I’ve never seen a Thai person reading a book

[Dave Dave]

It’s just an observation I thought I’d make after living here for 4 years

 

Would anyone like to comment, thanks 

 

ps I go into some sort of coffee shop most days, you know the kind of place where you might expect to see someone reading a book for leisure 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Dave Dave

[JustAnotherHun]

There are some. But you might not find them in the beer bar scene.

[Dave Dave]

1 minute ago, JustAnotherHun said:

There are some. But you might not find them in the beer bar scene.

See edit

 

and you’ll never see me in a bar as I don’t drink lol 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Dave Dave

[Mutt Daeng]

6 minutes ago, Dave Dave said:

It’s just an observation I thought I’d make after living here for 4 years

 

Would anyone like to comment, thanks 

 

ps I go into some sort of coffee shop most days, you know the kind of place where you might expect to see someone reading a book for leisure 

My wife reads absolutely loads of books.

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

There are some. But you might not find them in the beer bar scene.

Beer bar scene has been gone for almost two years.

With no sign of any return.

 

As for OP, agree, never seen a Thai reading a book for pleasure.

My kids are forced to read books for school/university, but they'd prefer not to.

 

When I go to the government hospital, hundreds of Thais, just me reading (Kindle).

When I sit in the park, dozens of Thais, just me reading.

Edited January 3, 2022 by BritManToo

[HighPriority]

In my small, humble sample size Thai are not particularly coffee people either… that may skew your observations slightly.

[ohno]

How do you know that they aren't reading a book on their iPad/phone/device?

 

Do you go walk round the whole coffee shop staring at people's screens and demanding to know why they aren't reading Western literature?

 

After all, it's not as if you'd be able to read anything in Thai ????

 

[MrJ2U]

One book costs more than a days wages.

 

No libraries to borrow a book.

 

My wife loves to read.

 

She mostly downloads books to her Iphone.

Its a cheaper "Amazon Kindle"

alternative.

[pgrahmm]

Here's a few of my wife's books....If you look closely, she has them labeled,  sequenced, numbered, catalogued, and indexed.....

 

I'm trying to source a lawyers bookcase large enough to contain both/all of our books....I just keep mine alphabetically by author.....

 

[robblok]

Not sure why anyone would read a book in a coffee shop, if i go there its to drink something not to occupy a seat while reading a book. They must be really happy with you. (unless you order enough)

 

When i read i don't drink i dont do anything else i just keep on reading for hours. But not books anymore but e books on a kindle. Books are so yesterday. I prefer a kindle but on an tablet it can be done too.

 

Maybe your idea of reading is a bit outdated, also the place you expect people to read might be a bit off. 

[DrJoy]

Why would they read? Will they get Noble Prize?

 

????

[vinci]

reading a book is in the past, nobody read books anymore you can basically do or read a book on your smart phone

[zzaa09]

Quite dependent on the Thai circles and company one keeps - 

As well as a broader exposure and experience one has with Thais, in general. 

 

Certainly could cast most anything with a broad brush and limited unveiling. 

[TorquayFan]

Dave Dave - interesting, but I think you should come clean and tell us what you imply.

 

What an odd thread . . .

[JustAnotherHun]

The OP did not realise after four years that there are book shops in Thailand. And, guess what, they sell books in Thai language. How can?

Think I was right with my beer bar presumption. The reaction speaks for itself.

my sincere condolences ????

 

[The Hammer2021]

The OP has spent more time in bars than libraries!

[BKKBike09]

You almost never see any Thai person reading an actual book on the BTS. I'd say 95% are staring mindlessly at their phones. Some may be reading an e-book but mostly it just seems to be social media. On the Tube in London you still see a fair number of people reading actual books, but it's a dwindling number.

[Paulaew]

I think the OP's observation is generally sound.  Reading books is an unusual leisure activity in Thailand.

 

My wife is a high school English teacher, but I've never seen her read a book except in preparing lesson plans. Her leisure activities seem to be Netflix and TikTok.

 

I've had to make a special effort to put my 12 year old son on a reading plan. He is focused mainly on video games and making videos for his YouTube channel. His spoken English is excellent, but his written English is not, because he hasn't developed the feel for sentence structure that comes from reading quality literature.

 

So I bought him a Kindle and loaded it up with high school level books. I included some "gamer" books as an inducement. His first assignment was reading Orwell's 1984. (Yes, he understands that reading it in public could lead to his arrest).

