Are things changing?

[petedk]

I was reading another topic about someone having difficulty entering Thailand and one or two of the other comments were something in the lines of "have you noticed that Thais look at us differently?" or "do they really want us?" and this made me think about several incidents that have happened to me during the past 4 or 5 months. I put their anger down to the fact that I walk my adopted street dog on the soi, but maybe their is something deeper.

 

One day I was walking along the soi and suddenly a Mercedes pulled up in front of me and the driver kept her hand on the horn for at leat 3 or 4 minutes. The husband jumped out of the car and in very good English screamed at me as to why " I was letting my dog shit on his property". I asked him to show me where she "shit" as the "property" is a small piece of wasteland about 15 cm by 150 cm in front of his house. I always carry a plastic bag to pick up the droppings. Anyway, he screamed at me "You lie, you lie, you always lie." "Farang come here and make big problems for Thai people". He then threatened to shoot me and my dog if he saw me again. All the time his wife had her hand on the car horn.

 

Another day I was driving in our soi and about 7 or 8 cars were parked in a line on the opposite side of the road, thus blocking oncoming traffic. I had passed about 4 cars when another car came from the opposite direction and blocked my exit. I waited and he started blowing his horn, so i got out and politely signalled to him to reverse a little so that I could continue. The next thing I know the soi "sheriff" came and started screaming at me. "Farang back, farang back." I spoke Thai to him and said that I was almost out when the other car came in front of me. "Farang back, farang back."  He didn't see my Thai wife sitting next to me and she started shouting at him, to which he suddenly calmed down and asked the other car to reverse a little.

 

The last incident was also a few weeks ago. I was walking down the main soi and turned into a sub-soi with my dog at 5.30 in the morning, when suddenly I heard a lot of screaming behind me. I wondered what on earth was happening and turned round to see the "sheriff" shouting at me. This time he spoke half Thai and half English. I wasn't allowed to take my dog down that soi. It was illegal as there was a "school" on the corner.

I laughed and said something about "of course I can walk here, I see many Thai people walk their dogs here". He was still screaming and shouting and threatened to call the police. ( I thought he was a policeman as he always wears a police helmet and a bright orange vest with "Police" written on it ". Anyway the cleaners came out and asked what was happening. I explained in thai that i walk my dog down every sub soi and if it makes a mess I have a plastic bag to pick the mess up in. They were very polite and said that were a lot of dog droppings along the road. They also knew that it was a Thai lady who walked her dog there. 

 

Anyway, I think generally Thai people are very friendly, but i do feel more hostility than 20 years ago when I came here.

 

I don't want this to be turned into a Thai bashing thread because many of my good friends are Thai and they actually agree with me.

 

Having said that I feel Thais are a little more hostile to foreigners, maybe this is a world wide trend now. 

 

 

[Swiss1960]

You really seem to be the heart, soul and joy of your soi.....

That said, I never had a Thai shout at me or threaten me in all the years I live here now... only some faring blokes who think themselves kings of the world...

Sent from my SM-A730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[petedk]

14 minutes ago, Swiss1960 said:

You really seem to be the heart, soul and joy of your soi.....

That said, I never had a Thai shout at me or threaten me in all the years I live here now... only some faring blokes who think themselves kings of the world...

Sent from my SM-A730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

haha I get on well with most people (including the farangs who live here)

 

As I said, I have been here 20 years and never experienced it either.

[GeorgeCross]

yeah i never seem to have any problems with any thais here.

 

the last 'village' i lived on i got on really well with all my neighbors, the village meets were at my house and they all come to my new house to give presents to my boys on their birthdays every year, plus we get invited to loads of events, temple stuff and whatever

 

maybe the OP got unlucky where he lives, there are <deleted> in every country after all but for me thais seem nice enough. more friendly than the grumpy c*nts back in my home town anyway 

 

head down, be pleasant, always smile, know when to back down but be strong enough not to come across as a doormat.

 

think they call that manners.

 

 

 

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

Living in a rural village this sounds like stories from another planet

[petedk]

2 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

yeah i never seem to have any problems with any thais here.

 

the last 'village' i lived on i got on really well with all my neighbors, the village meets were at my house and they all come to my new house to give presents to my boys on their birthdays every year, plus we get invited to loads of events, temple stuff and whatever

 

maybe the OP got unlucky where he lives, there are <deleted> in every country after all but for me thais seem nice enough. more friendly than the grumpy c*nts back in my home town anyway 

 

head down, be pleasant, always smile, know when to back down but be strong enough not to come across as a doormat.

 

think they call that manners.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with you. I have been here long enough to know how to behave. As I said the staff from the school were very polite and now they talk to me and my dog every day.

 

Even the road sweepers love to talk to the dog and ask me to teach them a word of English each time I meet them.

 

Maybe these 2 people have inferiority complexes. The "sheriff" is a little dark skinned man who never wears a shirt except when wearing his police helmet and directing the traffic. Everyone in the soi knows him and call him "the black man".

