Are Thais the most gracious people in the world ?

[mauGR1]

Are Thais the most gracious people on the planet ?

My answer is Yes, as, despite all the negative things we hear on TVF, tourists and retirees keep on coming year after year.

Personally i love all Asian cultures, with all their pros and cons, but i wonder if there is another country in the world where everyday interactions are so smooth, and the people are more relaxed.

Please discuss.

[KhunProletariat]

Absolutely, positively, unequivocally, undeniably, categorically, unquestionably, definitely....NOT.

 

KP.

[marcusarelus]

Nobody is.  People are people and don't automatically conform to the old fashioned notion of ethnic stereotypes.  Back in the days of Rudyard Kipling it was fashionable to refer to people by racial and/or ethnic stereotypes. 

 So ’ere ’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your ’ome in the Soudan;

    You ’re a pore benighted ’eathen but a first-class fightin’ man;

 

Some folks may interpret the above as a compliment when actually it is the basest of insults. 

 

Thais are no more nor less than anyone else.  Bad parents, no education and lack of money produces bad people in Bangkok or Glasgow. 

 

 

[mauGR1]

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

Nobody is.  People are people and don't automatically conform to the old fashioned notion of ethnic stereotypes.  Back in the days of Rudyard Kipling it was fashionable to refer to people by racial and/or ethnic stereotypes. 

 So ’ere ’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your ’ome in the Soudan;

    You ’re a pore benighted ’eathen but a first-class fightin’ man;

 

Some folks may interpret the above as a compliment when actually it is the basest of insults. 

 

Thais are no more nor less than anyone else.  Bad parents, no education and lack of money produces bad people in Bangkok or Glasgow. 

 

 

I disagree.

Culture , traditions, climate to name just a few factors, can have a huge influence on people's behaviour.

Of course bad or no parenting, poverty, can have a huge influence too.

[Lacessit]

Apart from the bar and karaoke areas, where the toughs of all nationalities gather to show off their muscles, I would say most Thais are courteous and forbearing. All one has to do is reciprocate.

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, mauGR1 said:

Are Thais the most gracious people on the planet ?

No. Raucous maybe, though the Chinese would give them a run for their money.

[KittenKong]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I would say most Thais are courteous and forbearing.

Is that the same as being gracious? I dont think so.

[canthai55]

My experience - after 15 years - reflects yours.

I have been helped by total strangers more times in LOS than anywhere I have ever lived.

Northern Thai people are kind, gracious, fun loving, quick to laugh, eager to talk to you even if your Thai is as bad as their English.

Why I live here.

Canada - self centered, eye on the bottom line, sucked in by the Big Banks to pay huge amounts of money over 40 years for a place to hang their hat, obsessed is the word.

[mauGR1]

3 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I would say most Thais are courteous and forbearing.

Is that the same as being gracious? I dont think so.

I would class courteous and forbearing as gracious.

[Kwasaki]

Absolutely if you have money otherwise you a liability. 

[Spidey]

When they are gracious, they are the most gracious people in the world. When they are ungracious, they are the most ungracious in the world.

 

Yes Thais can be very gracious but there are many, many exceptions to the rule. Millions of them.

 

Edit: The younger generation in particular seem to be losing this quality.

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

Are Thais the most gracious people on the planet ?

They absolutely are, until you argue or disagree with them, in which case they will pull a gun and shoot you (and their inlaws, and their children).

[KhunProletariat]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

They absolutely are, until you argue or disagree with them, in which case they will pull a gun and shoot you (and their inlaws, and their children).

Sad but true.

 

They just can't handle being wrong.

 

KP.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

Canada - self centered, eye on the bottom line, sucked in by the Big Banks to pay huge amounts of money over 40 years for a place to hang their hat, obsessed is the word.

Give the weed a while to work!

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

No. Raucous maybe, though the Chinese would give them a run for their money.

Chinese are courteous, polite and helpful in one-on-one situations. In a group, they become animals. I am libelling animals.

[madmen]

Farang comes here as a tourist. Walking around with the a stupid grin [emoji16] and gets lots of smiles from thais

 

[emoji673] Fast forward comes back as an expat and after 5 years becomes a financially struggling jaded alcoholic with a bar girl GF living in some dirty old fan room and discovers TV an it's all downhill from there.

 

Nothing wrong with the Thais it's the expats that start falling apart.

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

9 minutes ago, madmen said:

Farang comes here as a tourist. Walking around with the a stupid grin and gets lots of smiles from thais

 

Fast forward comes back as an expat and after 5 years becomes a financially struggling jaded alcoholic with a bar girl GF living in some dirty old fan room and discovers TV an it's all downhill from there.

 

Nothing wrong with the Thais it's the expats that start falling apart.

 

 

 

Seems your glass is half empty.

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, madmen said:

after 5 years becomes a financially struggling jaded alcoholic with a bar girl GF living in some dirty old fan room

I enjoyed the 'bar girl GF' times, and always had enough money for aircon.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

Perhaps surprisingly to some, given the negative media coverage, I would say that some Arab countries' citizens are the most gracious by far; for example, I have received nothing but kindness, thoughtfulness and consideration from Jordanians in my visits there.

