Thailand Loves America

[Jingthing]

the thais have had some very good study in the states since the 50's if i remember correctly it was bewteen thai dr's and john hopkins Uni. many thais with lower eductaion havealso moved to the states and found great financial opportunity as most asian do. Why? IMO because unlike the entitlment crowd that put the current president in office, the asians understand that if you want to eat you have to work.

What a load of twaddle, suggesting Asians in America are not hard working.

[Bottlerocket]

I agree basically with the OP. Thailand people and government are for the most part pro American. I like it. It beats being spit in the face, like in Malaysia.

Yeah, or incessantly ridiculed by Brits on Thai Visa.

[maccaroni man]

the thais have had some very good study in the states since the 50's if i remember correctly it was bewteen thai dr's and john hopkins Uni. many thais with lower eductaion havealso moved to the states and found great financial opportunity as most asian do. Why? IMO because unlike the entitlment crowd that put the current president in office, the asians understand that if you want to eat you have to work.

What a load of twaddle, suggesting Asians in America are not hard working.

got me wrong there J. I said just the oposite, the asian are hard working and make a good go of it in america even in down times. what i said is it is the entitlement crowd that put obama in office that never seem to want to work and expect a free lunch.

[Dakhar]

I have found that Thais like American culture, consumerism and products. They share an entrepreneurial spirit and love of cars with Americans. However, Bush did a lot of damage to America's international reputation, even here in Thailand. Obama's election healed some of that, as he is very popular with the Thais, but now many Thais think America has a predominately black population (Tiger Woods, Barack Obama, the Williams sisters, and many NBA players).

Thais like American movies and some of the pop music/culture but I wouldn't say they like American products overall. Look inside your average Thai middle class household and you see mostly Japanese/Korean electronics and maybe the only "American" branded item is an "American standard" sink which i'm not sure is even an actual U.S. brand to begin with.

Ditto for cars..mostly Japanese make/model with a few luxury european automobiles.

REG: .... like American brands....

To be honest, there is little left as far as "American" brands, we Americans out sourced our production needs. It is a "no brainer" to figure out that it is SE Asia, is producing Nike, Levi's, DeWalt etc etc.... not America. "Made in America....kinda sorta" aint going to cut it much longer for America. I wish the folks back home all the best.

Yeah, nothing is American anymore. Like McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, GM, Caterpillar, Proctor & Gamble (which manufacturers the majority of personal care products sold in Thailand), CNN, Coca-Cola, Pepsico, and all the Hollywood movies.

You guys know nothing about multinationals and international business. GM has to build factories in Thailand, because import taxes make it prohibitive to bring the cars in from America. It's cheaper to produce consumer staples in the region, rather than import them. For instance, Mars candies are manufactured in Singapore, and distributed throughout SEA. In the global economy, where a corporation is headquartered is what counts, because most of the big salaries and profits will be paid out to people from the domiciled country.

you seem to be contradicting yourself, and the gross trade deficit that the US has, will eventually cause those named companies a lot of heart ache.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

you seem to be contradicting yourself

How?

and the gross trade deficit that the US has, will eventually cause those named companies a lot of heart ache.

You just demonstrated your lack of understanding of international business. The trade deficit depreciates the US dollar. US multinationals take in foreign currency abroad and gain from the dollar exchange. Take a look at the profit/loss statements of McDonalds (MCD), Yum! Brands (YUM, owns KFC and Pizza Hut), and Caterpillar (CAT). You will see that their international sales exceed their domestic sales. You will also see that while U.S. growth is flat or has declined, international growth has risen dramatically. In fact, their international sales exceed their domestic sales. For McDonalds, their fastest growing market is Great Britain. For Yum it is China.

[NaiGreg]

Thailand and Thais in general have a great affinity for America. I think it has little to do with the fact that Americans are "big tippers."

The only Thai-town in the world is in LA (approx 100,000 Thais and Thai descendants) They have their own newspaper.

The King of Thailand was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His parents were University students in Boston.

There are a few Thais who hold political office in The US and Barack Obama's former Senate seat may get filled by a Thai-American woman who is an Iraq war veteran.

In my own experience the Thai-Americans, immigrants and Thai university students I have met have been quite happy living there (my wife, included) and a few expressed having a feeling of "true freedom" in America which I believe means freedom from societal restraints and burdens, rather than political ones. How ironic, really. As an American I feel more "free" now living in Thailand.

I have also heard from Thai-Americans and Thai visitors that they feel welcome during their stays in America. For the most part Americans do not "duu-thuuk-Thai" (look down on Thais) as is the case in some other farang countries and Middle-Eastern countries.

