I know that most Thais are totally immersed in the need to 'show off' in an attempt to feel good about their social standing, so when a family has a party, they want everybody to hear it, but once the volume gets beyond a certain point, they are damaging their hearing.

I had this thrust in my face twice yesterday. Next to our house we run a small residential apartment block and the house on the opposite side of the narrow soi had a 'ghost party'. It was bad enough that they blocked the soi for the entire day and the party participants blocked entrance to the residence occupants from literally being able to open their doors because of parked motorcycles or people sitting on plastic chairs. When the sound check started at 7am, and the glass was rattling in our window frames, I knew what we were in for. We obviously left for most of the day, although our trip to Airport Plaza included putting up with a lady bellowing into a microphone at a ridiculous volume to half a dozen people not 2m in front of her about some phone or other.

When the ghost party music finally stopped and they started to pack up at 17:40, we thought we could look forward to a relatively peaceful evening. Unfortunately this was not the case. The village school held a graduation party for the M.3 finishers, which involved a truck blocking the road and moving very slowly the 1.5km from one end of the village to the other from 18:00 to 22:00 with the loudest clubbing music and super-bright laser lights for a few gyrating teenagers in front of it. Our house vibrated and rattled for a few more hours as a consequence, and all I could think was why would the school think this was a good idea?

 

Everyone knows that you can't have fun without making noise. It follows that noise made is directly proportional to fun had. More noise = more fun.

 

 

I have lived in various parts of the world and in almost all locations where I have lived, the locals manage to be loud, irritating and anti social where music and parties are concerned.  China, Hong Kong, Malta and Thailand are the worst I have had the misfortune to come across.  

Your thinking about this from a Western angle. They are being considerate by turning up the volume so that everyone can enjoy it rather than selfishly keeping it to themselves.

 

Think i am joking? Was visiting with a friend to a house in the middle of rice fields with another house further along blaring out music at an insane level - our host pointed out how considerate it was of their neighbour to turn up the volume high enough they they could enjoy it too.

 

Hopefully, this will help explain in this Buddhist nation. ????

5 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Your thinking about this from a Western angle. They are being considerate by turning up the volume so that everyone can enjoy it rather than selfishly keeping it to themselves.

 

Think i am joking? Was visiting with a friend to a house in the middle of rice fields with another house further along blaring out music at an insane level - our host pointed out how considerate it was of their neighbour to turn up the volume high enough they they could enjoy it too.

 

Spat out my coffee !  Thanks for this. ????

For me its not the volume or even the choice of music, its the distortion, playing music beyond the limits of the amp/speakers. At some point, turning the volume knob doesn't make it louder it just makes it sound bad.

4 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Your thinking about this from a Western angle. They are being considerate by turning up the volume so that everyone can enjoy it rather than selfishly keeping it to themselves.

 

Think i am joking? Was visiting with a friend to a house in the middle of rice fields with another house further along blaring out music at an insane level - our host pointed out how considerate it was of their neighbour to turn up the volume high enough they they could enjoy it too.

 

sounds like the idiots in hot hatch backs, who seem to think that others enjoy their rap music on full volume as they cruise around looking cool. 

32 minutes ago, NotEinstein said:

once the volume gets beyond a certain point, they are damaging their hearing.

What was that again.

1 day err wait for a 7 day funeral at the same place.

I go stay in a G/H when neighbours next us have funerals.

36 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

I have lived in various parts of the world and in almost all locations where I have lived, the locals manage to be loud, irritating and anti social where music and parties are concerned.  China, Hong Kong, Malta and Thailand are the worst I have had the misfortune to come across.  

Malta? That surprises me. I have a very good Maltese friend who goes back regularly to visit family and he never mentions noise, and he's one of these people that changes hotel rooms if the aircon squeaks.

Just now, giddyup said:

Malta? That surprises me. I have a very good Maltese friend who goes back regularly to visit family and he never mentions noise, and he's one of these people that changes hotel rooms if the aircon squeaks.

haha, ask him about the fire works. "bang, bang, bang, explosion", drives you crazy.  

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

haha, ask him about the fire works. "bang, bang, bang, explosion", drives you crazy.  

Yeah, but is that every day or just for festivals?

Just now, giddyup said:

Yeah, but is that every day or just for festivals?

It's Malta, they seem to have festivals every weekend. Each village has its own set of festivals through the year, as well as the National ones and of course, in an island 27km by 14.5km, all the villages seem to be on top of one another, so its pretty much constant. That said, I loved my 2.5 years living there, and the Maltese, who are a friendly and welcoming people, at least they used to be,  I haven't been back in 10 years. 

18 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

haha, ask him about the fire works. "bang, bang, bang, explosion", drives you crazy.  

The Germans made more noise and mess there than the locals..????

1 hour ago, NotEinstein said:

and all I could think was why would the school think this was a good idea?

A very good question.

Let me throw out some ideas.

1. Why would the school think....." I have bolded the word "think" as you have made an assumption there was a thought process behind the decision. Maybe there wasn't. Maybe every year, every celebration, the bloke with the van with the speakers gets hired. No thought involved.

