Why I Don'T Teach My Gf English

[SamboVilla]

If I was going to study I'd go home to do it.

People do get a WP without a degree, and it's not obvious I don't have one mate, you've never met me.

One company wants to help me work legally so they're going to do their best, if they can't I'll try again.

Thanks for the info on the Vietnam war. Have a nice life.

Sorry you are right, I have never met you. I should have said, your age and education is obvious from your writing. Your temperament comes across loud and clear from the way you write also. Do you want to know how I know? 1. Avatar. 2. purposeful misspellings. 3. Slang used. 4. Lack of knowledge about history. 5. Displays of anger. 6. Lack of knowledge of education practices.

You shout, young and uneducated every time you post. The only cure is go to college and age a bit. Hopefully that will calm you down a bit. Is it this easy for children to anger you? Wait till you deal with the Thai school system for a while. People who are easy to anger have a hard time. If I can get under your skin think of what a principal will do.

I would have to agree with this - you can't teach here without a degree and TFL recognised cert (Trinity or Cambridge) - well you can teach but not at a good school. The point is you have to learn to teach - you are not born with the knowledge and skill-set - it is pure arrogance to think you can.

But as my old CEO once said - 'people don't know what they don't know'

I've had enough of this now and am not going to argue anymore. The facts are; I do teach, I teach well, I earn a good amount doing it and somebody is in the process of getting me a work permit and visa as we speak, they say it's looking promising.

I wasn't born with the knowledge, no. I went to school and college where I was taught by teachers, some of them good, some of them not so good. This is where I learned how to be a good teacher, I also have 6 nieces and nephews who have helped me to develop a knack of keeping kids interested.

I was not degrading anybody's GF, but yea I'll stop, my point is obviously not allowed to be made.

Marky, for someone who loves to pick up on spelling mistakes "Your welcome" is a pretty bad one. Welcome is not something that belongs to me, it's not 'my welcome'. This should be, "You are welcome" which can then be abbreviated to, "You're welcome", as in, "It's my pleasure".

[OxfordWill]

At a certain stage of either experience or knowledge, others have the duty and obligation to accept being patronised by you. I think it's clear that we should all oblige Mark if he wishes to patronise someone as obviously a fool as SamboVilla. That he is doing it so kindly is testament to both his experience and knowledge.

[SamboVilla]

If you met me, you would not call me a fool, a fool cannot learn to read and speak a new language fluently in 10 months. I just say what I think and don't get offended easily.

Not sure what I did to upset you Mr. Oxford maybe you could explain.

Being patronising has never been a good thing to be, nobody should be obliged to be patronised, that's obsurd.

Can't believe this thread is still going, does it actually have a topic anymore?

[OxfordWill]

A fool can do many things, the success of which does not preclude him from acting foolishly. You and I are young men, and we would do better to take whatever time we can to listen to old men. It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience. Ponder on this next time you are tempted to call an old man recounting his life "full of shit".

[mark45y]

I was reading a story tonight about a man who married a lady from the Philippines. He mentioned the fact that after marriage his wife talked all the time. I am a quiet person. I don't like loud music or constant talking. Sometimes it is really nice that my GF does not speak English and I bought her wireless earphones for the TV.

I didn't come to Thailand looking for a woman for intellectual stimulation.

I have no plans to go to a country in the future that speaks English and I can't see what advantage it would be for my partner to speak English.

[canuckamuck]

A fool can do many things, the success of which does not preclude him from acting foolishly. You and I are young men, and we would do better to take whatever time we can to listen to old men. It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience. Ponder on this next time you are tempted to call an old man recounting his life "full of shit".

Thailand, and this forum in particularly have proved to me that there is no fool like an old fool. And old men full of crap are a dime a dozen around here.

I admire wisdom, and I respect my elders, but in this fool's paradise wisdom has no association with age.

[mark45y]

A fool can do many things, the success of which does not preclude him from acting foolishly. You and I are young men, and we would do better to take whatever time we can to listen to old men. It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience. Ponder on this next time you are tempted to call an old man recounting his life "full of shit".

Thailand, and this forum in particularly have proved to me that there is no fool like an old fool. And old men full of crap are a dime a dozen around here.