The Thai military has a long history with the USA, as well. My father was a USAF squadron commander with a Thai B-52 pilot under his command in the 60's. The Thai pilot was well-trained, respected and given equal treatment. No problem making friends.

My wife has friends who are Bangkok doctors (a couple) who try to attend symposia in the USA as often as possible because they enjoy their visits so much. They named their son Teton (after the mountain range) after a lovely sight-seeing trip in the Rockies. How Thai is that!

I won't mention Tiger Woods, Tata Young, Johnny Damon,... really not relevant.

Sorry if I've ruffled some British feathers. Don't let it ruin your New Year. Cheerio!

-NG

[Dakhar]

you seem to be contradicting yourself

How?

and the gross trade deficit that the US has, will eventually cause those named companies a lot of heart ache.

You just demonstrated your lack of understanding of international business. The trade deficit depreciates the US dollar. US multinationals take in foreign currency abroad and gain from the dollar exchange. Take a look at the profit/loss statements of McDonalds (MCD), Yum! Brands (YUM, owns KFC and Pizza Hut), and Caterpillar (CAT). You will see that their international sales exceed their domestic sales. You will also see that while U.S. growth is flat or has declined, international growth has risen dramatically. In fact, their international sales exceed their domestic sales. For McDonalds, their fastest growing market is Great Britain. For Yum it is China.

Spend 5 minutes on alibaba.... then come back and preach about America's huge production industry

[Klarre]

So the U.S citizen get "discount" because they are so popular?

[Ulysses G.]

Thailand and Thais in general have a great affinity for America. I think it has little to do with the fact that Americans are "big tippers."

Most American travelers have had plenty of experiences all over the world of people who appreciate our help, our culture and our generosity and most of them do not stand to get any tips for going out of their way to say so.

The truth is that when you are number one, you always have to listen to second rate people and second rate countries trying to bring you down to their level.

I have been listening to anti-American pap since I was a young child, but we still dominate the world both militarily and financially and in all of my travels, I have never been any place better.

God Bless America and

Edited December 30, 2009 by bonobo

[Joints]

So the U.S citizen get "discount" because they are so popular?

Yeah, we sure do. For example I was told to pay 1.5M in sin sod but after asking for a discount I ended up paying just 1 million, a whopping 500.000 Baht discount! I still waiting to see my bride though. How long after paying sin sod will you finally get to see her?

[ableguy]

EVErYONe KNOW USA IS NUMBER 1 . can someone point out a better country?

BUT giVe OBAMMA some time he will bring us back to the pack.

To bring us back implies your not nr 1 at the moment. I have no fondness of the USA probably because i have never been there.

lots of humans never been to usa yet know it rules! you never read a book? can you name a company better known than mc donalds........... .thais know mickey mouse!

coca cola

[Dakhar]

I have got to add, that in my years spent in Taiwan, I really felt the love and admiration the Taiwanese had for Americans. But that was over a decade back, so I have no idea how things are now.

I suspect after 8 years of bush... the Taiwanese are probably not so fond of us any more.

[desi]

When I meet Thai taxi drivers for the first time, we run through the typical conversation: Football, football, football, Bush (thumbs down), Obama (enthusiastic thumbs up). But when I mention California in response to 'where are you from', I usually receive a wink and a huge grin.

(I'm betting that I have the Beach Boys to thank for that one)

Edited December 30, 2009 by desi

[Dakhar]

the 8th stongest economy in the world....

[omarfromyemen]

i dont know the answer to this.

but are tuk tuks, taxi drivers and bargirls knowledgeable about the american political scene, etc.........

i really get deer in headlight look when i try to chat usa politics with bargirls.................

[Dakhar]

you talk politics with bar girls? What ever, its "up to you" your paying for it.....

[Ulysses G.]

try asking for members here to name a better country, they cant come up wih one. freedom and free markets do work!

ONE PLACE WHERE USA COULD USE HELP IS THE GIRLIE INDUSTRY, asians got that market down pat.

I won't argue with that!

[Dakhar]

America has babes.... Megan Fox etc etc

Problem is, per capita..... we got so very serious problems in the babe area

[bonobo]

got me wrong there J. I said just the oposite, the asian are hard working and make a good go of it in america even in down times. what i said is it is the entitlement crowd that put obama in office that never seem to want to work and expect a free lunch.

Comment on the topic, give reasons and opinions, but do not make this a political forum for or against any particular US government faction/person.

[ferd54]

I'm not sure how much its reflected in the institutional memory of Thailand, but the US has been the predominant foreign power involved in the nation since WWII.

