Why So Many Cynical, Angry Bitter Members

[JR Texas]

Do they have an education over there ? im from devon and as soon as i said i was from England 99 out of a hundred would say which part of london !, but in my experience its common sense they lack,.Went in to a bank with a girlfriend to cash her paycheck, cashier asks for ID, ( fair enough ) ,Geenas driving license had expired by one week, cashier says " im sorry this has expired, i cant accept it " !, i said "she hasnt expired ,thats her in the picture as you can see ", .like talking to a stepford wife, not uncommon,.drove me mad,.

You would get the same response in America. It's called CYA.

Some people give their expired id's to others to be used as fake id's. The law says a valid id and if it is expired it is no longer valid.

JR Texas: Some people do engage in cynicism, anger and bitterness because of personal experiences. Others practice positive-criticism and that gets confused with cynicism, anger and bitterness.

Some well-seasoned expats believe that things were better in the past and feel a sense of loss for the "good old days." These people are concerned that Thailand is rapidly moving in the wrong direction and that social chaos is what the future holds (thus, severely impacting their retirement plans and those that they love and care about.....in many cases Thais).

Most people on this forum reject the above view because, on a psychological level, it is too painful to accept (these same people will, of course, say that JR Texas does not know what he is talking about and that things are wonderful and that JR Texas should leave LOS if he does not love it....blah, blah, blah).

The expats mentioned above are in a slowly sinking boat on the river of DeNile. They prefer to live in a fantasy world that informs them that old farts are genuinely desired by young girls (for something other than money).........that the real estate market will make them a fortune..........that the visa/business rules are great for Thailand (and even make perfect sense given what other countries are doing)..........that there is no good alternative to LOS.........that the grandfathered visa rules will never be abrogated..........that Thailand is immune to events like we are seeing in places like Beirut, etc.

As a bit of an aside, it is possible to act responsibly to present and future generations........that often demands a significant amount of "complaining." It is not easy to master the art of positive-criticism.

[Gary A]

I am always amused when people tell me what a wonderful country such and such is. If you travel much at all you will soon learn that when shaking hands to keep the other hand on your wallet. That old saying that a fool and his money are soon parted is accurate anywhere in the world, not just here in Thailand. Being paranoid can't be much fun. There's a BIG difference between being paranoid and being aware.

[DeputyDawg]

The fact that click2delete has a two month old baby that he has to take care of, that he lives in Pattaya, and that he obviously feels trapped there tells us all that we need to know about him, I think.

click2delete, a wise man once said that if you live in the gutter you can't really complain if everything smells of s**t.

I have a picture in my mind of a guy duped, a guy trapped by a bigger brain than his, and now he's frustrated and venting about his life. It's kind of cute.

PS . and I bet he's 5foot 4 or shorter.

Bendix still gets my vote for the best response.

[ThaiGoon]

The fact that click2delete has a two month old baby that he has to take care of, that he lives in Pattaya, and that he obviously feels trapped there tells us all that we need to know about him, I think.

click2delete, a wise man once said that if you live in the gutter you can't really complain if everything smells of s**t.

I have a picture in my mind of a guy duped, a guy trapped by a bigger brain than his, and now he's frustrated and venting about his life. It's kind of cute.

PS . and I bet he's 5foot 4 or shorter.

Bendix still gets my vote for the best response.

Mine too.

[mikethevigoman]

I am always amused when people tell me what a wonderful country such and such is. If you travel much at all you will soon learn that when shaking hands to keep the other hand on your wallet. That old saying that a fool and his money are soon parted is accurate anywhere in the world, not just here in Thailand. Being paranoid can't be much fun. There's a BIG difference between being paranoid and being aware.

Exactly why i said fool ,but you have more chance of it happening here, i have never been approached by a cheating taxi tout in heathrow,. only when i look at the meter at the destination do i feel like ive been mugged

[kmart]

People sign up to expat forums all over the world to vent off frustration, and to feel secure in the knowledge that its not just them been on the wrong end of shoddy treatment; services; scams; etc.

Thailand is no different in this respect.

Complaining and not being happy with the status quo in Western culture largely brought about a lot of change for the betterment of society and standards of living, safety at work; etc. Its maybe hard-wired into us to complain and strive for something better. It just needs to be done in a positive way.

