"My Mate Nate" latest: We're still friends as US YouTuber speaks to his fans after eight years with Look Mee

[Neeranam]

17 minutes ago, nausea said:

Why is this newsworthy? He's a big fish in a little pool. This is the guy who froze a living fish as a joke, right? To get views. Also, he got his start from intensive Mormon language training, then dumped them and went the social media route? His moral compass is probably on a par with a certain UK politician.

It's alright as fish don't have any feelings, as Kurt said. 

[Gecko123]

Watching that video I had an epiphany about why so many Thais seem to get auditory fatigue listening to foreigners speak Thai. Eager to show off one's language skills, and believing the whole world will be awestruck by your linguistic prowess, it really is easy to get diarrhea of the mouth while speaking a foreign language. His hip-hop delivery is not something very many people on this forum should aspire to. A much more sedate and cultivated conversation style would be far better received.  His delivery might work on U-tube, but in real life most Thais I know would find that too draining to listen to for more than a few minutes.

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Gecko123

[Neeranam]

4 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Watching that video I had an epiphany about why so many Thais seem to get auditory fatigue listening to foreigners speak Thai. Eager to show off one's language skills, and believing the whole world will be awestruck by your linguistic prowess, it really is easy to get diarrhea of the mouth while speaking a foreign language. His hip-hop delivery is not something very many people on this forum should aspire to. A much more sedate and cultivated conversation style would be far better received.  His delivery might work on U-tube, but in real life most Thais I know would find that too draining to listen to for more than a few minutes.

 

This guys Thai is pretty good, IMHO. Most Thais, including myself, get tired of listening to foreigners with poor pronunciation, and not able to pitch a tone. 

 

It's amazing how many dislike this guy, maybe as he is more successful than them. He is, in fact, the most successful farang in entertainment since the Scottish Thai, Albert Thongchai McIntyre.

[Gecko123]

26 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

This guys Thai is pretty good, IMHO. Most Thais, including myself, get tired of listening to foreigners with poor pronunciation, and not able to pitch a tone. 

 

It's amazing how many dislike this guy, maybe as he is more successful than them. He is, in fact, the most successful farang in entertainment since the Scottish Thai, Albert Thongchai McIntyre.

That wasn't my point, Mr. I-Have-Thai-Citizenship; I could understand everything he was saying as well. My point was that no matter how good your Thai is, you can get overly verbose if you're not careful, believing that you are a wunderkind who everyone should be enthralled listening to. Just because you have advanced language skills doesn't necessarily mean you have something of substance to say.

 

Edit: And as far as his popularity in Thailand, yes, there's the novelty of his language skills, but he's been back in the States a long time, and I suspect the popularity of his channel was at least in part due to the fact that it provided a Kardashian like window into what it was like for a Thai woman to move abroad. In other words it provided vicarious and aspirational pleasure to younger generation Thais, probably mostly women. Kudos to him for exploiting this and marketing himself successfully, but... he's only 30, a lot of empty highway ahead of him.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Gecko123

[Katipo]

There is no denying the guy has done very well for himself, with his videos often getting over 1m views each. An extremely impressive number. Reading the comments here however, it's a mix of ambivalence and thinly vieled jealousy. 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Watching that video I had an epiphany about why so many Thais seem to get auditory fatigue listening to foreigners speak Thai. Eager to show off one's language skills, and believing the whole world will be awestruck by your linguistic prowess, it really is easy to get diarrhea of the mouth while speaking a foreign language. His hip-hop delivery is not something very many people on this forum should aspire to. A much more sedate and cultivated conversation style would be far better received.  His delivery might work on U-tube, but in real life most Thais I know would find that too draining to listen to for more than a few minutes.

 

That can sometimes go further into another category;

 

- I'm aware of a very arrogant German man, gets angry and quickly, and is always right/correct. Learned excellent English and Mardarin Chinese skills fairly quickly, BUT both language spokens with a quite thick German gutteral (throaty) accent in the sounds.

 

He came to Thailand for a holiday, decided to retire here and went back home to study Thai and he did develop fairly good skill (incl. reading and writing). But again, his spoken Thai language is hindered by his very thick gutterral (throaty) German pronounciation.

 

Now in Thailand he speaks Thai all day but very often the local Thai folks don't understand him, because of his pronunciation.

 

He quickly gets angry to the point where the Thai(s) in the intercation quickly withdraw and move away. He's been asked to leave one hop that I'm aware of, he was abusing the young Thai staff because they don't understand what he was saying.

 

He tells them they should learn to understand their own language.

