Thailand, The Land Of Smiles...

[phetaroi]

There is not just one Thai smile. There are many. They each have different meanings.

Which one is the real one then??

They're all real because they're situational.

[Machugok]

The Thai smile isn't fading away.

It's just that Farangs are becoming even more miserable, bitter and twisted, than they were a few years ago.

Probably due to exchange rates being unfavourable.

The Thai people just carry on as usual.

Give a smile and you'll get one back.

Yep. Give them one & they'll smile back.

[surangw]

wasn't it Alfred E. Newman that said " smile, it makes people wonder what you've been up to" ?

[johng]

I thought he said "wot me worry"

[givenall]

Is the Thai smile fading away?

After knowing this country for 30y and living in it for 23y my answer is (unfortunately) YES

I have always noticed that everyone is so worried these day because of bad economy, lack of prosperities, etc. it was different few years back and I am hoping when things ever get better we would see people relax more and become human again

[DtemJai]

THE SMILE was always False so why worry about it. Just move out & take your Money with you

There is not just one Thai smile. There are many. They each have different meanings.

Yeah spot on I've tried for decades, to plant the most of meanings in my mind, partly successful :-( . The reason is there's a much broader range of uses for smiling in Thailand, some of which would be considered as inappropriate or even as rude in the west. For example, if a Thai bumps into you in a bar and spills some of your drink, he'll probably smile - a reaction that is unlikely to go down well with the average foreigner.

But the smile (yim in Thai) is perceived in Thailand as being just about the most appropriate reaction to any possible situation. It's used to show happiness, embarrassment, fear, tension, resignation, remorse etc...What the smile means depends on the 'type' being used - out of a possible 13. Visit: http://www.into-asia.com/thailand/culture/smile.php

[007]

Words like 'eheeya'/'iheeya' (==>monitor lizard) are supposedly the worst insults in Thai language. Still, I hear Thais (e.g. middle class teenagers) yelling them all the time at each other. People call each other names, call others 'crazy' and 'stupid', etc., nonstop.

(And I'm not even talking about Thai-'farang' interrelations, but Thais/Thais.)

I've been to many countries around the world, but never experienced something like that. And IMHO it seems to get worse and worse. Compare the average Thai's behaviour today vs. 10 or 12 years ago, and you know what I'm talking about.

Edited October 2, 2009 by 7

[Lancelot]

OK, many interesting responses, thanks for your input. However, not many posters have commented on the behaviour between Thais. From what I can see, the Thais are becomming more abrupt and even rude with each other.

[Hawk]

From what I can see, the Thais are becoming more abrupt and even rude with each other.

This is quite right, especially in any large town or city, Thai people are openly becoming more aggressive towards each other and very quickly as well.

Rudeness seems pretty standard these days, just go to city hall and see how Thais treat each other, banks can be bad as well, and as for the police, they are real shitty to their fellow Thais.

[carmine]

I'd agree, it's a lot to do with where you live.

Live up country for a while, then come down to a tourist area like Pattaya to really notice the difference.

I agree with this. The smiles have disappeared in some areas (south in particular) but thankfully still not in others.

[Neeranam]

I'd agree, it's a lot to do with where you live.

Live up country for a while, then come down to a tourist area like Pattaya to really notice the difference.

Even up country, I've noticed a loss of smile.

Pattaya - always has attracted the scum of Thailand.

[john b good]

Is the Thai smile fading away?

After knowing this country for 30y and living in it for 23y my answer is (unfortunately) YES

I was told many years ago "never trust a smiling Asian" to which I said "but, they are all smiling" the response to which was "yes and never forget it"

Edited October 2, 2009 by john b good

[MrJohnson]

did anyone notice a change during the thai financial meltdown in 1996? cos i reckon a lot to do with les smiles is probably due to the stresses now of job losses and reduced wages,increased competition at the lower end of the socio economic table as more people become self employed after having lost a job,taking up selling food etc.

I know the bar girls are becoming stressed out through lack of customers and therefore business due to tourist downturn.(my only area of expertise!)

Agreed......a lot has to do with economic conditions.

But I think there is more, Mr. T fanned the flames of xenophobia and extreme nationalism.

He also grossly inflated expectations for the masses.......and created a false image of Thailand in the public mind.

Now, people are hurting...........expectations are not being met.....reality is sinking it........they are recognizing that it is not the #1 country on the planet (even in the region)..........and foreigners are being looked at with suspicion, scorn or worse.

Of course, not all Thais are locked into this xenophobic/ultra-nationalistic mindset, but many are. And it is all too easy to blame foreigners for their self-inflicted troubles.

Those that don't do that blame each other.........the rural-urban conflict in Thai society seems to be growing stronger.......certainly leading to fewer genuine smiles down the road.

One thing I have learned about Thais.........they hold it in and smile and smile and then BLOW UP! I hope I am not here when they all decide to blow up.

Interesting that one poster mentioned the friendliness of the people in Bali.........yes, and it seems genuine. Perhaps some of that has to do with the fact that Balinese culture is still strong......the cultural beliefs and patterns in Bali are genuine......in Thailand it has all turned into a sort of "semi-meaningless show."

One famous anthropologist likened culture to a complex tapestry..........in Thailand's case, the threads of its tapestry are coming apart.

To me, Thailand has regressed dramatically--economically and socially--over the past 10 years.

The good news, at least for those who remember the good years, is that there are a few places in surrounding countries that are looking more and more like the good Thailand of 20 years ago.

