all get used to that, they'll move the goalposts again and force us to use another term. It's about keeping us on our toes. They say jump, we say how high. If we object, we will be labeled fascists and be forced to defend ourselves against that accusation, taking our attention away from the debate at hand. Control the language, control the masses.

Check your change. I did a bike trip there a few years back. Filled up the tank around 20 times. Got shortchanged about 17 of those 20. By the end of the trip, it was getting a bit tiring pointing out to them that I could count. I probably enjoyed Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang the most, although to be honest I was glad to return to Thailand after 4 weeks there.

Nice way for Broad to finish his career. Hopefully the Aussies play according to the spirit of the game next time around.

I think the photo in the OP gives a huge clue as to why tourism has slowed. Compare that scene to Koh San Road now with the traffic bollards and the ban on traders etc. The joy has been sucked out of the place, as it has with many other tourist areas with the early closing of night life, bans on various things like vaping, alcohol free days etc. By trying to sanitize Thailand they have removed much of what made it such a great place for a holiday. Why would I travel 12 hours to sit on a dirty beach where I am not allowed to vape, cannot get a beer from 711 at 3pm etc. when I can hop over to the Greek islands and do all those things on cleaner beaches, much quicker and much cheaper? Sure they can rely on the Chinese, until the next Phuket boat disaster goes viral or the CCP decide they want people to holiday domestically and the backside drops out of the market overnight.

Great idea. Maybe they could destroy all buildings owned by people who have a different view to you? How "progressive"...

All you need to get attention in Nana is to ring the bell at the bar (the ones that state you are buying drinks for the girls only) or buy a big bowl of ping pong balls and hurl them at the stage. The girls will literally be screaming. They're not stupid, in fact they are very pragmatic. They are there for the money, not for some fairytale dream of marrying a Hollywood movie star with a black belt in Karate.

You're right, but you're wasting your time. The Doomsday cult has made up it's mind. The earth's constantly changing climate over millions of years has nothing to do with it. It's all due to Somchai in his diesel pickup truck. Now, live your life as they tell you (no more holidays for you, private jets for them) and hand over your money (because as long as you pay to pollute it's all OK). This is about control and money, nothing else.

Should have got 30 days in the slammer and deported for being an obnoxious tosspot. The guards could have livestreamed him eating his fishhead soup for social media clout. Now that I would "Like".

Absolutely right. There is a good reason Google blur the faces, they get it. Filming people and trying to catch compromisng situations for social media clout is totally obnoxious behaviour and hopefully these type of incidents deter the 'vloggers' (w***ers) from doing it. Walking around filming sex workers (essentially degrading them) for a few dollars, or secretly recording people in bars from a camera hidden in the overcoat, real low life Peeping Tom stuff. Woooohhhh hold your horses Jacko. Getting your photo taken when leaving red carpet events, or by Paparazzi that you tipped off to get your name in the paper is totally different. They make their living in the media so they have to expect media attention.

Not only highly educated but also benevolent. At least that's what the brouchure says. The evidence does seem to imply something very different though. ????

Oh I get it. The "Liberals" are prepared to accept a senile old man who can barely walk without falling over and thinks the Queen is still alive simply because he isn't Donald Trump. The fact that he is their best chance of defeating Trump only demonstrates the dearth of talent in US politics. I mean, Trump is such an idiot you'd think they could put a Ginuea Pig against him and get a landslide victory.

I was invited to Thailand by the UK company that I was employed by who had heavily invested in setting up factories on the Eastern seaboard under the BOI scheme. I hardly think the millions and millions of Baht in income tax that I have paid over the last 17 years have created many issues. Neither has the Bangkok condo that I purchased or the 10+ locally made vehicles. Nor the hundreds of Thais that are employed by the company.

Last time I went to Nana you'd be hard pushed to find a girl under 30. What's that Aussie saying? "Never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn..."? This type of narrative sells well to the pearl clutching hand wringers in the well to do Sydney suburbs.

