3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You've got me...what exactly was it that you got for B5,500 that included a Thai ID card to which BenStark initially referenced?

Thai citizenship costs 5,000 baht application fee and 500 baht for the fingerprints. The ID card comes free I think.

On 2/20/2024 at 4:22 AM, zhounan said:

You're in an elevator, you say hi and they don't respond. They are sitting next to you, you greet them and they don't respond. 

 

Some people always seem stressed, what's their problem? Is their jaw to heavy?

People don't normally greet others they don't know in an elevator, or say hi to strangers in public.

Perhaps it's the OP that is making a problem out of nothing.

 

Perhaps the OP lives in a more friendly country where such things happen, but not in any country I've lived in.

11 hours ago, scorecard said:

Love to know also, please share.

 

And do you mean the purchaser is a farang or a Thai?

 

And what is the background colour on the card?

 

And if it's your name (assuming that it's a non-thai person) is the name written in:

- Thai language

- English language

- Both Thai and English languages? 

 

And is there an expiry date on the card? What language?

Thai and English, light blue. 

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

People don't normally greet others they don't know in an elevator, or say hi to strangers in public.

Perhaps it's the OP that is making a problem out of nothing.

 

Perhaps the OP lives in a more friendly country where such things happen, but not in any country I've lived in.

Maybe he's Indian. 

13 hours ago, Neeranam said:

17 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You've got me...what exactly was it that you got for B5,500 that included a Thai ID card to which BenStark initially referenced?

Thai citizenship costs 5,000 baht application fee and 500 baht for the fingerprints. The ID card comes free I think.

Ok, now I understand, you applied for and were granted Thai citizenship after the normal procedure, you did not just "buy it" for B5,500 as he ridiculously suggested.  Appreciate the clarification.

Took me a while to recognise they are either not comfortable greeting you.....or anyone else for that matter.....or they just CBA......unless they want to formally say 'hello'......I just keep a smile on my face.

A personal attack has been removed

On 2/20/2024 at 1:22 AM, zhounan said:

You're in an elevator, you say hi and they don't respond. They are sitting next to you, you greet them and they don't respond. 

 

Some people always seem stressed, what's their problem? Is their jaw to heavy?

I've been asking myself that very same question. I paid cold hard cash in the supermarket recently. The cashier hands out the change to the Asian-looking person next to me (who happens to be my wife). The cashier then does the wai to my wife but completely ignores me although I am the one who paid. Anyone see anything wrong with this? OK, next one, I enter the bank to conduct business regarding my bank account. The doorman does the wai to the Asian-looking person next to me (who happens to be my wife) but completely ignores me. He gives my wife a ticket for the queue but ignores me. No words are spoken. I go to the hospital because of a cut that got infected. After establishing that the doctor speaks English, he asks me to explain what happened. However, mid-sentence, he looks to an Asian-looking person down the hallway mid sentence (who happens to be my wife). He just interrupts me and talks to her in Thai. Anything wrong with this picture? When residing in Germany and later on in Australia with my Thai wife, every Caucasian greeted both me and my wife. Had the white people only greeted me and ignored my Asian-looking wife, we would have been labelled racist. My wife excuses her fellow country men and women's impolite behavior that they can't speak English or a shy. As I already explained to my wife, the rude Thais don't know whether I speak Thai or not just as my German or Australian friends and colleagues who shook my wife's hand didn't know whether she spoke German or English or not. Also, if you're that shy, don't work in customer service.

Politeness has nothing to do with nationality or language skills. A wai requires no voice. Everyone by now understands a "hello". The wai, according to my research, is not specifically for persons of Asian appearance or of a particular nationality. Thai custom requires every junior person to greet a senior person, regardless of looks. In particular in retail, the sales person is required to greet me. I have observed, for example, when I go to HomePro, that if an Asian couple enter the store, both male and female are given the wai - period. If I and my Asian-looking wife enter Home Pro, in most cases, only she gets greeted and the staff look away when I pass them. I have a problem with that. So, racial profiling and racism is alive and well in Thailand. Thailand is still stuck in a kind of 1960's similar to when when western countries were coming to grips with racism. I still remember the racism in Australia in the 1960's and 1970's (and the White Australia Policy). So, regardless of the various excuses being presented for not greeting me or you, for ignoring me or you or not making eye contact with me or you, although they do it with other 'strangers', it's based on simple racism. At best, it comes down to extremely poor education, prejudice and rudeness. At the end of the day, I choose where I want to live. I'm here to be with my wife upon her invitation. I'm a 100% legal resident. I'm a self-funded retiree. No bribes were paid. If anyone tells me to go back to Australia where I was born, then the millions of Thai women who married an Australian for a visa should return to Thailand and the millions of bribes taken to hand out visas to illegitimate residents should also be returned. Again, no matter how someone spins it, politeness is pretty much universal globally and it has nothing to do with language, appearance or heritage. In Thailand, a good Thai knows that they must wai me. If not, they obviously have a problem with white people. I don't have the problem.

