How Long Ago Was It That First World Countries Were Like Thailand Is Now

[dave9988]

i am just looking to make comparisons to Thailand's current social and political make up to other countries social and political make up's of the past, to perhaps make predictions on how and why things might change here.

I will describe current Thai society as being

-a highly class based society

Current first world countries have very large middle classes with a small percent of people on either side.

-politically unstable do to rampant corruption at each and every level of government

The Central government is very weak here. 17 Coups, etc. Nobody ever has to take responsibility for their actions, etc.

[londonthai]

it was long, some few hundred years ago, in the transitional period between feudalism and capitalism

[Geekfreaklover]

Bangkok is similar in terms of social aspects to London post regency pre Victorian period. Restoration?

[MyphuketLife]

i am just looking to make comparisons to Thailand's current social and political make up to other countries social and political make up's of the past, to perhaps make predictions on how and why things might change here.

I will describe current Thai society as being

-a highly class based society

Current first world countries have very large middle classes with a small percent of people on either side.

-politically unstable do to rampant corruption at each and every level of government

The Central government is very weak here. 17 Coups, etc. Nobody ever has to take responsibility for their actions, etc.

That's a thought provoking question .... I know what I will be looking into early next week.

[Hawkup2000]

Before Columbus set foot on the the territorial area of USA it was somewhat like Thailand today. Back then they did not elect who would rule the land. They decided who would rule the territory by tribal wars with arrows and spears. 600-700 years later Thailand have progressed a bit so these days bombs, slingshots, swords and sticks are more frequently used. But as in similarity to the indian tribes: it is not who have the biggest amount of warriors, it is about who's warriors make the most sound. In contrast to indian warriors many Thais want to save their voices and therefore use the famous handclapper.

And if you wait a bit maybe you will see a time were only the educated are allowed to vote, like the system Greece had 2500 years ago .

Edited December 19, 2008 by Hawkup2000

[PeaceBlondie]

Sixty years ago, Negroes in the USA, even doctors, drank at separate fountains, attended separate schools and churches, sat in different parts of public transport, were denied to marry outside their race. Ten years ago, I committed crimes in Texas by having sex with another consenting adult male. And having a middle class for over 200 years hardly mattered in those things (M. L. King, Jr., came from an upper middle class family and neighborhood). Nobody in the West wore seat belts or helmets before 1955, and the mandatory usage laws are still not uniformly enforced. I got my first mobile phone around 1997, and my first laptop around then.

[MyphuketLife]

Before Columbus set foot on the the territorial area of USA it was somewhat like Thailand today. Back then they did not elect who would rule the land. They decided who would rule the territory by tribal wars with arrows and spears. 600-700 years later Thailand have progressed a bit so these days bombs, slingshots, swords and sticks are more frequently used. But as in similarity to the indian tribes: it is not who have the biggest amount of warriors, it is about who's warriors make the most sound. In contrast to indian warriors many Thais want to save their voices and therefore use the famous handclapper.

And if you wait a bit maybe you will see a time were only the educated are allowed to vote, like the system Greece had 2500 years ago .

[MyphuketLife]

Sixty years ago, Negroes in the USA, even doctors, drank at separate fountains, attended separate schools and churches, sat in different parts of public transport, were denied to marry outside their race. Ten years ago, I committed crimes in Texas by having sex with another consenting adult male. And having a middle class for over 200 years hardly mattered in those things (M. L. King, Jr., came from an upper middle class family and neighborhood). Nobody in the West wore seat belts or helmets before 1955, and the mandatory usage laws are still not uniformly enforced. I got my first mobile phone around 1997, and my first laptop around then.

Seat belts and helmets are not part of a civilized world, thats a personal saftey thing that in my opinion should be left up to the person to decide if they want to were them or not.

