Essay - A Guide To The Perfect Thai Idiot

[howto]

I was amazed to read this, simply because one never hears this from a Thai.

However, nothing I did not already know, we "old timers" know this, but good for newbies.

Cheers

A guide to the perfect Thai idiot ( แนะนำคนไทยไร้ปัญญา )

by Dr. Sawai Boonma, a former economist at the World Bank.

http://sawaiboonma.com/a-guide-to-the-perfect-thai-idiot

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 and is filed under Articles

at http://sawaiboonma.com/category/article

...a respected Thai citizen speaking candidly and critically of Thai culture in a public forum.

In 1996, three Latin Americans wrote a best-selling book in Spanish which was later translated into English

as Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot. Their main contention is that Latin American problems are not caused by outside influences as Latin Americans generally believe. Rather, they result mainly from actions of Latin Americans themselves. Correcting Latin American problems, therefore, must come from Latin Americans.

Ask Thais about the causes of last week’s shameful events — or of any problems in Thailand for that matter — and they will readily point finger somewhere else, never at themselves. I am a Thai so I am part of this well-practiced response. But I now believe that if we continue with this long-running charade of self-deception, Thailand is on its way to becoming a failed state shortly.

We present Thailand as the land of smiles full of gentle Buddhists. We regularly give alms to monks and often make donations to temples, believing that those are selfless acts for the welfare of others. Deep down, however, we do that only because we wish to get something in return – to go to heaven or have a richer next life. It is a trade, pure and simple, nothing kind or selfless about it. Few of us give for the sake of giving. We are basically very selfish.

Every time we go to the temple or attend a Buddhist ceremony, we duly accept and recite the Five Precepts as a guide to our daily lives; but we leave them there, as we always make promises without ever intending to keep them. Actually, we understand little about Buddhism. Even among the ranks of the monks, most do not know the teachings in-depth and lead their lives accordingly — all they know is how to conduct ceremonies from which they earn easy income. This reflects something deeper — we are generally lazy and like to take short-cuts to the “sabai” (do-nothing) state. Lottery tickets, therefore, always sell out at premium prices; prostitution is rampant and young women readily marry foreign pensioners.

We love to talk but rarely listen. Even when we do, we often fail to hear, as we never learn to think critically. We cannot put up with different points of view nor can we work cooperatively. Many of the over 30,000 Buddhist temples were built next to one another because when we disagreed with one, we just built another. That cooperative movement has never been successful here is another indication of our inability to tolerate different points of view.

We readily forgive, so we believe, as our most common utterance is “mai pen rai” (it doesn’t matter) when someone makes a mistake. But that is only a reflection of the culture of indifference and ready rationalization. We can always cite a well-known proverb, a famous poem or a sage’s sharp utterance to justify everything we do.

We complain so much about corruption. But we do little about it. Worse, we keep electing the same corrupt politicians because they have money and influence from which he hope to benefit. Survey after survey shows that the majority of us do not mind corruption as long as we get something out of it. One of the surveys last year showed that almost 85% of us believed that cheating was a normal business practice, making us practically a nation of thieves. When I raised the matter in this column, I received the angriest responses from fellow Thais, using expressions so colorful that they should not be printed nor uttered within earshot of other humans.

This long-running self-deception has created so much moral deficit, to employ Joseph Stiglitz’s terminology, that has put Thailand into a state of moral crisis for some time now. Some of the symptoms of this state are the economic crisis of 1997 and the protests culminating in last week’s events. Of course, we will never admit this, for we are perfect and will continue to be very angry when a foreigner utters something non-complementary about us. But I do hope that the events of last week shock most of us into reexamining ourselves, our values, and start reducing the moral deficit as well as trying to generate some moral surplus: doing more genuinely voluntary work for the common good similar to the street cleaning carried out by Bangkokians last weekend, but on a regular basis.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Um. I been all over the world. And the flaws described below are not uniquely Thai, let me assure you. Take out the Buddhist element and the author has more or less made accurate criticisms of....humanity.

Their main contention is that Latin American problems are not caused by outside influences as Latin Americans generally believe. Rather, they result mainly from actions of Latin Americans themselves. Correcting Latin American problems, therefore, must come from Latin Americans.

This is true for almost every culture. Even - perhaps especially - those in Africa hacking away at their next door neighbours because they're Hutu or Tutsi or whatever. You can't pin that on colonialism.

Ask Thais about the causes of last week's shameful events — or of any problems in Thailand for that matter — and they will readily point finger somewhere else, never at themselves.

Yeah that's a real uniquely Thai trait there...sigh. This guy needs to leave the country and he'll be stunned at how - similar - people are everywhere.