2. NOTICE ME! The school wishes to be noticed in the most obvious, impossible to ignore, way it can. It wishes to remind everybody that it exists and it provides M.3 certificates. Blowing its own trumpet, literally. Counteracting any negative news that may be floating around the community.

3. Party = noise. End of.

4. You are assuming the decision-maker at the school has a level of sophistication. I have worked in Thai universities and I can assure you many of the ajarns are not academic types. So, they actually like high-decibel vans and they are so clueless they project their perceptions on to the community, in the case of the noisy pick-up, quite literally. I like it, so everybody else must like it.

47 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

For me its not the volume or even the choice of music, its the distortion, playing music beyond the limits of the amp/speakers. At some point, turning the volume knob doesn't make it louder it just makes it sound bad.

True. I have been at concert where the level was clearly more than these speakers can put out but the distortion here and the fact that they are tone death doesn't help.

There was a kind of poetic justice, as the 'ghost party' hosts have a small grandson, and at 21:00 I saw them trying to console him because of the extreme noise and weird flashing lights in the sky - they didn't look happy.....

problem is thais have no sense of setting the bass correctly, they just have full bass so when the music is turned up loud it is distorted to buggery. I actually adjusted the bass at one work party my wife organized so the music sounded pretty good at full volume but within minutes another idiot came and turned the bass back to full again, they have no sense of what music should actually sound like

 

One of my Thai neighbours had a major heart attack and died very recently while attending a nearby village "musical festival" this was at midday, they did turn the music down after he had passed - for about five minutes, he was young, mid forties and apparently? had some sort of valve in his heart.

His parents held a all night wake for him a couple of days later & hired the biggest nosiest speaker van possible and played music for him all night long until the police eventually came and shut them down in the early hours, for me - hard to understand!

Was at a function where they had a pickup with bass speakers (you know the ones) that was playing with such low bass that I could actually feel my kidneys vibrating (Motocrossers wear kidney belts for a reason). Our host comes on the mike and announces very sadly that the truck would have to leave earlier than expected and apologised. I was not sad to hear this - I had just been saved from kidney damage.

Thais are without doubt the most selfish inconsiderate people I have ever come across.

I spend a lot of my days and nights with ear plugs and noise reducing headphones.

Sometimes even book into a hotel to escape their selfish actions.

No wonder they shout all the time. They must all be death.

Just now, Justin Side said:

Thais are without doubt the most selfish inconsiderate people I have ever come across.

I spend a lot of my days and nights with ear plugs and noise reducing headphones.

Sometimes even book into a hotel to escape their selfish actions.

No wonder they shout all the time. They must all be death.

You are waving a red rag in front of the "well if you don't like it you know where the airport is" crowd.

1 minute ago, Justin Side said:

Thais are without doubt the most selfish inconsiderate people I have ever come across.

I spend a lot of my days and nights with ear plugs and noise reducing headphones.

Sometimes even book into a hotel to escape their selfish actions.

No wonder they shout all the time. They must all be death.

If they make a noise they ain't dead chum....????

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

What was that again.

1 day err wait for a 7 day funeral at the same place.

I go stay in a G/H when neighbours next us have funerals.

What if a ghost shows up at the funeral??  Two weeks? ????

 

Its posts like the OP’s that  make me laugh when many guys up in Isarn blab on about how they never could live in BKK! 20 winters in BKK and not one ghost party or street funeral or chickens even. 

You chose to live in Thailand.  You can choose not to.  But one thing is for sure, You WILL Not change this place.  Accept or leave.  I wish I can give you the solution you seek, however we are all faced with the same option.  BJ is making leaving an easier option now.  I hope you find peace in your village.

4 minutes ago, mike787 said:

You chose to live in Thailand.  You can choose not to.  But one thing is for sure, You WILL Not change this place.  Accept or leave.  I wish I can give you the solution you seek, however we are all faced with the same option.  BJ is making leaving an easier option now.  I hope you find peace in your village.

Whilst we do live here , are we allowed to comment about aspects of living here ?

and let me guess, not one of the people that were "inconvenienced" said a dicky bird! They more than likely just smiled in that inane way that is obviously not due to amusement, but falls short of anything negative. They are so scared of losing face that they would rather burn to death than utter a word of negativity. Until they can change their attitude towards this "Face" and their outlook on "responsibility / actions / consequences" then this country will remain a third world backwater, full of corruption.

2 hours ago, mokwit said:

Your thinking about this from a Western angle. They are being considerate by turning up the volume so that everyone can enjoy it rather than selfishly keeping it to themselves.

 

Think i am joking? Was visiting with a friend to a house in the middle of rice fields with another house further along blaring out music at an insane level - our host pointed out how considerate it was of their neighbour to turn up the volume high enough they they could enjoy it too.

 

 

All Thais must defend other Thais against criticism........if the critic is a foreigner.

 

Your hosts actually think their neighbour is a noisy, pain in the a***.

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, the truck driver was told to turn the volume down by a young guy with a 1-year old daughter unable to sleep. When he was ignored, he picked up a rock, and all of a sudden the 'fixed on max' became unstuck. Shame he waited so long....