spidermike007

54 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:

Who even NEEDS to carry 20 or 30,000 Baht on A Night Out ??

That is going under the presumption that he does not have a bank card to use, which was the supposition I was replying to. He could be a heavy hitter. I know guys who blow $500 to $1000 on a night out. Not that unusual. My point was why bring more than that, and why wear really expensive jewelry, when you know there is a good chance you are going to get inebriated. Know thyself, right?

I am headed back to the US shortly. Wonder if in a month's time, if that will be on the compulsory list too? 13 deaths in a very short period. And the administration there seemed to be totally unprepared for this. They could have been preparing test kits a month ago, when congress asked for emergency funding, and were turned down by men with extreme myopia. Now they are up to 226 cases, five in the past 24 hours. And 13 deaths. This could take down Trump. I sure hope so. Those deaths fall squarely on his shoulders, for withdrawing the funding of the epidemiology budget of the CDC, to pay for 16 Tomahawk missiles. Beyond inane. Beyond ignorant. 

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

Lots of truth in what you say, from my observation.

 

Another configuration is lack of strong affection (hugging included) in public say on arrival at an airport, but at home in private a lot of hugging.

 

Many years ago I asked an older knowledgeable Thai lady I respected about this, she had studied many aspects of human behavior, she spoke perfect English.

 

Her response was as follows:

 

'there is no specific absolute answer to things like this in any culture / society, however In terms of Thailand and especially older Thai folks, hugging and kissing (even a peck on the cheek), and holding hands, in public, are seen as low class behaviors', but at home hugging etc., expected. 

Low class behaviors. What can one even say? How do you respond to this? I am so grateful I come from a society where class means very little. Classy yet. Class, no. What on earth does it mean, what a stranger thinks of you? Less than zero for me, thankfully. 

And besides, the whole "class" thing here is so distorted. It has so little to do with education, sophistication, etiquette, and substance, and nearly everything to do with net worth. Sorry, but money does not buy class, only the false perception of such in the minds of super conventional men and women. 

This is another really bad actor, in a part of the world known for bad actors. A super rich, overly entitled punk, who was born into the right family, and never learned to wear his power lightly, treat his people well, honor his family, honor the women in his family, or deal with dissent of any kind. One can only hope that he eventually ends up with a horrific fate, however that does not seem to be how the universe works. The bad guys seem to live very long and healthy lives. However, one wonders what their state of mind is! 

Glad this clown is being outed, for the world to see, like MBS. Much will be forgotten over time, but their reputations are forever stained, and that is a beautiful thing.

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

Dude you post such childish malarkey spun to make your diatribes look good.

 

What kind of loon shoots to wound? You shoot to stop. You shoot until the danger falls to the ground and drops his weapon. You shoot center of mass to minimize the danger to innocent bystanders. if you had ever had any firearms training, you wouldn't post such silliness.

 

And tell me which police departments in the US are out of control?

Most. Louisville, Kentucky now training their cops to shoot to wound, unless the cop feels his life is in danger. Their shooting rates have dropped dramatically. Same applies to other progressive police departments in the US. I understand how dangerous a job it is. But the number of shootings by law enforcement in the US, of unarmed people is astonishing and unjustified. I have family in law enforcement. And even they agree with that. Homicidal police are not the answer. 

2 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

How can you have a "friendly" conversation while simultaneously treating them with utter disdain?

 

And if I were an on duty policeman with responsibility for doing my job and you refused a random drug test (reason, that you were pulled up for speeding), your next trip would be down to the station!

That is amusing. I all the years I have lived here, I have never once seen anyone pulled over for speeding. Or reckless driving. The highway patrol only gets involved after an accident. 

This is the crux of the issue. If a cop is legitimately doing his job, I will be cooperative. If he is looking for a handout, I am not. Having said this, what percentage of the time are the local franchisees actually practicing "law and order"? 2%? Maybe. 

Respect must be earned and never, ever freely given. 

Hugging is not really part of Thai culture. At least not for most. Not long after I met my wife, I grew very fond of her family. They are as good a family as one could ask for. Kind, hard working and honest as the day is long. We would visit, and I would hug papa, mom, and her brother and sister. My wife would not. After a while I encouraged her to do so. I think she liked it, and they did too. They just were not accustomed to it. Most Thais do not engage in alot of affection, or demonstrations of affection. I do. Life is short, and if I like someone, they know it and I show it. 

It is possible her son is emotionally retarded. It is possible he simply cannot give or receive affection. Too bad for him. Is there also a chance he simply does not care for his Mom?

Always bear in mind, these are NOT law enforcement officials. These guys are local franchisees, simply working the franchise. Resist them with all of your might. 

In the US the police are highly militarized, and shoot to kill. They do not even attempt to wound or incapacitate. The least bit of resistance from someone, provokes an extreme response. Many of the police departments in the US, are out of control. Here? The police here are very soft. I have had many interactions with them, and I would never be able to get away with treating them the way I do here, in the US. Not for a nanosecond. I tell them no here alot. I tell them I am not interested in negotiating today, and drive away. I dodge them when they try to pull me over. I treat them with utter disdain. And get away with it. I do not think a Thai could get away with any of that. They seem to have some fear of the cops. I do not have any fear of these local franchisees. Most are looking for an easy mark. When you resist, they tend to back down, as they do not want to work hard for their tips. 

Sometimes, we just have a short, friendly conversation, and that is it. Usually when they see the Thai motorcycle or car DL, and the helmet, they just wave me on. But, if caught speeding, etc, I give them a really hard time. And I would never agree to a random drug test, anywhere, anytime. Never. Nunca. Nada. 

3 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

How is life on Fantasy Island?

Pretty good actually. I do live a life full of hope, aspiration, and dreams. Without them, I would just lay down and die. I know some of my dreams may seem a bit "out there". Like the dream of the youth ousting the hapless army. But, I do believe it will happen, and I can actually visualize it happening. They can only hold the people down for so long. They have really overstayed their welcome, and with a collapsing economy, the people are going to be very <deleted> off. If there is one thing the average Thai responds to, it is cash. And the denial of such.

17 hours ago, Nakmuay887 said:

Immigration office in Mae Sot had nobody inside it yesterday. Zero people. I arrived and walked through my visa extension start to finish in less than 8 minutes. Normally it takes at least two hours. 

 

 

I am hoping this stunning drop in tourism wakes up immigration, and this heinous administration, and teaches them some humility. If that is possible.

1 hour ago, rumak said:

i go for onemorefarangs  style myself.   in 25 years i've only encountered  one or two cops that had a bit of an attitude.   the other 99% have been either friendly  or  businesslike....  with a quick wave of the hand to move on.     oops,  forgot,  had one bad experience with a  TOURIST police that I asked to come to our property for a problem with a neighbor.   He took the thai

neighbors side immediately and didn't even want to speak with me.  And yes,  i speak thai.

But in all other cases (on the road)  nothing but good treatment.  

The older I get I do tend to just be matter of fact with cops and many others.  The idea that

thais love to joke with farangs i have done away with.   The ones you know, no problem.

Others,  well.....  i just keep it simple   ????  .   Come to think of it,  I now treat farangs i don't know much the same way.  555

Well, I did get a good tip from a friend, who is a CHP officer in California. He told me if you can get a policemen to laugh within the first minute or two, they will rarely write you up. The job is so tense for them, that a little bit of levity goes a long way. My favorite line is, "sorry officer that I am late. I got here just as fast as I could". Usually it gets a chuckle. Of course a different type of humor would have to be employed here.