5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

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

Don’t over smile it, folks will think you have ulterior motives or just plain weird.

Anyway, Chinese and Arab nationals experience far more disdain from Thais than Westerners, at least in the north and probably the same down there so consider yourself lucky to be farang.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by novacova

Move out of the foreigner ghetto. It will be the best move you ever made in Thailand.

17 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Weird, I've found them friendlier when you get out the cities

Definitely, yes.

19 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Not by Thais.

They really can't tell.

How can you know?

2 hours 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.

Does that mean you played "barfine my sister me" as well?

2 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Move out of the foreigner ghetto. It will be the best move you ever made in Thailand.

Or get off the internet. That will be an even better move.

This thread is nonsense.

Pattaya relies heavily on expats for businesses to remain afloat.

Thais in Pattaya are not so stupid as to suddenly start becoming rude perpetually to any and all expats for no apparent reason and bite the hand that feeds them.

Even if they don't like you or care if you exist, they won't show it.

Because it's bad for business.

17 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Or get off the internet. That will be an even better move.

This thread is nonsense.

Pattaya relies heavily on expats for businesses to remain afloat.

Thais in Pattaya are not so stupid as to suddenly start becoming rude perpetually to any and all expats for no apparent reason and bite the hand that feeds them.

Even if they don't like you or care if you exist, they won't show it.

Because it's bad for business.

Maybe the rise in idiotic foreigner behavior has something to do with it. Mix that together with the op living in a tourist spot.

Bobs your uncle.

3 hours ago, Tourist2 said:

Likely from dealing with Israelis

"Israeli nationals make up a small fraction—roughly 1% to 1.5%—of total yearly international visitor arrivals to Thailand."

But sure, it's all their fault.

There must be 2 Thailand, and I'm obviously living in the other one.

Whenever I run into 2 buttwads in a row, I look at my own behavior in the mirror.

I have bad days. If I hated the President of my country and everything he does and stands for, I'd probably have bad stretches lasting a lot longer. That shows up in my behavior.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by impulse

4 hours ago, Tourist2 said:

Likely from dealing with Israelis

Not many Israelis in Pattaya. Try another way to spread your disinformation. You joined May 17. Is your name mohammed ?

52 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

There must be 2 Thailand, and I'm obviously living in the other one.

Or in denial. Or in the land of the oblivious.

There has been a different change in behavior and comportment. Foreign visitors are ruder, pushier and more aggressive. Thais are ruder, pushier and more aggressive. One of the casualties of Covid was civility.

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Well, if you follow all the bad news about bad farangs in the press/TV, then it's not surprising for me to see Thai society turning against foreigner, since we are all from same origin/West. Thais don't see differences between Russian or Israel citizen's behaviour and people from Denmark, Austria or Germany. UK and US people got similar behaviour and attitudes.

So, it's up to the foreigners to create a nicer picture.

However, with all the riffraff from certain countries it will be a big task.

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

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.

It's probably unlikely that you have changed radically. It's a lot more likely that people's tolerance of your behavior just isn't what it used to be anymore. I can't say I blame them!

For what it's worth, I've never encountered a Thai barking orders at me in a "business situation". I'm in Bangkok most of the time, but I didn't notice any change of attitude in Pattaya during my recent visits either.

Definitely, there was a time when Farangs were "god's". But that was a long time ago.

In the meantime, Thais have realised, that foreighn visitors to Pattaya are mostly regular working people from overseas.

What is causing "tensions" is the fact that Farangs can afford to holiday in Thailand, but most Thai's can not afford to holiday in some foreighn country. Never been able to close the "wealth gap".

For Thai's, it's something "puzzeling". Leading to envy, jealousy and hostility. Increasing the perception that they are one of the worlds "second class" citizens. Them not understanding why they remain second class citizens of the world.

56 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Well, if you follow all the bad news about bad farangs in the press/TV, then it's not surprising for me to see Thai society turning against foreigner, since we are all from same origin/West. Thais don't see differences between Russian or Israel citizen's behaviour and people from Denmark, Austria or Germany. UK and US people got similar behaviour and attitudes.

