3 minutes ago, FarAway said:

One of the reasons why Thailand is so <deleted> up. Please, unlearn it instead of learning it.

It essentially means to not say your opinion and just act friendly, even if you do not mean it. Wow. So progressive.

Go home if you don't like the Thai culture. 

I like greng jai

 

3 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Go home if you don't like the Thai culture. 

I like greng jai

 

Kreaeng-jai is the route cause of many issues here….. 
 

….. no one tells the boss when his idea is galactically idiotic !!! 

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Kreaeng-jai is the route cause of many issues here….. 
 

….. no one tells the boss when his idea is galactically idiotic !!! 

You mean to tell me that in the US and UK they tell the boss he's fos? I don't know what country you are from so perhaps you have a different experience, but in my experience, in both UK and USA, that sure isn't the case.

5 hours ago, ozimoron said:

I just think those who believe Thais are stupid because they don't buy into the right wing conspiracy theories and those who choose to gratuitously bash Thais or stereotype them are the real stupid ones.

Maybe Thais took a look at how tens of thousands of people died in Europe and US and said, "no thanks." Why it matters to farang what other people do sorta undermines their "go alone " mindset that they claim to exhibit.

3 minutes ago, FarAway said:

 

My wife is Thai and my daughter is half Thai, we have land and house here, so this can easily be called my home and I am entitled to criticize the bad parts of my home.

 

But anyway, we are preparing to leave exactly because Thailand is contaminated with characters like you. Cannot cure stupid

I appreciate that. Nothing more repulsive than farang coming over, bitching about Thailand and then staying on for the rest of their lives. 

45 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Lots of things would be greatly reduced if we walked around in space suits but humans are social beings and we need to see each other's faces. A world where everyone is masked permanently is a nightmare world.

It's odd how calm and serene Thais seem to be living in this nightmare world. Do you believe that they're screaming on the inside?

5 minutes ago, Thai Visa Member 999999 said:

I appreciate that. Nothing more repulsive than farang coming over, bitching about Thailand and then staying on for the rest of their lives. 

Yeah I actually agree with that.

When you don't like it and cannot change, just leave. That is what we are doing and I honestly cannot understand all the people who hate this place as well but still staying here.

11 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Not knocking Thais here, but there is a bit of a sheeple mentality throughout Asia. Ditching their masks will be a slow process. ????

I have been in Asia since the 1960s and at that time mask were worn for colds and the flu. Asians live in close quarters wearing a mask only makes sense, the covid is not gone new cases every day just not the same awareness as before.

It's about having a choice if you want to wear one fine if you don't that is also fine 

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

I've been here for close to 15 years and until January 2020, masks were only worn by salon and construction workers, a few motorcycle drivers in big cities, a few medical workers and very ill/fragile people.

 

Not true at all. I've been here equally as long, and many of us -- fitting into none of the groups you list above -- were regularly wearing face masks in Thailand when outdoors long before COVID came along, because of the PM2.5 seasonal air pollution problems.

 

And fortunate we were too... Because when COVID did come along, many of us already had good home stocks of high-quality N95 face masks for air pollution, that then could be repurposed for COVID at a time when N95 masks were virtually unavailable to the general public because of the crush of demand by medical workers dealing with the COVID onslaught.

 

9 minutes ago, placeholder said:

It's odd how calm and serene Thais seem to be living in this nightmare world. Do you believe that they're screaming on the inside?

Mask-wearing is a profoundly unnatural thing and in most countries, people stopped wearing them as soon as they were allowed to. I gave my view on Thais and mask-wearing 1 hour ago in this same thread.

11 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Not true at all. I've been here equally as long, and many of us -- fitting into none of the groups you list above -- were regularly wearing face masks in Thailand when outdoors long before COVID came along, because of the PM2.5 seasonal air pollution problems.

 

And fortunate we were too... Because when COVID did come along, many of us already had good home stocks of high-quality N95 face masks for air pollution, that then could be repurposed for COVID at a time when N95 masks were virtually unavailable to the general public because of the crush of demand by medical workers dealing with the COVID onslaught.