On 2/19/2024 at 10:22 PM, zhounan said:

You're in an elevator, you say hi and they don't respond. They are sitting next to you, you greet them and they don't respond. 

 

Some people always seem stressed, what's their problem? Is their jaw to heavy?

I'm here to f-rang-splain it all for you!

 

https://youtu.be/RUSaed-0NPQ?t=28

 

 

 

Generally I find most Thais acknowledge you if you do so to them. A nod, a slight smile etc. Don't think I've ever been blanked except in real cutthroat tourism areas where basically they are out for money but loathe us. The other aspect is the nose glued to the phone of course.

I moved Condo today in Hua Hin, very central and as I went to get some provisions everybody along the way gave some acknowledgement. Why after all should somebody standing or sitting outside their shop/massage place/ bar etc greet everybody and his dog with massive enthusiasm??

Then in fact as I stood to cross at one of those massive intersections where it seems to take forever for your light to go green to cross, a tiny Thai lady grabbed my hand with a big grin and took me across with her doing that whole Thai mystery move they do in fast traffic like the parting of the Red Sea. I can do it with just 2 way traffic and the turning in thing but she was negotiating 4 lane plus the feed in entry. Mind you I did notice she put me between the cars and her.... 😄 

On 2/20/2024 at 2:49 AM, Mark Nothing said:

You have committed a social faux pas.  They interpret your cordial, pleasant greetings as offensive behavior.  You are not on the same pecking order as them, in their eyes and cultural hierachical rules, and you have no right to interact with them, as they are "superior". 

 

Far cry from the land of smiles facade isn't it?  Only the possibility of a payday will temporarily trump the thai hierachical rules which has ensnared so many.  Develop a thick skin.  I ignore them completely as if they don't exist and eventually they won't. 

Good answer. I'm not going to get upset about things that I cannot change. I'm going to focus on a great retirement, and for Thais who are stuck in the past (i.e. outdated and primitive social order), I don't care about them. It's their ignorance not mine. So, the above response: "...ignore them completely as if they don't exist and eventually they won't" is a good response.

On 2/21/2024 at 7:56 AM, Sheryl said:

It is  not normal to say "hello" to total strangers just because they are on the same elevator as you, or seated next to you in a public spot. Thais do not say hello to each other under this situation either.  Nor do people where I come from back in farang-land.

 

Not sure where OP is from but this is far from a universal custom and would strike Thais as very odd -- and intrusive -- behavior. Strikes me that way too.

 

Some exceptions e.g. if the elevator is in an apartment building where you live and the people on it are also building residents...but even then a brief nod would be more appropriate than an actual hello.

He came from tourist infested areas to real Thailand 

This thread has names from the past, maybe kaput.

 

The new generation of farang have lower social skills, talking seems difficult for them, avoiding talking on the phone, happy messaging only, one day maybe a couple will chat only by messaging, even in the same room

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

This thread has names from the past, maybe kaput.

 

The new generation of farang have lower social skills, talking seems difficult for them, avoiding talking on the phone, happy messaging only, one day maybe a couple will chat only by messaging, even in the same room

I have no interest chatting with any foreigners, only other English people.

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I have no interest chatting with any foreigners, only other English people.

Avoid the French. Complete wackos.

10 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Avoid the French. Complete wackos.

And you consider yourself normal? 

 

😄 

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I have no interest chatting with any foreigners, only other English people.

Do you speak much with your wife and family? 

Just now, Hummin said:

And you consider yourself normal? 

 

😄 

More normal than them! Hitler rolled em in 6 weeks. The women are ok. The men are a disgrace.

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

More normal than them! Hitler rolled em in 6 weeks. The women are ok. The men are a disgrace.

I would careful stating anyone at this forum with more than 1k posts is normal, 

Just now, Hummin said:

I would careful stating anyone at this forum with more than 1k posts is normal, 

The French hermit has no hobbies, no friends, no girlfriend and sits in a room for years. The other Frenchman I know quits jobs every month and walks around in circles.

6 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

The French hermit has no hobbies, no friends, no girlfriend and sits in a room for years. The other Frenchman I know quits jobs every month and walks around in circles.

That certainly proves your point, and I have to say, my few interactions with French in Thailand have been quite an experience itself to, and also when we where skydiving, if there was a bad body odor in the plane, you bet there was a French on the load with us. 

 

Ai, 

3 hours ago, Hummin said:

Do you speak much with your wife and family? 

Not really.