I would qualify such a statement though, by pointing out that, if you want genuine graciousness, you should avoid tourist areas in most countries, where people are largely paid to offer the veneer of grace. 

I would add Iran to my list too, though it is not an Arab country; ordinary people are extraordinarily kind and generous, given their oppressive circumstances.

[Justgrazing]

My local fruit shop seller is one of the most pleasant people you could meet .. always smiles , always want's to converse in English to improve her's .. A pleasure to do business with .. 50 metres down the road the girl's sat on their butts outside the massage shop are the opposite when you swerve the attempted pavement hijacking to divert you into their shop displaying a childish stamp of the feet , snort and that stupid Oi noise they make when they can't get their own way .. 

And that I find is across the board here .. everything is fine so long as you are parting with money .. as soon as you decline they are unable to accept it with good grace and revert to a juvenile cold shoulder of indifference that can border on hostility towards you .. 

Personally I think they all need to grow up sometimes and accept that Johnny Farang's has as much a right to say No as the expectation on their part that we will always say Yes .. 

[rumak]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

My experience - after 15 years - reflects yours.

I have been helped by total strangers more times in LOS than anywhere I have ever lived.

Northern Thai people are kind, gracious, fun loving, quick to laugh, eager to talk to you even if your Thai is as bad as their English.

Why I live here.

Canada - self centered, eye on the bottom line, sucked in by the Big Banks to pay huge amounts of money over 40 years for a place to hang their hat, obsessed is the word.

AH yes, Northern thailand !  I would sing its praises but then just more farangs would come.  Thankfully most of them are bee like creatures that must live in colonies ( cities).  I have lived in Chiangrai province,

Ampur Fang,  Doi Saket, and now......not saying ( but outside of CM).  In all those years I have never been in a restaurant or public place of any kind (outside of tourist areas) where I could feel tension and anger.  Go to markets, hot springs, whatever.... the thais seem happy and carefree.  Because of my western upbringing it has been a very long road to reach that state of being....still working on it  haha . ( yes,to many farangs critical of thais, they are boring, not intellectual, blah blah....but that  is not the topic here)  .  I like living without stress.  Many areas where SOME farangs can fit in and feel good.  Gracious indeed

[sirineou]

4 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

Are Thais the most gracious people on the planet ?

Thais rate up there IMO. but I withhold  judgment until I meet all the people in the planet.  

[zzaa09]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

My experience - after 15 years - reflects yours.

I have been helped by total strangers more times in LOS than anywhere I have ever lived.

Northern Thai people are kind, gracious, fun loving, quick to laugh, eager to talk to you even if your Thai is as bad as their English.

Why I live here.

Canada - self centered, eye on the bottom line, sucked in by the Big Banks to pay huge amounts of money over 40 years for a place to hang their hat, obsessed is the word.

.....and the famed bawdy Thai sense of humour. 

Nowhere else comes close. 

[ted4647]

Gracious...?  Mmm  Id say stupidity is more than definitely a factor in their make up,in fact Forrest Gump would be classed as a blessed saint compared to the majority of them

[mauGR1]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

They absolutely are, until you argue or disagree with them, in which case they will pull a gun and shoot you (and their inlaws, and their children).

Not the majority of them obviously, it's ok to read the (bad) news, but reading too many news gives you a distorted view of the big picture.

[mauGR1]

22 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Thais rate up there IMO. but I withhold  judgment until I meet all the people in the planet.  

That's why i was hoping to hear from world travellers.

I found people in Laos to be very gracious too.

[sirineou]

15 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

That's why i was hoping to hear from world travellers.

I found people in Laos to be very gracious too.

The short answer is, NO! Thais are not the most gracious people in the world.  No one in the world is the most. some are better at this and worst at that, others are better at that and worst at this, In the final analysis they are people and the do what people do. 

 

How one gets along with people from other countries, or for that matter his own kind, IMO depends on one's personality.

One always find what one looks for.

 

[mauGR1]

2 minutes ago, sirineou said:

 

 

How one gets along with people from other countries, or for that matter his own kind, IMO depends on one's personality.

One always find what one looks for.

 

I can agree with that.

It's not like being gracious means to be perfect by all means, one can be gracious by spending the whole day laying in a hammock.

[sirineou]

3 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

I can agree with that.

It's not like being gracious means to be perfect by all means, one can be gracious by spending the whole day laying in a hammock.

I know what you mean, my wife always tell me to go away and stop annoying her, sometimes the graciouse thing to do is leave people alone .

 Personally I think it is my perfection that annoys people. i try to convince them not to hate me for being beautiful but for some reason I they don't get it.  

[KhunProletariat]

1 hour ago, rumak said:

AH yes, Northern thailand !  I would sing its praises but then just more farangs would come.

What do you think you are then, Thai?

 

KP.