I met a lady the other day driving her Mercedes (yes they all have big cars here) and she couldn't get into her subsoi as a parked car was blocking the entrance. She talked to me for a good 15 minutes while the traffic had difficulties getting around the rear end of her car. She knew my hometown in England and asked why on earth I came to such a hot country and so on. I offered to help her but she said she could calmly wait "for the black man" to come.

[petedk]

6 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Living in a rural village this sounds like stories from another planet

I guess people in big cities are generally more aggressive and stressed.

This is between Ekamai and Thong Lor.

[RoadWarrior371]

Poppycock.  Things are as good as eveh.  Me and my Bros may take a canoe trip soon...........

 

[from the home of CC]

24 minutes ago, petedk said:

haha I get on well with most people (including the farangs who live here)

 

As I said, I have been here 20 years and never experienced it either.

If you've never experienced it in 20 yrs why would say 'Thai hostility is maybe a world wide trend now'? And how long has this been 'trending'? Get rid of the mongrel and maybe you won't piss off so many people.

[XLance]

15 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Living in a rural village this sounds like stories from another planet

It does; I definitely have other issues in my village (with ~50% illiteracy, what should I expect), but hostility towards foreigners is not one of them.

[nikmar]

since moving to Thailand, ive only ever really been shouted at on Thaivisa. To be honest, the only problem I have with neighbours is that they keep buying my family and i food, to which we have to reciprocate. It's now an ongoing thing and we seem to be trying to out do each other with bigger, more expensive gifts. 

[GeorgeCross]

funny thing is take a thai friend (male) out for a few games of pool in our world and he wais everyone he meets like a crazy man.

 

same same but different i suppose!

[GeorgeCross]

1 minute ago, nikmar said:

since moving to Thailand, ive only ever really been shouted at on Thaivisa. To be honest, the only problem I have with neighbours is that they keep buying my family and i food, to which we have to reciprocate. It's now an ongoing thing and we seem to be trying to out do each other with bigger, more expensive gifts. 

 

hahaha the "honey we have to stop buy food" after a trip somewhere.. "ah come on you not still hungry!?" - "no no for neighbours lol"

 

yeah universal that one ????

[robblok]

I got one of those idiots too complaining when I walk with my dog through the park. I got a poop scoop and take my dogs droppings away too. So I told him to complain to other Thais and not me because I was doing the right thing. He did not want to stop so I just ignored him. You got racist idiots everywhere and this guy obviously wanted to show who is boss. 

 

The rest of the people don't care much about what I am doing with my dog as they see i pick stuff up so no problems. There will always be idiots and racists you see them here on the board too always complaining about Thais so why would there not be Thais that are the same.

[petedk]

Ho. Maybe you are a little aggressive.
Maybe I didn't make it clear as I was in a hurry.
I didn't mean Thai hostility. I still believe Thais are some of the friendliest people.
I meant people all over the world seem to be getting more hostile to foreigners in their country.
Take a look at Trump or the UK .

If you've never experienced it in 20 yrs why would say 'Thai hostility is maybe a world wide trend now'? And how long has this been 'trending'? Get rid of the mongrel and maybe you won't piss off so many people.

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[robblok]

For sure all over the world people are getting more hostile to foreigners you see it everywhere. Now we are at the receiving end gives us a good perspective.

 

I always have to laugh about people who think that Thais should welcome us and then they with the same post start complaining about foreigners in their own country.

 

(and no that is not you)

[watcharacters]

1 hour ago, from the home of CC said:

 Get rid of the mongrel and maybe you won't piss off so many people.

 

Sounds like you're blaming the   innocent pooch for all the issues.

 

The OP sounds like he's doing the right thing by carrying plastic bags with him to clean up after his dog.    Maybe his neighbors don't understand  his  use of the plastic bags.

[from the home of CC]

1 minute ago, watcharacters said:

 

Sounds like you're blaming the   innocent pooch for all the issues.

 

The OP sounds like he's doing the right thing by carrying plastic bags with him to clean up after his dog.    Maybe his neighbors don't understand  his  use of the plastic bags.

no such thing as an innocent pooch, they are all innately evil???????? 

[55Jay]

LOL, "Soi Sheriff", that's a good one!   

 

Probably just a case of simpleton's assumptions.  Fed up with dog shit on the street.  Need someone to blame.  They see you with a dog.  Tag, you're it!

 

And when you don't respond in-kind, and moreover, other Thais side with you and tell the Nutters why they are wrong, they lose face, and for some Thais, there's no coming back from that.  They'll carry on or possibly escalate as simply saying, "Oh, Jeez, I was wrong, sorry", isn't an option. 

 

Edit: Right, it's not unique or confined to Thailand.  Can get loopy neighbors anywhere. 

