Assimilation with Thai Culture

[Neeranam]

42 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

It's OK.  We all know you're a foreigner with Thai citizenship.  Answer away.

I wasn't asking you. Seems you have a chip on your shoulder about something. 

[Neeranam]

6 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

"Whataboutism".  Bringing up how the US used to be really doesn't mean much.  You say Thailand has racist laws, he claims the US used to be the same.  Does that make the racist laws in Thailand OK?  No.  It's just a deflection.  You say something negative about Thailand, he says something negative about another country to try and deflect.

 

Whataboutism doesn't explain anything or properly challenge, it's simply about saying "You said something bad about Thailand, but here's something bad about country X, so that makes Thailand less bad."

You really do  think too much. 

 

American comes here and shouts racism, I think it is hypocrisy. 

[Sparktrader]

8 hours ago, garrya said:

I have been struggling to keep missus, who is Thai by the way, in Thailand. She has been repeatedly asking me if we could <deleted> off.

Having lived in other countries, she feels more alien here than myself.

She's become more dissimilated over time.  I reckon that's what we call reverse culture shock.

 

What are people supposed to assimilate into? 

Going to temples to make merit, double parking, running red lights, promising things without meaning it, something we call Thai "education", gossiping, learning to cook Thai food, being late for work, not greeting neighbours, eating out with co-workers whom they aren't fond of, wearing matching outfits to go out, blocking junctions, saying "kha and khrap",  .... 

 

Thais aren't the same. There are many who ain't feel assimilated to their "own" culture. We foreigners tend to put all Thais in the same hat. 

For instance, having asked a few Thais I know whether they attended Loy Krathong at the local venues, I found that the vast majority didn't. And in fact, they would say that they were fed up with ........ 

What's your view on Thais who aren't that assimilated?

Every country has issues. Mostly due to people. 

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

I wasn't asking you. Seems you have a chip on your shoulder about something. 

Not at all. Just answering your question. I dont think users can specify who replies.????‍♂️

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

American comes here and shouts racism, I think it is hypocrisy.

American observes racism in present day Thailand, but America was just as racist in the 50s, therefore that American is a hypocrite?

 

Just have a think about that for a minute. ????

[garrya]

46 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Every country has issues. Mostly due to people. 

 

Sparky, your keyboards are sparkling.  Slow down fellow ???? Smoke is billowing out from your keyboard.

Don't hijack the thread please. It's not your 99 baht pizza thread

[garrya]

54 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Every country has issues. Mostly due to people. 

 

[Sparktrader]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

I wasn't asking you. Seems you have a chip on your shoulder about something. 

He likes being difficult.

[Neeranam]

3 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

American observes racism in present day Thailand, but America was just as racist in the 50s, therefore that American is a hypocrite?

 

Just have a think about that for a minute. ????

In the 60s, some US states didn't allow black citizens to vote. 

 

Guy calls Thailand racist as white Thais can't become officers in the army. 

 

Putting things into perspective, Thailand is developing, laws are changing. Many laws that many think are racist are there for good reasons, i.e not allowing married foreigners to own land, giving local people discount to parks etc.

I don't think users ban putting things in perspective. 

[thaibeachlovers]

7 hours ago, Neeranam said:

In the 60s, some US states didn't allow black citizens to vote. 

 

Guy calls Thailand racist as white Thais can't become officers in the army. 

 

Putting things into perspective, Thailand is developing, laws are changing. Many laws that many think are racist are there for good reasons, i.e not allowing married foreigners to own land, giving local people discount to parks etc.

I don't think users ban putting things in perspective. 

I spent many, many years visiting Thailand and years living in Thailand. I never encountered a law that was "bad" for me, so if there are "racist" laws, I didn't care as they didn't affect me.

The immigration is a pain in the proverbial, but only once a year and paying an agency made all the inconvenience vanish. Can we say that about immigration in our own countries?

 

In fact, I felt entirely accepted in LOS as an alien- never had an issue with racism against me.

[Sparktrader]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I spent many, many years visiting Thailand and years living in Thailand. I never encountered a law that was "bad" for me, so if there are "racist" laws, I didn't care as they didn't affect me.

