Why The Thais Are In This Situation.

[Tilokarat]

What I learned from this so far is Thai people in general are as stupid and incompetent as I always suspected they were/are and I'm somebody who has spent quite and bit of time here and invested substantial amount of money also.

Once this blows over I'm considering going back to USA where as bad as it is at least my kids will get a decent education and NEVER would the airports be allowed to be blocked by protesters

RANT OVER

I think the leaders of PAD would agree with you as they feel only the Sino-Thai elite of Bangkok have the intelligence to know how to run the country.

This shows how little people like Sondhi, Chamlong and you really know.

[edgarfriendly]

Chinese have been running this entire region for centuries.

now the 'never conquered' locals are ever so slowly getting to see that.

True, there are manipulators on 'both' sides.

there is no right/wrong/good/bad, ITS ALL PERSPECTIVE!!!!

Perspective.

ef

[digitele]

I might add that both sides are ignorant cannon fodder. The die hard Thai defenders on here have been here too long.

They too have lost the plot. Unfortunately, I fear wide spread violance when the cork pops in this saga.

Starting Monday night local time as the NY world markets re-open after Thanksgiving someone on here should create

a graph of two things 1) Amount of days airport closed VS decline in the Thai Bahts value.

Let the cannon fodder continue, they will anyway. Merry Christmas at 50 or more Baht vs USD. Ho! Ho! Ho!

The Thais can only blame themselves. Sanuk my arse!

Woow another very intelligent western view on things.....sigh. Anybody notice the short term vision hidden inside, and the typical western way of thinking which always has to do with money ?

No wonder you don't understand anything further than the borders of your, what must be an `amazing` home country. Now what is it that made you leave that fantastic society ? What a waste of your time , and money ofcourse...

sad apologist - there is no excuse for what the PAD is doing and the governments failure to react properly.

Try to stay with the plot = Thailand. Are you wearing your yellow shirt today or a safari suit?

[digitele]

What I learned from this so far is Thai people in general are as stupid and incompetent as I always suspected they were/are and I'm somebody who has spent quite and bit of time here and invested substantial amount of money also.

Once this blows over I'm considering going back to USA where as bad as it is at least my kids will get a decent education and NEVER would the airports be allowed to be blocked by protesters

RANT OVER

What does your statement say about you? You chose to spend "quite (a) bit of time (in Thailand) and invested substantial amount of money . . " without respecting the venue or the people. It appears that you are rather foolish by your own account.

Have a safe trip home

He can't the venue is shut down....since you are there, can you help him board his flight?

<deleted>? His statement suggests that not only he came here and invested, he was so foolish to think it was a civilized place.

The venue of other people? The ones in the airport? The very same ones that in this venue..Will be the closet they will ever

get to boarding an aircraft in their entire lives? That venue?

[JimmyTheMook]

What I learned from this so far is Thai people in general are as stupid and incompetent as I always suspected they were/are and I'm somebody who has spent quite and bit of time here and invested substantial amount of money also.

Once this blows over I'm considering going back to USA where as bad as it is at least my kids will get a decent education and NEVER would the airports be allowed to be blocked by protesters

RANT OVER

What does your statement say about you? You chose to spend "quite (a) bit of time (in Thailand) and invested substantial amount of money . . " without respecting the venue or the people. It appears that you are rather foolish by your own account.

Have a safe trip home.

Respect and viewpoints have little to do with each other in this regard.

I could probably live here another 10 years if I choose but the current situation has assured me this is a Banana Republic with monkeys as the lead characters.

Sorry if you feel offended

[edgarfriendly]

As Above.

i like it this way, its better than the false smiling shallowness that we got before.

reality is much better.

say what u like.

ef

[clausewitz]

I gor very little from the lengthy diatribes other than :

We do not like to work .

We would rather play and have fun .

Most importantly "We are always right ".

Totally agree dumball. This article is larded with such bland superficialities, basic generalizations as to be in a junior high school textbook. It says next to nothing about the current crisis.That of course might be just the reason Bangkok Post printed it …. Is Soul Searching in this Sunday's edition?

Do bangkok post go out of their way to find superficial rants to print?

[njpski]

Just read the article and I quote

"Thai people have long been recognised as forming a highly spiritual society, with both Buddhism and animism playing a strong part in most aspects of Thai daily life.

As a consequence, Thai thinking is far more open to making decisions based on faith, including in a range of arenas where Westerners typically advocate objective analysis, such as business and politics. "

What a load of bovine excreta, the academic gives no proof of her assertions which are ridiculously easy to refute, viz. (I love talkin' intellectual!)

