Do Expats of Thailand get an undeserved stigma?

[Inspire]

Do Expats of Thailand get an undeserved stigma?

 

 

Inspire is delighted to have teamed up with Dan about Thailand vlogs to bring you his latest vlog from in and around Thailand.

 

The vlogs cover travel and debate on things associated with tourists and expats in the country. If you want to follow Dan you can join his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/danaboutthailand/

 

 

Full story: http://www.inspirepattaya.com/lifestyle/expats-thailand-get-undeserved-stigma/

 

 

-- © Copyright Inspire Pattaya 2017-11-19

[Boon Mee]

White Privilege! ? 

[Tchooptip]

I'm really old school I can not get used to this fashion not to shave regularly 

[simoh1490]

Western expats don't move to Thailand because they want to live in Thailand, Pattaya is simply not representative of the rest of the country.

[DavoTheGun]

16 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

I'm really old school I can not get used to this fashion not to shave regularly 

What has that got to do with anything he has to say!

[simoh1490]

4 minutes ago, DavoTheGun said:

What has that got to do with anything he has to say!

Single male living in Pattaya for 11 years, is this because of his love of Thai culture, (good luck finding it there), the beach (you can't be serious), the climate and the food (same as everywhere else in Thailand pretty much). His argument is a valid one, it's just that it would have been far more convincing if he were living elsewhere. And don't get me wrong, I am NOT knocking Pattaya, it's just that trying to make an argument that expats might be viewed with some disdain back home, when living in Pattaya, that horse can't even get out of the starting gate.

[connda]

42 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

I'm really old school I can not get used to this fashion not to shave regularly 

When the face gets itchy, out with the razor.  Usually less than three days. Being retired I consider three days of stubble 'letting my hair down' so to speak.  

And to respond to a previous poster, I moved here with the intention of perhaps living here.  Well, that utter nonsense has been beat out of me by the Thai government, it's immigration services, and general Thai xenophobia for foreigners.  But I'm here and married and pretty much stuck.  Doubt I could convince the Mrs to sell her house and land and move to some beach in Mexico.   

Edited November 19, 2017 by connda

[Briggsy]

2 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

it's just that trying to make an argument that expats might be viewed with some disdain back home, when living in Pattaya

Very true. You should see the shows on British tv "exposing" Pattaya. They don't make pretty viewing.

 

A typical scene would find the ugliest, meanest-looking, most vulgar bloke, already inebriated, with the broadest accent that would offend the most UK viewers (Doncaster or Blackburn should do the trick), wind him up with some negative comments about Pattaya, ensure the tiny, childlike bargirl sat on his lap looking for all the world like a trafficking victim is in focus. Get him to make some negative comments about British women et voila. Great ratings and disgusted living rooms up and down the UK, guaranteed.

[connda]

6 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Very true. You should see the shows on British tv "exposing" Pattaya. They don't make pretty viewing.

 

A typical scene would find the ugliest, meanest-looking, most vulgar bloke, already inebriated, with the broadest accent that would offend the most UK viewers (Doncaster or Blackburn should do the trick), wind him up with some negative comments about Pattaya, ensure the tiny, childlike bargirl sat on his lap looking for all the world like a trafficking victim is in focus. Get him to make some negative comments about British women et voila. Great ratings and disgusted living rooms up and down the UK, guaranteed.

You've nailed it!  

[samsensam]

12 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Single male living in Pattaya for 11 years, is this because of his love of Thai culture, (good luck finding it there), the beach (you can't be serious), the climate and the food (same as everywhere else in Thailand pretty much). His argument is a valid one, it's just that it would have been far more convincing if he were living elsewhere. And don't get me wrong, I am NOT knocking Pattaya, it's just that trying to make an argument that expats might be viewed with some disdain back home, when living in Pattaya, that horse can't even get out of the starting gate.

 

have to agree, i have a friend who visits thailand often, claims to love the country and culture so much but he spends 99% of his time in pattaya. i try to encourage him to actually experience the rest of the country but to no avail, i cant seem to stop him 'waiing' staff in restaurants and hotels (so embarrassing) and cant convince him that his tuk tuk and taxi driver 'mates' are actually ripping him off. oh yes, he also believes the girls he meets really do love to be with him.

