The Concept of Face In Thailand

[LaosLover]

Just cracked open the book, The Way Thai's Lead: Face As Social Capital. 

 

It's a decent read that's not too academic. Must recco all Silkworm Publications for Thai-ophiles. 

 

So far, it seems that face is survival mechanism to placate the powerful and also improve your standing in the pecking order with those you judge as a possible threat or competitor to you. I've read some good examples of relationship problems here with women who seek Face via your wallet.

 

Someone who saw me reading the book said that Face is whatever an individual Thai says it is to guilt trip westerners. As a newbie, I interpret face as always giving a Thai person a face-saving out in any conversation.

 

How does face impact your interactions here?

 

And what's you best face-story?

 

 

[The Hammer2021]

The meaning of face in Asia is much misunderstood by Westerners who confuse it with their idea of  pride.

But ideas of giving face and face as a communal concept don't even  have words for  these concepts in English. The Thai haters and bashers like to  blame face for sensational arguments  and violence but needless to say their  grasp  of social anthropology is limited but it seems their  hate and contempt for Thais isn't.

[LaosLover]

I'm interested in the Asian and Thai-specifics of Face, but I also note that some variant of it pops up in most poor places, whether they be Doncaster UK, Port Au Prince, Haiti, or Appalachia.

[Grecian]

I've thought that one function of face is that of a safety valve in collectivist societies that value social harmony over truth.

[473geo]

I think my wife feels it's inappropriate for us to have better breeding cows than her mother, so far only mentioned mama should have a better cow, maybe to keep up with the neighbours, don't know for sure, but the thought is obviously there

[LaosLover]

I had a near-crippling, inept massage the other day.

 

I suddenly remembered an injury I had, and that was my excuse to bolt from the massage, after handing over the 200 baht. Is this an example of respecting the Face needs of the masseur?

[GammaGlobulin]

Concerning the aforementioned book, "The Way Thais Lead: Face as Social Capital", the reason that I might not read this books is because, in the "Introduction", it is clearly stated that, "You don't have to be a scholar to read on."

 

Also, I do not like sentences which end in the preposition, "on".

 

Also, I have never been "perplexed by the leadership scene in Thailand".  I have never been perplexed by anything I find here, after living most of my life in Asia.

 

Basically, this book reads like a Masters Thesis, and no more than a PhD thesis.  I have read a few Masters Theses, and I would never wish to read another.

 

One thing that I do find pleasurable is that, in this PhD thesis he uses informal language and terms, such as "spot on".

 

If this is a PhD thesis, then why use this INFORMAL term, which is British, as everybody knows.

 

The only reason I ever use the term, "spot on", is just so that I might "fit in" better on the Farang pub.

 

So, I guess I will not read this novel, next week.

 

Still, a good effort.

 

Thank you for advertising this here.

 

 

(If I NEVER hear the term, "Social Capital", ever again, I will be far less likely to puuke my guts out.  Always, social capital this, and social capital that.  Stop with the social torture, PLEASE.)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[StreetCowboy]

Cardinals don't like to lose face

[LaosLover]

Yeah, def a scholarly work reworked for a general audience of Thai-ophiles, and quite a readable editing job.

 

Who's going to go to the trouble of writing a serious Thai book just on spec? Even getting published by tiny Silkworm Books is the equivalent of recording for Chess Records instead of a major label.

 

I sometimes feel like I could collate a decent Thai society book from real life accounts of people posting here.

[GammaGlobulin]

Maybe for further investigation:

 

I suggest that you study kinship terminology, among cultures and within cultures, in order to better decipher power relationships, and FACE, and hierarchy in the social setting.

 

Have you really done your homework on this one?

[LaosLover]

Thanks for the lesson, but I only have so many hours in the day to deep-study Thailand and I have to squeeze in shtupping my wife too.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Cardinals don't like to lose face

 

You are always dependable, and positive.

 

Thank you for being someone, maybe the only one, we can truly depend on.

Thank you.

 

 

[StreetCowboy]

16 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

...

You are always dependable, and positive.

 

Thank you for being someone, maybe the only one, we can truly depend on.

Thank you.

 

 

He said "Everyone trusts on you.  Is that right?"

"Depends"

Edited August 30, 2022 by StreetCowboy

[LaosLover]

3 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

He said "Everyone trusts on you.  Is that right?"

"Depends"

I'm American. I need subtitles for Billy Connelly.

