I don't know if this is anecdotal or not but what I've noticed to me is clear and unmistakable.

Not talking about a change in behavior with Thai people that I know, but with random new to me Thais generally in business situations. Not all of them but a good percentage and a noticeable increase.

I'm not talking about normal big city indifference and brusqueness that as an urban American doesn't phase me in the slightest.

I'm talking about very aggressive explicit rudeness. speaking loudly, barking orders at me, etc. In some cases, it feels as if they're trying to actively provoke a fight.

I've found this really shocking.

I know trolls will say it's all about me and my attitude, maybe I don't smile enough

If that's the case I would have had to have changed my own behavior radically in recent months.

That is very doubtful.

This a new thing. Where does it come from? Increased xenophobia? Economic stress? Government and media criticism of foreigners, including so called crackdowns? Viral social media stuff like the infamous Italian kids on a train? Some kind of toxic combination.

I don't know but I really don't like it and I don't believe any amount of SMILING is gonna stop it.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Jingthing

I believe it's a reflection of the behavior of many tourists who come to Pattaya and treat the locals like they're beneath them. Even just go to Jomtien for example, and you'll find the Thai people to be so much nicer. That's my experience at least.

2 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

I believe it's a reflection of the behavior of many tourists who come to Pattaya and treat the locals like they're beneath them. Even just go to Jomtien for example, and you'll find the Thai people to be so much nicer. That's my experience at least.

I live in Jomtien.

These negative experience are mostly in Jomtien.

I just said Pattaya to imply I was talking about the metro area.

If it's bad in Jomtien, it would be logical to think it would be even worse in Pattaya.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Jingthing

Hard to say unless you give details of an example. I haven't noticed it yet

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I live in Jomtien.

These negative experience are mostly in Jomtien.

Good grief, if it's getting that bad in Jomtien, it must he absolutely horrendous over in Pattaya itself.

You chose to live in the perpetual ashtray of Thai tourism, riven with fast-buck Freddies who have come to realize there's no fast bucks to be made any more. Loads more broken dreams and empty bank accounts among the locals than among the resident tourists, but you look farang, you rich.

It's not you, or your nationality. It's the ugly face of socio-economic decline in the cheap and nasty end of the Thai tourism sector. Pattaya has passed beyond its "sell-by" date. Well beyond. They're just as crass and rude in Samui and Phuket, it just costs you more for the experience there so consider yourself ahead of the game.

I recommend you have a quiet chat with @KhunHeineken as he seems to have some sort of handle on it.

It's where you live man, as it is getting more fractious in such places and the indifference is growing. If you go away from such places that attractive such negative energy and people, both foreign and Thai, then it's fine. Steel yourself and accept it or move to somewhere more chill.

12 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

It's where you live man, as it is getting more fractious in such places and the indifference is growing. If you go away from such places that attractive such negative energy and people, both foreign and Thai, then it's fine. Steel yourself and accept it or move to somewhere more chill.

Of course it's where I live.

That's why I posted this in this local forum.

20 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

It's the ugly face of socio-economic decline in the cheap and nasty end of the Thai tourism sector.

I expected the Thais to turn against farang during covid due to being broke but they never did, can't see it happening yet

How're the baht bus drivers lately?

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

I expected the Thais to turn against farang during covid due to being broke but they never did, can't see it happening yet

Good point, but they were both sick and broke during covid. Different game now. There's a real cost of living crisis for the great unwashed across this country, not that any government will admit to it. If it's going to rear it's ugly, xenophobic head, Pattaya would be the prime venue.

Still need the OP to give some real examples though. Some farangs have always been shouted at, so are maybe used to it and can't tell the difference?

Up here in Isaan, I haven't been shouted at yet, but since, like the rest of them, I leave my dark tinted windows up, maybe I have already.

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

Up here in Isaan, I haven't been shouted at yet, but since, like the rest of them, I leave my dark tinted windows up, maybe I have already.

My lawyer friend just came back from Isaan visiting family, she said the area really broke now, not much money around, barely enough for food. Maybe you'll need to install security soon

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by scubascuba3

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

A dramatic increase in very rude behavior by Thais in Pattaya area

It's a no brainier.

They are fed up with all the nasty, disrespectful foreigners.

It's been slowly creeping in, the good times are over for us.

We were once treated like Kings, now we are trash.

You can blame your fellow foreigners.

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I expected the Thais to turn against farang during covid due to being broke but they never did, can't see it happening yet

In my experience during The Plague, those returning to the village very much turned against foreigners.
They had been gone before I arrived on the scene and the were openly hostile toward me due to, for example, the then DPM and Minister for Public Health said pretty much every night during the 6PM forecast of his boss that the sole reason why SARS-2 was in Thailand was the filthy Europeans.
Women with dark roots grown out from bleached hair and thigh tattoos whingeing that their [insert your own adjectives, forum rules preclude me writing them] bosses had gone back to their home countries broke as they had run out of money, leaving the women unemployed. This, these women were explaining to the woman serving me my breakfast, is after the foreign boss had continued to pay them and provide them with accommodation during the extended off-and-on lockdowns for over a year.
As literally the only foreigner here, I had mangoes thrown at me as I rode to and from the market, had several people give me the throat-cutting gesture, two used finger-guns and go "bhng! bhng!", and I was threatened with a machete.
Amazingly, the locals here came to my defence telling their relatives or erstwhile neighbours that I had been here years before the virus.