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by scorecard

[KC 71]

1 hour ago, 2long said:

But who would you rather sit next to on a long-haul flight? My Mate Nate or Jack DekFarang? 

i would rather buy 3 seats for myself

[Neeranam]

33 minutes ago, Katipo said:

There is no denying the guy has done very well for himself, with his videos often getting over 1m views each. An extremely impressive number. Reading the comments here however, it's a mix of ambivalence and thinly vieled jealousy. 

Exactly, it was the same when Andrew Biggs was on the microbuses' TVs.  

[SomchaiDIY]

33 minutes ago, Katipo said:

Reading the comments here however, it's a mix of ambivalence and thinly vieled jealousy. 

I think younger foreign man with some success can be a problem at these forums

 

I have a busy youtube channel and found nate very nice at a short youtube meeting

 

Nate is unique formula that youtube young viewers and sponsors like very much

 

Nate speaking Thai language is the main connection any mistake often provide more fun to the content

 

Nate was smart to follow youtube stats then tune content on this line 
 

[Neeranam]

18 minutes ago, scorecard said:

That can sometimes go further into another category;

 

- I'm aware of a very arrogant German man, gets angry and quickly, and is always right/correct. Learned excellent English and Mardarin Chinese skills fairly quickly, BUT both language spokens with a quite thick German gutteral (throaty) accent in the sounds.

 

He came to Thailand for a holiday, decided to retire here and went back home to study Thai and he did develop fairly good skill (incl. reading and writing). But again, his spoken Thai language is hindered by his very thick gutterral (throaty) German pronounciation.

 

Now in Thailand he speaks Thai all day but very often the local Thai folks don't understand him, because of his pronunciation.

 

He quickly gets angry to the point where the Thai(s) in the intercation quickly withdraw and move away. He's been asked to leave one hop that I'm aware of, he was abusing the young Thai staff because they don't understand what he was saying.

 

He tells them they should learn to understand their own language.

 

 

 

I know that type. They are unwilling to speak Thai properly as they think it makes them sound gay. 

[Neeranam]

1 minute ago, SomchaiDIY said:

I think younger foreign man with some success can be a problem at these forums

Indeed, the old ones don't like it, how dare someone come here young and be successful. They should work in dreary country for 40 years and retire here in style  and join the 'I can't learn Thai as I am tone deaf club'. 

[BobBKK]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

He is a superstar in Thailand.

Only because Thais are so pompous and xenophobic they love the idea of a farang being fluent in their minor language.

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

Can someone please explain to me why anyone should care ....???

I don't... only here as I searched out unread posts.... off now!

[Neeranam]

5 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Only because Thais are so pompous and xenophobic they love the idea of a farang being fluent in their minor language.

Do you have any Thai relatives or friends? 

What on earth would they think if you shared your views with them.

Actually many Thais often don't like it when farang speak fluent Thai, usually the ones that older farang marry. They are scared they will be found out if there prize farang understands what they are really talking about. They prefer to talk pidjin English.

 

 

[Neeranam]

5 minutes ago, christina12 said:

Why ‘My Mate Nate’ is the most hated farang at the moment
However, this backfired terribly after some people criticized Bartling for intentionally “humiliating” Thai people to make a point, just to end the video with a pitch to sell an online English course.

Many Thais watch just to see the outrageous t hi Inga he gets up to, like putting coins on the r as ilway lines.

[Gecko123]

6 minutes ago, SomchaiDIY said:

Nate speaking Thai language is the main connection

Are you sure about that? I'm not very familiar with his channel and have only watched maybe three of his videos, but in the videos I watched his father's house and his Thai wife were featured pretty prominently. It seemed to me that the target audience would be young Thai women who were interested (vicariously or otherwise) in the Thai woman's experience of marrying a foreign man and moving overseas. Nate's Thai would be a novelty to the extent that he's learned to mimic younger viewer's mannerisms and that he is quite young for having done so. Foreigners who can speak Thai well do receive a lot of positive feedback, but to say that they draw attention or audiences because of this ability, is a stretch.  That's why I think the key to the success of that channel is that it provides a voyeuristic window for Thais into the life of a Thai woman who married a foreign man and moved overseas.

 

[BobBKK]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

Do you have any Thai relatives or friends? 

What on earth would they think if you shared your views with them.

Actually many Thais often don't like it when farang speak fluent Thai, usually the ones that older farang marry. They are scared they will be found out if there prize farang understands what they are really talking about. They prefer to talk pidjin English.