 

there's non so blind as those who dont want to see.

[yellowboat]

Longest seven minutes and 33 seconds of my life.  His message is verbose but has some value.  Would love to know what he does to earn a living in sin city. 

[Tchooptip]

9 minutes ago, DavoTheGun said:

What has that got to do with anything he has to say!

Absolutely nothing at all!  Who said so? Not me! Only got to do with what he looks like, at least in MHO of course 

Since I thought TV was a free forum I dared to expressed it, next time I will do my best  to self-censor to avoid shocking ticklish people 

[munchlet]

Yes, the government is xenophobic, but, generally, the people are not. Never mind the anti farang stuff, they also dislike the Thai Chinese, who have basically stolen the country from the Siamese (well they got all the money anyway). The irony is that the Thai Chinese now are hugely influential in politics and are equally frightened of us white folk. They see us as a threat. Did you ever think why it's so difficult to get a Thai passport? Right, they dont want us being able to own land. They don't want competition... 

 

Same applies to the idiot Alien Business laws which prevents Thailand from getting the foreign experience and expertise that it needs. Most of us live this country for more than the beaches and girls. Please, please, let us commit and make the whole community richer..? 

[smotherb]

2 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

I'm really old school I can not get used to this fashion not to shave regularly 

Don't know how old school you are, but I have had a beard for more than 50 years. However, I still shave around it every day.

[alien365]

Because Thai's think a lot about class, how some expats actually act here is clearly going to create a stigma. I can't help to have picked up on this too and most expats I come across end up being lower class, swearing all the time, drinking, argumentative and grumpy. I would avoid them in my own country so I do here too. When they are not they are a pleasure to talk to (if they are the type who are ok with talking to other Westerners)

 

If we don't want a negative stigma placed on us we should work on what Thais focus on, being clean, smiling, helpful and polite. I'm sure plenty of you guys are but as always people only comment on the bad.

[Emster23]

White privilege? Nah, it's money privilege.

  Considering our competition from local males, most of us look like the better choice for the ladies.

  I couldn't care less what some plonk back home may think of my living in Thailand. I don't debauch anymore. There is hum drum here, just a different sort. We march to a different hum drummer. "I'm the one that's got to die when it's my time to die. so let me live my life the way I want to" as Hendrix put it.

[Ulic]

It is an underserved stigma because much of the world is made up

politically correct judge mental holier than though hypocrites.

[jippytum]

When I first came on a package tour to Pattaya it was highlighted  'This is not a family holiday ' as a warning in the brochure. Exactly what I was looking for sun sex and beer .The people that now come with their wives and families and complain about the place should do their homework and  choose another more suitable  location .  Personally its what I signed up for so no complaints .

[Tchooptip]

1 hour ago, smotherb said:

Don't know how old school you are, but I have had a beard for more than 50 years. However, I still shave around it every day.

It had nothing to do with having a (real) beard but with this fashion of not looking shaved for 1/2/3 days !

I had up to 18 salesman. When one of them came to work unshaven, I used to say, you intend to go see your customers like that? So you'll go shave first!

Years later I realised how old school I became seeing electric razors that kept people looking like not shaved for 2/3 days, that is to say, shaving every day in order to keep looking like not shaved for 3 days.

Sorry everyone for this absolutely off-topic answer.

[glasswort]

Who cares?

[shackleton]

It's Tabloids like the Sun news paper looking for any Brits misbehaving in Pattaya or else where in Thailand   to sell papers always looking for the negative 

Could not care about the ones who enjoy their holidays enjoying the beaches. Seeing the sights ect 

Negative news sells papers not positive 

[smedly]

I don't think it's so much the expats that drive the stigma, it's the girls that work the bars and those that come here on a 2-3 week holiday - they both share the blame

 

Expats are harder to exploit and the bar girls now try to avoid them and to an extent the expats would tend to avoid the girls too, we "just like at home" are creatures of habit and tend to find our steady local for a beer, the point I am making is that places like Pattaya have changed - the girls attitude and focus towards extracting money has changed.