 

Picked up his Route 66 book at Lost Books in Chiang Mai. Pretty good, but is there anyone left on BBC who hasn't beaten the Americana/Route 66 thing straight into the ground?

[StreetCowboy]

1 minute ago, LaosLover said:

I'm American. I need subtitles for Billy Connelly.

 

Picked up his Route 66 book at Lost Books in Chiang Mai. Pretty good, but is there anyone left on BBC who hasn't beaten the Americana/Route 66 thing straight into the ground?

Turn the sound off and lip read,

[LaosLover]

That's why I prefer my limited doses of Billy Connelly in book form.

 

If I can understand Frankie Boyle, I just assume it's Billy's fault.

[StreetCowboy]

2 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

That's why I prefer my limited doses of Billy Connelly in book form.

 

If I can understand Frankie Boyle, I just assume it's Billy's fault.

It's our way of getting back at the English - they can't understand us, and we don't understand them

[LaosLover]

As long as I'm here, "Conquered by rhymes with plankers" is among the funniest lines in film-dom. I could understand them too.

 

Prob a deliberate decision so Trainspotting could cross over to American art house cinema's (which did actually exist in my lifetime).

Edited August 30, 2022 by LaosLover

[StreetCowboy]

2 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

As long as I'm here, "Conquered by <deleted>" is among the funniest lines in film-dom. I could understand them too.

 

Prob a deliberate decision so Trainspotting could cross over to American art house cinema's (which did actually exist in my lifetime).

"Ruled by"
The two nations were joined under James VI albeit unified later, for other reasons. 

[GammaGlobulin]

12 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

I'm American. I need subtitles for Billy Connelly.

 

Picked up his Route 66 book at Lost Books in Chiang Mai. Pretty good, but is there anyone left on BBC who hasn't beaten the Americana/Route 66 thing straight into the ground?

The beauty of the Farang Pub is that anybody can be any nationality they wish to be.

 

You can be American.

And, I, I can be Irish.

 

Nobody, as I said years ago, knows where anybody comes from.

 

This is the beauty of the Farang Pub.

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

7 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Nobody, as I said years ago, knows where anybody comes from.

 

I know where LaosLover comes from 

[StreetCowboy]

10 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

The beauty of the Farang Pub is that anybody can be any nationality they wish to be.

 

You can be American.

And, I, I can be Irish.

 

Nobody, as I said years ago, knows where anybody comes from.

 

This is the beauty of the Farang Pub.

 

 

Even when they've left the nest, they are still family, and we can rightly take pride in their achievements, even if they still decline to rejoin the Commonwealth.

[GammaGlobulin]

11 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I know where LaosLover comes from 

I would not be surprised if you do, in fact.

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I would not be surprised if you do, in fact.

He stated where he was from in the post above (which you replied to)

[StreetCowboy]

14 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

...

You can be American.

And, I, I can be Irish.

...

We can be heroes

 

I could be...

 

You may ...

 

As I said before, there is no point in speculation

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

He stated where he was from in the post above (which you replied to)

However, it was his telltale lilt that told otherwise.

 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[ifmu]

my wife and i got into a disagreement ... next day she waid me  

i told her i never wanted to be waid

 

wife and i are equal  in all respects  

[StreetCowboy]

1 minute ago, ifmu said:

my wife and i got into a disagreement ... next day she waid me  

i told her i never wanted to be waid

 

wife and i are equal  in all respects  

That's pretty evenly balanced

[Dan O]

So much for the OP thread about Face in Thailand. Some confuse the issue of needing to separate Farang from their money to improve their lifestyle as Face, which it isnt.

 

Face is a concept practiced in most nationalities although under different names.  Its more a two sided concept of not publicly causing embarrassment or loss of respect for person for the actions by giving them a way out of a conflicting situation or on the part of the person committing the offense to provide a reason (excuse) for having caused the conflict which deflects blame and allows them to maintain dignity or respect in their social order.  In a society where the majority of the populace is financially encumbered respect and social status may be the only measure for someone's worth similar to one's reputation. Really not hard to understand or grasp. 

[Dan O]

4 minutes ago, ifmu said:

my wife and i got into a disagreement ... next day she waid me  

i told her i never wanted to be waid

 

wife and i are equal  in all respects  

I take the same position. I dont like family to wai me for any reason other than just a greeting. Never in a situation of disagreement or error.