[mikethevigoman]

Oh cool! America bashing! It had to happen. A country of 300 million people and they are all dumb. Imagine that.

Cultural explanations:

Most of the people asking where in London were being glad handed friendly, hoping they would guess correctly, and there would be good feelings. US people are much less educated about geography than Europeans, more so than Thais, but I bet the majority actually know your country is an island containing more then London. Now if they had asked where in Manchester, that would have been stupid, as London was the most likely place to be a correct guess.

The cashier was doing her job and following the rules. She most likely had no option to be flexible. That hurts anywhere if it happens to you, but hardly anything to do about American cashiers.

Common sense? Whats special about that?

ill answer that one, to me its more useful than a university degree if you dont know what to do with it,( the degree ) book smart life stupid, i am only really talking about the lack of common sense that is more needed in thailand than a bachelors degree ,..but back to the week expired id, the picture of her was clear and unchanged ie, hair style etc, no discretion allowed ? that is just common sense to me ! Edited May 29, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[mikethevigoman]

Oh cool! America bashing! It had to happen. A country of 300 million people and they are all dumb. Imagine that.

Cultural explanations:

Most of the people asking where in London were being glad handed friendly, hoping they would guess correctly, and there would be good feelings. US people are much less educated about geography than Europeans, more so than Thais, but I bet the majority actually know your country is an island containing more then London. Now if they had asked where in Manchester, that would have been stupid, as London was the most likely place to be a correct guess.

The cashier was doing her job and following the rules. She most likely had no option to be flexible. That hurts anywhere if it happens to you, but hardly anything to do about American cashiers.

Common sense? Whats special about that?

i think i would deservedly be thought a bit odd if i met someone that had just said "im from the states " and i replied " which part of buffalo are you from ! no ?

[mikethevigoman]

Oh cool! America bashing! It had to happen. A country of 300 million people and they are all dumb. Imagine that.

Cultural explanations:

Most of the people asking where in London were being glad handed friendly, hoping they would guess correctly, and there would be good feelings. US people are much less educated about geography than Europeans, more so than Thais, but I bet the majority actually know your country is an island containing more then London. Now if they had asked where in Manchester, that would have been stupid, as London was the most likely place to be a correct guess.

The cashier was doing her job and following the rules. She most likely had no option to be flexible. That hurts anywhere if it happens to you, but hardly anything to do about American cashiers.

Common sense? Whats special about that?

You all seem to have hair triggers.

I am an American.

I'll write it again - the same thing would happen in America. I cannot speak for Mexico or England.

Your ID is either valid or not valid. I guarantee it would happen in the USA especially now after all the 911 crap.

IT was in L.A in 88,..

[mikethevigoman]

I gotta say, its not far off the truth this, if you aint on guard here you will be raped and left to die penniless,

As it will happen in any poor country in the world....Argentina, Panama,Mexico?....they will steal from you whenever they can, and with a knife in your throat...they will break in your house and your car.....latinos delinquency is confrontational..

I knew that Asia was difficult in this money aspect since the first day I arrived....and I live with that...but I have never feel more safe in my life than in Thailand, any place, any time...even with my pockey full of money

Yo torito, I've rarely found myself in a threatening situation anywhere.

You may call this luck, I call it avoiding confrontation.

Show me a threat and I'll show you how fast an oldster can run for the hills.

As you say, I'm analytical and I figure that most thieves are thieves because they're opportunistic, lazy or cowardly.

Or a combination of all three.

My logic tells me - not giving them the opportunity leaves them at a serious disadvantage.

As for being raped - with my looks, I should be so lucky.

I could not be raped either, id give up too easy ! Edited May 29, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[bendix]

The fact that click2delete has a two month old baby that he has to take care of, that he lives in Pattaya, and that he obviously feels trapped there tells us all that we need to know about him, I think.

click2delete, a wise man once said that if you live in the gutter you can't really complain if everything smells of s**t.

I have a picture in my mind of a guy duped, a guy trapped by a bigger brain than his, and now he's frustrated and venting about his life. It's kind of cute.

PS . and I bet he's 5foot 4 or shorter.