So, it's up to the foreigners to create a nicer picture.

However, with all the riffraff from certain countries it will be a big task.

Noooo! They know where you come from. The first question a bar lady asks you is: "Where you come from" ?

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Not many Israelis in Pattaya. Try another way to spread your disinformation. You joined May 17. Is your name mohammed ?

That's true.

There are some of course but not even close to a significant percentage of foreigners.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Jingthing

3 minutes ago, swissie said:

Noooo! They know where you come from. The first question a bar lady asks you is: "Where you come from" ?

Yeah sure they know and they ask anyway.

In my decades here I haven't experienced even one Thai say something like, so you're American. Europeans and Brits can usually tell in a few seconds or with certain clues before speaking a word.

I am curious about black Americans who I can't speak for of course.

I wonder if Thais can usually easily tell them from actual Africans.

To me as a generality black Americans are in many ways the most American of all Americans.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah sure they know and they ask anyway.

In my decades here I haven't experienced even one Thai say something like, so you're American. Europeans and Brits can usually tell in a few seconds or with certain clues before speaking a word.

I am curious about black Americans who I can't speak for of course.

I wonder if Thais can usually easily tell them from actual Africans.

To me as a generality black Americans are in many ways the most American of all Americans.

I always thought, the 1st nations were the most American (the "Indians"). John Wayne and Martin Luther King came much later.

Just now, swissie said:

I always thought, the 1st nations were the most American (the "Indians"). John Wayne and Martin Luther King came much later.

No they're Asians from Siberia.

Black Ameriacns gave the world jazz, blues, and hip hop.

They filppin' built the white house (before those infernal maple guzzlers from Canada burned it down).

Can't possibly be more American than that.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Jingthing

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Not many Israelis in Pattaya. Try another way to spread your disinformation. You joined May 17. Is your name mohammed ?

Not many Israelis in Pattaya, but Israelis/Jews are easily recognisable, and there is a lot of bad news about them these days.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No they're Asians from Siberia.

Correct. But they were there before John Wayne and Muhamed Ali.

4 minutes ago, swissie said:

I always thought, the 1st nations were the most American (the "Indians"). John Wayne and Martin Luther King came much later.

John Wayne, greatest American who ever lived.

7 minutes ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

John Wayne, greatest American who ever lived.

Small D energy.

13 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No they're Asians from Siberia.

Black Ameriacns gave the world jazz, blues, and hip hop.

They filppin' built the white house (before those infernal maple guzzlers from Canada burned it down).

Can't possibly be more American than that.

The "siberians" were here first, long before "Jazz". That's the reason they are called "first nations". Rightly so.

No, America was not settled by a "lost tribe" of Israel. 😄

11 minutes ago, swissie said:

Correct. But they were there before John Wayne and Muhamed Ali.

Just now, swissie said:

The "siberians" were here first, long before "Jazz". That's the reason they are called "first nations". Rightly so.

No, America was not settled by a "lost tribe" of Israel. 😄

First nations is only a Canadian thing

My junior high sports teams were the Navajos.

Not a one native in the entire school.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Jingthing

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

First nations is only a Canadian thing

My junior high sports teams were the Navajos.

Not a one native in the entire school.

No wonder, true Navajos had to practise sports in their Arizona "reservations".

12 minutes ago, swissie said:

No wonder, true Navajos had to practise sports in their Arizona "reservations".

I wish Navajos would practice picking up the trash on the reservation.

Fourteen years in Thailand, and I have noticed a single change in the incredible kindness of the Thai people towards us.

There's now a brief observation phase to make sure we're not one of the rude, arrogant, and condescending visitors they've inevitably encountered before.

From my perspective, a humble smile is the sesame that opens every door without exception.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Toc-Toc

Over the past 8 years, I've had 3 narrow escapes in Pattaya with men who wanted to jump me. All 3 were foreign tourists. Each time it was because I was looking at (being disrespectful towards?) "their" girls. Idiots!