Does your Thai partner know much about history outside of Thailand?

[proton]

7 hours ago, ozimoron said:

My Thai GF doesn't even know that God created the world in 7 days.

It was six days, done the job so rested on the 7th, if only Thai workmen were as quick!

[1FinickyOne]

yes, normal, but maybe healthy too

[zzaa09]

9 hours ago, Denim said:

I worked with a young guy in England who couldn't locate it on a map of the world and couldn't name a single country.  History same. No interest in these subjects whatsoever.

Indeed.

The general ignorance and indifference towards such is equally similar throughout the West. 

Occidental cultures certainly don't have the market cornered as applying to knowledge regarding such subject matters. 

[ChipButty]

There is a load of video's on YT where they go around the streets in the US just asking general knowledge questions the answers or lack of are amazing, 

[Tropposurfer]

Yeah! She's a bl@@dy know-it-all hahaha1????

 

Like a dang encyclopedia she is! ????????

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, 2009 said:

Philippines does have better education than Thailand.

According to PISA educational tables so do an awful lot more !

[Enoon]

12 hours ago, sharksy said:

I asked a (younger than Thai GF) Philippine friend if she had heard of the above historic events.  She said it was taught in School and most Phillipine people would have known about it.

 

I guess its quite important to me to be able to discuss things and get an opinion back when visiting historical places, like a regular western GF would.  Have an interest in the place you are visiting - rather than just post up photographs with no knowledge or interest behind them.

 

"......like a regular western GF ........"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Enoon

[Purdey]

In A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes claimed to be unaware that the earth revolves around the sun since such information is irrelevant to his work. The detective believed that the mind has a finite capacity for information storage, and learning useless things reduces one's ability to learn useful things. 

In the case of many people in Thailand, remembering how to make food fills the memory capacity of the majority. I find it amusing. 

[2009]

20 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

"......like a regular western GF ........"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it is nice to speak with a woman who isn't an air head.

[Pink Mist]

A Meme photo post and replies have been removed.  Stick to the OP Topic:

"Does your Thai partner know much about history outside of Thailand?"

[bignok]

She knows I was ex Navy Seal and Top Gun actor. 3rd in Olympics 400m. That's all.

[Adumbration]

14 hours ago, Denim said:

I worked with a young guy in England who couldn't locate it on a map of the world and couldn't name a single country.  History same. No interest in these subjects whatsoever.

Back home I used to rent a spare room to International students and on occasion young professionals.

 

I had a young accountant staying with me.  He was a lovely guy and is still a good friend.  He brought his new girlfriend home one night (also young accountant) and I offered to make them dinner.  I cooked them an asian meal.  While I was preparing dinner I heard the young girl ask her boyfriend if they make rice in the same factory as spaghetti.

[Denim]

1 minute ago, Adumbration said:

Back home I used to rent a spare room to International students and on occasion young professionals.

 

I had a young accountant staying with me.  He was a lovely guy and is still a good friend.  He brought his new girlfriend home one night (also young accountant) and I offered to make them dinner.  I cooked them an asian meal.  While I was preparing dinner I heard the young girl ask her boyfriend if they make rice in the same factory as spaghetti.

Wait wait wait !!! Are you trying to insinuate that they don't ???? Oh .....lol....you were just kidding .....right ? ????

[JimHuaHin]

I regret to say, that in my years of experience here, such ignorance of mainland south east Asian history amongst both young and old university-educated Thais is widespread.  Even knowledge of generally (ie globally) accepted Thai history is shaky at best.  As far as knowledge and history of the rest of the planet is concerned - very limited.

 

Several decades ago, I spent a semester lecturing in an international Masters programme (which had a South East Asian focus) at a top Thai university in Bangkok - about one-third of my students were Thais, the rest from other Asian countries.  My Thais students had a very very limited knowledge of the rest of South East Asia.

[sharksy]

9 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

I regret to say, that in my years of experience here, such ignorance of mainland south east Asian history amongst both young and old university-educated Thais is widespread.  Even knowledge of generally (ie globally) accepted Thai history is shaky at best.  As far as knowledge and history of the rest of the planet is concerned - very limited.

 

Several decades ago, I spent a semester lecturing in an international Masters programme (which had a South East Asian focus) at a top Thai university in Bangkok - about one-third of my students were Thais, the rest from other Asian countries.  My Thais students had a very very limited knowledge of the rest of South East Asia.

My experience is that they know Singaporians are really rich, Malaysians are rich, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam are poor lol.

I did ask teerak if she knew about the civil war in Myanmar, she only knew about some bombs coming over the border into Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

My Thai wife got her formal education in the upcountry Thai public schools up thru a public university degree.

