Will Thais learn ?

[AustinRacing]

A few years back, a typical tourist photo from thailand was a picture of a scooter riding on the wrong side of the road carrying a man, a woman, and a new born held by the woman’s arm (one arm) with no helmet in sight. Today, the same photo is taken with two differences. Each wearing a mask and the new born is a toddler. Where there is a will, there is way. Right?

[CharlieH]

Uh No, its where there is NO law enforcement, or meaningless 200bht penalties people will do as they please. "Mai pen rai" is great ........until it isnt ! and someone is dead or seriously injured.....AGAIN ! and again and again.

[Lacessit]

Of course Thais can be taught, like anyone else. My GF is very street-smart, and her grand-daughter has astonished me with how rapidly she has picked up things like the Greco-Roman alphabet, numbers, days of the week, and names of months in English. She's as smart as a whip.

 

The education system in Thailand focuses on obedience to authority. That's why the elite here don't like having  farangs around, we give Thais within our orbit ideas, and it's much better for the powers that be if they can keep the population dumb.

[rodknock]

never happen

[Gottfrid]

3 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

A few years back, a typical tourist photo from thailand

You got one left?

[CharlieH]

Several flame posts and a comment on Moderation removed.

 

Members need to understand that not everything is as it might first apoear, not everyone is a native English speaker.

Title has been reworded.

[sawadee1947]

3 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

Where there is a will

I'm not sure they got their last will ready ????

[swm59nj]

A good part of it is enforcement.  But even lack of enforcement.  One would think people would have common sense not to do something risky.  Those types of people really don’t care of the consequences for themselves or others.  

[ChrisKC]

The worlds greatest single cause of its problems (mainly people) is Parents. That is true today as it has always been in all parts of the world.

 

There is no rule-enforcement with children whose parents offer them the same badly-learned behaviour as their parents before them!

 

If parents are Buddhist or anything else, the children will be mostly the same for life. As with religion or any other beliefs and philosophy of life, children follow their parents. This is true of attitudes to driving and just about any average activities of daily living.

 

Thai students/children, later to become adults and parents themselves are not stupid per se, but learn plenty of it from their parents and some of it from Authorities.

 

Please take care to appreciate that I generalise with my opinions.

Edited February 22, 2022 by ChrisKC
typo

[rickudon]

My M-in-L is totally untrainable.

[Lacessit]

25 minutes ago, rickudon said:

My M-in-L is totally untrainable.

An alternative hypothesis is she has you well trained.

[Lacessit]

39 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

The worlds greatest single cause of its problems (mainly people) is Parents. That is true today as it has always been in all parts of the world.

 

There is no rule-enforcement with children whose parents offer them the same badly-learned behaviour as their parents before them!

 

If parents are Buddhist or anything else, the children will be mostly the same for life. As with religion or any other beliefs and philosophy of life, children follow their parents. This is true of attitudes to driving and just about any average activities of daily living.

 

Thai students/children, later to become adults and parents themselves are not stupid per se, but learn plenty of it from their parents and some of it from Authorities.

 

Please take care to appreciate that I generalise with my opinions.

Absolutely spot on. I was talking with a criminologist some decades ago, about rising delinquency in Australia. He said role models are the most critical element of a child becoming an adult.

[digger70]

Maybe 1 in a Million if they want if not then Zero in a Million

[Andre0720]

My experience shows me that one of the big problem about learning in Thailand, is the language, and the absence of learning the English language.

If one googles a word in English, then its translation in Thai, the results are not the same, not at all.

If one goes to Bangkok hospital, it is amazing to see how knowledgeable people are in there. They all speak English.

Now when I go shopping for a Solid-State Drive, the technicians will throw some buzz words at you, but seemingly not appearing to understand what they mean. SSD, not 'supported', 'upgrade'. Let alone asking them what LCD or LED means. Or DNA for that matter... Just sounds for them.

Now when I offer to explain when and how one can modify Windows 10 32 bits to 64 bits, the 3 technicians I offered it to, simply did not indicate an interest. They glanced at the document that I had prepared, in English, quick glance, and moved away.

So I gave up.

Some technician know how to try to install W10 64 bits, but are all unable to explain it. They know how to try to do it, and sometimes it works, and sometimes not. And they are happy with that.

And regarding following rules here, they will follow them if they have fear.

They have no fear of the roads, no fear of authorities, no fear of police.

They have fear of Covid.

[Thingamabob]

The sad thing is that 

most Thais are potentially very bright and are quick learners, but are intentionally held back by those who wish to keep them uninformed and ignorant.

[AustinRacing]

4 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

My experience shows me that one of the big problem about learning in Thailand, is the language, and the absence of learning the English language.

If one googles a word in English, then its translation in Thai, the results are not the same, not at all.

If one goes to Bangkok hospital, it is amazing to see how knowledgeable people are in there. They all speak English.

Now when I go shopping for a Solid-State Drive, the technicians will throw some buzz words at you, but seemingly not appearing to understand what they mean. SSD, not 'supported', 'upgrade'. Let alone asking them what LCD or LED means. Or DNA for that matter... Just sounds for them.