The race thing is a sad sad state of affiars really the most shameful thing our country has done (well besides stealing america from the indians), when Obama's white mom was married to her black husband it was illegal in many states now in Obamas lifetime things have changed to the point he can be the president! (so in america I guess it took one mans life time to get from a shameful past to were we are today)

As far as your law breaking goes for having sex with a man in texas, well has much as I hate the way some people treat gay people, you guys have the right to vote, and vote to change the laws.... To me a man and man should be able to marry, but even in california it got voted down, so while I don't agree with the current marriage laws they were voted in by the majority making it democratic... But I don't think it will be long till the majority swings in favor of gay marriage.... but again the laws can be changed provided the people want them changed.

[mahtin]

English voters in the 1830s, for instance, spoke of selling their

votes as a "birthright"(Hoppen 1996, 564).

[phaethon]

"How Long Ago Was It That First World Countries Were Like Thailand Is Now, socially and politically speaking?"

About another two years from now...

[mogoso]

Sixty years ago, Negroes in the USA, even doctors, drank at separate fountains, attended separate schools and churches, sat in different parts of public transport, were denied to marry outside their race.

This is a bit of misinformation. The events you descibe happened in what is referred as the deep south in the US and not the entire country. Black Americans from other parts of the country were shocked upon visiting the area to find the conditions stated above. This of course led to the freedom riders, blacks and whites traveling together in the area to break this awful bias set up by southern democrats. The freedom marches followed and within a few years, this awful period of history came to an end.

[keestha]

In just one generation, things can change tremendously. I am from the Netherlands, and my father was born in 1907, and my mother in 1910.

They told me that before the second world war, when Indonesia was still a Dutch colony:

- It was the general belief that in high school, Indonesians were not able to advance past the third class. University fully out of the question of course.

- People were careful not to get a suntan, because that could make others think you had Indonesian blood.

- Another thing: in Dutch university towns, when students were returning drunk from their clubs early in the morning, labourers took their hats off for them

- students slept with lower class girls, but went through elabourate courtship procedures with higher class girls they would eventually marry.

- Higher class Dutch families spoke French during the meals, because Dutch was supposed to be an uncivilized language.

On a more recent note, occasionally I am still entertaining people with stories about my experiences in South Africa, where I spent one month during the apartheid period.

Edited December 20, 2008 by keestha

[Scott]

The Pliestocene era.

[john b good]

Sixty years ago, Negroes in the USA, even doctors, drank at separate fountains, attended separate schools and churches, sat in different parts of public transport, were denied to marry outside their race. Ten years ago, I committed crimes in Texas by having sex with another consenting adult male. And having a middle class for over 200 years hardly mattered in those things (M. L. King, Jr., came from an upper middle class family and neighborhood). Nobody in the West wore seat belts or helmets before 1955, and the mandatory usage laws are still not uniformly enforced. I got my first mobile phone around 1997, and my first laptop around then.

Seat belts and helmets are not part of a civilized world, thats a personal saftey thing that in my opinion should be left up to the person to decide if they want to were them or not.

The race thing is a sad sad state of affiars really the most shameful thing our country has done (well besides stealing america from the indians), when Obama's white mom was married to her black husband it was illegal in many states now in Obamas lifetime things have changed to the point he can be the president! (so in america I guess it took one mans life time to get from a shameful past to were we are today)

As far as your law breaking goes for having sex with a man in texas, well has much as I hate the way some people treat gay people, you guys have the right to vote, and vote to change the laws.... To me a man and man should be able to marry, but even in california it got voted down, so while I don't agree with the current marriage laws they were voted in by the majority making it democratic... But I don't think it will be long till the majority swings in favor of gay marriage.... but again the laws can be changed provided the people want them changed.

"Seat belts and helmets are not part of a civilized world, thats a personal saftey thing that in my opinion should be left up to the person to decide if they want to were them or not"

Don't exactly know where you come from (maybe cuckoo land)

There are many laws that have to be enacted and enforced because because there are people who are just too idiotic for their own good.

People have to be protected (for the greater good) against there own stupidity.

[Denim]

"How Long Ago Was It That First World Countries Were Like Thailand Is Now, socially and politically speaking?"

About another two years from now...

maybe even less !