I admire wisdom, and I respect my elders, but in this fool's paradise wisdom has no association with age.

You feel better now? Bash a bunch of old guys? No reasons stated. No writing quoted.

So now we all know you are a bigot. Was this a surprise to anyone?

That was a nasty post.

I certainly would never say all young guys are young dumb and full of c**. No thinking person would.

Take one square block in Pattaya and count all of the drunk old guys and all the drunk young guys all making fools of themselves. Are there more old guys? It depends on the wages of taxi drivers in London. If it is a good year more young guys. A bad year more old guys.

What's the real story Mike? You having problems? Second thoughts about Thailand? I hope everything works out for you.

[zaza]

[canuckamuck]

A fool can do many things, the success of which does not preclude him from acting foolishly. You and I are young men, and we would do better to take whatever time we can to listen to old men. It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience. Ponder on this next time you are tempted to call an old man recounting his life "full of shit".

Thailand, and this forum in particularly have proved to me that there is no fool like an old fool. And old men full of crap are a dime a dozen around here.

I admire wisdom, and I respect my elders, but in this fool's paradise wisdom has no association with age.

You feel better now? Bash a bunch of old guys? No reasons stated. No writing quoted.

So now we all know you are a bigot. Was this a surprise to anyone?

That was a nasty post.

I certainly would never say all young guys are young dumb and full of c**. No thinking person would.

Take one square block in Pattaya and count all of the drunk old guys and all the drunk young guys all making fools of themselves. Are there more old guys? It depends on the wages of taxi drivers in London. If it is a good year more young guys. A bad year more old guys.

What's the real story Mike? You having problems? Second thoughts about Thailand? I hope everything works out for you.

My last post was in response to Oxford Will's statement that age equals experience, which implies that the older guys have more wisdom. I was just pointing out that in Thailand that is not necessarily the case. I am not old guy bashing, I am not even bashing you. I am disagreeing with Oxford's line of thought as it applies to Thai expats.

If you took personal offense at that particular post, I apologize, I was speaking in more general terms.

[OxfordWill]

My last post was in response to Oxford Will's statement that age equals experience, which implies that the older guys have more wisdom.

you managed to misunderstand my simple point.. and I'll leave it to you to work out what that "implies".

[canuckamuck]

My last post was in response to Oxford Will's statement that age equals experience, which implies that the older guys have more wisdom.

you managed to misunderstand my simple point.. and I'll leave it to you to work out what that "implies".

No I didn't. I added some reality to your not so truism

[mark45y]

Thailand's elderly ex pat population has many challenges and some advantages.

If you don't keep your mind working you get senile, or if you take too many pills or drink too much.

The doctor told me I needed high blood pressure pills so I stopped drinking and my blood pressure went down without pills.

Walking helps too. Young women help also. So does teaching.

I've been surrounded by young people all of my life because I have been in the hospitality business. Students are a major part of the hotel and restaurant labor market.

If you want to keep your mind busy, switch from Windows to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is free. I like free things. When was the last time you got anything for free in Thailand? I'll admit I have spent quite a few hours getting up to speed in Linux but it is an adventure.

Almost as foolproof as learning how to spell principal is the advice to old guys. You want to stay young? Stop drinking, get a young woman and switch to Ubuntu.

If my GF had expressed a desire to play anything but games or watch naked Japanese guys on the computer I might have taught her enough English to run Windows. Now if she wants to play solitaire or watch Japanese men she has to ask me. That's not a bad thing.

[OxfordWill]

Congrats Mark, I too have a girlfriend using ubuntu, and I never have to spend time fixing her laptop nowadays! She is becoming quite adept at the photoshop alternative GIMP. I am trying now to see if the familiarity with the term GIMP will allow me any leeway in the bedroom department.

canuckamack I clearly did not associate age with wisdom. In case scrolling up the page is too much like reading comprehension for you, here it is again:

"It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience."

I did not say: with age comes wisdom.

