Thoughts on why to tourists aim for the eyes and ears with high powered PVC water guns

[HLover]

2 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

Suddenly four grown men started violently whipping buckets of water

I am guessing they were shirtless?

[ThaiWai]

8 minutes ago, HLover said:

I am guessing they were shirtless?

Yeah they lost more and more clothes as the day went on. The girls are both smoking too and to be fair I expect them to get attention from young horny guys I just don't appreciate the violent nature of it. 

[poanoi]

2 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

90% of the time,  if someone is ruining songkran or taking things to far, its a westerner. Eyes, ears, moving vehicles, old lady pushing a noodle cart home.

 

Thai people certainly do stupid things but if you watch them, you get an idea of whats appropriate. 

 

 

 

 

no, and no.

its by far and away more thais that has blasted my eyes than westerners,

it is exclusively thais that are hellbent on grouping woman

using songkran as cover, take off those rose tinted glasses and smell the coffee 

[fulhamboy]

21 hours ago, poanoi said:

that is not tourist specific, thais aim for the eyes just as much.

the purpose is to cause as much discomfort as possible,

and that is why motorcyclists are No.1 target, they are easy prey

and likely to have a violent accident as a result of the attack, causing secondary wounds that have a good chance to be even more painful,

all the while the offender can hide in the crowd and claim innocent

Yesterday on Soi Bintabaht it was only the tourists aiming at peoples eyes  

[poanoi]

1 minute ago, fulhamboy said:

Yesterday on Soi Bintabaht it was only the tourists aiming at peoples eyes  

yesterday on kom ti din rd it was only thais attackers,

and the only attacker i got within reach of attacked my eyes

[HLover]

38 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

Yeah they lost more and more clothes as the day went on. The girls are both smoking too and to be fair I expect them to get attention from young horny guys I just don't appreciate the violent nature of it. 

Shirtless and those 'bunny' brand tight fitting vest wearing types along with the fatties with the xxxxL Singha/Chang/Muay Thai vests are best avoided this time of the year.

[JSixpack]

Since it became commonly realized years ago that this behavior is permissible and crashing a motorcyclist will go unpunished, the "festival" has attracted an even higher percentage of sadists and potential murderers. They live for this kind of thing.

[connda]

Why is it that you believe that this type of moronic activity is limited to tourists?

[1FinickyOne]

or is it that some people just feel that they can turn the holiday in to a license to be mean...?

[champers]

Songkram is a great time for Western tourists who want to play out their Hollywood action man fantasies, free from any repercussions. The other 51 weeks of the year they are non-descript nobodies.

[farcanell]

16 hours ago, joeyg said:

There was some scumbag Brit in front of the Corner Bar today who started taking peoples hats from them and wearing them. That didn't go over well.  Then he started stopping scooters turning off the engines and calling on the crowd to throw water at them.  This went on for a good while.  Then he started stopping scooters, turning the engine off and taking the keys out.  There were some very pissed off people then.  I decided to leave at that point.  Low life scumbag...

lol.... that’s the time to start taking videos, not run away.

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, Thongkorn said:

It should be Law that you can give them a sharp smack in the mouth.that usualy makes bully’s think.

If there is a crowd roundabout, never mind the law, just do it. but only if it's a westerner, then disappear in with the crowd.

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, joeyg said:

There was some scumbag Brit in front of the Corner Bar today who started taking peoples hats from them and wearing them. That didn't go over well.  Then he started stopping scooters turning off the engines and calling on the crowd to throw water at them.  This went on for a good while.  Then he started stopping scooters, turning the engine off and taking the keys out.  There were some very pissed off people then.  I decided to leave at that point.  Low life scumbag...

If he was just by himself you should have just blootered him, as you say, a lowlife scumbag, there is one poster who gave you a saddo, unbelievable.

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, joeyg said:

I must say I have not seen Thais aiming for the eyes and ears in my experience.  I'm sure there's exceptions.

I would agree with that, it is only these scumbag farangs who do that.

[HLover]

17 hours ago, joeyg said:

in front of the Corner Bar today

Shocking as that bar normally is catering to an exclusive high class crowd, must be lowered Songkran standards.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, sanemax said:

I went out yesterday and someone threw an hand grenade at me , well dangerous , I wont be going out again today , caused a huge pothole in the road . 

What did you do to provoke him? 

[bkkgriz]

My very first trip to Thailand included a trip to Pattaya during Songkran. Huge mistake. I was unaware of the holiday and had no idea what to expect. I vividly remember a dude riding a motorcycle down soi 8. Huge mistake. Some douchebag farang drilled him with a jet of water from a PVC pipe gun and the dude went down and hit his head on the steps of a beer bar. I thought the dude was going to die right there. Blood was gushing out of a massive head wound. That event pretty much turned me off of Songkran. When I lived in Thailand I hated that holiday. It could be a nice peaceful holiday if it were celebrated in the traditional style, but it has devolved into a massive contest to see who can be the biggest a$$hole. 

[HLover]

Reading a book before traveling and some minor schedule changes would make Songkran tolerable for the water phobic.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

100% agree with the OP, and ask the same question every year. Westerners who seem to think its all about blasting the old thai lady pushing a noodle cart.

 

90% of the time,  if someone is ruining songkran or taking things to far, its a westerner. Eyes, ears, moving vehicles, old lady pushing a noodle cart home.