Bendix still gets my vote for the best response.

Mine too.

Mine too.

[ThaiGoon]

[mikethevigoman]

Oh cool! America bashing! It had to happen. A country of 300 million people and they are all dumb.

Educated people know that the use of the word dumb is reserved for people who cannot speak, as in Blind Deaf and Dumb.

I am an American, I assure you, the majority of us are able to speak.

Ijust wanted to say for me and im sure others that the forum is a place where we can let loose and have some fun, most of my stuff is tongue in cheek, for me a lot of it is living with my dear thai wife, her grasp of the engrish language isnt quite up to par and sense of humour is not on my wavelength ,,so i se the forum of mixing with like minded guys ( and gals ) without going to the pub ! and to the poster of topic i will say it is difficult to get a straight answer on here sometimes as we can see this topic has droopped off subject more times than falangs off balconys and in 99 per cent of the time if we all met in a pub you would see we arent such a bad lot, the internet is a faceless society and facial expressions and humour sometimes cant be seen, but its there i assure you ,no personal offence meant to anone alive or deceased !.There thats my 5 pence ( 9.5 cents ) worth, Edited May 29, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[click2delete]

Wow, add up all the insight from this page and you've got nothing. Backslapping BS at its finest.

I see Mediocrity is something aspired to here as well as achieved.

Congratulations.

[mikethevigoman]

People sign up to expat forums all over the world to vent off frustration, and to feel secure in the knowledge that its not just them been on the wrong end of shoddy treatment; services; scams; etc.

Thailand is no different in this respect.

Complaining and not being happy with the status quo in Western culture largely brought about a lot of change for the betterment of society and standards of living, safety at work; etc. Its maybe hard-wired into us to complain and strive for something better. It just needs to be done in a positive way.

Well said kmart, probably the best reply on here,but in our lifetime i really dont think we ( westerners ) can contribute change here in thailand, it is frustrating, but we have chose to live here, i try my hardest to ignore and/or evade any problems, keep things light, dont get into arguments with thais,but best of all use your built in siren, if you hear it ,heed it, i appear lucky, mine is working fine, ( so far ! ) Edited May 29, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[Maigo6]

Short answer: many of us are bitter because as vacationers we are insulated from the stupidity, craftiness, deviousness, ignorance and general laziness of "some" not all, but ###### close to all Thai People. We are tired of the government playing games with us through immigration. Other countries such as Argentina, Panama or even Mexico don't play with their expats, they treat them with respect.

And you live in Thailand, you married a Thai and have a Thai son.

Smart move mate.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Maigo6

[soundman]

Click - that rant you had yesterday was one of the funniest things I've read in a while. Have another one!!

Wish I'de been there to see you do it IRL. Would've set a video camera & brought the beer & pop-corn..

Cheers,

Soundman.

[dumspero]

Click keeps begging for the thread to be closed. Gee, I wonder why.

Maybe I'm the lawyer you were referring to, Click. I'm certainly one of the people you detest, loathe and hate- I think those were your terms. Notice that you say you're a "physician." In my experience, doctors who call themselves "physicians" are like lawyers who call themselves "attorneys" -- generally a little too stuck on themselves.

JRTexas- It's certainly possible that Thailand was better for expats in the past. I certainly hope so if that's a requirement for Thailand to have gotten better for Thais. Of course, it's also possible that Thailand has gotten better for Thais and is, on the whole, much the same for farangs--and it's just the 'good old days' syndrome in a different context. You know, back in the 'good old days' things were so much better, the kids were better, etc. I'm only in my 40's and am already starting to hear that from others my age. How long has that been going on? At least since Aristotle. The fact that the seniors' parents and grandparents often said the same thing in their own, earlier days is often lost on that crowd.

Yet another possibility is that some things have gotten better and others worse for the average farang. Beer was cheaper in 1960 but how many places offered a colonoscopy? Thai women were likely less jaded on farangs, as a whole, but also more naive and thus susceptible to being taken advantage of. A dish of fried rice was likely cheaper in 1970, but could one get his favorite Western treats at the big department stores? More broadly, there was probably more natural beauty in 1900 but was there sufficient development for the average farang to get around and enjoy the whole country like now? There was probably less pollution in Bangkok in 1930, but was the BTS as extensive? It was likely more open to trader types on the edge in 1950, but could a major international come in and invest as easily in the country, providing jobs for Thais and farangs alike?