The Brits wanted to treat Thailand as a defeated enemy nation after WWII due to its cooperation with the Japanese, but the US stopped that. Of course the SE Asia fights against communism were almost exclusively US-backed (after the French lost at Dien Bien Phu in 1954). There were something like 53 US bases or posts in Thailand the 1960s. That influence, through intermarriage and cultural exposure, still has impacts today.

Certainly US films, music and TV shows -- not to mention the Internet -- continue to be the most popular in the world. I would say European sports (football) and Japanese/Korean fashions in dress are more influential in those fields than from the US.

Edited December 30, 2009 by ferd54

[MrHammer]

Everyone in the world has a love/hate relationship to America, since we haven't been able to avoid your cheap mass produced 'culture' from Hollywood. I guess most of us should be fortunate that you left it at that and isn't bringing us 'freedom and democracy', now that would be scary!

[ferd54]

Everyone in the world has a love/hate relationship to America, since we haven't been able to avoid your cheap mass produced 'culture' from Hollywood. I guess most of us should be fortunate that you left it at that and isn't bringing us 'freedom and democracy', now that would be scary!

I'm sure your grandparents felt differently. You could have been Herr Hammer.

[trompelemonde]

Everyone in the world has a love/hate relationship to America, since we haven't been able to avoid your cheap mass produced 'culture' from Hollywood. I guess most of us should be fortunate that you left it at that and isn't bringing us 'freedom and democracy', now that would be scary!

I'm sure your grandparents felt differently. You could have been Herr Hammer.

'Comrade Hammer' would have been more correct. The Russians did most of the fighting in WWII.

In my experience Thais are fine with US citizens but don't make a distinction between them and any other farangs.

(Reading some of the other posts here on this thread US posters need to grow some skin. Getting offended at some lame jibes from Brits on an internet forum, grow up for god's sake!)

[yabaaaa]

Well I spoke to a man the other day told me he used to love driving up the M6 in the Uk when he was there ni the 1980's then a second man I met at Rama IX park told me he studied in the UK near Brighton in the 1960's and he said he loved England.

[ferd54]

'Comrade Hammer' would have been more correct. The Russians did most of the fighting in WWII.

The Russian sure did, but they didn't stop in Eastern Europe due to good will. Other armies fought brutally too to make their way through Western Europe. The Americans, latecomers to the war, relatively fresh, well-supplied and plenty tough themselves, were there to back it all up once the Germans were finished.

Ah, but we veer far off subject.

[PeaceBlondie]

Granted, we weren't the ones who rescued democracy during ww2. And there were lots of good British bands.

[Jingthing]

My litmus test, I don't feel the desire to tell Thais I am Canadian. Perhaps with some exceptions in South Thailand.

[ronz28]

"They do not go on about war in Iraq, ...." Thai soldiers fought in Iraq too along with soldiers from several other countries at various times. I have a Thai nephew who served a year in Iraq with a Thai Army unit.

Many Thai students go to University in the U.S. and a few even become professors and teach here or Doctors and Nurses and practice medicine here. I think college life and the general standard of living is good here in most of the U.S. and that gives many Thais a good impression of the U.S. American movies, TV shows, music, books, cars, trucks planes and other products made in America generally gives them a favorable impression too. Fortunately, most Thais didn't buy General Motors stock or junk bonds.

[ferd54]

My litmus test, I don't feel the desire to tell Thais I am Canadian. Perhaps with some exceptions in South Thailand.

I have been and lived in many places around the globe. I have never told anyone I was Canadian and never will. I tell them the truth that I am American.

When I lived in Paris, the Canadians would show up (with the required Canadian flag sewn somewhere visible) and tell the Parisians that they too didn't like Americans. Problem with that is the the Parisians didn't dislike Americans any more than they disliked everyone else. But they were appalled by the Quebecois the Canadians spoke. Americans who tell people they're Canadians are wusses.

[Jingthing]

I said "feel the desire" mate. Perhaps you don't patronize Islamic businesses filled with people who look like Osama Bin Laden's cousins. Sometimes I do. Some of those people want to kill us. As a gay American Jew (Triple Bonus Points!), to some of those people, smiting me would mean instant free flowing virgins. I don't want my food poisoned either, does that sound pleasant? If once in a blue moon I have to tell a white lie and call myself a Canuck, so be it. For American white bread types who don't venture beyond the Holiday Inn or Hard Rock Cafe, these minor ethical issues never come up. I suspect the poster hurling wuss names is one of those types.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Jingthing