Midweek rant: Thai culture is one thing – politeness quite another

[marko kok prong]

I would hardly call this a rant,more of a storm in a teacup.

[oxo1947]

.For Gods sake--just sit down and eat it............

[Get Real]

6 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Was that a plug for your book?

 

And if it was..........???

[InMyShadow]

I showed signs of physical abuse after a late night walk soi 6 Pattaya. Touched without permission but thank God no selfies

 

One day I will write a rant about that

 

 

[sawadee1947]

I think you think too much.....just relax.....

[Grumpy Duck]

In my opinion a valid point. A rather lengthy repetitive post, but understandable. As a person with a degree in photography I understand the requirement to ask permission before taking a photo of someone. In the USA I actually carried blank release forms to get signed before snapping a photo for use at a later time. 

 

Now for my own little minor rant. 

I object to refering to children as "kids" a kid is a baby goat, an animal. But at the same time it is easily typed and universally understood. 

 

I understand the term "kid" came during the great depression when the privilidged would observe poor children playing one made the comment, look at them just like kids will eat anything and destroy everything. In that light I will try to always use the term children. 

[Thian]

3 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

I think you think too much.....just relax.....

He sure has a point, they should at least ask permission to make a picture and if they also want to put it on Fayboo than ask for that as well.

 

Touching the kids is also not done without permission.

 

Once my friend in Phuket drove us to the best places to see the sunset above the ocean and some locals wanted to go on pic with me, so i posed with them. But then other groups of locals also came and they made a line of about 5 persons all willing to go on pic with me...I did that but thought something was strange..My friend was laughing loud and said they had never seen a farang since they came from South Thailand. Well no big deal, for me they are all Thai people but what if i had refused to go on pic with them?

[Thian]

3 minutes ago, Grumpy Duck said:

In my opinion a valid point. A rather lengthy repetitive post, but understandable. As a person with a degree in photography I understand the requirement to ask permission before taking a photo of someone. In the USA I actually carried blank release forms to get signed before snapping a photo for use at a later time. 

 

Now for my own little minor rant. 

I object to refering to children as "kids" a kid is a baby goat, an animal. But at the same time it is easily typed and universally understood. 

 

I understand the term "kid" came during the great depression when the privilidged would observe poor children playing one made the comment, look at them just like kids will eat anything and destroy everything. In that light I will try to always use the term children. 

When we were in Indonesia and asked the locals on their ricefields to make a picture of them they wanted 1us$ or 3 cigarettes each....no big deal but you can't just make pictures of a person.

[namatjira]

Yawn...thanks for wasting some of my life..

[AWillOz]

When they take a photo, just politely ask for $50.

[Kadilo]

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

And if it was..........???

He will be shot at dawn.............jeez why all the aggression? It was tongue in cheek. The poster knew that, he clearly has a sense of humour. 

[Global Guy]

Why this happens? Yes, you aren't Thai and Thais have zero use for manners towards foreigners, different definitions of personal space, privacy, and respect, and overall can only see the part of life from the tip of their nose inward. They have almost zero ability to integrate the concept that there are other people on the planet than them. (Look at how they drive, walk on a crowded sidewalk, tune out life when on their mobiles, or fail to queue in line). Me, me, me is what you see.

 

You have every right to protect your children the way you see fit. That's it. If strangers don't like it, too bad. 

 

I've seen my Thai wife get a little "rough" with a neighborhood kid we see all the time. She'll pinch her cheeks, try and scare her, and everyone laughs, even if the kid starts to cry. I cringe, but that's their issue among them, not mine. If we had a kid and she did that, I'd stop it immediately. I can't fight the culture outside of my circle, but in it is another story.

 

I don't worry about what people here think of me. They don't worry about me either, it's mutual. They label me before they know me anyway, so why fight it?

 

 

[Thingamabob]

Go and live somewhere else.

[4MyEgo]

We have two absolutely stunning daughters 8 and 3, Eurasian if you like, to give you the mix, who we have taught, when in public and someone approaches you, with mum and dad present and want to take pictures to get behind mum and dad straight away and give the strangers that look as if to say farrrrk off.

 

Now if mum and dad are not around, which is never the case, except when the 8 year old is at school, she knows exactly where to kick if cornered by a male, who wants to take her picture so to speak.

 

We didn't mind it in the early days, but it would take us forever to get to where we wanted to get too, yes fame has its price, and we didn't move here for it, its the absolute opposite.

 

As for Uni students in their short mini's and white tops, I am up for taking their pictures, where do I sign up ?

[dcnx]

13 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Yes, the people should have asked.

 

However, you are a 'farang' and your child a 'luuk khreung' and thus neither of you are worthy of proper politeness. You have been labelled as a non-Thai, and a non-Thai simply does not merit the same considerations as a Thai. It is that simple.

 

The power of the label is ugly. 

Nailed it.

[sawadee1947]

3 hours ago, InMyShadow said:

I showed signs of physical abuse after a late night walk soi 6 Pattaya. Touched without permission but thank God no selfies

 

One day I will write a rant about that

 

 

so touching you is much better than to take a selfie with you? WOW

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

15 hours ago, lupin said:

I'm 72, I understood the language used. Wasn't aware commenting on the language used in the OP was a no no. Will confine comments to judging and labeling people as you have done in future.

 

Cheers

I think the OP is over reacting, but I am fully in agreement so called social media has a lot to answer for.

 

(Grammar police seem to be on the way out. I do wish some people would stop sticking "like" in the middle of a sentence for no reason though...)

 

 

[Nerone]

I've got the same problem, as I have a beautiful child too. I don't say because is mine, really have people stopping and staring at him.

It depends on the situation, sometimes I let them take a photo, few times I went rude and push them to delete it, because the situations were uncomfortable. 
If you really expect them to ask you a permission to do that you can forget about it. I don't think thais are polite people, not in the western way perhaps.
thais are changing their politeness and behave depending of who they have in front of them, their respect is proportional on how much they "fear" you.
They would never do something like that to a high rank official without asking permission first, in fact thais they are not polite, they just undergo their miserable caste system.

There are many things that unfortunately we have to face everyday here, it's up to us the way we face or avoid them.

[Moonmoon]

Thai grengjai is only applicable when its convenient or not to oneself. 

[wildewillie89]

Walking through shopping centres, down the street or at any function, Thai will always want to take photos of the cute farang baby - or real life doll/future superstar as they seem to think they are. And then want to take a photo of the father. 

 

Nearly always will they ask the Mrs if they are allowed, well ask the Mrs if the father will let us go near her. But I am usually fairly frustrated having to wait around whilst they make their annoying fun faces at the baby (baby wants to get out of the situation as fast as I do), so maybe you just come across a little too friendly for them to take that right away from you. Usually we get told that many farang do not like Thai getting to close to their kids so that's why we asked first. 

Even if the Mrs posts a photo of the little one on Facebook, she will get messages from people she doesn't know that have seen the picture from friends/family sharing it, asking to post the picture on different baby Facebook groups. Which of course turns into agencies contacting/annoying the crap out of you. I initially allowed two photos, but since she has turned 1, everyone knows not to share her photos in public groups.