A (humorous?) Insight Into The Thai Mind

[Shrek]

My Isan wife and I have been together three years now in England.

This is a conversation we had last night which made me realise how little we westerners really understand.

Love her to bits. 'K' is Kung my wife. 'G' is Graham...me.

Tabloid tv doesnt do much for me, in fact very little on tv holds my attention for very long. Last night Kung and I were flicking thru the channels and I selected Ross kemp in Afghanistan.

I explained the program to Kung and how the previous week had been dramatic as it had shown them trying to save the life of a young soldier who had been shot just seconds before. Sadly he died.

I'll try and capture her thoughts on the program....well on the Iraq/Afghanistan/England/USA issue in general. Great insight into how the Thai/Buddhist mind works in such a different way to ours. Have tried to recapture her pigeon English as its relevant.

K "Why they go there"

G "Who's that Kung"

K "You army"

G "Mainly cos we're so scared of falling out with America"

K "Oh.....Stupid"

G "Why is it stupid Kung"

K "They fight cos you're there. Always same...Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq. They do same with Thai people. Always want fight. Best thing just go away"

G "But they will all kill each other then"

Kung pauses...

K "Good. No more fighting. Jus one big fight then finish. All dead."

(Kung thinks for a minute) (Eyes are all wide and alive now and the fingers wagging in a 'you westerners dont understand jacksh1t sort of way')

K "Not fight very long. They fight cos you are interest. After bit they look round and say to each other "Hey, farang not interest any more, maybe fed up stop fight now" ".

G "Maybe"

K "No maybe. They like bad child....when you interested them they are bad....when you leave alone they shut up"

G "You understand everything Kung"

K "Farang know everything understand nothing. These bad people leave alone. Never kill all of them they hide down hole."

K "Elizabeth let them come here. Give house. Give car. Give money. They kill your children on TV. Good old Elizabeth. Its easy to understand. Why Farang so stupid." (claps ironically).

K "Put Simon Cowell on please"

[LinkPopularity]

well, maybe because you didn't explain it right ...

they're in Afghanistan to prevent that the fanatics get the power again and spread more of their sick religion around ... did you tell her that the Taliban destroyed very old giant Buddha statues; as in; that country used to a Buddhist country

at least explain to her that not all farang are as badly informed as you are ...

[kankaroo]

K "Elizabeth let them come here. Give house. Give car. Give money. They kill your children on TV. Good old Elizabeth. Its easy to understand. Why Farang so stupid." (claps ironically).

LOL ! hard to argue with that

[steveromagnino]

I hope you understand that not all Thai people are uneducated pidgeon english speaking Isaan wives; humor is subjective but certainly would worry if you think that this sort of dialog is somehow similar to how others view the world.

I don't really have an idea how this conversation has much relevance to how most or even some Thai people think. Sounds like a few off the cuff comments.

But what would I know....I don't get to meet many Thais And we all know I have no sense of humour. Not one satung in fact.

Edited February 13, 2008 by steveromagnino

[spot]

K "Elizabeth let them come here. Give house. Give car. Give money. They kill your children on TV. Good old Elizabeth. Its easy to understand. Why Farang so stupid." (claps ironically).

Yeah, I always felt like I was being suffocated watching Ross Kemp!

[Shrek]

Some touchy beggars on here aren't there

This was a light hearted account of wifes simplistic view of wrold politics !

Buy a stress toy please

I'm not interested in the rights and wrongs of fighting the taliban

Nor am I interested in the north-south divide in thailand

I just think my wife is disturbingly funny

[steveromagnino]

I just think my wife is disturbingly funny

yeah, strangely enough I find your need to parade her, now how did you put it, 'simplistic view of wrold politics' kind of funny too. And a bit disturbing

I guess that is the beauty of humour innit ;-)

Your idea that somehow her views reflect Buddhism, Thai people or anything else is kinda odd, but 10 points for calling (presumably) me a touchy beggar. I is well poor, sort me out a British bird to marry that can pay my family a sin sot of vast proportions, and I will tell her all the refreshingly idiotic views on Irish freedom, Welsh coal mining and the Sunderland footy team that she can handle

And I'll do a fair bit'o'touching if she looks like that hot totty the UK parads in magazines like FHM and Loaded. Oh yes, me does like a good old British trollop.

[kayo]

But the wife has some valid points though.

IMHO.

Don't laugh at this (at least not immediately) but I'm gonna quote from an old Rambo movie here that I recently re-watched:

(afghani tribal elder)Mousa: This is Afghanistan... Alexander the Great try to conquer this country... then Genghis Khan, then the British. Now Russia. But Afghan people fight hard, they never be defeated. Ancient enemy mak prayer about these people... you wish to hear?

