On 7/24/2025 at 4:12 PM, rickudon said:

Lets cut all the bull<deleted>. Are a lot of Thai drivers bad drivers? Yes. Full stop. I routinely have to avoid drivers driving the wrong way up roads, undertaking on the left then turning right (often without indication), driving straight out of side roads and only THEN looking to see where vehicles are, not stopping at Zebra crossings; should i continue?

 

Lack of driver education and zero law enforcement are major contributing factors. Fortunately i expect most drivers actually want to die/kill me and drive accordingly. 15 years driving in Thailand and have never caused an accident.

 

Otherwise everything else @kwilco posts are the typical caricatures of Expats in Thailand. Some truth there, And about as accurate as all Nigerians are scammers.

"Let's cut all the bull..." is usually the prelude to abandoning evidence in favour of personal opinion.

"A lot of Thai drivers are bad drivers. Full stop." isn't an argument; it's a sweeping assertion based entirely on anecdote. Seeing drivers go the wrong way, fail to indicate or ignore zebra crossings doesn't prove Thai drivers are inherently "bad" any more than watching dashcam videos from Russia proves all Russians are bad drivers.

This is exactly why road safety is an evidence-based discipline. It relies on engineering, epidemiology, collision investigation and statistics—not "I've seen..." or "I've been driving here for 15 years...".

You then reinforce your conclusion with another anecdote: "I've never caused an accident." Good for you—but that's evidence of one driver's experience, not evidence that your assessment of an entire nation's driving is correct. BTW “experience” for many drivers simply means the accumulation of bad habits.

The irony is that you've listed behaviours that are symptoms of a transport system with poor road engineering, weak enforcement, inadequate licensing and ineffective road safety policy, then attributed them to some supposed national defect in Thai drivers.

That's a classic example of confusing system failure with individual ability.

On 7/22/2025 at 4:58 PM, TedG said:

@kwilco  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittraphap_Road

 

What does this add to the topic at hand? 

Can I draw you attention to the expression of Wolfgang Pauli? -  “That is not only not right; it isn't even wrong!”

On 7/22/2025 at 6:35 PM, Mike_Hunt said:

It’s a useless attempt of you trying to save face. 

Make up your mind—is it spam or trying to "save face"? How does it "save face"?

On 7/16/2025 at 2:08 PM, kwilco said:

Appreciate you taking the time to comment despite being so incredibly bored. Must’ve hit close to home. ... nevertheless despite how uninterested you are ...... yet, here you are. That’s commitment.

Oooooooh - you've upset him now!

On 7/19/2025 at 2:14 AM, Septic99 said:

they look down on Thais as stupid and lazy and speak as if they're experts on Thai life and culture without speaking any Thai and without doing any research beyond beer-bars and go-gos;

You think Thai men aren't generally stupid, lazy and uneducated?

On 7/16/2025 at 2:00 PM, Nemises said:

More AI 💩 

 

yawn 💤 

I agree, AI is not only boring but it seems increasingly obvious that lazy minds are becoming more and more dependent upon it.

36 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

You think Thai men aren't generally stupid, lazy and uneducated?

No. Not many of the Thai men that I've met. I know a lot who are well educated, I know very few who are lazy, and I know very few who are stupid, and yet I know a great deal of Western white men that fit that category. Just more truly ridiculous stereotypes that are easy for a lazy mind to embrace.

On 7/16/2025 at 1:47 PM, kwilco said:

It seems to me that expats in Thailand are pretty bad at looking at themselves....

 

Western expats often arrive in Thailand with a suitcase full of grievances about their home countries. “It’s gone downhill,” they say. “Too woke, too expensive, full of immigrants.”
So they leave — only to recreate the very ignorance, entitlement, and intolerance they supposedly escaped.
They sit in bars criticising Thailand while romanticising the country they couldn’t wait to abandon. Some even voted for Brexit, then act bewildered when their visas expire and nobody rolls out a red carpet.
But their contradictions go deeper than politics.