Deep down, however, we do that only because we wish to get something inreturn – to go to heaven or have a richer next life. It is a trade, pure and simple, nothing kind or selfless about it. Few of us give for the sake of giving. We are basically very selfish.

lolz. Come on. This is ridiculous. He's describing the human condition. Does he not even watch foreign television or...?

we are generally lazy and like to take short-cuts to the"sabai" (do-nothing) state. Lottery tickets, therefore, always sellout at premium prices; prostitution is rampant and young women readily marryforeign pensioners.

Lottery tickets sell out all over the world with 80-90% vig [800-900% mark-up on 'fair' pricing]. Prostitution is rampant everywhere. It's the oldest profession in the world. And Thailand does not have the monopoly on women marrying for money.

This guys needs to hop on a Cebu flight to Manila and he'll come back as the most ardent nationalist in the country.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

We love to talk but rarely listen. Even when we do, we often fail to hear, as we never learn to think critically. We cannot put up with different points of view nor can we work cooperatively.

*giggle* I think I know another country with a very similar culture. Not sure if the author has ever heard of the USA.

And loving to talk but rarely listening is a trait subscribed to by 80-90% of the people in the world who merely wait for their turn to speak rather than listen. Well, I'm being rather generous there. Most don't wait for their turn.

We complain so much about corruption. But we do little about it. Worse, we keep electing the same corrupt politicians because they have money and influence from which he hope to benefit. Survey after survey shows that the majority of us do not mind corruption as long as we get something out of it.

Again, this is not a uniquely Thai phenomenon. Every country is the world has corruption and nepotism / cronyism. Whilst the overall nonchalance to the high levels of corruption is somewhat alarming [how Thaksin still has anyone willing to listen to a word he says is beyond me] - you could argue it's a coping mechanism that has become a little bit ingrained into the culture over time. And anything like that can be reversed over time.

The most notable difference between Thais and other cultures is the Thais seem to be somewhat more honest about their tolerance of corruption. Americans and Australians and the British like to believe themselves to be 'above' or 'past' such things, and we'll scream bloody murder here and there when one gets caught with their hands in the cookie jar, but we all vote in the same pork-barrelling politicians every year. Then we complain about it. Then rinse and repeat.

Of course, we will never admit this, for we are perfect and will continue to be very angry when a foreigner utters something non-complementary about us.

Yup, you'll never see any patriotism or nationalism anywhere else. In the world. This is uniquely Thai. sigh.

I almost want to buy this joker a ticket to Manila. Where everyone pretends they are oblivious to the fact that paedophiles roam all-but-freely; that girls as young as 14 selling their only possession in Burgos St bars or on random streets; they simply ignore the thousands of toddlers dodging traffic on EDSA selling flowers or begging whilst holding younger siblings; etcetera.

Criticise their country by pointing out these issues or expressing anger or frustration with the widespread apathy? whoa. You'd be braver [or stupider] than I.

I'm not sure you can screw with denial. I'm not sure it's even worth the try. Summary. Author is a dumbazz. Bright enough to identify some problems; not travelled enough to realise he's on his soapbox preaching about the human condition. That particular subject has been done to death. I would think. In any case, unless he's working on some DNA remapping project or genome research on the side...he's gonna be on his soapbox for awhile.

[neverdie]

If I were a betting man, I would say the odds of this one staying open long are somewhat limited

[jubby]

If I were a betting man, I would say the odds of this one staying open long are somewhat limited

yeah. He posted it yesterday in a slightly different Guise. and it disapeared within about 30 mins.

Its a shame.

[dumball]

Hello scooter , the man was talking TO THAI about the problems that confront THAI IN THAILAND , the where withal that afflicts the rest of the world has no relevance , he has made some excellent points for THAI to think about and consider , like the man so eloquently pointed out , finger pointers such as yourself are part and parcel of THE THAI DAY TO DAY PROBLEMS .

I can only admire him right or wrong , for standing up in public and stating what he has , the truth always hurts , dumball .

[jubby]

Hello scooter , the man was talking TO THAI about the problems that confront THAI IN THAILAND , the where withal that afflicts the rest of the world has no relevance , he has made some excellent points for THAI to think about and consider , like the man so eloquently pointed out , finger pointers such as yourself are part and parcel of THE THAI DAY TO DAY PROBLEMS .

I can only admire him right or wrong , for standing up in public and stating what he has , the truth always hurts , dumball .

Eloquently Put Dumball. The subject matter was a bit short though ;-)

[eek]

The OPs thread was closed yesterday as the source was from the Bangkok Post (Bangkok post do not permit Thaivisa to post quotes from their articles and/or links to them), not because of content. howto was pmed and informed that if he can find an alternative source link his original thread would be amended. He chose to make a new thread.