Rambo: Um-hum.

Mousa: Very good. It says, 'May God deliver us from the venom of the Cobra, teeth of the tiger, and the vengeance of the Afghan.' Understand what this means?

Rambo: That you guys don't take any shit?

Mousa: Yes... something like this

Also, getting back to your wife's comments.. Let's not forget that the fanatics who were in power throughout the nineties were aided into power by US black Ops funding, (all be it primarily funds transferred through Pakistan)

IE: If the US hadn't got involved then, then they presumptiously wouldn't have "had" to get involved now.

Thai people are much better at minding their own (neighbourhood) business than the west.

As Rambo, great philosopher that he is says to the Soviets: We've (THE US) had our Vietnam, this is yours.

(Incongruously, it is now the US's Vietnam again.. but anyway...)

As Rambo's boss Colonel Trautmann wisely says to the Afghani Tribesman:

Afghani Tribesman: Do you think this man is God?

Trautmann: No. God would be Forgiving... Rambo won't.

:D

Edited February 13, 2008 by kayo

[Prakanong]

"K "Elizabeth let them come here. Give house. Give car. Give money. They kill your children on TV. Good old Elizabeth. Its easy to understand. Why Farang so stupid." (claps ironically).

K "Put Simon Cowell on please"

This woman is a genius!

Buy her a big present tomorrow for valentines - she deserves it a lot.

[mrbojangles]

K "Elizabeth let them come here. Give house. Give car. Give money. They kill your children on TV. Good old Elizabeth. Its easy to understand. Why Farang so stupid." (claps ironically).

Although my mrs didn't see the programme, these points are something that she often says.

K "Put Simon Cowell on please"

I don't get asked, as my mrs owns the remote control

[howtoescape]

I hope you understand that not all Thai people are uneducated pidgeon english speaking Isaan wives;

But wives from Isaan, who never went to school that speak broken English are.

I never realised a certificate from a university gave you a monopoly of common sense and intelligence.

[cmsally]

K "Elizabeth let them come here. Give house. Give car. Give money. They kill your children on TV. Good old Elizabeth. Its easy to understand. Why Farang so stupid." (claps ironically).

LOL ! hard to argue with that

I think Kung and my mother would get on very well, her opinion isn't necessarily a Thai point of view.

The only difference is my mother hates Simon Cowell.

[Boo]

I is well poor, sort me out a British bird to marry that can pay my family a sin sot of vast proportions, and I will tell her all the refreshingly idiotic views on Irish freedom, Welsh coal mining and the Sunderland footy team that she can handle

And I'll do a fair bit'o'touching if she looks like that hot totty the UK parads in magazines like FHM and Loaded. Oh yes, me does like a good old British trollop.

Sorry love, I'm already taken

You missed out too, just sending me 3m baht sin sot to my husbands family, with it i 'ope they get a good vet for that sick buffalo I been sending 20k baht a month to keep alive, but it's ok, cause thats what ya do in thai cultcha innit

[jackspratt]

I hope you understand that not all Thai people are uneducated pidgeon english speaking Isaan wives; humor is subjective but certainly would worry if you think that this sort of dialog is somehow similar to how others view the world.

I don't really have an idea how this conversation has much relevance to how most or even some Thai people think. Sounds like a few off the cuff comments.

But what would I know....I don't get to meet many Thais And we all know I have no sense of humour. Not one satung in fact.

It's refreshing to see someone who understands and acknowledges their own limitations.

[Monkeypants]

To Steve margarino, can't be bothered to spell it right,

I guess your not Angkrit,

This is light hearted humour that shrek posted,

I had a good laugh, cos I see the funny side, lighten up.

[Shrek]

To Steve margarino, can't be bothered to spell it right,

I guess your not Angkrit,

This is light hearted humour that shrek posted,

I had a good laugh, cos I see the funny side, lighten up.

100 % bang on

thanks

may follow with Chairman Kungs views on communism, yorkshire pudding, germans, americans, people from bangkok, people from phuket, farang who bad-mouth bar girls, mushy peas, girls from Korat who come over all Hi-So now they have a semi in Huddersfield, and so on.

[yorkman]

To Steve margarino, can't be bothered to spell it right,

I guess your not Angkrit,

This is light hearted humour that shrek posted,

I had a good laugh, cos I see the funny side, lighten up.

I laughed too, especially because Shrek's wife is absolutely right about the UK

Just lighten up as suggested. It was surely not meant as a denigration of Thais. There is a lot of that on this forum for certain, far too much from ignorant members, but you have picked the wrong post to argue against

[yorkman]

100 % bang on

thanks

may follow with Chairman Kungs views on communism, yorkshire pudding, germans, americans, people from bangkok, people from phuket, farang who bad-mouth bar girls, mushy peas, girls from Korat who come over all Hi-So now they have a semi in Huddersfield, and so on.