 

Healthcare Ignorance & Gullibility
Expats routinely rave about “cheap and excellent” Thai healthcare — without the slightest understanding of what actually happened in their treatment. If they feel better, it must have worked. Never mind the overprescription, unnecessary procedures, or the profit-driven nature of many private clinics. Most are utterly unqualified to assess the care they receive, but declare themselves experts regardless.

 

Roads, Rules & Arrogance
They sneer at Thai drivers, mock the roads, and complain about “chaos.” Meanwhile, they ride motorcycles without licences, flout traffic laws they’ve never bothered to learn, and assume they’re superior simply because they’ve held a UK or EU driver’s licence since 1989. Many can’t even parallel park a motorbike, let alone navigate Thai roads responsibly.

 

The Comfort Zone of Prostitution & Beer
For too many, life in Thailand revolves around prostitution, cheap beer, and whining about prices — usually from the plastic chairs of a roadside bar. They're proud consumers of an exploitative industry they wouldn’t dare talk about back home, yet somehow feel morally untouchable. “I can’t be a misogynist — I married one,” they say, confusing companionship with ownership.

 

Language & Cultural Illiteracy
Years (even decades) in the country — yet most can’t read a Thai menu, write their own address, or hold a basic conversation without pointing. They rely on their wives, waitresses, or dodgy Facebook groups for filtered info, yet hold forth as if they understand Thai politics, culture, and society.
They stereotype relentlessly: “Thais are like this, Thais are like that.” But if someone made sweeping comments about their home country based on chats with a single barmaid or taxi driver, they’d throw a tantrum.

 

Democracy? They Don’t Get It
Ask them about Thai democracy, and you’ll hear either conspiracy theories or colonial condescension. Few grasp the basics — like the military’s role under the Thai constitution — yet they’ll complain about Thai elections while cheerfully forgetting they supported Brexit or Trump.

 

Identity Denial & Economic Delusion
They recoil at being called immigrants — because that’s what “those other people” are. No, they're different. They’re investors, retirees, or digital nomads — never immigrants.
They overestimate their value to the Thai economy and vastly underestimate what it costs Thailand to keep them here — from overstretched hospitals to under-policed roads.

 

Diet, Dress & Disgrace
They don’t actually like Thai food — too spicy, too weird — and spend a fortune on imported cheese and sausages. They dress like they’ve been expelled from a campsite: singlets, cargo shorts, sunburned skin, and flip-flops in restaurants.
They sweat like broken fridges but shower no more than they would in Manchester. Basic hygiene? Optional. Self-awareness? Nonexistent.

 

Conclusion: The Ultimate Irony
Expats in Thailand fled change, diversity, and accountability in their own countries — and then became the very stereotype they feared. They are loud, uninformed, entitled, and often deeply disrespectful to the country they now call home.
They left their countries calling them broken.
They sit in Thailand complaining about the locals.
And they remain oblivious to the fact that they are the problem.
 

Don't agree with many of the comments about foreigners here mainly because I don't fit into any of the categories - I.e. I never go to bars, don't drink alcohol, don't rent out companionship, speak read and write Thai, have never had any medical treatment and that of my family were at top hospitals as my health insurance only recognizes a couple here for claims, and I retired here as it NEVER snows nor gets cold! I do complain about politics worldwide as it has changed quite a bit during my lifetime, and as for driving here, my wife decided that I should give up my driving habits as those times only upset me so

now we only use a regular GRAB driver that we feel comfortable with and although I have owned motorcycles in other countries I saw early on that was too dangerous for me here. As for local politics, this is their country, not mine so they can do what they want and I hope it doesn't force me to leave anytime soon.

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

No. Not many of the Thai men that I've met. I know a lot who are well educated, I know very few who are lazy, and I know very few who are stupid, and yet I know a great deal of Western white men that fit that category. Just more truly ridiculous stereotypes that are easy for a lazy mind to embrace.

But, as a champagne socialist, you don't mix with the general population.