When there was a brief reopening in July(?) of 2020, and all the foreigners along Beach Road met and hugged and shook hands for the benefit of the myriad of YouTubers that sprung up at that time, I waited two weeks to see if it was a super-spreader event. It wasn't, so I drove down for three nights. If you lived there, you'd know; the place was dead. You could walk across Beach or Second Roads without looking as there was no traffic. McDonalds had been razed to the ground.
But, later that year, before the December case spike, a friend of mine retired after working in Pattaya for 34 years. While very, very quiet, places were open and the Thais were happy that we were back spending money.

There were some smiles, but the stress was evident. Emotional and financial. One day, around 3PM I was stopped on the way to The Rovers (I think it's called) by two women, demanding I pay for my bar tab of 5,800 baht! At which bar, and when I had (and still have) no idea. I was on the way to a bar, not from one. I hailed down a motorcycle cop and then started explaining - in Thai - that I hadn't been to their pub and we should go to the station. Either he had heard this scam before, or the women had the wrong guy. The cop told them to go away.

I changed hotels, thinking that maybe they had a dozen friends, boyfriends or relatives to get cash out of me some other way. I still haven't been into The Rovers.

Covid brought out the best: foreigners providing daily meals and water to the unfortunate in Pattaya; and the worst: violence and hateful rhetoric and an increase in scams like I was subjected to, as well as an uptick in domestic/family violence.

It didn't really go back to normal here in the village until July 2023 when everybody had effed off back Down South and took their ignorance and hatred with them.

That was only three years ago, and I've seen the difference during my six-monthly visits down there. There are fewer smiles as @Jingthing posted and people seem to be generally grumpier, and less laid back. I can't comment specifically on Jomtien as I've only been there three times over a four year period and only stayed there for one night as I (mostly) stay in Naklua. But it is obvious that The Plague affected us all and it seems, according to many similar anecdotes to Jingthing's, that "we" aren't as welcome as we once were and are now even more of a resource to be strip-mined rather than patrons of their businesses.

Of course, it'd help if anuses from across the globe didn't dine-and-dash, didn't urinate or defecate outside Sevens, and didn't have sex on the beach or in the back of baht buses and tuktuks for all to see.

On the "plus" side, however, in almost every instance, the cleaners and security staff at the hotels at which I stay are the true assets to the business. The receptionists, and the Reichsmarshalls that man dining room need to remember manners.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by The Oracle
Proofreading is best done after clicking "submit"

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I'm talking about very aggressive explicit rudeness. speaking loudly, barking orders at me, etc. In some cases, it feels as if they're trying to actively provoke a fight.

Likely from dealing with Israelis

I haven't noticed it, but I am usually with my Thai spouse when I am out and about, which might make a difference. And, always sober, clean, well-dressed and groomed, and polite.

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This a new thing. Where does it come from? Increased xenophobia? Economic stress? Government and media criticism of foreigners, including so called crackdowns? Viral social media stuff like the infamous Italian kids on a train? Some kind of toxic combination.

It doesn't exist.

It comes from your own increasing paranoia.

8 minutes ago, newnative said:

I haven't noticed it, but I am...always sober, clean, well-dressed and groomed, and polite.

@Jingthing this presents the opportunity to conduct a controlled experiment to get your answer. You've got the polite part down. Now change the other variables listed one by one and see if the attitudes of the Thais towards you improves.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Oliver Holzerfilled

2 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

We were once treated like Kings, now we are trash.

But why does anyone expect to be treated like a "king"?

It's a form of western supremacy, isn't it?

I don't find I am treated like trash at all. I quietly go about my business and since I am respectful and not obnoxious, I don't have any problems.

Neither am I treated like a king or want to be treated any more special than the locals treat each other.

I'm respectful to the cleaning lady.

Just respect everyone and no need to expect special treatment.

3 minutes ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

@Jingthing this presents the opportunity to conduct a controlled experiment to get your answer. You've got the polite part down. Now change the other variables listed one by one and see if the attitudes of the Thais towards you improves.

I knew the trolls would come out and blame me.

As I said my behavior hasn't changed.

9 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

It doesn't exist.

It comes from your own increasing paranoia.

You're such a charmer.

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

But why does anyone expect to be treated like a "king"?

I wasn't expecting it, it actually took me by surprise, why the Thai's were always so helpful, so nice, courteous, caring, loving people.

Why was I being treated like a king, it made me feel uncomfortable at times. It made me change my attitude, I became more caring, helpful, courteous, it made me a better person.

Edited 59 minutes ago59 min by SAFETY FIRST

2 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I wasn't expecting it, it actually took me by surprise, why the Thai's were always so helpful, so nice, courteous, caring, loving people.

Why was I being treated like a king, it made me feel uncomfortable at times. It made me change my attitude, I became more caring, helpful, courteous, it made me a better person.

So Thailand made you a .... Better Man?

Put that in your autobiography man.