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OPINION: “I’m a pooyai!” – The dilemma of “respect” in Thai culture


webfact

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I find it sickening, personally. Respect is for what good a person has done in his life, not for who his parents were, how much money he/she has or how much talent they were given at birth. 

 

Whenever I go to my bank, the amper or the doctors, my wife and I are ushered in immediately....no waiting in line. I find it embarrassing and imagine all the resentment built up against me, a stinky farang, being given special service ahead of them. I worry one day one of them will snap and murder me. 

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14 hours ago, webfact said:

Showing respect for adults and the elderly, collectively known in Thai as “pooyai” (ผู้ใหญ่), is a cultural norm in Thailand, which is widely perceived as a virtue. While abuse of power is, however, becoming increasingly common, from boasting about their seniority and abusing youngsters to expecting special privileges, Thai people have found themselves rethinking how respect should really be perceived.

This is an early stage thing by the Thai society. Respect has to be earned..but here it's the other way round. Everything here is just formality.

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13 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

No, they don't respect them, not in my Thai family anyway.

 

They go along with it as not to ruffle feathers and because they never know when they might need them in the case of government employees.

 

Regarding Police, they are polite to them but avoid them in all matters.

 

Even disputes in the village are sorted between families where I live, the Police are neither welcome nor required as a rule unless it's a rare case of extreme violence.

Sounds a bit like Londoner's attitude to the Met. Where the police are considered to be just another gang 

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A Lot of Pooyais are really Poo Nitnoys. Big Head, Big Ego, small actual stature.

  Oh and loss of face, can happen so quickly with these kins of people. I am not talking about just Thais

as well. I seen many tourists who thought in this fashion as well.  It is the world we live in.

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