The immigration is a pain in the proverbial, but only once a year and paying an agency made all the inconvenience vanish. Can we say that about immigration in our own countries?

 

In fact, I felt entirely accepted in LOS as an alien- never had an issue with racism against me.

Yes only visa is the issue. Everything else pretty good except dangerous drivers.

[Neeranam]

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I spent many, many years visiting Thailand and years living in Thailand. I never encountered a law that was "bad" for me, so if there are "racist" laws, I didn't care as they didn't affect me.

The immigration is a pain in the proverbial, but only once a year and paying an agency made all the inconvenience vanish. Can we say that about immigration in our own countries?

 

In fact, I felt entirely accepted in LOS as an alien- never had an issue with racism against me.

One poster mentioned an archaic law that actually doesn't hold in reality. 

Guys that freak about about this are usually Colonial types that think they are superior to the local Siamese. 

Immigration is easy, usually retirees making a fuss, when they have all the time in the world to spend 1 hour a year getting a visa which is cheap and easy to get compared with other countries. As a Thai, I would need to INVEST 17 million baht to get a retirement visa in the USA. Being white in Thailand is a blessing rather than a curse. 

[ColeBOzbourne]

18 hours ago, Neeranam said:

American comes here and shouts racism, I think it is hypocrisy.

Good call, Neeranam, 100% of Americans are all racists. People should never be judged as individuals.

[BangkokReady]

19 hours ago, Neeranam said:

In the 60s, some US states didn't allow black citizens to vote. 

 

Guy calls Thailand racist as white Thais can't become officers in the army. 

 

Putting things into perspective, Thailand is developing, laws are changing. Many laws that many think are racist are there for good reasons, i.e not allowing married foreigners to own land, giving local people discount to parks etc.

I don't think users ban putting things in perspective. 

I think, perhaps, your whataboutism was triggered, as is so often the case, by the fact that you don't like to hear someone saying something negative about Thailand.  Probably because you like to think that Thailand is superior to Western countries.  This then causes you to try to think of something negative to say about the country of whomever said something negative about Thailand.  Although they never said that their country is better, this is what you hear, so you feel the need to knock their country down a peg or two.

 

The fact is, it's OK for someone to point out something factual that could be classed as negative, even if you don't like to hear Thailand being criticised.

 

There was no hypocrisy.

 

Yes, Thailand, like most developing countries, is just as bad as most Western countries were in the past.  No one is saying that Western countries didn't go through the same process.

 

There are ways that Thailand is better than our home countries, and there are ways that our home countries are better than Thailand.  It's better just to relax and enjoy the things that are better, and try to deal with the things that aren't in the best way you can, rather than allowing someone mentioning them to cause you to immediately need to attack their country.  Perhaps this is a step in assimilation that you could aim for next?  Take things in a slightly more relaxed way?  Mai bpen rai?

[Fab5BKK]

On 11/14/2022 at 8:58 PM, Neeranam said:

In the 60s, some US states didn't allow black citizens to vote. 

 

Guy calls Thailand racist as white Thais can't become officers in the army. 

 

Putting things into perspective, Thailand is developing, laws are changing. Many laws that many think are racist are there for good reasons, i.e not allowing married foreigners to own land, giving local people discount to parks etc.

I don't think users ban putting things in perspective. 

“Guy calls Thailand racist as white Thais can’t become officer in the army”

 

Where did I say that???

 

I did say (Posted Sunday at 08:18 PM)

“One example:
Some thai citizens (with thai ID, thai passport, etc.) won't be able to become Officers in the thai Army...

Do you know why?

Because one of the parents is not thai...”

 

Did I, in my post, refer to any color, race or whatever?

Therefore, why do you modify other people’s thoughts? Are you that screwed?

[Adumbration]

Hell is other people.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

there are ways that our home countries are better than Thailand. 

The only ways western countries are better, IMO, is perhaps not such blatant corruption ( it goes on but is less obvious ), less chance of dying in a traffic accident, and a tradesman is generally qualified to do the job ( except for the cowboys I have had the misfortune to employ- which is why I learned to DIY ).

