You know what 10 things really get my back up about Bangkok?
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32
The most incompetant US admin in history has been elected
The syndrome is still strong with you I see. -
78
Drunken American Tourist Found Sleeping in the Middle of a Jomtien Road
Don't read it if you don't like. Or did someone ordered/forced you to read my posts in particular? -
34
Relationship advice / your experiences - No card or gift
1. No one said "Thai people do not give gifts." I said "recognizing the events the OP listed" [birthday, Christmas, Valentines Day or anniversary] [...through gift giving...] isn't part of Thai culture. That's not to say that gift giving at birthday parties for young children or between couples in the courtship phase of a relationship doesn't occur, especially in upper class or urban areas who have had more exposure to Western tradition through exposure to foreigners at home or abroad. But in Thailand's rural heartland (which is the wellspring of Thai culture) it occurs on a very limited basis, and is a relatively recent phenomena, largely borrowed from abroad. 2. When you say "my Thai friends give me many gifts," what exactly are you talking about? Are you talking about the exchange of presents at birthdays or at Christmas with a romantic interest? OK, I'll accept that. But I would ask who initiated the gift-giving and to what extent the reciprocation of your gift giving was "pump priming" or attempts to model their behavior to meet your expectations in order to keep the largesse flowing. The reason I am skeptical of your assertion is because rarely (in 20+ years of living in a village) have I observed gift giving at birthday parties, wedding anniversaries, Song Kran, New Year, etc.) between Thai-Thai couples. If you're talking about gift exchanges with more casual friends, particularly between men, I would describe that as very, very infrequent, practically unheard of. Thais are very pragmatic about marital relationships, and the concept of "nurturing the marriage" in order to "keep romance alive" does not seem to be embraced here. You made a comment to another poster ridiculing them essentially as an old fogey who was trapped in Thailand, leaving me with the impression that you are perhaps of a younger generation, and run with a more Westernized crowd which has made Western style gift-giving part of their lifestyle. We'll never know to what extent this is true or not, but I stand by my earlier statement that Western style gift giving at life events such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries is not that common in Thailand. Husbands might buy their wife a piece of gold jewelry if the harvest was particularly good, donations are made at weddings, ordination ceremonies, and funerals to defray costs and nothing I said was meant to infer that Thais are less generous in spirit than Westerners. -
146
British Man Dies After Footpath Altercation in Bangkok
Are you arguing with yourself now? -
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26
Hello. Enough with all the negativity!
It's quite simply that outrage drives views. Internet and social media changed everything. It's quite a sad thing to consider, really. It's a shame you couldn't find something more positive to talk about. 😢
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