 

I see from your profile that you are in Bangkok, which is a very polluted city, as are Chiang Mai, Korat and a few other places at times. On a macro level though, I have lived in 5 different provinces and masks were a very marginal thing until January 2020.

16 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Mask-wearing is a profoundly unnatural thing and in most countries, people stopped wearing them as soon as they were allowed to. I gave my view on Thais and mask-wearing 1 hour ago in this same thread.

You seem to have a predilection for extreme adjectives...

 

So every moment you were wearing a mask was a moment of horror? What does "profoundly unnatural" even mean? As for not seeing faces, do you think people are masked 100% of the time? Even in their own homes? Stop generalizing your feelings into universal truths.

8 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

I see from your profile that you are in Bangkok, which is a very polluted city, as are Chiang Mai, Korat and a few other places at times. On a macro level though, I have lived in 5 different provinces and masks were a very marginal thing until January 2020.

 

The topic here is not about air pollution. But when Thailand has serious seasonal air pollution mostly due to seasonal burning both in Thailand and in adjoining countries, the pollution covers most of the north and central portions of the country in terms of bad air quality.

 

Air isn't confined within particular cities that makes them polluted. The pollution starts at various source locations and then is widely dispersed through the winds even to far remote locations.  When it's bad in Bangkok, it's often similarly bad in many other areas as well.

 

But Chiang Mai and other northern region areas often had it the worst, and thus many people there were regularly wearing masks long before COVID.

8 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Thais are better at adopting to foreign countries' cultures. There is a Colonial, superior attitude from some here. 

Median Thai household income is over median European American income in America. In fact, median income of any Asian Americans are above the median income of European Americans. 

51 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Kreaeng-jai is the route cause of many issues here….. 
 

….. no one tells the boss when his idea is galactically idiotic !!! 

They don't at home either. It appears that in many cases people tell the boss exactly what he wants to hear, not matter how idiotic he's being. It's not a Thailand thing.

3 minutes ago, placeholder said:

You seem to have a predilection for extreme adjectives such . "Breathing your own carbon dioxide is horrible" 

So every moment you were wearing a mask was a moment of horror? What does "profoundly unnatural" even mean? As for not seeing faces, do you think people are masked 100% of the time? Even in their own homes? Stop generalizing your feelings into universal truths.

Most people wore them most of the time when out of their homes during social interactions. There are several studies on the harmful effects of mask-wearing on human psyche, from detrimental impacts on child development to the exacerbation of anxiety and other disorders in adults, you can easily find them.

 

It isn't too hard to understand how having one's face and respiratory system covered most of the time is unnatural.

 

13 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The topic here is not about air pollution. But when Thailand has serious seasonal air pollution mostly due to seasonal burning both in Thailand and in adjoining countries, the pollution covers most of the north and central portions of the country in terms of bad air quality.

 

Air isn't confined within particular cities that makes them polluted. The pollution starts at various source locations and then is widely dispersed through the winds even to far remote locations.  When it's bad in Bangkok, it's often similarly bad in many other areas as well.

 

But Chiang Mai and other northern region areas often had it the worst, and thus many people there were regularly wearing masks long before COVID.

I agree with that. And I never denied that mask-wearing has long existed in Thailand. I am refuting the claim that it was a widespread, standardised thing before Covid came along. Unless I lived in a parallel dimension from 2009 to 2020.

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

 

 

Masks saved far more lives than were harmed by wearing them.

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

.

 

 

Lots of things that human do to themselves are unnatural. The thing is, one of the things that make human beings so formidable, is that they are extremely adaptable.

 

https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-022-00360-2

 

The current study provides evidence for quantitative and qualitative changes in the processing of masked faces in children. Changes in face recognition performance and alteration in the processing of partially occluded faces could have significant effects on children’s social interactions with their peers and their ability to form relationships with educators. Previous research in adults has already demonstrated the detrimental effect of reduced face perception abilities on one’s level of social confidence and quality of life (Lane et al., 2018). Given the recent increased uptake in mask-wearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, future research should explore the social and psychological ramifications of wearing masks on children’s performance.

