Less-Refined Farang: Are Farang in Asia now less refined than before?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Farang Friends,

 

Are we Farang in Asia, as a whole, far less refined than we once were,...say about three decades ago?

 

For example, I still recall, and even shudder to this day, a small group of Farang “teachers” I happened upon ten years ago, on the campus of Sichuan University.

 

This bunch of Farang teachers were sitting outside one of the classroom buildings drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, and gabbing away in broken English.  They were illkempt and rather rundown and dirty looking.

 

At the time, I was in horror standing near them for a while, and I quickly hurried away. Still, I can’t seem to get their memory out of my mind.

 

All too often, I seem to meet up with these types of individuals who seemingly are unaware that they are not representing their home countries in the proper way.  Why don’t they just stay home if they can’t behave properly?  And, one wonders about their education and their family background, too?

 

Here in Thailand, I have stopped going out so much, just to avoid encountering these low-class types.

 

I will tell you that three or four decades ago, while living in Taiwan, and in Japan, most of the Farang I met had presumably been sent to Asia by their multi-national companies.  By the looks of those guys, I would have said that they were CEOs, or something.  Or, at least they must have been upper-level execs.  And, they knew how to dress.  And they knew how to offer their business cards when meeting others here in Asia.  These days, nobody offers me their card when they meet me at the mall, or in a coffee shop, or on campus, either.

 

What, I do wonder, must the local Thai people think of us?  Because, certainly, I do not think much of us.

 

Truly, as one who has spent most of my life in Asia, I can say that this gradual shift from meeting high-class Farang to now meeting rather low-class Farang is not a welcome change for me. And, for another thing, this evolution has meant that I rarely meet anyone I would enjoy talking to, unlike decades ago.  I miss those days, in fact.

 

Fortunately, there are places to meet the high-class guys, if one looks on-line.  This is why I like to read and post comments on TV, TV being just one venue where I can find like-minded people who share a similar upper-middle class background.

 

But, out on the street, in Thailand?  Forget about it!  99.99-percent of the Farang I see look alien to me.

 

Where once I used to see guys in Bermuda shorts, now I see Farang in cargo pants, and it's as if this new crew can’t even speak English right.

 

It’s not as if I would not like to get out more and socialize with Farang, because I would.  It’s just that after searching for the first several years after arriving in Thailand, without success, I think the much more refined Farang no longer comes to Asia.

 

Have you also noticed this marked shift since the good old days?

 

This is really just so sad….

I think.

 

Best regards,

Gamma

[papa al]

I certainly am.

[G_Money]

GammaGobulin, GeorgieGeorgie, Barboy, Bob.

 

Same Same?

[bkk6060]

26 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Truly, as one who has spent most of my life in Asia, I can say that this gradual shift from meeting high-class Farang to now meeting rather low-class Farang is not a welcome change for me. 

Haha,  aren't you the high class guy who wants to live on 20k a month?  555

[HappyExpat57]

10 minutes ago, G_Money said:

GammaGobulin, GeorgieGeorgie, Barboy, Bob.

 

Same Same?

Bob isn't as annoyingly loquacious.

[GammaGlobulin]

20 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Haha,  aren't you the high class guy who wants to live on 20k a month?  555

 

In my view, even at the turn of the century, Y2K, it was very unlikely for a Farang to live on 20K per month, and still live like a human.

 

However, this quality of refinement has nothing to do with monthly expenditures.

 

Instead, I am referring to:

 

a. respect for others, and showing respect

b. the quality of being well-educated

c. dressing in a manner which communicates respect for others in the social community

d. always being well-spoken, without randomly adding four-letter words during spoken and written intercourse with those we meet

e. choice of foods at a restarant, and not speaking loudly in libraries, etc.

f. And, so much more that your mother taught you when you were young.  It's this idea of a decent family background that sets us up for refinement in later life.

 

What more can I say that is not already obvious?

 

 

[Airalee]

Instead of a POTY (poster of the year) award, we need a BOTY (blowhard of the year award.

 

Refined?  Not me.  I was expelled from one of the “Group of Seven” schools.

 

https://fitzgabrielsschools.com/2024/02/13/group-of-seven/

[ChumpChange]

Rubbish is what rubbish does. And that's just the OP. Another recycled yarn of a topic that's already been done to death. Let the dead horse rest in peace.

[Sandboxer]

Last night in soi 8 a fairly well dressed, clean cut and very drunk Australian loso trash POS bogan in his late 40s/early 50s walked by my table where I was sitting with my friend's 13 yr old son while his mom was getting a massage and offers me bang bang nose powder. 