 

 

Most educated Thais think like that actually. If they are travelled they know only too well the outcome of the governments purposeful under educating of the citizenry. Fortunately the youth see through the Emperors Clothes and it is only a matter of time when nationalistic xenophobia here will die down a bit - probably after the dinosaurs have died out.

As for being "found out" yes you are right many Thais hate it that farang might know what they are gossiping about or their true feelings - is that a cause for celebration? that we might see what they are really like? as for YouTube Nate he is at arms length so they can revel in him speaking "their" language - some Thais would wish Thai would be spoken everywhere instead of the 60 million here.

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Are you sure about that? I'm not very familiar with his channel and have only watched maybe three of his videos, but in the videos I watched his father's house and his Thai wife were featured pretty prominently. It seemed to me that the target audience would be young Thai women who were interested (vicariously or otherwise) in the Thai woman's experience of marrying a foreign man and moving overseas. Nate's Thai would be a novelty to the extent that he's learned to mimic younger viewer's mannerisms and that he is quite young for having done so. Foreigners who can speak Thai well do receive a lot of positive feedback, but to say that they draw attention or audiences because of this ability, is a stretch.  That's why I think the key to the success of that channel is that it provides a voyeuristic window for Thais into the life of a Thai woman who married a foreign man and moved overseas.

 

I don't think it's that. My teenage daughters watch him and day it because of him doing outrageous things, nothing to do with his thaI ability. A Thai wouldn't have the nerve to try. As a foreigners, he gets away with it

 

[2long]

35 minutes ago, SomchaiDIY said:

I think younger foreign man with some success can be a problem at these forums

 

I have a busy youtube channel and found nate very nice at a short youtube meeting

 

Nate is unique formula that youtube young viewers and sponsors like very much

 

Nate speaking Thai language is the main connection any mistake often provide more fun to the content

 

Nate was smart to follow youtube stats then tune content on this line 
 

I tend to agree. As much as he's not the type of many on here, fair play to him for his success.

I have to admit t hat he's not someone I'd like to spend much time with, but 11 million would disagree with me.

I reckon that there's a fair amount of jealousy (and maybe fear) by many on here.

[Gottfrid]

That is the essence of a computer nerd.

[Gecko123]

19 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I don't think it's that. My teenage daughters watch him and day it because of him doing outrageous things, nothing to do with his thaI ability. A Thai wouldn't have the nerve to try. As a foreigners, he gets away with it

 

Well, unless he runs out and finds himself a new Thai wife lickety-split, one would have to think that the click counts on any future videos will quickly settle the debate over what drove his past success, wouldn't you agree?

Edited January 24, 2022 by Gecko123

[Tropposurfer]

YAWN !

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

2 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Eager to show off one's language skills, and believing the whole world will be awestruck by your linguistic prowess

Heh. I teach adults English online and some feel the need to hog 90% of the convo. I then must gently put it to them that they're not going to improve without receiving much feedback. Oh well. They're running the meter, and I'm getting paid.

[kralledr]

Not again...

 

 

This news is wasted server space  delete it, no one cares this, he just make this video to get more followers..

[Tropposurfer]

Who gives a pile of steaming waste ... YAWN !

[Gecko123]

20 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Heh. I teach adults English online and some feel the need to hog 90% of the convo. I then must gently put it to them that they're not going to improve without receiving much feedback. Oh well. They're running the meter, and I'm getting paid.

What I was really trying to say was that I recognized myself in that Nate video. When I get warmed up I can turn into a real blabbermouth when speaking Thai, and I need to work on that. The other thing I noticed in that video was the importance of cadence in Thai.

 

I didn't particularly like Nate's cadence. It might appeal to younger viewers, but the delivery seemed "foreign" or jarringly non-Thai to me. Thais seem to have a cadence which kind of offers words up for your consideration. The words at the end of sentences like na, reu, ka, krap, mai, chai mai seem to allow the listener more of an opportunity to digest what is being said, in contrast to the more staccato delivery in the video.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Gecko123

[John Drake]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

He is, in fact, the most successful farang in entertainment since the Scottish Thai, Albert Thongchai McIntyre.

Tallest midget.

[Neeranam]

27 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Well, unless he runs out and finds himself a new Thai wife lickety-split, one would have to think that the click counts on any future videos will quickly settle the debate over what drove his past success, wouldn't you agree?

Yep, he'll obviously have no issue finding a nice new wife.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The video was titled, "why we split"

She grew up he didn't?

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Neeranam said:

He is a superstar in Thailand.

On;t because he resides here, if he was at home he would have been told the truth years ago..