Can't think of anything else.

 

So, if I were to write a list of everything better in Thailand, and in western countries the western countries would have 3 things and the Thai list might have a hundred or more.

[Mac Mickmanus]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The only ways western countries are better, IMO, is perhaps not such blatant corruption ( it goes on but is less obvious ), less chance of dying in a traffic accident, and a tradesman is generally qualified to do the job ( except for the cowboys I have had the misfortune to employ- which is why I learned to DIY ).

Can't think of anything else.

People back home usually now the answer to your question , as opposed to Thailand where they will have to ask someone else and there would be a chain of five people all asking each other and no one will know 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

People back home usually now the answer to your question , as opposed to Thailand where they will have to ask someone else and there would be a chain of five people all asking each other and no one will know 

Perhaps I missed it, but did I ask a question in the post you quoted? I didn't intend to.

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps I missed it, but did I ask a question in the post you quoted? I didn't intend to.

You was trying to think of ways why Western Countries are better and you couldn't think of anything and I gave you one example of why Western Countries are better than Thailand 

[Orinoco]

On 11/14/2022 at 7:26 PM, Neeranam said:

I wasn't asking you. Seems you have a chip on your shoulder about something. 

The pot calling the kettle black. 

 

[Sparktrader]

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The only ways western countries are better, IMO, is perhaps not such blatant corruption ( it goes on but is less obvious ), less chance of dying in a traffic accident, and a tradesman is generally qualified to do the job ( except for the cowboys I have had the misfortune to employ- which is why I learned to DIY ).

Can't think of anything else.

 

So, if I were to write a list of everything better in Thailand, and in western countries the western countries would have 3 things and the Thai list might have a hundred or more.

Better for jobs in west.

[Sparktrader]

6 hours ago, Orinoco said:

The pot calling the kettle black. 

 

Is this a triple facepalm?

[BangkokReady]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Can't think of anything else.

I think you're either not trying or you're deceiving yourself.  (I'm assuming you're switched on enough to notice more issues, they just aren't occurring to you right now.)

 

Law and order, treatment of women and girls, human rights, consumer protection, inequality, welfare, civic responsibility, are a few that jump out.  There are probably many more.

 

And, of course, education, which is probably one of the biggest and most obvious ones.

 

Not sure how the above don't leap into your mind when thinking of Western countries vs. Thailand. ????‍♂️

[BangkokReady]

8 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

People back home usually now the answer to your question , as opposed to Thailand where they will have to ask someone else and there would be a chain of five people all asking each other and no one will know

And in Western countries people will generally admit to not knowing the answer.  In Thailand, it's a lot more common for people to be flexible with the truth in order to not lose face.

 

No doubt the accusation of "Thai Bashers!!!" is coming soon, but, as I said before, there are obviously many things that are better in Thailand than in Western countries also.

[scorecard]

On 11/13/2022 at 1:47 PM, VinnieK said:

Agreed 

..but even if you assimilate there are no benefits whatsoever.

For the Thais you will always be the 'farang' 

Thailand is a cult.

Difficult to impossible to gain admission.

 

"... ..but even if you assimilate there are no benefits whatsoever." 

 

Do you need donations to buy a one way ticket out?

 

[Screaming]

A very interesting poll. I thought I would like to assimilate when I first moved to Thailand twenty years ago but now after getting to know the Thais and their culture, I have zero interest.

[VinnieK]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

"... ..but even if you assimilate there are no benefits whatsoever." 

 

Do you need donations to buy a one way ticket out?

 

You know any other songs or just this one?

[473geo]

3 hours ago, Screaming said:

A very interesting poll. I thought I would like to assimilate when I first moved to Thailand twenty years ago but now after getting to know the Thais and their culture, I have zero interest.

Topic is interesting as assimilation is always going to be difficult if not supported and encouraged by both sides 

That one 'fits in' is always going to make life easier, but if the task of 'fitting in is arduous, painstakingly slow, and carries a limited chance of real success, who can blame people for accepting what is on offer without the effort ????