Why Do They Do It ?

[ThaiPauly]

I have a question that I can not find an answer to. Why is it that Thai people do not posses an iota of what we farang my call common sense.

My point is this.

recently I got married and had my family stay in a hotel. One of my sons got drunk and thought he had lost a very expensive ring during the night or in a club he went to.

the following day he reported the loss to reception, but no ring turned up. He moved rooms the day after the wedding so he was still within the confines of the hotel. All the service staff where aware that he had moved rooms (and that he had lost his expensive ring).

The day we left my wife (who of course speaks Thai) caught the Head Housekeeper outside our room and bought up the subject of the ring. She said she would phone the Chambermaid who cleaned my son's room. After the call she came and told us that the ring was indeed in the possession of the Chambermaid.

now call me stupid, but if you are going to lets say"Find" something and not report that you have "Found" it, it does not make ANY SENSE to say "Yes I have it here" What followed for this unfortunate girl was an inevitable dismissal from he employment. It would have been to her benefit in more ways than one to say "NO" have no seen it, I mean where is the LOGIC in saying "Yes I have stolen it-I did not do what I should have done and handed it in -I STOLE it.

Where is the logic in this-has anyonehad any similar eperiences?

[Gazza]

Maybe the chambermaid figured that your son wouldn't miss or notice the ring missing. Perhaps when asked about the ring she crapped herself and owned up to having taken it as she would've been the biggest suspect. By owning up she only loses her job. If she didn't own up maybe she thought that the police would get called in and would eventually get her to confess. In which case, she would probably serve a minimum(?) of seven years in jail. Being a chambermaid her education isn't going to be too hot and Thais do seem to be very lousy when committing crimes.

[RooBoy]

This is not uncommon, stealing when the opportunity arises and then for some strange reason confessing when people start asking questions. I agree education or lack there of is partly to do with it.

Farangs however are far more likely to kick up a fuss when this happens..

[Sphere]

Sphere says "It takes a man (or woman) less intelligence to steal than to conceal"

[NedKelly]

The 'logic' is that this 'chambermaid' (must be a pom).........probably earns 3,000 baht a month, for cleaning your mess day in day out............while u, sunshine, probably blow that on piss in one night !

[ThaiPauly]

The 'logic' is that this 'chambermaid' (must be a pom).........probably earns 3,000 baht a month, for cleaning your mess day in day out............while u, sunshine, probably blow that on piss in one night !

Very thoughtful answer Ned, if you had a brain in your stupid Aussie head you could be as dangerous as the "Pratt in the Tin Hat" you name yourself after.

we call him "The Welder"

[medicinebox]

The 'logic' is that this 'chambermaid' (must be a pom).........probably earns 3,000 baht a month, for cleaning your mess day in day out............while u, sunshine, probably blow that on piss in one night !

Oh I see. So that gives her the right to steal valubles from "pom's" rooms does it???

She will be going around keying mercedes next, but thats ok, because they will be insured or too rich to care.. <deleted>???

[FreedomDude]

That's interesting. I had a very similar experience with this sort of confession logic.

One item not readily found in abundant proportions in Thailand is bubble gum, so I emailed my girlfriend in Ubon Ratchatani a package that, among other things, contained several packs of bubble gum, the kind thats wound up into a giant coil and you can just tear off as big a hunk as you want and plop it in your mouth. When my girl got the package, it had been opened, but the bubble gum was missing! Yu confronted her mailman and, get this, actually got him to confess that he had taken it. He wound up giving all of them back to her, except for one pack, which I guess he had already consumed.

Oh, what a whacky world it is?!?

[stevehaigh]

I have a question that I can not find an answer to. Why is it that Thai people do not posses an iota of what we farang my call common sense.

i'm sure this has come up a thousand times but you can not assume all thai people lack common sense because of the actions of one. it's like assuming all americans are idiots because W. is an idiot (when in fact only half of all americans are idiots!).

my GF exhibits a lot more common sense than me sometimes.

[jhj2000]

One of the lessons I learnt about Thailand over a number of years is that the intelligence of Thais is a lot higher than in western countries. Thais think differently and their values are different but at the end of the day they will run rings around us and have been doing so for years.

[RooBoy]

One of the lessons I learnt about Thailand over a number of years is that the intelligence of Thais is a lot higher than in western countries. Thais think differently and their values are different but at the end of the day they will run rings around us and have been doing so for years.

Wow amazing, can you give us some examples of this phenomenon???

Oh and bar girls, and stupid farangs who loose tons of money through bad business deals coz they are half wits, dont count!

[jhj2000]

Yes lots of examples, westerner who buys a bar in Nana and is then forced to sell to a Thai. A westerner that set up a prostitution racket in London importing Thai students, he got shot and is no longer with us.

[pnustedt]

Wow amazing, can you give us some examples of this phenomenon???

What about the western wife who wants loads of money for a divorce settlement Vs the Thai wife who wants money to stay together?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Wow amazing, can you give us some examples of this phenomenon???

What about the western wife who wants loads of money for a divorce settlement Vs the Thai wife who wants money to stay together?

It is a gender based thing I believe.

[french fannies]

Thai's often defy logic - it's qite fascinating when it ain't purely fustrating.