[dumball]

The Pliestocene era.

Oy bey up frum zomerzet , cud de explin er fur I please .

[davejonesbkk]

The last time there was anything close to a military coup in the UK was around 400 years ago, here they seem to be once every couple of decades....

[Nignoy]

I will get some flack here, At the same period 1962 when the first big intakes of foreign troops came to Thailand which in my opinion, started the ball rolling towards introducing country thai,s to the modern age.In australia large pastoral land owners were still killing aborigines for trespassing without fear of prosecution, and racism was just as bad as in the deep south in the US, its all history now , but even in mother England many people still get arrested today for DWBB ( Driving While Being Black)

[eggomaniac]

Do you want to compare Thailand with 1rst world countries of yesterday, today, or tomorrow?

You might, also, want to lend your curiosity towards where some 1rst World countries are headed, in comparison to Thailand. When the full effects of the World Economic Crisis are rolled out, it is my belief some of them are headed for 3rd world status, as well. Debt financing did not work and they are trying to get back to debt financing. The flail out packages of many countries is just throwing good money after bad.

Letting the execs of the world corporations have the 'wildness' to plough through the pig troughs allowed for the 'freedom' of the people to lose jobs and houses.

I expect the playing field will be levelled. Countries, like Thailand, might be better equipped to deal with the future world economy.

[Martin]

"Countries, like Thailand, might be better equipped to deal with the future world economy. "

That was at the heart of my recent MA thesis. PM me if you would like to read an article that describes it.

Reading what James Howard Kunstler, in 'The Long Emergency', writes about what America may have to go through makes me glad to be in Thailand, and even gladder to be up-country and to have had a good rice harvest.

[wamberal]

Seat belts and helmets are not part of a civilized world, thats a personal saftey thing that in my opinion should be left up to the person to decide if they want to were them or not.

A civilised world, or country, is one in which the weakest and poorest (and dumbest) members of society are adequately protected.

The introduction of compulsory safety laws in Australia, for example, has reduced the road toll very significantly. All those people who would have been killed or maimed had they not been encouraged and educated to wear safety belts and helmets (and their spouses and kids) might disagree with your view.

As, I am sure, would all paramedics and the like who attend the site of traffic accidents.

[IMA_FARANG]

it was long, some few hundred years ago, in the transitional period between feudalism and capitalism

Do you consider Northern Ireland a first world country?

What about South Africa in the 1960's.

In 1968 there were student riots in the streets of Paris, France.

What about the Watts riots in 1968 in Los Angeles?

The point is: it doesn't take that much to change a country from a 'democracy' to one where street riots are what seems to be the only answer to those who feel there is no other solution to their problems.

I'm not saying its "right", but don't be too smug. It can happen again.

Wasn't it in 1916 that a part of the British Army in France refused to fight after the horrible losses of

the trench warfare battles?

And somewhere later, after WWI ended and the British Navy was being cut back, a large part of the British Navy simply refused to man their ships for a few days. They were unhappy about senior officer appointments, I believe. BBC did a documentary about it a few years ago.

In 1960 Time magazine had a report that a group of U.S. military officers in Europe had considered the possibility of overthrowing JFK because he was "too soft on Communisim'.

And don't forget the Russian Army that lined up it's tanks with the people against the Communist Party elite in Moscow at the Russian 'White House'.

[londonthai]

I am talking about a transitional period in the west between feudalism (society based on a devision on serfs, monarchy and noble vasals and economically characterised by using simple, manual mods of production by artisans associated in guilds) and capitalism (society based on a devision on 2 classes - working and bourgeois - and using machinery for a mass production of goods) which was taking place in europe from the cromwells english revolution. In some countries monarchy strike a deal with a new emerging capitalist class (like in england), in some others it was deposed and replaced by burgeois republic.

politically, with it's parliamentary democracy, thailand is somewhere in 19th century europe, with pretty advanced, 20th century technologies for production

[RakJungTorlae]

Do they still sell Pepsi in a glass bottle where you guys are from???