As Thailand-Titanic goes under, those places will benefit and grow......and they will become fun and relaxed places to be. The cycle will start over again. I am thinking, in particular, about Cambodia and Vietnam.

Oh great. Here we go again. Thailand-Titanic is sinking into a pit of self-loathing and self-destruction and foriegners are bearing the brunt of it. Please give us all a break from this. It will be a very long time before either Vietnam and especially Cambodia start to compete with Thailand on any level. These are tough economic times for people all over the world. The Thais have the double wammy of having to worry about political instability as well. Away from Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Patpong most Thais don't even think about the effect foriegners are having on their lives. they are just too busy surviving. It's hard to smile when you're hungry or can't pay the rent.

[carmine]

For the most part Mr Johnson i agree with you, but to say it'll be along time before Vietnam and Cambodia will compete with Thailand?!! I have news...they already are and taking huge amounts of our potential tourists away. Unfortunately the tourist authority et al just don't seem to want to wake up and smell the coffee

[JR Texas]

did anyone notice a change during the thai financial meltdown in 1996? cos i reckon a lot to do with les smiles is probably due to the stresses now of job losses and reduced wages,increased competition at the lower end of the socio economic table as more people become self employed after having lost a job,taking up selling food etc.

I know the bar girls are becoming stressed out through lack of customers and therefore business due to tourist downturn.(my only area of expertise!)

Agreed......a lot has to do with economic conditions.

But I think there is more, Mr. T fanned the flames of xenophobia and extreme nationalism.

He also grossly inflated expectations for the masses.......and created a false image of Thailand in the public mind.

Now, people are hurting...........expectations are not being met.....reality is sinking it........they are recognizing that it is not the #1 country on the planet (even in the region)..........and foreigners are being looked at with suspicion, scorn or worse.

Of course, not all Thais are locked into this xenophobic/ultra-nationalistic mindset, but many are. And it is all too easy to blame foreigners for their self-inflicted troubles.

Those that don't do that blame each other.........the rural-urban conflict in Thai society seems to be growing stronger.......certainly leading to fewer genuine smiles down the road.

One thing I have learned about Thais.........they hold it in and smile and smile and then BLOW UP! I hope I am not here when they all decide to blow up.

Interesting that one poster mentioned the friendliness of the people in Bali.........yes, and it seems genuine. Perhaps some of that has to do with the fact that Balinese culture is still strong......the cultural beliefs and patterns in Bali are genuine......in Thailand it has all turned into a sort of "semi-meaningless show."

One famous anthropologist likened culture to a complex tapestry..........in Thailand's case, the threads of its tapestry are coming apart.

To me, Thailand has regressed dramatically--economically and socially--over the past 10 years.

The good news, at least for those who remember the good years, is that there are a few places in surrounding countries that are looking more and more like the good Thailand of 20 years ago.

As Thailand-Titanic goes under, those places will benefit and grow......and they will become fun and relaxed places to be. The cycle will start over again. I am thinking, in particular, about Cambodia and Vietnam.

Oh great. Here we go again. Thailand-Titanic is sinking into a pit of self-loathing and self-destruction and foriegners are bearing the brunt of it. Please give us all a break from this. It will be a very long time before either Vietnam and especially Cambodia start to compete with Thailand on any level. These are tough economic times for people all over the world. The Thais have the double wammy of having to worry about political instability as well. Away from Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Patpong most Thais don't even think about the effect foriegners are having on their lives. they are just too busy surviving. It's hard to smile when you're hungry or can't pay the rent.

Actually, I live a long way from Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Patpong........in the middle of nowhere in a very small city. I can assure you they are thinking about "farangs" and hostility has towards foreigners has increased......these are Mr. T's people........the uneducated rural masses who believed everything he said.

And Carmine is right..........Cambodia and Vietnam (and the Philippines and Malaysia) are all gaining on Thailand........one only has to look at annual GDP growth rates over the past decade to see it..........Thailand has been at the bottom of the pile. Surprisingly, Cambodia's annual GDP growth rate actually surpassed China's a few years ago (but has backed off a bit now).

Thailand is not the center of the universe anymore.......get used to it. That is reality.

[JR Texas]

The Thai smile isn't fading away.

It's just that Farangs are becoming even more miserable, bitter and twisted, than they were a few years ago.

Probably due to exchange rates being unfavourable.

The Thai people just carry on as usual.

Give a smile and you'll get one back.

Some of you seem to want to talk about a superficial smile............I think the OP meant something a bit deeper than that. I think he is asking about "happiness" and "attitude shifts."

The smile can be there.........but what is really behind it is what is important.

Yes, you still receive a smile if you give it (in almost every case). Why? Because it is ingrained in Thai culture..........most Thais smile whether they like you or not.

And most Thais interpret a smile on a farang as meaning he/she is or may be a nice person...........approachable.

[surangw]

OK, many interesting responses, thanks for your input. However, not many posters have commented on the behaviour between Thais. From what I can see, the Thais are becomming more abrupt and even rude with each other.

could be they are just being "efficient" getting to the point, and not wasting time with phony pleasantries

like in the example of asking for directions and heading off with no thanks

[cobra]

Like many have already said,

Smile first and the other will instinctually smile back,

What you may think it means on the surface is irrelevant,

The deeper import is I'm not a threat, I don't want trouble, ...

This is played out everywhere and anywhere on the globe.

The LOS is no exception.