Edited August 1Aug 1 by BritManToo

Basically correct but in defence of cargo shorts they were the only thing that fitted me in 2012.

I also, unknowingly wandered around with my shirt untucked. Thought it was a fashion. 😆🤡

lagavulin1

On 7/16/2025 at 11:28 AM, roo860 said:

Mines the same, doesn't like, Indians, Pakistanis, Muslims what ever colour and dislikes black people as well.

Is she a member of Reform?

1 hour ago, L- Lifeline said:

Is she a member of Reform?

No she's Thai.

On 7/16/2025 at 2:28 PM, BritManToo said:

I fled the cold and the sideways rain.

Once climate change has finished making the UK a tropical paradise, I'll go back.

 

As for diversity, with a non-white wife and mixed race kids, not sure how I could get much more diverse, maybe you could help me with a few suggestions?

The day that the UK becomes a “tropical paradise “ you would not be able to “go back” cos all areas south would be uninhabitable, ergo no planes, no pilots and no Thailand.

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

But, as a champagne socialist, you don't mix with the general population.

And as a mindless fascist, you likely don't have many friends and you seem to be on the wrong side of nearly every issue.

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You think Thai men aren't generally stupid, lazy and uneducated?

QED!

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

And as a mindless fascist, you likely don't have many friends and you seem to be on the wrong side of nearly every issue.

I'm a Marxist, please.

You are far right of me.

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm a Marxist, please.

You are far right of me.

If you are working in a factory and build something, do you feel alienated after completing it? Do you then smoke a cigarette?

3 minutes ago, temuFarang said:

If you are working in a factory and build something, do you feel alienated after completing it? Do you then smoke a cigarette?

Sorry, I married a Baroness and live off her money.

Don't ask me about work!

How come if you start living in a country and you are white, they call you an expat, but if you are brown or black, you are called an immigrant?

On 8/1/2026 at 3:20 AM, spidermike007 said:

And as a mindless fascist, you likely don't have many friends and you seem to be on the wrong side of nearly every issue.

You mistake knowing people with having friends.

On 8/1/2026 at 9:19 AM, BritManToo said:

You think Thai men aren't generally stupid, lazy and uneducated?

Stupid over-generalization.

Some of them well-educated.

Some of them do harder jobs than I've ever done.

Edited August 5Aug 5 by save the frogs

9 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Some of them do harder jobs than I've ever done.

Do you class hard as

1. using a pick and shovel?

2. sitting in an office all day?

On 7/16/2025 at 1:47 PM, kwilco said:

It seems to me that expats in Thailand are pretty bad at looking at themselves....

 

Western expats often arrive in Thailand with a suitcase full of grievances about their home countries. “It’s gone downhill,” they say. “Too woke, too expensive, full of immigrants.”
So they leave — only to recreate the very ignorance, entitlement, and intolerance they supposedly escaped.
They sit in bars criticising Thailand while romanticising the country they couldn’t wait to abandon. Some even voted for Brexit, then act bewildered when their visas expire and nobody rolls out a red carpet.
But their contradictions go deeper than politics.

 

Healthcare Ignorance & Gullibility
Expats routinely rave about “cheap and excellent” Thai healthcare — without the slightest understanding of what actually happened in their treatment. If they feel better, it must have worked. Never mind the overprescription, unnecessary procedures, or the profit-driven nature of many private clinics. Most are utterly unqualified to assess the care they receive, but declare themselves experts regardless.

 

Roads, Rules & Arrogance
They sneer at Thai drivers, mock the roads, and complain about “chaos.” Meanwhile, they ride motorcycles without licences, flout traffic laws they’ve never bothered to learn, and assume they’re superior simply because they’ve held a UK or EU driver’s licence since 1989. Many can’t even parallel park a motorbike, let alone navigate Thai roads responsibly.