In with Australia where the balance of power in the senate is held by a religious fanatic (who won his seat through stupid streaming of preferences from the major parties, !) who is following in the footsteps of the religious right of the liberal party, Kev "the Rev" Andrews and Tony Abbott - Objective analysis, my foot! His decision-making is based on the precepts of a religion where a virgin has a baby (i have heard there a lot of virgins around, but most don't have a child in tow when they claim to be virgins!), where a guy turns water into wine - nice trick But then I turn wine into water quite often.

The US where the "im"Moral Majority have had huge sway over political decision-making, and where religion has been used as a tool of racial prejudice.

Business - the west - rational and objective???, remind me about FAnnie Mae and Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, etc.

Edited December 1, 2008 by njpski

[Samuian]

I was afraid that basically this had to do with belief in the unreal-supernatural, trust in hearsay and promises and strong faith in spirits and fairies.

And an unfettered desire to play, laugh, have fun, make infantile jokes and believe in kindheartedness above all, even it is based only on words and sweet talk!

No matter what, unreal!

Edited December 1, 2008 by Samuian

[stingray]

I think it's "pure greed".

[Steve2UK]

I'll add my thanks to BP for the read. No, of course, it wasn't and couldn't be the "Dummy's Guide to the Thai Universe & Everything". As one poster already mentioned, it lacks any reference to money and I also feel it ignored "face".

That said, I actually found myself touched by a lot of the references and commentary in it - it resonated with a lot of what I've experienced in just a few years exposure to Thai people......... although we should always try to keep in mind that all Thai are not anything except Thai - meaning they vary individually as much as the rest of us.

A bit sad to see some of the comments here - but a useful reminder of what "culture shock" or "clash" is.......... I find it easier to travel with a more open mind - but that just reads as "vague" or "indecisive" to some. Thailand still works for me - it's just that now I think much more about those differences and how to navigate through them.

[gk10002000]

For those who have not yet grasped the underlying psychological reasons of the current crisis, this is a good - neutral - read.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/291108_News/29Nov2008_news19.php

As Bangkok Post links die in a few days, unless you pay to read the items, here is the full article:

THE THAI PSYCHE

Thailand's messy politics: Is culture the culprit?

KAYE ELDRIDGE

The ‘‘sanuk’’ factor even in protest... An anti-government PAD protester in fancy costume waves a banner during yesterday’s demonstration at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

While Thailand spirals into further political crisis, this article examines the current situation from a cultural perspective, to reveal why Westerners might have difficulties understanding how recent political events could have transpired in a country so renowned for its easy-going nature.

Many Westerners, both inside and outside of Thailand, have been watching closely as the country falls into a deeper political mess, and they are wondering how Thais can be acting so violently against each other.

Thailand, a country once popular for its beaches, temples and carefree people, is fast becoming more well-known for its civil unrest.

Holiday-makers can no longer be sure of reliable flight arrangements and many are being warned by their governments to stay away from the country.

How has Thailand digressed so far from its reputation as a fun-loving tourist destination?

In September 2006, prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released of his leadership through a military coup amidst allegations of corruption. Since then much has happened: consequential elections were won by the People Power party (PPP), a political grouping largely recognised as Thaksin's proxy and favoured by rural constituents; the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) subsequently began their persistent demonstrations; Samak Sundaravej then lost the PM's seat due to a cooking show and Thaksin's brother-in-law took over the seat; and demonstrators have consequently begun using more aggressive tactics.

The illegal overthrow of Thaksin was one of the causes. The general mild Thai disposition was another. Clinging to a monarchy that rarely speaks, letting the military be in control, ignoring the constitution. All of these things create too much uncertainty and power issues. One can't just change government because the most vocal bullies say so.

The USA is far from perfect. But most of the ideas of the constitution were pretty OK, although granted imperfect and vague in some areas. But there were mechanisms in place to change them. Corruption is always around. But one needs a foundation to procede from.

I just hate seeing the majority of Thais get pushed and pulled around because they are polite and respectful and quiet people.

[chutai]

There's much that I could disagree with in that article. Most that would be better suited to the Buddhism forum. But the one glaring inaccuracy is in saying that Western thought is based upon the premise of "consequentialism " where Thai/Buddhist thought is not. Buddhism, and by implication the Thai mentality, is indeed based upon consequentialism - moral consequentalism is the underpinning for the theory of karma. I'm sorry , but I found that article to be mostly fundamentally flawed and somewhat misleading in many respects.