 

Its not hard to work out who is actively out for a water fight, and who is just passing by. Everyone expects to get wet but there is an appropriate level of involvement and areas where its appropriate

 

If you are set up at your local bar and its game on with the bar across the road, go crazy, everyone is there for the same reason, but even then, eyes and ears with a high power gun is just stupid.

You dont set up out the front of the bank and blast people who are obviously not that engaged. Yes, people expect to get wet, but not blasted in the eye with the super soaker 5,000. 

 

Thai people certainly do stupid things but if you watch them, you get an idea of whats appropriate. 

 

 

 

 

"90% of the time,  if someone is ruining songkran or taking things to far, its a westerner. Eyes, ears, moving vehicles."

Down the road from me right now, there are people throwing water over moving vehicles, and not one of them is a westerner.

[0815]

17 hours ago, joeyg said:

There was some scumbag Brit in front of the Corner Bar today who started taking peoples hats from them and wearing them. That didn't go over well.  Then he started stopping scooters turning off the engines and calling on the crowd to throw water at them.  This went on for a good while.  Then he started stopping scooters, turning the engine off and taking the keys out.  There were some very pissed off people then.  I decided to leave at that point.  Low life scumbag...

Is he still alive ?

[HLover]

Just now, 0815 said:

Is he still alive ?

Well, he is a dopey looking mouth breather, if you count that as alive.  Then yes, he is living.

[0815]

5 minutes ago, HLover said:

Well, he is a dopey looking mouth breather, if you count that as alive.  Then yes, he is living.

Bcoz he didn't touch my keys 

 

[bkkgriz]

15 minutes ago, HLover said:

Reading a book before traveling and some minor schedule changes would make Songkran tolerable for the water phobic.

Funny, my 800-page Lonely Planet I purchased before my trip back in 2001 didn't mention that Songkran was an alcohol-fueled, filthy, ice water throwing contest for the brain-dead. LP put spun it as a beautiful festival where kids wash their parents' feet to show respect. Sometimes one has to live and learn.

[Acemaker]

On 4/13/2018 at 1:18 PM, xylophone said:

Agree...........had one guy step into the road and poke his gun in the smallest of gaps I had between the helmet and visor in order to squirt water in my eye. I was furious and called him some unprintable words, whereby he just replied............"it's Songkran". A-hole.

These Knobs all fallout of the Woodwork at this time of the Year, total Boneheads, sadly there a Dime a Dozen here now, it never used to be this contaminated.

[Acemaker]

56 minutes ago, bkkgriz said:

Funny, my 800-page Lonely Planet I purchased before my trip back in 2001 didn't mention that Songkran was an alcohol-fueled, filthy, ice water throwing contest for the brain-dead. LP put spun it as a beautiful festival where kids wash their parents' feet to show respect. Sometimes one has to live and learn.

Excellent Reply !

[HLover]

1 hour ago, bkkgriz said:

Funny, my 800-page Lonely Planet I purchased before my trip back in 2001 didn't mention that Songkran was an alcohol-fueled, filthy, ice water throwing contest for the brain-dead. LP put spun it as a beautiful festival where kids wash their parents' feet to show respect. Sometimes one has to live and learn.

I did not know you were that old, the word 'dude' threw me off. 

[tropo]

On 4/13/2018 at 1:47 PM, poanoi said:

that is not tourist specific, thais aim for the eyes just as much.

the purpose is to cause as much discomfort as possible,

and that is why motorcyclists are No.1 target, they are easy prey

and likely to have a violent accident as a result of the attack, causing secondary wounds that have a good chance to be even more painful,

all the while the offender can hide in the crowd and claim innocent

Exactly right! The OP doesn't understand that society is full of sadistic and otherwise nasty people with no human decency. Songkran gives them the opportunity to have their fun at the expense of others with no consequences. 

 

The OP is also dead wrong about pegging tourists as the main offenders. With Thais, there's also the element of hatred towards foreigners that comes out in certain crowds. Songkran gives them a chance to vent and attack foreigners.

 

I should add, most of this doesn't apply to Songkran Day itself when everyone goes crazy. It's more in the lead up to the main day. They sit and wait for their targets. For example, I got hit with a bucket of ice water after 10 pm coming home from shopping by a Thai on a back street. That was a malicious act, with no fun intended. I have also been targeted directly in the face at close range by Thais with high-pressure guns. On a couple of occasions, I confiscated their guns LOL. I grabbed them, took off then dumped them down the road.

[poanoi]

3 minutes ago, tropo said:

Exactly right! The OP doesn't understand that society is full of sadistic and otherwise nasty people with no human decency. Songkran gives them the opportunity to have their fun at the expense of others with no consequences. 

 

The OP is also dead wrong about pegging tourists as the main offenders. With Thais, there's also the element of hatred towards foreigners that comes out in certain crowds. Songkran gives them a chance to vent and attack foreigners.

 

I should add, most of this doesn't apply to Songkran Day itself when everyone goes crazy. It's more in the lead up to the main day. They sit and wait for their targets. For example, I got hit with a bucket of ice water after 10 pm coming home from shopping by a Thai on a back street. That was a malicious act, with no fun intended. I have also been targeted directly in the face at close range by Thais with high-pressure guns. On a couple of occasions, I confiscated their guns LOL. I grabbed them, took off then dumped them down the road.

lol ! why didnt i think of that ?!

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

What did you do to provoke him? 

I ate his dog for dinner

[watcharacters]

3 hours ago, fulhamboy said:

Yesterday on Soi Bintabaht it was only the tourists aiming at peoples eyes  

 

 

Would you say things are getting more and more violent in Hua Hin?