Thais Have Little Concept Of The Collective Good

[katana]

I liked my soi so much I bought it...

Victor Kiam?

[Heng]

[geriatrickid]

Think big picture. Concept of the collective good, what does that imply? It means appreciating and understanding that there are consequences of one's actions and behaviours. In this thread there is an emphasis on micromanagement, the Tesco shopping carts, the bags over the garden wall. Yes, these are all bad behaviours, but they continue because they are tolerated. The line between respect for others is pushed back farther. Keep pushing and fraying that barrier and it becomes easier to get in a car drunk and risk running down someone and it also becomes easier to look the other way when someone is planting a bomb. That's the big picture. The decay of civil society comes through small acts where everyone looks away and says, bah it's a nothing event, don't get upset.

If you want to understand the concept of death by a thousand pin pricks, look at New York City. There was a time when Manhatten was on a death spiral: People littering, jaywalking, spraypainting, mugging and peeing everywhere. Nothing too serious on an individual basis, but as a collective it made the place dirty, depressing, unsafe and where no one wanted to be. The along came Guiliani the former prosecutor that said, no, we bring back civil society and the concept of the collective good. No more corrupt cops, no more tolerating "minor crimes". As soon as the litter fell, it was cleaned up. As soon as the graffiti appeared, it was washed off. Within a year, Manhatten had changed and crime fell significantly. People's attitudes changed and they became protective of their city. Drop your wallet on a busy NY street today, and chances are someone will return it. In order to move Thailand forward, it will require changes at the top that I don't think will happen at this time.

[ctwister]

Seems to me the author is targeting Thais' as a culture. Sorry same thing In USA. it is a human condition. Instead of sitting at a keyboard get out there with trash bags and start doing something. Watch and see how people will become part of what you are doing.

As far as parking spots. Clearly you must come from a farm. Same thing in New York, Boston and Charlestown, MA where not only cars are targeted for vandalism, people fist fight but there have been murders over a claim to a street parking spot. Stop bitching and get out there and do something.