I guess the point is it's pretty complicated to make meaningful conclusions about whether a place has gotten better, in what ways and for whom. So it's not that Thailand or any other place is perfect, it's just that the overly bitter, cynical crowd seems to lack any kind of broader perspective. Kind of like when a person loses a close loved one--the tragedy is out of scale with anything else to that person, and that's ok and natural of course, but it doesn't make that person's perspective accurate, reasonable or fair in any broader, objective sense.

The stupidly negative posts can be clever and diverting. Yeah, like good bar chat. More often they're just stupid and offensive. Warnings about scams and information regarding bad experiences is one thing. Rants about how all Thais are dumb and how "they" can't do anything right are another. At the same time, I like it that the moderators leave the racism and other stupidity in for the most part, since I accept the largely American idea that, like fungus, stupid ideas do best in the dark and worst when exposed to the light.

Yes, click, I'm calling your ideas fungus, but you did threaten to hang me. Cheers.

[swindonabroad]

I think the use of this forum to sound off about frustrationsand problems encountered is exactly right.

Just because a poster comes on and tells all about a time he's been ripped off, double charged etc doesnt mean he hates the country and should leave. I always find such a response as "then go home" highly ignorant.

Put it this way. Imagine the same service ( Thai Visa) in the uk for all expat Thais.

It would be full of complaints about the weather, train service, rude people, cost of living etc. A quite right too.

The title of the link I always click to to get to TV says Farang Forum. Aplace where we can share the high and low points of our experiences with like minded people.

Long may it continue.

[swindonabroad]

Why so cynical?

I know its long but read this and you will see why so many are.

True story, link at the bottom. Feel bad for this guy.

Over 5 years ago I entered this business in an effort to provide riders of which am one, with an improved standard of honest service. Over much of that period I achieved some success but ultimately failed.

The main reason for the failure is down to the gross dishonesty of Komsan and his associates.

.

Click for a better view

[Name removed as per forum policy, henceforth 'X'] is a Thai national who I found some 4 years ago. At that time he was financially broke, I helped him by paying out some debt and getting him back on his feet.

Read on to find out how I was repaid. BTW [X] is now in the same position, even after stealing a few million baht off me and writing out his own dishonored Cheques (2.4 Mill Baht) to others. He even ripped off two of his best friends.

Despite being paid well, [X] decided some time ago that he could make money on the side by buying and selling bikes privately. I gave him many chances to correct his behavior, warning him on multiple occasions that he didn't have the business skills or integrity to run his own business. In May of this year I had enough and terminated his employment.

I thought at that time my woes were over but on the contrary, they had just begun. The business had been running well enough since the time that [X] had departed until we received a visit from a bunch of Thugs masquerading as Police. There was no doubt that there were a couple of fairly senior Police in the Mob. Even though they didn't have the guts to identify themselves. They went through the shop and my living premises thoroughly. My fear at the time was that that they were going to plant something to "nail" us with. In the end they came up with a list of "indiscretions" that they said they would charge us with, furthermore if we didn't co operate, they would find more.

My wife is the legal head of the shop so she was the one they were intimidating. The next day we had a further visit from a individual thug who, while he wouldn't identify himself I had no doubt was cop. The intimidation process got heavier, even to implying possible harm to my daughters. Again, the threat was, co operate or else ! What they wanted to take few bikes which at that time we felt we had to comply with, after all, threats to your family tend to distort rational thought.

The back ground to all this is, working from his home, [X] had taken deposits from many fellow Thai's for bikes he had written out contracts for on forged Siamsuperbike letterhead. These bikes were not supplied, presumably because [X] had blown the money on pickups with big shiny wheels and large gold chains. When his customers pressured him for return of deposits, no cash or bikes were forth coming so instead [Name removed as per forum policy] pointed them to me, as a potential soft target.