 

The Comfort Zone of Prostitution & Beer
For too many, life in Thailand revolves around prostitution, cheap beer, and whining about prices — usually from the plastic chairs of a roadside bar. They're proud consumers of an exploitative industry they wouldn’t dare talk about back home, yet somehow feel morally untouchable. “I can’t be a misogynist — I married one,” they say, confusing companionship with ownership.

 

Language & Cultural Illiteracy
Years (even decades) in the country — yet most can’t read a Thai menu, write their own address, or hold a basic conversation without pointing. They rely on their wives, waitresses, or dodgy Facebook groups for filtered info, yet hold forth as if they understand Thai politics, culture, and society.
They stereotype relentlessly: “Thais are like this, Thais are like that.” But if someone made sweeping comments about their home country based on chats with a single barmaid or taxi driver, they’d throw a tantrum.

 

Democracy? They Don’t Get It
Ask them about Thai democracy, and you’ll hear either conspiracy theories or colonial condescension. Few grasp the basics — like the military’s role under the Thai constitution — yet they’ll complain about Thai elections while cheerfully forgetting they supported Brexit or Trump.

 

Identity Denial & Economic Delusion
They recoil at being called immigrants — because that’s what “those other people” are. No, they're different. They’re investors, retirees, or digital nomads — never immigrants.
They overestimate their value to the Thai economy and vastly underestimate what it costs Thailand to keep them here — from overstretched hospitals to under-policed roads.

 

Diet, Dress & Disgrace
They don’t actually like Thai food — too spicy, too weird — and spend a fortune on imported cheese and sausages. They dress like they’ve been expelled from a campsite: singlets, cargo shorts, sunburned skin, and flip-flops in restaurants.
They sweat like broken fridges but shower no more than they would in Manchester. Basic hygiene? Optional. Self-awareness? Nonexistent.

 

Conclusion: The Ultimate Irony
Expats in Thailand fled change, diversity, and accountability in their own countries — and then became the very stereotype they feared. They are loud, uninformed, entitled, and often deeply disrespectful to the country they now call home.
They left their countries calling them broken.
They sit in Thailand complaining about the locals.
And they remain oblivious to the fact that they are the problem.
 

Although this falls into the TLDR category, from the first few paragraphs It seems the OP's experience centers around bars, and tourist and nightlife areas.

The expats I meet are mostly struggling with one universal truth, working cuts in to your leisure time.

25 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Do you class hard as

1. using a pick and shovel?

2. sitting in an office all day?

Pick and shovel in the scorching heat.

Air-conditioned office jobs are for sissies.

Office jobs have created weak men.

Edited August 5Aug 5 by save the frogs

12 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Pick and shovel in the scorching heat.

But done by men generally stupid and uneducated!

On 8/1/2026 at 10:32 AM, lagavulin1 said:

Basically correct but in defence of cargo shorts they were the only thing that fitted me in 2012.

I also, unknowingly wandered around with my shirt untucked. Thought it was a fashion. 😆🤡

lagavulin1

I bet most people here have never had a dram of Lagavulin, my personal favourite. Still wear cargo shorts and t-shirt...untucked. FEITCTAJ.

On 8/2/2026 at 7:34 AM, temuFarang said:

If you are working in a factory and build something, do you feel alienated after completing it? Do you then smoke a cigarette?

Hmm, only after sex!

On 7/24/2026 at 6:37 PM, kwilco said:

Seeing drivers go the wrong way,

Hey I resemble that remark.

Nicely detailed collection of caricature/stereotypes. In 14 years I find those people to be a small, if loud, minority, but then again, I choose the company I keep. Maybe you should steer clear of them yourself. Most of the ones you describe can be found all over these forums making noise for anyone who will listen, yet any given pub I actually pop into will usually have a fine selection of patrons. Alcohol is definitely a factor, I avoid drunks and will leave if there are too many.

Edited August 6Aug 6 by Jonathan Swift

As flights became cheaper so the quality of some foreigners arriving in Thailand declined. In the 1960s and 1970s visitors, be they tourists or USA troops on leave, were polite and well behaved.