[Pepe']

I've been married to a nice Thai woman for five years now.

I hesitate to comment on this and I mean it in the most non-judgemental and objective way.

My "opinion" is that most Thais are one or two at most generations removed from being rice farmers and in the not to distant past slaves which lends itself to their particular unique mind set.

I am well acquainted with Asian mentality having traveled and lived there on and off since I've 19.

Although Thais appear to me "in my opinion" extremely disfunctional.

I think here in the states especially southern California people are just as dishonest/disfuntional only their act is much more polished.

One of the things I've allways liked about Thailand is that it's so "in your face."

If you've got a little common sense after spending some time there I think Thais behaviour and actions are fairly predictable.

Here in San Diego materialism and back stabbing are the standard only it's usually but not allways done with some style, finesse and "inteligence."

People are people. They all are just wired a little differently...

[IamMaiC]

I have a question that I can not find an answer to. Why is it that Thai people do not posses an iota of what we farang my call common sense.

My point is this.

recently I got married and had my family stay in a hotel. One of my sons got drunk and thought he had lost a very expensive ring during the night or in a club he went to.

the following day he reported the loss to reception, but no ring turned up. He moved rooms the day after the wedding so he was still within the confines of the hotel. All the service staff where aware that he had moved rooms (and that he had lost his expensive ring).

The day we left my wife (who of course speaks Thai) caught the Head Housekeeper outside our room and bought up the subject of the ring. She said she would phone the Chambermaid who cleaned my son's room. After the call she came and told us that the ring was indeed in the possession of the Chambermaid.

now call me stupid, but if you are going to lets say"Find" something and not report that you have "Found" it, it does not make ANY SENSE to say "Yes I have it here" What followed for this unfortunate girl was an inevitable dismissal from he employment. It would have been to her benefit in more ways than one to say "NO" have no seen it, I mean where is the LOGIC in saying "Yes I have stolen it-I did not do what I should have done and handed it in -I STOLE it.

Where is the logic in this-has anyonehad any similar eperiences?

so your saying she should have lied to you and said she didn't have the ring when in reality she did have it i live in the states and work security i have worked at some hotels they need return customers if an employee stole something from a room and if she does fess up about it Do you think the hotel will continue to employ him/her?

So if you were caught red handed you would have lied to keep your job??

[bodypaul]

What about the western wife who wants loads of money for a divorce settlement

My western wife only wants a house worth Bt 21,000,000, all the contents, Bt 7,000,000 cash, plus the rent and 1/2 equity from a house worth Bt25,000,000 and that is before maintenance for her and our daughter.

Who says that is a lot?

So much for my dream of retirement!

Oh dear .... have I gone off at a tangent??

[Coffee Dude]

I think most often it is a phenomenon similar to "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers".

One of my customers dropped his wallet from his pocket at MY shop on MY property. Our neighboring shopkeeper (Thai by coincidence) saw the wallet after the customer left. I was still seated at the table (we had been talking). She looked into the wallet which contained not an insignificant amount of money. We looked into the wallet to get ID and immediately knew whose it was. I called him and told him to come get it next time he was in. When he came in he offered me a reward. I said “I'm not gonna take money from you for NOT stealing your wallet”. Next day neighbor asked, “How much was the reward”? I said, “No reward”. She said if I had known that I would have kept the wallet.

This is just one factual example and in no way reflects Thai culture as a whole.

Coffee!!!

[frond]

If you've got a little common sense

What's "common" to some isn't to others.

Thailand immorality is perhaps more transparent than in the West. They can't seem to play anything straight--it has to be twisted and deceitful, otherwise it isn't worth carrying out. At the bottom line--nobody trusts anybody here.

What can that do to one's psyche?

[WISteve]

at the end of the day they will run rings around us and have been doing so for years.

You bet, sushine! That's why their per capita annual income is $1,700?

The foolish falang who buys a bar somewhere is hardly typical of all western people.

=========================

I'm inclined to agree that Thais are not lacking in common sense but are indeed wired differently than most of us from the west. And that difference does not always serve them well in a global economy.

Why will the gentlemen on the street who, when asked for directions, send you off on the proverbial wild goose chase rather than admit he doesn't have a clue? Is he being dishonest or is it logical to do for a thai?

I liked your contribution, pepe":

My "opinion" is that most Thais are one or two at most generations removed from being rice farmers

And I think that rural agrarian society is much different than what we are accustomed to seeing in the west. Not bad, just different.

Isn't that part of the charm we found in Thailand to begin with?

~Steve

[NedKelly]

QUOTE (NedKelly @ Tue 2004-09-07, 16:54:52)

The 'logic' is that this 'chambermaid' (must be a pom).........probably earns 3,000 baht a month, for cleaning your mess day in day out............while u, sunshine, probably blow that on piss in one night !

Very thoughtful answer Ned, if you had a brain in your stupid Aussie head you could be as dangerous as the "Pratt in the Tin Hat" you name yourself after.

we call him "The Welder" 

Well sunshine, this is exactly what I expect from a typical whinging pom. You cannot show any empathy at all and will continue on in your pitiful whinging life walking all over other people. GIT !

from 'the welder' .....gees how original..............