The article was written by a Thai, so its interesting to have one Thai persons viewpoint, albeit not favorable to his countrymen. We, and other Thai, may not agree with that viewpoint, but its his none the less. It certainly opens what could be an interesting discussion.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Hello scooter , the man was talking TO THAI about the problems that confront THAI IN THAILAND , the where withal that afflicts the rest of the world has no relevance , he has made some excellent points for THAI to think about and consider , like the man so eloquently pointed out , finger pointers such as yourself are part and parcel of THE THAI DAY TO DAY PROBLEMS .

I can only admire him right or wrong , for standing up in public and stating what he has , the truth always hurts , dumball .

Hi dumall, I do understand that. My 'issue' with his entire article was his implication that they were uniquely Thai problems.

They obviously are not. And implying they somehow are unique to the Thai culture is just plain wrong for obvious reasons. He's bashing Thailand even if he's a Thai [and I personally would like a bit more evidence of that myself - I guess it doesn't really matter, but I'm seen a lot of criticism levied against a specific race or culture from people *claiming* an umbrella of protection against backlash that way].

If farang were to write that article, would it appropriate? What makes it different if it's a Thai? Especially because he's plain wrong with the implication that these are Thai problems. They are not. They are human problems.

[jubby]

...a respected Thai citizen speaking candidly and critically of Thai culture in a public forum.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

...a respected Thai citizen speaking candidly and critically of Thai culture in a public forum.

My apologies. I admit I totally missed that and didn't even click on the links as I assumed they'd be in Thai.

Why are they in English, by the way? Who's his audience? *reading Confessions now* - it has some of the answers...

[TheyCallmeScooter]

...a respected Thai citizen speaking candidly and critically of Thai culture in a public forum.

Why are they in English, by the way? Who's his audience? *reading Confessions now* - it has some of the answers...

For those who have suggested that the said article be translated into Thai and distributed widely, I would like to report that it has been and emailed to all who have asked for it.

Initially, his audience was not Thai? So he was only speaking to English-speaking Thais? With a very strong command of English? Am I being petty or does this seem strange?

I do agree with those who say that Thailand is not unique when it comes to corruption, selfishness, indifference which I consider a sin, etc. But I believe that it is a matter of degree and there is a tipping point, to use Malcolm Gladwell's terminology, beyond which those factors become critical detriments to progress.

Ah I see others have made the obvious points I made. But then from that point, he pretty much only talks about corruption. And rants against populism. Which is to be expected from an expatriate Thai, lecturing at Thais, in English.

[jubby]

I'm a brit. Go ahead and knock the brits. Its a pretty easy thing to do. Somethings will not be totally british problems like Football Hooliganism etc. , but they will be brit problems none the less. A bit of self criticism is quite healthy in my book. Its not a trait that we see a lot of here. IMNSHO.

And the article we saw on here yesterday was in Thai and English

Edited June 11, 2010 by jubby

[TheyCallmeScooter]

I'm a brit. Go ahead and knock the brits. Its a pretty easy thing to do. Somethings will not be totally british problems like Football Hooliganism etc. , but they will be brit problems none the less. A bit of self criticism is quite healthy in my book. Its not a trait that we see a lot of here. IMNSHO.

Fair point. And a good analogy with the football hooligans. cheers

And the article we saw on here yesterday was in Thai and English

Yep he translated it into Thai after readers suggested it. It was an afterthought. I think my argument on this one is valid. And look, I could be getting this all wrong, but he's writing from overseas [although whether he lives o/s or not is ambiguous], he's preaching in English [amazingly fantastic English], I dunno....feels more like a lecture than an appeal? And the title?

Maybe I'm being too harsh, or too heavily impacted by his anti-populist bent - but this appears all very elitist...i.e. he's talking down to his countrymen [most of whom he didn't initially write the article for]. This is not how you inspire change imo.

what has made Thailand cross the tipping point, I believe, are the populist policies brought on by the first Taksin administration in 2001. Those policies, more than anything else in Thai history, have raised false expectations and resentment among the rural population.

And there you go.

[Roadman]

Ahha! Brits fighting again .

From a "morally surplus" (the author's words backed with recent poll winning's) Kiwi I think he has the corruption and selfish bit to the "T". Thai's should start repenting to a Christian God who can introduce them to Nick and the other side.

[jubby]

The OP stated this :-

I was amazed to read this, simply because one never hears this from a Thai.

However, nothing I did not already know, we "old timers" know this, but good for newbies.

I tend to agree with him. I don't have an Anti-populist Bent and I'm not Elitist. Its the truth as the Author sees it. facing up to the truth is very Healthy in my Book (I do it ocassionally)

I can see I'm out of my depth with you though, So I'm going to leave it.

[ukrules]

Um. I been all over the world. And the flaws described below are not uniquely Thai, let me assure you. Take out the Buddhist element and the author has more or less made accurate criticisms of....humanity.

The article didn't suggest in any way that these are uniquely Thai atributes.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Um. I been all over the world. And the flaws described below are not uniquely Thai, let me assure you. Take out the Buddhist element and the author has more or less made accurate criticisms of....humanity.