 

Told him to f off and walk away and fortunately he did without any further words. Could've easily ended up a bit of an unwanted detour to the popo shop as doing that in front of a kid in my charge is pretty much the only thing that would get me to end someone's health to a degree that medical science would not be able to fix anytime soon at this stage in my life.

 

Not really a girly bar, just a handful of tables along the street that used to be great for people watching.  And 8 is/used to be generally a fairly tame soi without too many deekheads.

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

16 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Instead of a POTY (poster of the year) award, we need a BOTY (blowhard of the year award.

 

Refined?  Not me.  I was expelled from one of the “Group of Seven” schools.

 

https://fitzgabrielsschools.com/2024/02/13/group-of-seven/

 

Did you ever happen to meet any members of the Biddle family of Philadelphia during your school years?

 

 

He loved boxing.

His idea was to instill character in his progeny through engagement in the art of boxing.

Great book!

 

I read it decades ago, when I happened to find an old dusty copy in a used book store in Taipei.

Don't know what happened to that book.

I had the hardcover published  way back when....

 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Here in Thailand, I have stopped going out so much, just to avoid encountering these low-class types.

 

Simply stay away from Universities.

[georgegeorgia]

You actually have a point about this generation dressing 

 

Years ago 30 years ago when I used to catch the bus to work,the bus drivers always wore collared shirts with ties and shorts with long socks and polished shoes 

 

Nowadays I see bus drivers with shirts hanging out and socks down to their ankles wearing black Nike runners !

[georgegeorgia]

15 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Simply stay away from Universities.

And yet you haven't done a thing about this generation who have shirts hanging out etc ,do something!

[georgegeorgia]

22 minutes ago, Sandboxer said:

Last night in soi 8 a fairly well dressed, clean cut and very drunk Australian loso trash POS bogan in his late 40s/early 50s walked by my table where I was sitting with my friend's 13 yr old son while his mom was getting a massage and offers me bang bang nose powder. 

 

Told him to f off and walk away and fortunately he did without any further words. Could've easily ended up a bit of an unwanted detour to the popo shop as doing that in front of a kid in my charge is pretty much the only thing that would get me to end someone's health to a degree that medical science would not be able to fix anytime soon at this stage in my life.

 

Not really a girly bar, just a handful of tables along the street that used to be great for people watching.  And 8 is/used to be generally a fairly tame soi without too many deekheads.

 

 

 

 

Sadly drug dealers don't care about morals but at least he was well dressed 

[KannikaP]

20 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

And yet you haven't done a thing about this generation who have shirts hanging out etc ,do something!

Oh yes George I certainly have. I joined them, and wear my shirt hanging outside my jeans.

Do you not think it looks ridiculous to wear a casual shirt tucked in, with the belly hanging over the belt?

[GammaGlobulin]

30 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Simply stay away from Universities.

 

Unfortunately, refined-Farang are becoming rarer and rarer, as the years roll past us.

 

In fact, in this day and age...

Truly refined Farang now appear to be almost as scarce as hen's teeth.

 

 

[georgegeorgia]

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Unfortunately, refined-Farang are becoming rarer and rarer, as the years roll past us.

 

In fact, in this day and age...

Truly refined Farang now appear to be almost as scarce as hen's teeth.

 

 

Ain't that a fact GG 

Great topic 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Yes, the quality of expat in Thailand is different now than it was thirty or forty years ago. Proportionately fewer secondments by multinationals of high-level execs, but still many about. Thais have worked their way into many of these positions.

 

Possibly the highest level of expat (perhaps immigrant would be a better word) will be either those who have obtained Thai citizenship or PR and sit on the boards of directors of some of the companies listed on the SET. This apart from some of the academics at the major Thai universities, possibly.

 

I think the retirement visa dates from the late-1990s, so before that this demographic was missing. There were also fewer international schools before the Thai government liberalized things at about that same time, meaning fewer foreign teachers.  Far, far fewer tourists back then, too.

 

Very different now than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. 

 

Just my opinion, though.

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Yes, the quality of expat in Thailand is different now than it was thirty or forty years ago. Proportionately fewer secondments by multinationals of high-level execs, but still many about. Thais have worked their way into many of these positions.

 

Possibly the highest level of expat (perhaps immigrant would be a better word) will be either those who have obtained Thai citizenship or PR and sit on the boards of directors of some of the companies listed on the SET. This apart from some of the academics at the major Thai universities, possibly.

 

I think the retirement visa dates from the late-1990s, so before that this demographic was missing. There were also fewer international schools before the Thai government liberalized things at about that same time, meaning fewer foreign teachers.  Far, far fewer tourists back then, too.

 

Very different now than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. 

 

Just my opinion, though.

 

 

 

 

 

You are, at least from my experience, quite correct.