 

And based on years of exposure, I'd certainly say either...

 

1. -- they weren't much on teaching either regional or world history or geography there, or

 

2. -- my wife managed to miss / not absorb whatever they did teach on those subjects... entirely!

 

But they did have quite nifty classes on learning Thai dance and cooking... so she tells me.

 

????

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[connda]

Does your Thai partner know much about history outside of Thailand?

Nope.  But on the flip side, most people I know in the US are pretty ignorant about anything outside of the US borders as well.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

49 minutes ago, connda said:

Nope.  But on the flip side, most people I know in the US are pretty ignorant about anything outside of the US borders as well.

 

Maybe you're associating in the wrong circles...

 

I can't speak for a whole country... But for myself, my high school and university education in the U.S. was filled with plenty of both domestic and international history and geography...

 

Admittedly back in the 1970s, my classes were more focused on U.S. and European issues, and not so much on the places that have emerged in more recent years such as China and the Middle East. But it was a somewhat different, more western-focused world back then.

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[BritManToo]

History is more or less bunk! 

 

Essentially propaganda written by the winners, then rewritten to reflect the current political climate. 

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

History is more or less bunk! 

 

Essentially propaganda written by the winners, then rewritten to reflect the current political climate. 

Changed to remove historical stories because of new found evidence and then to remove from history the illicit deeds like slavery and so on. To change history to meet a political agenda is wrong on so many levels.  Learning from history is how we change things moving forward. Burying the unwanted history just allows for it to resurface in another guise.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

32 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

History is more or less bunk! 

That's a convenient retort typically heard from people who want to ignore or dismiss the factual lessons and realities learned from the past.

 

[Kalasin Jo]

On 4/26/2023 at 6:28 AM, ChipButty said:

I guess to most Thai's it doesn't matter, they already think Thailand is the center of the Universe, I would also question them on Geography, 

 

Not the centre of the universe, the whole and only universe. Their village is the centre of that universe. That said, many other nationalities think the same of their home country and village or town.

[rabang]

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

History is more or less bunk! 

 

Essentially propaganda written by the winners, then rewritten to reflect the current political climate. 

It is partly true but also a lazy excuse not to care about anything inconvenient.

[FritsSikkink]

On 4/26/2023 at 5:56 AM, Denim said:

I worked with a young guy in England who couldn't locate it on a map of the world and couldn't name a single country.  History same. No interest in these subjects whatsoever.

We used to have a holiday program on TV in the Netherlands. The presenter would ask people while on holiday in a country in Europe to show the country on a map. Results where hideous, some drove there by car and couldn't even find it.

[Lorry]

On 4/26/2023 at 10:10 AM, KhunLA said:

How old is she, and in her defense, I doubt if most Yanks even know or have an opinion of it.   Some still believe the USA got attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin ...  if they are even aware of the Vietnam war, or who was involved ... go figure.

 

Ignorance is Bliss

Exactly.

The thread title really made me laugh.

Do Americans  know much about history outside of the USA?

[BangkokReady]

Error.

Edited April 29, 2023 by BangkokReady

[MeHere]

History schmistory... the victors write the books anyway, but the few tidbits we learned in school are useful as background topics for a myriad of subjects
I was very good at geography back in school (70s), but these days there are so many new countries popping up, I'd be lucky to find some on a map.
The only map my thai university educated mrs can read is a google map... and she can only read the blue line, the arrows, and meters remaining
We're visiting Europe for a month, the mrs' first trip outside of Thailand and Australia... I'm sure she will be amazed!

[sidneybear]

On 4/26/2023 at 8:34 AM, sidjameson said:

How old are you and how old is your gf?

I think you'd be surprised at how little young women from many countries know or care about these things.

That's true. Even in the west, only a minority of young people know who Pol Pot was.

[mudcat]

My wife went through village schools but left in her early teens in the mid-80's.  She is bright and somewhat inquisitive but lacks any structure to organize her world view.  She managed to pass the U.S. citizen ship exam on her first try, but every morning for a few months we went through the 100 questions in random order.  

There is nothing in her media consumption here that informs, but it does prompt questions.  As to her knowledge of world history it is solely because of our conversations and my answers to her questions.   

[jaideedave]

On 4/26/2023 at 9:10 AM, bluebluewater said:

I've known a whole lot of them who cannot find their own village on a map . . . 

When my Thai wife and I embarked on one of our 1st road trips in Thailand (pre GPS) she was utterly amazed at how I as a foreigner could navigate us around the country using only a road map.I felt a little like Captain Cook. 555