Nice Thai Family Values

[YoungAndRice]

Will PM you regarding plastics related issues.

There is a big future in plastics.

[Furbie]

Lots of repressed feelings on the board these days.

Ridiculous behavior on the part of one particular Thai assumed to be the norm for all Thais aside, in a lot of other places in the world, inheritance is a non-issue because in a good number of families, there is nothing left to be passed down through the generations besides trinkets such as watches, broaches, and rings. In a lot of other places in the world, grandchildren only know their grandparents as "the old people we visit" at the old folks home. Hardly models of 'family values' either.

It's a given that this doesn't mean though that an entire nation or culture behaves this way, or that it's a black/white right or wrong.

This really seems to be a problem with the sons of Isaan. I have heard many, many stories of sons living off the family tit for years, getting into repeated trouble and always being bailed out by the mom or their sisters. Guys who have never worked a day and are nearly 30 and still living off Mom and Dad. The worst I heard was when the son of one of my teachers beat his mother for her salary. True, this stuff happens all over the world, but that does not make it any less right in Thailand. It seems to me there is a religious issue here, as only a son can become a monk and make merit for the family.

[Heng]

This really seems to be a problem with the sons of Isaan. I have heard many, many stories of sons living off the family tit for years, getting into repeated trouble and always being bailed out by the mom or their sisters. Guys who have never worked a day and are nearly 30 and still living off Mom and Dad. The worst I heard was when the son of one of my teachers beat his mother for her salary. True, this stuff happens all over the world, but that does not make it any less right in Thailand. It seems to me there is a religious issue here, as only a son can become a monk and make merit for the family.

I don't want to tar all of Isaan with the same brush, but for many (not all of course) Issanites, the only difference between the sons and daughters is that the daughters were born with one extra commodity to sell. Work ethic wise, IMO there isn't much of a difference between any ethnic Thais (be they northerners, southerners, or Issanites; male or female). And I say that from the point of view of employing folks from all of the above. Many work hard, many do not, most support their families (it's part of our payroll procedure to send postal office wire transfers to the families in the provinces). Haven't seen a clear cut difference in any particular group doing more than any other.

An extra commodity doesn't mean one has a higher work ethic.

[Furbie]

This really seems to be a problem with the sons of Isaan. I have heard many, many stories of sons living off the family tit for years, getting into repeated trouble and always being bailed out by the mom or their sisters. Guys who have never worked a day and are nearly 30 and still living off Mom and Dad. The worst I heard was when the son of one of my teachers beat his mother for her salary. True, this stuff happens all over the world, but that does not make it any less right in Thailand. It seems to me there is a religious issue here, as only a son can become a monk and make merit for the family.

I don't want to tar all of Isaan with the same brush, but for many (not all of course) Issanites, the only difference between the sons and daughters is that the daughters were born with one extra commodity to sell. Work ethic wise, IMO there isn't much of a difference between any ethnic Thais (be they northerners, southerners, or Issanites; male or female). And I say that from the point of view of employing folks from all of the above. Many work hard, many do not, most support their families (it's part of our payroll procedure to send postal office wire transfers to the families in the provinces). Haven't seen a clear cut difference in any particular group doing more than any other.

An extra commodity doesn't mean one has a higher work ethic.

Sorry, there are loads of unskilled jobs in Thailand that these layabouts could be doing. I have far more respect for the girl who goes and sells herself to support her family then the boy who sits at home and drinks his life away. My point is, you see this much, much more with the men - and you hear about the violence against parents much more with the sons of Isaan. Going to a rural village is like a joke, loads of guys sitting around doing nothing. Go to BKK and work construction.

[Heng]

This really seems to be a problem with the sons of Isaan. I have heard many, many stories of sons living off the family tit for years, getting into repeated trouble and always being bailed out by the mom or their sisters. Guys who have never worked a day and are nearly 30 and still living off Mom and Dad. The worst I heard was when the son of one of my teachers beat his mother for her salary. True, this stuff happens all over the world, but that does not make it any less right in Thailand. It seems to me there is a religious issue here, as only a son can become a monk and make merit for the family.

I don't want to tar all of Isaan with the same brush, but for many (not all of course) Issanites, the only difference between the sons and daughters is that the daughters were born with one extra commodity to sell. Work ethic wise, IMO there isn't much of a difference between any ethnic Thais (be they northerners, southerners, or Issanites; male or female). And I say that from the point of view of employing folks from all of the above. Many work hard, many do not, most support their families (it's part of our payroll procedure to send postal office wire transfers to the families in the provinces). Haven't seen a clear cut difference in any particular group doing more than any other.

An extra commodity doesn't mean one has a higher work ethic.

Sorry, there are loads of unskilled jobs in Thailand that these layabouts could be doing. I have far more respect for the girl who goes and sells herself to support her family then the boy who sits at home and drinks his life away. My point is, you see this much, much more with the men - and you hear about the violence against parents much more with the sons of Isaan. Going to a rural village is like a joke, loads of guys sitting around doing nothing. Go to BKK and work construction.

And again, my opinion is that there are just as many girls opting not to do these unskilled jobs (these jobs, construction worker, trash collector/scavenger, etc. would be near rock bottom on the jobs/career option scale) but instead opting to downgrade themselves. If prostitution is the bottom tier, it's often not an option for males willing to sink to the bottom tier.

A good majority of our construction workers are Issanite males, with females mixed in. IMO work ethic across the board though is about average for both genders. I think what some folks are doing is coming to a false conclusion from seeing the lowest of the low (female prostitutes and male layabouts) and coming to the conclusion that the female half is more noble. If the male side of things were as organized (with equal demand for hetero prostitution), I think you'd see those layabouts doing the exact same thing AND still not opting to work construction, wash dishes, collect trash, etc.