Later it was reported to me that the customers conspired to approach the Police, who were then offered and accepted a substantial bribe to harass and intimidate my wife and I for replacement bikes, which they took from our stock. Eventually by one means or another they got almost everything, even bikes that I had thought were safely stored away at friends place, well out of the city. A good customer and close friend is working in Iraq, a couple of weeks ago a pickup with police on board turned up at his place and loaded up the bikes saying they were imported illegally, which they weren't but as the paperwork was locked in a safe inaccessible to the maid, she wasn't in a position to stop them.

On another occasion, a Cop who had purchased a CB 1300 from [X], months after [X] had departed from the business, came to see us because the customs invoice had never been received for this bike. None of us knew how we could help as it was a transaction entirely between this cop and [X]. It didn't stop the cop coming back and lifting a 2003 R1 as "compensation". While I am taking legal action to recover one or two of these bikes any result is unlikely to happen soon.

In the end I had to close the premises because of the constant stream of [X]'s dissatisfied customers banging on the door asking for "compensation". Meanwhile [X], being the gutless, slimy individual he is, has disappeared into hiding, leaving others to face the flack.

As well as taking my own stock the cops lifted some customers bikes, I have made a best effort to replace these but its drained me financially.

Now that I have my wife and daughters established out in the country, I need to take a couple of months to go back home to sell some assets and endeavor to rebuild and repair the damage brought about by [X]. In the meantime I have kept Pop on as my one remaining employee, he is the only one that has stuck with me through all this. He will deal with any registration books, warrantee and residual issues until I get back and re-established.

I have been in Thailand well over a decade, so heard many stories and I would have to say If I had heard this story second hand, I would have thought to myself "that's a bit a tall one" We all know the Police here aren't the purest in the world BUT!

Since this happened to me I have had a few people offer similar experiences, not so much with the police but with gross employee embezzlement.

Lessons learnt.

I came here after being involved in western business for 30 years, I thought that experience and what ever skills I had acquired over this time, equipped me well enough to do business in Thailand. That wasn't the case, In Thailand and presumably other 3rd world countries, you need an additional set of skills focused on security issues to make it here.

Mistake #1: Unfortunately I made the mistake of looking after people too well. In the Western mind set, If you look after employee's they in return will place a higher value on their employment and loyalty to their employer. NOT HERE. Looking after employee's with bonus's and good pay only raises their feeling of self worth and future expectations. It has no lasting impact on loyalty at all. As a note, I have employed 14 people over the last 5 years, 12 of these have I have fired for theft. What kind of moral guidance, if any do parents give to these people ? Maybe, Thai men are born with the Integrity gene missing.

Mistake #2 : If you are in business here, retain the services of a GOOD lawyer, having one would have saved my business, all the negotiation would have been with him and he wouldn't be as easy to intimidate as my wife and I were. In fact have two lawyers, a local, cost effective for tax and compliance issues and a "high powered" western one for major issues.

Mistake #3. Don't trust ! A healthy dose of paranoia and more importantly skepticism is not a bad thing in Thailand. We have all heard the "Girl got my house" stories, but in business here its worse, there are sadly few people with the sort of ethical behavior we generally tend to take for norm in 1st world countries.

Mistake #3 Letting them gain leverage. Someone told me "in 3rd world countries, if you have assets and they gain leverage, they will use that to relieve you of your assets" . Never let them get leverage. I was guilty of doing this I am afraid, in too many ways, being talked into doing it "The Thai way". Shortcuts only work until they can turn them against you. In addition because I don't read Thai, I glossed over documents putting my trust with [X]. In future all Invoices, agreements etc would be "gone over" and kept with a local Thai lawyer. They (Thai lawyers) are useless in confrontational work but for checking paperwork, compliance and tax issues, they are masters. the Thai system is designed to give locals leverage, minority ownership etc and its getting worse now that for new companies, all shareholders are to have access to business banking accounts. You must at all costs secure and protect your assets.

For the future:

To be honest my first response was just to pack up and go home, but my family was born here. I really enjoy many aspects of living here and wish to continue to do so. Almost without exception friends and many customers persuaded me that the right thing was to continue the business, albeit in a different and more secure form. I have been in this business longer than any other westerner and have more experience, good and bad than most. I love Motorcycles and believe they make sense in a country with weather such as this. In this business you have great customers, nearly all are nice people and many have become good friends. On the supply side, you need to deal with the vermin who supply bikes and facilitate things for you.