 

https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/research-suggests-mask-wearing-can-increase-struggles-social#:~:text=June 21%2C 2021-,Research suggests mask-wearing can increase struggles with social anxiety,past may also be affected.&text=People who struggle with social,after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

People who struggle with social anxiety might experience increased distress related to mask-wearing during and even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

A paper authored by researchers from the University of Waterloo’s Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment also has implications for those who haven’t necessarily suffered from social anxiety in the past.

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, placeholder said:

There's a reason that the moderators frown on posters asking others to produce evidence to support their case. If you've got evidence, share it. But don't expect others to do your work for you. 

 

Lots of things that human do to themselves are unnatural. The thing is, one of the things that make human beings so formidable, is that they are extremely adaptable.

https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-022-00360-2

The current study provides evidence for quantitative and qualitative changes in the processing of masked faces in children. Changes in face recognition performance and alteration in the processing of partially occluded faces could have significant effects on children’s social interactions with their peers and their ability to form relationships with educators. Previous research in adults has already demonstrated the detrimental effect of reduced face perception abilities on one’s level of social confidence and quality of life (Lane et al., 2018). Given the recent increased uptake in mask-wearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, future research should explore the social and psychological ramifications of wearing masks on children’s performance.

 

https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/research-suggests-mask-wearing-can-increase-struggles-social#:~:text=June 21%2C 2021-,Research suggests mask-wearing can increase struggles with social anxiety,past may also be affected.&text=People who struggle with social,after the COVID-19 pandemic.

People who struggle with social anxiety might experience increased distress related to mask-wearing during and even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

A paper authored by researchers from the University of Waterloo’s Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment also has implications for those who haven’t necessarily suffered from social anxiety in the past.

13 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Lots of things that human do to themselves are unnatural. The thing is, one of the things that make human beings so formidable, is that they are extremely adaptable.

The fact that they are adaptable does not justify or legitimate the predicament they are adapting to.

You'd swear that wearing a simple facemask is akin to being waterboarded the way Americans go on about them

4 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

The fact that they are adaptable does not justify or legitimate the predicament they are adapting to.

Nor does it indict it.

1 minute ago, JeffersLos said:

You'd swear that wearing a simple facemask is akin to being waterboarded the way Americans go on about them

You think that this is mainly an American attitude? Really?

Just now, placeholder said:

You think that this is mainly an American attitude? Really?

It seems to me that it's more associated with one's political bent. Mostly it comes from the right wingers.

6 minutes ago, placeholder said:

"Mass formation psychosis" is a fake phenomenon reciently invented by anti-vaxxers and passed along by Robert Malone, a virologist or Joe Rogan's podcast.. It is not a recognized term in psychology. Basically, it's just name-calling

It is a concept theorized by Mattias Desmet. Concepts have to be invented, right? Otherwise nothing would exist. I trust that, as a smart, intelligent and curious person, you will actually listen to an interview by Desmet and formulate any criticism you may have in a logical manner.

One big plus for me of wearing masks a lot and sanitizing/washing hands a lot more than before is that i have not had a cold in over two years.  I used to get at least a couple a year which would whack me for a week or more.

 

Of course as fewer people wear masks and practice hand washing i fear the cold viruses will have a big party and sooner than i want i will be a host.

Before the pandemic, some Thais wore masks in crowded places i.e. in the trains, shopping centres etc. Some of my colleagues come into the office with masks because they woke up with a bit of a sniffle that morning. Whether they are being considerate and mindful of not sharing their droplets with others, or they do not want to receive any, or they just want to hide behind a veil, let them be. As far as I can see, mask-wearing was never an issue pre-pandemic and shouldn't be one now. If you want to wear it, go ahead. If not, don't.