Edited October 20, 2010 by OxfordWill

[canuckamuck]

Congrats Mark, I too have a girlfriend using ubuntu, and I never have to spend time fixing her laptop nowadays! She is becoming quite adept at the photoshop alternative GIMP. I am trying now to see if the familiarity with the term GIMP will allow me any leeway in the bedroom department.

canuckamack I clearly did not associate age with wisdom. In case scrolling up the page is too much like reading comprehension for you, here it is again:

"It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience."

I did not say: with age comes wisdom.

You said "with age comes experience," but you are not implying that this equals wisdom. Then what is the benefit of the experience?

It's a bit like saying, the older you get the more you have done. Kind of obvious and moot.

[mark45y]

Speaking of Ubuntu. I would be willing to bet Sambo does not use it. Or that other guy.

I am not saying that Windows users are dumb. I would argue that the people who use Linux are smarter and nicer. Go the the Linux forum on Thai Visa. That is one intelligent group of guys and nice too.

Nor have I ever said that only smart people have degrees but I think one would be hard pressed to try and make the case in reverse. That is, people without degrees are smarter than people with degrees. That may be why most teachers who have degrees and get upset when people are allowed to teach without degrees. It makes all the time and money they spent and the gratification they delayed seem less important.

One of the reasons I hire people with degrees over people without degrees is I know the person who spent at least four years in college was able to delay that modern emotion of instant gratification for a future goal. Even more so if they had to work their way through college.

I respect the Thai college girls who freelance on weekends a lot more than the hi so girls who get a degree handed to them.

If my GF wanted to speak English there were many ways she could have learned. If at 35 years old she only speaks 5 words of English I doubt if she will ever learn.

[SamboVilla]

Nor have I ever said that only smart people have degrees but I think one would be hard pressed to try and make the case in reverse. That is, people without degrees are smarter than people with degrees.

True, one would indeed be hard pressed. A point that quite clearly doesn't need to be made. Your hiring technique is an obvious and common one, although I like to think that an employer will hire somebody on the basis of how well they can do the job. I have experienced first hand the jealousy which you described, that is teachers getting upset when other teachers teach without degrees. One should not worry about what others have or don't have, you make your own decisions in life. If a teacher has a degree and a job i presume that is the road they intended to take, why should what somebody else has or has not done upset them?

I'm not Christian in any way but there is a clever story from the bible about the vineyard owner and his employees that makes this same point, do you know it?

You're very sensitive and defensive for an older person who has been through so much Mark. I find this interesting in contrast to your "recounting your life" posts.

[IanForbes]

You're very sensitive and defensive for an older person who has been through so much Mark. I find this interesting in contrast to your "recounting your life" posts.

When you hang around a forum long enough eventually the real person behind the screen is revealed.

I agree with Mark's and your estimation of teachers. I've known MANY people who don't have the qualifications but they make good teachers. They've just got a natural way of explaining things without upsetting anyone. By contrast, My second wife was a good example and I saw the positive results when she was dealing with mentally handicapped adults. I've seen many teachers with a whole list of degrees, but who should have chosen a different profession. Both my daughter and her husband are teachers. My son in law is an excellent teacher and relates well with his students. When I was going to school about 200 years ago I can only recall ONE good teacher in the 16 years I spent in school and university. I believe todays teachers are much better because there have been better methods put in place to reach the students.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Congrats Mark, I too have a girlfriend using ubuntu, and I never have to spend time fixing her laptop nowadays! She is becoming quite adept at the photoshop alternative GIMP. I am trying now to see if the familiarity with the term GIMP will allow me any leeway in the bedroom department.

canuckamack I clearly did not associate age with wisdom. In case scrolling up the page is too much like reading comprehension for you, here it is again:

"It's very hard to judge knowledge, because it's simple to appear knowledgeable and there is no quick test to differentiate the actually wise from the frauds. Age cannot so easily be fabricated, and with age comes experience."

I did not say: with age comes wisdom.

You said "with age comes experience," but you are not implying that this equals wisdom. Then what is the benefit of the experience?

It's a bit like saying, the older you get the more you have done. Kind of obvious and moot.

This is getting silly... age does equal more exeprience but it is a no-brainer that experience does not equal wisdom! to state otherwise would put ALL our elders in positions of influence and power no matter what their evolutionary status (which is the true mark of wisdom).