While its going to be very difficult with almost no capital, I would like to keep the business operational from a new and secure site. In other words we won't have a open a conventional show room as such, bikes available with be listed on the internet and you will be welcome to come and have a look by appointment. I don't intend to have the usual type of showroom and be at the constant mercy of the scum bag's to harass and pick off what they want when ever.

This will give me better security and as well enable us with significantly lower overheads to give much better pricing.

http://siamsuperbike.com/aboutus.htm

[OlRedEyes]

Normally, the weight of complaints would indicate whether there's a problem with the product, not the customer. Here in Thailand and TV it's seems to be read, as always, that the problem is the customer.

Weak excuses for a poor product. Weak rationalizations to make things feel better. Fear?

Yawn

[mikethevigoman]

Do they have an education over there ? im from devon and as soon as i said i was from England 99 out of a hundred would say which part of london !, but in my experience its common sense they lack,.Went in to a bank with a girlfriend to cash her paycheck, cashier asks for ID, ( fair enough ) ,Geenas driving license had expired by one week, cashier says " im sorry this has expired, i cant accept it " !, i said "she hasnt expired ,thats her in the picture as you can see ", .like talking to a stepford wife, not uncommon,.drove me mad,.

You would get the same response in America. It's called CYA.

Some people give their expired id's to others to be used as fake id's. The law says a valid id and if it is expired it is no longer valid.

JR Texas: Some people do engage in cynicism, anger and bitterness because of personal experiences. Others practice positive-criticism and that gets confused with cynicism, anger and bitterness.

Some well-seasoned expats believe that things were better in the past and feel a sense of loss for the "good old days." These people are concerned that Thailand is rapidly moving in the wrong direction and that social chaos is what the future holds (thus, severely impacting their retirement plans and those that they love and care about.....in many cases Thais).

Most people on this forum reject the above view because, on a psychological level, it is too painful to accept (these same people will, of course, say that JR Texas does not know what he is talking about and that things are wonderful and that JR Texas should leave LOS if he does not love it....blah, blah, blah).

The expats mentioned above are in a slowly sinking boat on the river of DeNile. They prefer to live in a fantasy world that informs them that old farts are genuinely desired by young girls (for something other than money).........that the real estate market will make them a fortune..........that the visa/business rules are great for Thailand (and even make perfect sense given what other countries are doing)..........that there is no good alternative to LOS.........that the grandfathered visa rules will never be abrogated..........that Thailand is immune to events like we are seeing in places like Beirut, etc.

As a bit of an aside, it is possible to act responsibly to present and future generations........that often demands a significant amount of "complaining." It is not easy to master the art of positive-criticism.

I dont think anyone has said they dont like thailand going ahead with the times, its the going backwards that bothers most,.

[Furbie]

Gee is this stuff still going on? In the past I've seen it a thousand times. It is one reason I went my own way and turned my back on the ex-pat community, for the most part. At least the newbies. Too many stupid people doing stupid things and then crying foul. A guy who has some street smarts back home and would be suspicious of some guy who walked up to him on the street, will open is life and checkbook to the first Thai that smiles and says hello. This, in a country where nobody talks to anybody without a proper introduction, seems rather foolish. If you jump into shark infested waters, gushing blood from an open wound, I don't think you have much of gripe when a shark acts like a shark and has you for breakfast. When people step onto a new playing field, where they don't know the rules, customs, habits and practices they should be more careful, not less. A good dose of alcohol, hormones and ego plus placing yourself in the most dangerous and vulnerable place you can imagine doesn't seem like a recipe for success. If you live in the red-light district of any country, your in for a rough and bumpy ride.

Tourists get ripped off in tourist places. Get used to it. In Hawaii we have a Kama'aina rate for locals and you need a Hawaii ID like a driver's license to get the discount rate. Tourists pay more. A lot of what is happening to you guys is due to your own greed, stupidity and arrogance. Go hang out with nice people and nice things might happen. Hangout in a snake pit and well you ought to be able to figure out what is going to happen.