 

This is what the girls have learned to target over the years passed down and finely tuned by the older ladies that have been around 

 

 

1. On Holiday 2-3 weeks

2. Spending as much as 10k baht a day

3. Have a job back home

4. Ring the bell 3-4 times a night

5. Buy lady drinks

6. Are stupid enough to commit to sending money from back home

 

Expats in general equal none of the above and have a totally different set of goals when it comes to girls

 

 

 

[rickudon]

Never been to Pattaya, but i have met more farang criminals in Thailand than anywhere else in the world ......  ex-cons, scammers and even a paedophile. Still the minority, but something about this place attracts those who have problems in their home countries.

[1FinickyOne]

6 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

have to agree, i have a friend who visits thailand often, claims to love the country and culture so much but he spends 99% of his time in pattaya. i try to encourage him to actually experience the rest of the country but to no avail, i cant seem to stop him 'waiing' staff in restaurants and hotels (so embarrassing) and cant convince him that his tuk tuk and taxi driver 'mates' are actually ripping him off. oh yes, he also believes the girls he meets really do love to be with him.

 

there's non so blind as those who dont want to see.

As long as your friend is enjoying the fantasy and can afford the price of admission - why ruin it for him? 

 

[StevieAus]

5 hours ago, munchlet said:

Yes, the government is xenophobic, but, generally, the people are not. Never mind the anti farang stuff, they also dislike the Thai Chinese, who have basically stolen the country from the Siamese (well they got all the money anyway). The irony is that the Thai Chinese now are hugely influential in politics and are equally frightened of us white folk. They see us as a threat. Did you ever think why it's so difficult to get a Thai passport? Right, they dont want us being able to own land. They don't want competition... 

 

Same applies to the idiot Alien Business laws which prevents Thailand from getting the foreign experience and expertise that it needs. Most of us live this country for more than the beaches and girls. Please, please, let us commit and make the whole community richer..? 

Totally agree and not interested in the beaches but certainly the girls, but only two, my wife and daughter !!

[whaleboneman]

1 hour ago, rickudon said:

Never been to Pattaya, but i have met more farang criminals in Thailand than anywhere else in the world ......  ex-cons, scammers and even a paedophile. Still the minority, but something about this place attracts those who have problems in their home countries.

I think by definition you can only meet farang criminals in Thailand.

[simoh1490]

4 minutes ago, whaleboneman said:

I think by definition you can only meet farang criminals in Thailand.

The almost two million  expats in Thailand would disagree with you on that point! 

[Acemaker]

I thought it was a good video and good on him to do it, most people who knock Thailand in the U.K. are Sun reader types who have never been further than Skegness, envy and jealousy of mostly the skint and unambitious who have to put up with the daily grind of having to ride the tube everyday and get laid once a month with their fat Bingo playing Mrs.

[simoh1490]

2 minutes ago, Acemaker said:

I thought it was a good video and good on him to do it, most people who knock Thailand in the U.K. are Sun reader types who have never been further than Skegness, envy and jealousy of mostly the skint and unambitious who have to put up with the daily grind of having to ride the tube everyday and get laid once a month with their fat Bingo playing Mrs.

I wasn't knocking Pattaya but to be clear on a few points: I've never even opened a copy of The Sun plus I've lived in Thailand full time for over fifteen years, the last time I went to Pattaya was eight years ago.

[smotherb]

3 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

It had nothing to do with having a (real) beard but with this fashion of not looking shaved for 1/2/3 days !

I had up to 18 salesman. When one of them came to work unshaven, I used to say, you intend to go see your customers like that? So you'll go shave first!

Years later I realised how old school I became seeing electric razors that kept people looking like not shaved for 2/3 days, that is to say, shaving every day in order to keep looking like not shaved for 3 days.

Sorry everyone for this absolutely off-topic answer.

Actually, I did not think your statement was off-topic; the blogger obviously had stubble. My issue was thinking it old school to shave regularly. Most men didn't shave regularly until the safety razor.