Please do!

You have got her onto mushy peas? Jeez mine is still in Issan. I tried to introduce her to Italian cuisine in Udon and I ended up eating both portions.

A quick visit afterwards to a 79B Thai buffet and all was well.

I may introduce you to the views of Chairman Pon

[Totster]

You are now going to be treated to a rare post from Totster.

No matter what a persons background is, their view is as important than the rest. One does not need to have an education at Chulalongkorn or Oxford in order to form a valid opinion. To dismiss opinions from those not educated to our supposed standards is elitest and IMO wrong.

Shame on you others for thinking the wife of a farang cannot express her views and maybe touch on the same things that those who are more educated can think of (or so you would have us think).

Totster

[mrbojangles]

Shame on you others for thinking the wife of a farang cannot express her views and maybe touch on the same things that those who are more educated can think of (or so you would have us think).

Here, here

[yorkman]

No matter what a persons background is, their view is as important than the rest. One does not need to have an education at Chulalongkorn or Oxford in order to form a valid opinion. To dismiss opinions from those not educated to our supposed standards is elitest and IMO wrong.

Absolutely right Totster

My wife is from Issan, and was lucky enough through the efforts of her parents to be very well educated.

And we have an old lady near to us, poor and has never even been to Bangkok, whose wisdom about day to day affairs in life exceeds many of the posters on here.

I think the OP's wife has got it just about right. It is funny how it is expressed that is all, and that is what Shrek meant I am sure.

An example? I was sat reading the Bangkok Post rag a couple of years ago, and the Chairman spotted Khun Thaksin's visage on the front page. A quick "right hand almost karate chop" on the picture and I laughed

Edited February 13, 2008 by yorkman

[Totster]

I must point out that it wasn't the original post that prompted my response, but one of the subsequent posts.

Totster

[yorkman]

I must point out that it wasn't the original post that prompted my response, but one of the subsequent posts.

Totster

Which one then?

I saw the humour in the OP's post in which he did not seek to denigrate his wife one bit. I agree with her. It was funny until Steve Margarine saw it as racist. Although I do not blame him. The number of racist comments that are allowed to go by on here is amazing

[jetjock]

K "They fight cos you're there. Always same...Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq. They do same with Thai people. Always want fight. Best thing just go away"

G "But they will all kill each other then"

Kung pauses...

K "Good. No more fighting. Jus one big fight then finish. All dead."

Best solution to the problem that I have heard. IMHO Kung is a very wise lady.

[thaihome]

All your posts about this being a "light hearted humour" is all well and good, except he titled it an "insight into the Thai mind...".

If he had left that part out, I doubt Stevie would have complained.

If he had left that part out, I doubt Stevie would have complained.

Certainly her views on the world are heavily influenced by the OP's views and contributed to the exchange...

TH

Edited February 14, 2008 by thaihome

[Maigo6]

And we have an old lady near to us, poor and has never even been to Bangkok, whose wisdom about day to day affairs in life exceeds many of the posters on here.

I have a Goldfish with those properties.

[steveromagnino]

All your posts about this being a "light hearted humour" is all well and good, except he titled it an "insight into the Thai mind...".

If he had left that part out, I doubt Stevie would have complained.

If he had left that part out, I doubt Stevie would have complained.

Certainly her views on the world are heavily influenced by the OP's views and contributed to the exchange...

TH

BINGO DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER.

My family (blood relatives) are from Isaan. Many of my relatives are exactly similar to this OP's wife. Salt of the earth many of them (I think that is what people say in the UK) and many have far more wisdom and smarts than the educated schmuks I work with some of the time.

Of course she can have her point of view.

But....to think that one wife or one person is reflective of an entire country who don't even speak the same dialect of a common language????

Madness.

I had a bit of a rough week, so if my response was a bit harsh then I apologise.

ok.....?

Happy Valentines Day to the wife OP ;{_)

[jbowman1993]

Kill em all, let God sort them out....

[Shrek]

Certainly her views on the world are heavily influenced by the OP's views

[Shrek]

Certainly her views on the world are heavily influenced by the OP's views

YOU MUST BE JOKING !!!

Honestly you could not be more wrong there as I suspect all farang who are married to Isan women will testify to

I cant teach her anything about philosophy nor would I want to

Its me that learns something every day from her

You are right though...the title was careless...I should have entitled it "An insight into an uneducated Sakhon Nakhon girls mind who was in the rice fields at 12 years old but still understands more than me".........................I just didnt know I'd get dragged into political correctness.

Now then.....let me explain her version of the offside rule........maybe another day !!