Now when I offer to explain when and how one can modify Windows 10 32 bits to 64 bits, the 3 technicians I offered it to, simply did not indicate an interest. They glanced at the document that I had prepared, in English, quick glance, and moved away.

So I gave up.

Some technician know how to try to install W10 64 bits, but are all unable to explain it. They know how to try to do it, and sometimes it works, and sometimes not. And they are happy with that.

And regarding following rules here, they will follow them if they have fear.

They have no fear of the roads, no fear of authorities, no fear of police.

They have fear of Covid.

I agree that fear is probably the most important factor. And I believe it is not just in thailand. I am reasonably confident that in the West fear of getting caught by police for traffic offenses outweighs the common sense reasons for not offending such as for safety. The government here can learn from the Covid experience and cause the necessary behavioral changes by the road users. Being the second worst country in the world in that regard is shameful. 

[it is what it is]

 

don't generalise too much, there are some very intelligent and capable people out there, many of my thai friends have studied to bachelor or master degree level abroad, how many people here have a university education in their second language?

[OneMoreFarang]

13 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

A few years back, a typical tourist photo from thailand was a picture of a scooter riding on the wrong side of the road carrying a man, a woman, and a new born held by the woman’s arm (one arm) with no helmet in sight. Today, the same photo is taken with two differences. Each wearing a mask and the new born is a toddler. Where there is a will, there is way. Right?

I also don't like it, but, realistically thinking, what is the alternative?

Should they all wear those 50B wobble plastic sun shades, which are called helmets in Thailand? They are useless.

Use full face mask helmets, which are expensive, and continue to ride with sandals, etc.?

Use a car?

Leave this kid at home?

Don't ride, order it for delivery?

Sometimes the options which people have are limited.

And lets face it, many of us make some stupid decisions from time to time. 

[jonny on the spot]

No they wont learn because there is nobody to teach them, no meaningful training or test and no police enforcement.

[brianthainess]

8 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

I am reasonably confident that in the West fear of getting caught by police for traffic offenses outweighs the common sense reasons for not offending such as for safety.

Also the fines are high, I can remember in my youth, I got fined for a bald tyre, the fine was more than a new tyre plus of course i had to buy a new tyre. Lesson learnt.

[zzaa09]

7 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 

don't generalise too much, there are some very intelligent and capable people out there, many of my thai friends have studied to bachelor or master degree level abroad, how many people here have a university education in their second language?

I'm guessing nil. 

These things needn't apply to the overwhelming culture centricity that might be observed here, all of which is not terribly practical for life.

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by zzaa09

[brianthainess]

As already posted people learn by example, there is a young girl just turned 12yr lives near me, and allowed by her parents to drive a M/C with no helmet. Another neighbour young single mum, drives with 3yr old as pillion and ALWAYS staring at her phone, and i mean ALWAYS no helmet of course, lives with parents who also never wear helmets.

 

[jak2002003]

16 hours ago, swm59nj said:

A good part of it is enforcement.  But even lack of enforcement.  One would think people would have common sense not to do something risky.  Those types of people really don’t care of the consequences for themselves or others.  

You are correct.  I also see plenty of farangs here who don't wear helmets on their scooters too . ...so it is in no way just a Thai thing.

 

A lot of farangs also are driving scooters and motorbikes here and they have not even for a driving licence for a bike..never ridden on back in their home country....only have car driving licence.

 

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, Adumbration said:

I don't know what is more depressing.  This age old recycled thread topic, or the fact you are dating a grandmother....

It makes better sense to me than dating a 20 yo airhead, and we are doing more than just dating.......

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, swm59nj said:

A good part of it is enforcement.  But even lack of enforcement.  One would think people would have common sense not to do something risky.  Those types of people really don’t care of the consequences for themselves or others.  

Common sense and Thais are not compatible, that is why Thailand has one of the worst or even the worst amount of road fatalities in the world. You cannot drive a vehicle, or ride a motorcycle or bike every day and not see examples of it.

[NoshowJones]

9 hours ago, Adumbration said:

I don't know what is more depressing.  This age old recycled thread topic, or the fact you are dating a grandmother....

What is wrong with dating a grandmother? There are some very beautiful late thirties and forties Thai women around.

[Hummin]

Most of the people here is old enough to remember how long time establish using seat belts as a law, and also make people use them!

 

Thailand or Thais  is not so different from us.

 

HMS in work as well, if nobody force you and watch you, you will start making short cuts to whenever you want to save some time.

[sanuk711]

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

A few years back, a typical tourist photo from thailand was a picture of a scooter riding on the wrong side of the road carrying a man, a woman, and a new born held by the woman’s arm (one arm) with no helmet in sight.

Nonsense.  That was never "a typical tourist's photo" and is not now, either.

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, Lacessit said:

My GF is very street-smart, and her grand-daughter has astonished me with how rapidly she has picked up things like the Greco-Roman alphabet, numbers, days of the week, and names of months in English. She's as smart as a whip.

By Greco-Roman, I take it you mean "English"?   Astonishing.   So few children are able to learn the English alphabet and numbers!    My three Thai children did; I suppose I should be "astonished" at their unusual "smartness", too.  Maybe we should start an "Astonishingly Smart Children's Society" together?