The article didn't suggest in any way that these are uniquely Thai atributes.

That's a pretty dam_n good point you make there.

Where did I get that idea from I wonder...maybe Guide to the Perfect Scooter Idiot...

[phetaroi]

We love to talk but rarely listen. Even when we do, we often fail to hear, as we never learn to think critically. We cannot put up with different points of view nor can we work cooperatively.

*giggle* I think I know another country with a very similar culture. Not sure if the author has ever heard of the USA.

And loving to talk but rarely listening is a trait subscribed to by 80-90% of the people in the world who merely wait for their turn to speak rather than listen. Well, I'm being rather generous there. Most don't wait for their turn.

I'm not sure I agree. While it's true that Americans tend to think that America is the best, we Americans also can be self-critical about our nation to the extreme. We have a tendency to pick everything apart, and could -- at least sometimes -- benefit from saying, "Mai pben rai."

[slapout]

I would foresee, if the Thais' would approach the shortcomings pointed out, work toward correcting them and even with only 50% success, the people responsible would be at the top of many invitee lists. But first those that point out others display the same or similar behavior, would not be part of the solution to the problem solving.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

We cannot put up with different points of view nor can we work cooperatively.

I think I know another country with a very similar culture. Not sure if the author has ever heard of the USA.

I'm not sure I agree. While it's true that Americans tend to think that America is the best, we Americans also can be self-critical about our nation to the extreme. We have a tendency to pick everything apart, and could -- at least sometimes -- benefit from saying, "Mai pben rai."

I'm not American but I'm a big fan. But um...where is this "self-critical...to the extreme" most often displayed? Outside GOP v Dem political cat-fighting? The US I know is pretty dam_n patriotic. And they should be.

----

As for "Mai bpen rai", I have a bit of a problem with it. Whatever it's name in any culture. A low Care Factor directly results in all sorts of messed up stuff. When you're take your foot off the intensity pedal and start buying into "oh well..."; "whatever..."; when you're relaxed or nonchalant or chilled or lackadaisical or c'est la vie or "Inshallah" or fatalistic in your approach to life, nothing good can come from that [if it becomes 'cultural'].

I used to get into this debate with my Pinoy friends a lot - well, I'd try to debate it - they're never really were much into debates or arguments or anything serious at all really. Pinoys are well known for their almost complete non-adherence to concepts of 'time' or 'punctuality' and will generally just adopt a sunny relaxed disposition and chilled "easy come easy go, all good, don't worry, be happy" approach to life.

That's all good and well. In theory. And I understand it's something of a coping mechanism.

But when your pre-teen daughter is working the streets, when you can't feed your own family, when your baby is sick and at risk of dying from something tragically cured easily elsewhere, when your sons are having near misses begging on arterial highways every day....nah. It's not all good. You should worry. You should not be happy.

"Mai bpen rai" can easily become = apathetic / lazy / unmotivated. Which I guess is fine if you're on the other end of the pendulum, but when you have serious SERIOUS issues like 60 million people living on < $2/day or widespread poverty or a generation of children at risk or social upheaval or rampant corruption...."Mai bpen rai" should go out the window. People should get angry.

I think one of the greatest things about the US is the insanely high Care Factor. Across the board. Y'all are pretty intense. Which is a great thing. If y'all lose that, I reckon you'll be in some strife then.

And there are a LOT of cultures around the world who could use just a fraction of that Care Factor / intensity. You bet Thailand could use some of that.

I just don't think I like "Mai bpen rai". It sounds...unproductive.

[bunta71]

The first step towards solving any problem is to recognize and be aware of a problems existence. I read this in the newspaper when first published. Hats off to the OP and I also commend him on his personal command of the English language.That took a lot of drive and effort. Maybe...

[elkangorito]

It's about time a Thai said 'the obvious' to Thai people.

Quite simply, 'CHANGE' needs to happen. Before anything can happen in Thailand, 'culture' needs to stop being rammed down the throats of Thai citizens. If the currently indoctrinated 'culture' is able to be changed, Thailand may be able to move forward. Or in another way, if the Thai Culture is no longer indoctrinated, change may result.

I applaud the person for having the balls to write this article, which was probably why he/she did so outside of Thailand. Also, if the majority of Thais do not subscribe to such a new way of thinking, the author may have called upon non-Thais to assist his/her goal, knowing full well that Thais would not receive his/her comments lightly.

[F1fanatic]

Am I alone in thinking its nice to see a Thai pointing out Thai problems?

As for the comments about Americans being overly critical of themselves, well .

A few may, the majority have no idea whatsoever what the world thinks - and don't care....

Edited June 11, 2010 by F1fanatic

[elkangorito]

May I suggest that 'we' are alone.

Most people are more interested in other 'more important' things like 'How long before you fell in love'.