 

I've asked him to read a minimum of 30 minutes a day, and I assign him an essay every 2 weeks so I can monitor his progress in written English. (I discovered he had never been assigned an English essay in school, though he studies in an English program).

 

Reading was (and continues to be) one of the joys of my life. I don't want my son to miss out on it.

 

Paul Laew

 

[Adumbration]

What is the point of reading when you already know everything?

[robblok]

29 minutes ago, Pravda said:

Yeah... I think you're a barstool crawler too. Otherwise why would you make such a dumb op?

 

Try going to B2S, kinokuniya, SE-ED.....you'll see plenty of Thais reading.

Actually your quite right when i lived in Bangyai and went to the big mall i often went to B2S its full of books and plenty of Thais buying and reading books. So they probably don't read them where the OP is but it does show Thais read otherwise these companies would not be existing. 

[cardinalblue]

Lack of reading by thais directly reflects lack of knowledge on world affairs…

 

asked to buy book markers at a Thai book store the other day , didn’t sell or give them away with sales….

 

so they buy books for show but in reality don’t read them?

Edited January 3, 2022 by cardinalblue

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

thai people are doing their readings in hiding, usually at home in their private rooms.

it is a cultural thing. unlike in the arrogant west, where people go out to cafe and bars

and read books asif to show the whole world "look i am reading a book", the humble thais

are reserving their reading to the quiet and private times they spend at hope, with or without

their families.

[OneMoreFarang]

Many years ago I often took books with me when I traveled. And then later an eBook.

Now I still use an eBook at home but when I am travel i.e. in the MRT I read on my smartphone.

There are few reasons these days to walk around with a book - not only for Thais.

[BritManToo]

44 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

The OP has spent more time in bars than libraries!

Most of us have.

Libraries are a thing of the past, now you can download your books.

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, Dave Dave said:

Would anyone like to comment, thanks 

Never been to a school then.

Most thai people on mobiles now no need to buy books.

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Many years ago I often took books with me when I traveled. And then later an eBook.

Now I still use an eBook at home but when I am travel i.e. in the MRT I read on my smartphone.

There are few reasons these days to walk around with a book - not only for Thais.

You forget lot of old people on this forum prefer books and when it does not look like a book its not a book.

 

Like cardinalblue who assumes everyone marks his books. I never ever did that (maybe back when i studied but rarely)

 

Seems that if they don't don't exactly do as in these foreigners their expectations it does not count.

 

I used to log books around too and buy and trade them. Now i just stock the kindle up and done. But I dont always have a kindle with me. I then read articles on my phone. But people here assume that everyone who reads or looks at a smartphone uses it for social media.

 

Seems you have to confirm to their superior world vision to be counted.

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most of us have.

Libraries are a thing of the past, now you can download your books.

Spend loads of time in the library when younger, now not so much downloading books is indeed much easier. 

[moe666]

That Thais do not read books is a racist trop that goes along with they are lazy and do not laugh. Thais do the same things that every other person in the universe does. I have read this and and the other two as well over the years I have been here.

[The Hammer2021]

Just now, BritManToo said:

Most of us have.

Libraries are a thing of the past, now you can download your books.

Actually bookshops, libraries and book sales are not thing of the past at all. What you assert is just a myth. Many people read both paper and digital books. I only  delve into my digital  collection  when the paper book is not available  or is too expensive. In the  UK library  membership  allows  you access to their digital and audio  book collection  wherever  you are in the  world. Digital  versus paper books is not a binary choice either in consumer or distribution  terms.

[BritManToo]

Just now, The Hammer2021 said:

Actually bookshops, libraries and book sales are not thing of the past at all. What you assert is just a myth. Many people read both paper and digital books. I only  delve into my digital  collection  when the paper book is not available  or is too expensive. In the  UK library  membership  allows  you access to their digital and audio  book collection  wherever  you are in the  world. Digital  versus paper books is not a binary choice either in consumer or distribution  terms.

Not me, I gave up my 1,000+ fiction collection when I left for Thailand.

Been fully digital since then,

Had a Nook ...... it broke.

Had an early Kindle ....... died from fat battery.

Read on my phone ........ hurt my eyes.

Now on a newer Kindle .......... best of the bunch.

All fiction, free from Z Library and Mobilism.

But I'm not a Thai, so it doesn't count in this thread which is about Thais reading.

 

Never seen a Thai reading a novel for pleasure on any medium.

Maybe having no spaces puts them off?