Biden isn't Trump. That's literally the only reason millions of Amercians vote for him. It's a sad state of affairs over there.

I would agree. Liberal/progressive is a very poor description of many on the Left. Just as conservative is a very poor description of many on the Right. That's the (very obvious) problem when you allow groups or individuals to label themselves, they often choose labels that reflect what they wish to be viewed as rather than what they actually are.

We are living in the real world here. Like I said, it's not illegal for someone to sit 1 metre away from your wife/daughter sunbathing in her bikini on the beach and stare at her, maybe take a few pictures of her with his iPhone, maybe start a livestream for thousands of his YouTube followers to look at her body and comment on her. But don't expect most people to just sit there and take that because it's technically not illegal. Most people with a modicum of social skills and decorum realize that while some things may not be technically illegal, they are socially unacceptable and may lead to a verbal or physical altercation. Some people like the Korean think they can do what they want, and they learn the hard way how the world really works. As for abiding by the law 100%, in many countries (including Thailand until recently) it is not illegal to rape your wife. Does that mean you think it's OK that some men do it in those countries? I would assume not. So as you can see, sometimes we have to place our own understanding of what is acceptable above what is considered legal.

So we are agreed that there IS some expectancy of private space in public then... It is just a case of determining where the line is drawn.

Exactly. I'd love to see his reaction if I sat 1 foot away from him on the park bench and stared at him while I sparked up a huge cigar that wafted smoke all over him. I'm sure he'd say "that's fine, there's no private space in public".????

So if you're sat on a park bench I can squat on my haunches in front of you and put my face one inch from yours and that's fine because there is no private space in public? I can sit right next to your wife/daughter who is sunbathing in her bikini on the beach and stare at her inanely for hours because there is no private space in public? You seem to be taking things too literally. You also seem to be unable to differentiate between what is illegal and what is socially unacceptable/inept. I suspect you don't actually disrespect people's personal space as much in real life as you claim to think is perfectly fine on this forum. Why? Because you know it's wrong and that it will eventually result in your physical assault. As it did with the Korean.

That depends on how it's done and where it's done. Walking up to someone in the street and staring at them for 5 minutes while picking your nose is not illegal. Talking to a woman while running your eyes up and down her body, focusing on her cleavage is not illegal. But if you completely lack social etiquette and get a bloody nose then don't start whingeing about it. IMO this filming of others should be illegal and the law needs amending. If people lack the common decency to not livestream others in entertainment areas then legislation should be brought in and they should be forced to show the respect for others that they are clearly lacking. In the meantime, we can all laugh at the Korean for the instant Karma he received ????.

I agree with everything you said. Except you forgot to put "liberals" in inverted commas. They are anything but liberal. They are deeply authoritarian, hiding behind a facade of benevolence. They are a huge threat to liberty.

I've already addressed that.

I don't care if it's illegal. If some "YouTuber" walks up to someone when they're on the beach or any other public place and sticks a camera in their face and tells them they are being livestreamed to all their "followers" they better hope the camera is insured. Why don't you try it? Walk up to a group of Thai males and start filming them and tell them it's being livestreamed to thousands and that it's perfectly legal. Be sure to report back what happened ????. The Korean got what he deserved. Possibly less. People with your attitude of disrespecting people's private space deserve what is coming to them.

OK, Let's say you went for a walk along the beach with your lovely wife afterwards and sat under a tree to watch the sunset. I stood a couple of metres in front of you, got my tripod/camera out and recorded your conversation for 20 minutes. Then posted it on YouTube for my thousands of followers to watch. OK with that?

I got stopped at 4am on Friday morning by a large road block featuring about 10 cops. They were breathalizing people but for some reason they took one look at me and waved me through. This was on Rachada Ramintra Road. I often do that route at that time and it's the first time they've been there. So I reckon they were taking it a bit more seriously.