It's rather difficult to take seriously a critique from someone who opens with "TL;DR." You've managed to form a confident opinion about an article you admit you didn't read, and you've reached a conclusion directly contradicted by the parts you skipped. That's a surprisingly good illustration of the Expat Paradox: strong opinions based on minimal evidence, followed by complete confidence in those opinions. It's inevitable when someone starts with "TL;DR" and then confidently critiques a piece they admit they haven't read that their post will be nonsense. Your conclusion is wrong because it's based on the first few paragraphs, not the article itself. I didn't come to Thailand for bars, nightlife or retirement. I came because I was offered a job. That became a career spanning more than 20 years, working in universities and on industrial estates between Bangkok and Rayong (and Samui), training everyone from senior management to shop-floor workers in factories employing thousands of Thai staff. I also worked extensively with British, American, European, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese clients. In other words, my experience comes from working in Thailand, not holidaying in it. Ironically, many of the expats I met during those years did exactly what the article describes: they socialised almost exclusively with other expats, never learned Thai, and remained detached from Thai society despite living here for years. I still remember a nine-year-old boy asking me (in Thai), "Why do you speak Thai but my father doesn't?" I wasn't sure how to answer. Next time, read the article before reviewing it. It usually leads to more accurate conclusions.
Create an account or sign in to comment