1)Tourists get ripped off in tourist places. Get used to it. In Hawaii we have a Kama'aina rate for locals and you need a Hawaii ID like a driver's license to get the discount rate. I think the problem a lot of us have is we live here and still get ripped off. I speak the language and still have problems. If it was simply a matter of showing my Thai license or WP, great. But its not.

2) Go hang out with nice people and nice things might happen. True, I have good Thai friends who are wonderful people. However, you can not avoid problems all the time - you need to shop, you need to take taxis, you need to go outside. Even Thai Airways has a special rate for Thais.

Its funny, Hawaii is much like Thailand - they want the tourists to come in, spend their money and get the h*ll back to the mainland.

[Furbie]

I suppose you Polly Anna's would tell me how good your meal tasted even though you found out it was smeared with excrement by a Thai who didn't like Farang. Oh they're just playing, it's all part of being an expat so don't complain.

Shut up, I'll complain all I want.

you can complain as much as you want Click. but calling those of us who have a more moderate view of Thailand and Thai people "Polyannas" (please notice the correct spelling!) and that in combination with food and excrement goes to far!

by now we all know that you have a sh*tty life and are in dire need of a shrink. perhaps we could organize a collection as for sure you can't afford one as you are saving for the education of your little boy.

Please dont be angry at those less fortunate.

i gatthered a few quotes by great people that shed some more light on the way americans view life.

please light up your Cuban and pour a nice Port and read

America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top.

- - - Charlie King

Americans always try to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else.

- - - Winston Churchill

Americans are possibly the dumbest people on the planet. ...We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing.

- - - Michael Moore

Americans can eat garbage, provided you sprinkle it liberally with ketchup, mustard, chili sauce, Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, or any other condiment which destroys the original flavor of the dish.

- - - Henry Miller

America is one long expectoration.

- - - Oscar Wilde

In California, they don't throw their garbage away - they make it into TV shows.

- - - Woody Allen

It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence to never practice either of them.

- - - Mark Twain (about America)

Never criticize Americans. They have the best taste that money can buy.

- - - Miles Kington

Of course, America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.

- - - Oscar Wilde

The 100% American is 99% idiot.

- - - George Bernard Shaw

Their demeanor is invariably morose, sullen, clownish and repulsive. I should think there is not, on the face of the earth, a people so entirely destitute of humor, vivacity, or the capacity for enjoyment.

- - - Charles Dickens (about Americans)

Is it not amazing what a nation of idiots has accomplished? What does that say about the rest of you?

[Edonista]

Why so cynical?

I know its long but read this and you will see why so many are.

True story, link at the bottom. [EDIT: Long quote snipped. This post is available just a few posts earlier in the thread. Please try to tidy up quotes or remove them completely if possible, in order to improve forum readability. /Meadish]

Great Post.

In other threads some enlightened members of this board asked me why I did not get a visa by setting up a business here. You gave them the final answer.

Edited May 29, 2007 by meadish_sweetball

[Globeliner]

I suppose you Polly Anna's would tell me how good your meal tasted even though you found out it was smeared with excrement by a Thai who didn't like Farang. Oh they're just playing, it's all part of being an expat so don't complain.

Shut up, I'll complain all I want.

you can complain as much as you want Click. but calling those of us who have a more moderate view of Thailand and Thai people "Polyannas" (please notice the correct spelling!) and that in combination with food and excrement goes to far!

by now we all know that you have a sh*tty life and are in dire need of a shrink. perhaps we could organize a collection as for sure you can't afford one as you are saving for the education of your little boy.

Please dont be angry at those less fortunate.

i gatthered a few quotes by great people that shed some more light on the way americans view life.

please light up your Cuban and pour a nice Port and read

America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top.

- - - Charlie King

Americans always try to do the right thing -- after they've tried everything else.

- - - Winston Churchill

Americans are possibly the dumbest people on the planet. ...We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing.

- - - Michael Moore

Americans can eat garbage, provided you sprinkle it liberally with ketchup, mustard, chili sauce, Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, or any other condiment which destroys the original flavor of the dish.

- - - Henry Miller

America is one long expectoration.

- - - Oscar Wilde

In California, they don't throw their garbage away - they make it into TV shows.