[mike787]

It's a good point.  Some locations more so in Thailand are as you describe than others.  Thais seem burned out from all the ethnic abuse from a large majority of foreigners poor cultural behaviors, we all expats/foreigners/farangs whatever we are called or perceived to be, are drag netted into a large xenophobic cleansing of judgment...they want us out and it is made VERY obvious by your observations and changes in immigration rules, or the strict enforcement of rules that have been long standing.  Regardless, Thailand is NOT Woodstock or Elysium.  That was all then, this is NOW.  2 options exist: stay and try to adjust, or leave to a new country.

[ThomasThBKK]

It's really only the ones in uniform that go on my tits. And i blame the government for that and not the thai people...

 

Besides the usuall hawker and taxi driver scammers i have no bad experiences with Thais at all aside the usual stuff everyone here is used to anyway.

[BritManToo]

42 minutes ago, Benroon said:

That is undoubtedly the case - the civilised world is lurching at speed to the right - great news for the xenophobes, the insecure and the racists - hardly good news for civilisation.

The current civilisation was invented and maintained by white folk.

Pointless to let the 'uncivilised' savages into our countries to destroy us from within.

Sadly we may have already let too many in to reverse the rot.

[petedk]

Yes, the neighbours know what I am doing with the plastic bag. They are quite impressed and praise me. They also talk about the 2 or 3 Thai people that walk with their dogs and just leave a mess.

As for the dog, most of the neighbours know it by name and talk to it. They also want to give it treats, but I have told them not to. They respect that.

 
Sounds like you're blaming the   innocent pooch for all the issues.
 
The OP sounds like he's doing the right thing by carrying plastic bags with him to clean up after his dog.    Maybe his neighbors don't understand  his  use of the plastic bags.

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[55Jay]

33 minutes ago, Benroon said:

That is undoubtedly the case - the civilised world is lurching at speed to the right - great news for the xenophobes, the insecure and the racists - hardly good news for civilisation.

In part, I chalk it up to the media bombardment of "news", 24/7.  They have to fill white space and air time.  Opinions and vitriol overtaking facts.  Polarization, receding into tribal/racial/ political or issue-based identity.

 

Exacerbated by the expansion of tech/internet/social media facilitating a withdrawal into ourselves.  Over time, social interaction, conversation and face-to-face conflict resolution skills, are dulled.  People can be wound so tight from the constant onslaught of negativity, they might start at 100 with a "<deleted> you!" straight away.  Or avoid confrontation, letting the tension build until one day, they blow up like a hand grenade. 

[colinneil]

Terrible people shouting like the OP says.

There is a cranky old bugger in our village that shouts, he is the only 1 that i know of.

My wife reckons he needs a good slap for shouting... What woman your gonna slap me... i am shocked.

[ballpoint]

3 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Terrible people shouting like the OP says.

There is a cranky old bugger in our village that shouts, he is the only 1 that i know of.

My wife reckons he needs a good slap for shouting... What woman your gonna slap me... i am shocked.

That's an excellent idea (no, not the slapping).  Every village has one cranky old bugger in it, so by filling that position yourself you allow the other residents to carry on being their good natured selves.

[Sticky Wicket]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

For sure all over the world people are getting more hostile to foreigners you see it everywhere. Now we are at the receiving end gives us a good perspective.

 

I always have to laugh about people who think that Thais should welcome us and then they with the same post start complaining about foreigners in their own country.

 

(and no that is not you)

A lot of the hostility in the west was originally about 'taking job's'.

Now it is about gaming the benefits system/healthcare etc.

 

Look at the Thai uproar if they think foreigners are stealing jobs in one part of the country.

 

Foreigners don't take a penny out of the system here & they put plenty in!

 

[ballpoint]

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Living in a rural village this sounds like stories from another planet

I don't know.  Once I tried to take my buffalo down a goat track and got loudly berated by the goat herder, and then the local pig impregnator came along in the opposite direction with his boar (I should stress, as far as I know, the boar does the impregnating, the guy just facilitates the arrangement), and shouted at both of us as a cattle herder tried to force his cows through the melee.  While all this was going on, a somtam seller parked her motorcycle nearby and started selling to the large crowd that had gathered to watch, and, before long, a bouncy castle, a throw the blunt darts at the balloons game, and several large speakers had been set up, and the local school was let out early so they could get in on it too.  The goat herder, pig impregnator and me shrugged our collective shoulders and sloped off for a few glasses of lao khao and some sticky rice, though I made them wash their hands before giving me any.

[tingtongtourist]

Did you ever consider the guy who speak good English might read Thaivisa?
that would explain the hostile nature.
lol
Serious tho, if its many people nearby treating you this way, theres always the chance you might have been a bit of a butt-head on occasion and word has got around.

Thais love to gossip and have a LONG memory!

 

[fhickson]

I just ignore everyone unless its a good looking woman.

 

Your not likely to make them friendlier by interacting, saying nothing is the way to go, the buddhist way.

 

Once in awhile you get a rabid dog though and you have to kick its head in.