- - - Woody Allen

It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence to never practice either of them.

- - - Mark Twain (about America)

Never criticize Americans. They have the best taste that money can buy.

- - - Miles Kington

Of course, America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.

- - - Oscar Wilde

The 100% American is 99% idiot.

- - - George Bernard Shaw

Their demeanor is invariably morose, sullen, clownish and repulsive. I should think there is not, on the face of the earth, a people so entirely destitute of humor, vivacity, or the capacity for enjoyment.

- - - Charles Dickens (about Americans)

Classico! Made my day

[PhilHarries]

Some people, myself included, have sounded off about the tacit endorsement of rip offs and double pricing policies by official bodies. Well consider this:-

The Malaysian government has just awarded government workers pay rises of between 7.5% and 30%. With these pay hikes they have warned traders around government establishments not to hike their prices similarly to take advantage of the extra cash these folk now have.

From yesterday's Star newspaper we learn of a mamak restaurant here, which charged RM1.80 (about THB 18) for a glass of iced Milo - about 20 to 30 sen (2 to 3 Baht) more than the usual price - has been hit with a RM22,500 compound fine. As a deterrent to others, enforcement officers from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry also seized food and drinks worth about RM750 and tore down the shop's signboard.

I like living in Malaysia and in particular KL but incidents such as this put me off. Okay, it can be construed that the shop keeper was profiteering but a 225,000 Baht fine for a 3 Baht increase in price is a touch more than heavy handed. It's not as if the people have no choice, if they don't like the price move on.

I think a lot of you, and myself included, would prefer to live in a country where low scale rip offs are tolerated than where someone's livelyhood is trashed over such a paltry amount.

The price hike for national parks still makes me very angry as it goes straight into the park official's pockets.

[LoveDaBlues]

For all his self-proclaimed education Click has made the classic mistake. He has 'settled in' to Thailand without doing his homework.

Learn the country first, the good and the bad before making a baby and setting up your home.

I also suspect Click is a little short on dosh. Money can make Thailand (or almost anywhere) a good place to live.

He keeps asking the Mods to close this thread. He's not the OP. Why does he want it closed? If Click thinks the thread has run it's course he can simply ignore it. Simple.

I've been here 2 years. Did my homework; that's why I chose to live AWAY from the tourist areas. With few exceptions things have been really easy here; considering I'm living in a foreign country on a full-time basis. Oh, BTW I'm 50 and have a decent amount of monthly income. Basically the type of farang Immigration wants IMHO. I'm not saying Immigration policy is fair; I'm just saying that's the way it is.

post #136 sums up what I'm thinking; only in a different fashion.....

It seems to me Click would be happier (if that's possible) moving to another country. I wish him and his family the best of luck. One thing's for sure; if he stays where he's at he will slowly implode because things there WILL NOT CHANGE.

[click2delete]

Short answer: many of us are bitter because as vacationers we are insulated from the stupidity, craftiness, deviousness, ignorance and general laziness of "some" not all, but ###### close to all Thai People. We are tired of the government playing games with us through immigration. Other countries such as Argentina, Panama or even Mexico don't play with their expats, they treat them with respect.

And you live in Thailand, you married a Thai and have a Thai son.

Smart move mate.

Hey Mr. Magoo,

They're people, not trees. They can move. And my son is an American - He and his mother can go anywhere I do.

Brilliant assessment - thanks for your valuable comment.

[click2delete]

The stupidly negative posts can be clever and diverting. Yeah, like good bar chat. More often they're just stupid and offensive. Warnings about scams and information regarding bad experiences is one thing. Rants about how all Thais are dumb and how "they" can't do anything right are another. At the same time, I like it that the moderators leave the racism and other stupidity in for the most part, since I accept the largely American idea that, like fungus, stupid ideas do best in the dark and worst when exposed to the light.

Yes, click, I'm calling your ideas fungus, but you did threaten to hang me. Cheers.

Ok Barrister, let's have a wee bit of logic class for the commoners, shall we?

But first, let's hang you with your own words in fact, why don't you quote where I threatened to hang YOU.

Tick Tock Counselor - Tick Tock - The timer is running ....

I'll await your enlightened and possibly mouldy answer.