[mark45y]

Somebody has to watch out for the old guys. There a lot of eloquent younger posters on TV who espouse Thailand as England with almond eyes and spicy food. By young I mean less than 150 years old.

A few of us represent a generation who grew up with pre WW II values. Women didn't work. Bank tellers had ashtrays for their cigars. Men normally had multiple young wives because women frequently died in childbirth. Inheritance was passed to the oldest son and wives called their husband Mr.

If you were born during or before WW II your grandparents were born before the turn of the century. If you were raised like me both of those generations were important role models in your life.

It is a world that to me seems real but most here can only relate to it through history books.

Sure they had computers when I went to college but it took up a large building for less computing power than is now under my fingertips.

I worked in retirement centers where a big part of my job was to listen to old people who had shaped the world 50 years before I was born. Those people are almost all dead now. I knew three who worked in key positions of the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb). One old guy developed the trigger, apparently a problem area. He had nightmares almost every night. Young nurses used to tell him he couldn't smoke a cigar in his garden because it was against the rules. This man carried the burden of hundreds of thousands of dead souls and a 30 year old nurse was telling him he couldn't smoke a cigar.

I met another person who had saved over a million lives. Yes I know this to be a fact. It was awesome to be in the presence of a person like that.

So, I am over sensitive to age issues. I think there are posters who are oversensitive to gay issues and feminist issues but I can understand both. Sure I have strong opinions and defend old guys. But if I don't who will?

It has taken me 50 years to realize my father was right about a lot of things. But then I am not very bright.

[canuckamuck]

edit: accidental post

Edited October 21, 2010 by canuckamuck

[canuckamuck]

Well this thread has wandered pretty far, now it has become a defense of the elderly. I don't think anyone is attacking seniors. I simply stated a ways back that there is no age limit on foolishness. Having been long in this world Mark, I would have thought that you would agree with that.

But I do feel that the greatest fools are people who ignore those who have experienced history. Though it is up to the listener to determine whether the stories hold water. You can only do that when there are facts to confirm; this can't usually be done on a forum. We all know that tales of days-gone-by become more fantastic as the years pass. And there is something about being an expat that makes men recreate their past. It is probably because no one can call them on it. Everyone becomes a former superhero and superior in all ways to those who arrive later on.

I have no problem with seniors, I am not so far away myself. I expect you are the same age as my dad Mark, he was born in 35, so I am sure i relate to the many of your own experience. Some of the most genuine and wonderful people on the planet are seniors, but very few of them relate every topic to sex and crow about their conquests until the letter "I" is worn off of their keyboard.

To bring this thread back to the OP, would you agree that the reason you don't teach your girlfriend English is because she isn't interested?

[mark45y]

Well this thread has wandered pretty far, now it has become a defense of the elderly. I don't think anyone is attacking seniors. I simply stated a ways back that there is no age limit on foolishness. Having been long in this world Mark, I would have thought that you would agree with that.

But I do feel that the greatest fools are people who ignore those who have experienced history. Though it is up to the listener to determine whether the stories hold water. You can only do that when there are facts to confirm; this can't usually be done on a forum. We all know that tales of days-gone-by become more fantastic as the years pass. And there is something about being an expat that makes men recreate their past. It is probably because no one can call them on it. Everyone becomes a former superhero and superior in all ways to those who arrive later on.

I have no problem with seniors, I am not so far away myself. I expect you are the same age as my dad Mark, he was born in 35, so I am sure i relate to the many of your own experience. Some of the most genuine and wonderful people on the planet are seniors, but very few of them relate every topic to sex and crow about their conquests until the letter "I" is worn off of their keyboard.

To bring this thread back to the OP, would you agree that the reason you don't teach your girlfriend English is because she isn't interested?

I imagine I could create a scenario where she would change her mind and want to learn English. I convinced my second wife she liked thigh high black nylons.

But it not necessary for her to speak English to do anything I want to do. If fact I have more peace of mind with her not speaking English.

I didn't decide to save her when I decided to cohabit with her. I liked her the way she was when I met her. She has not had to change to make our relationship work.

We have a division of labor that we both find acceptable. I cook she cleans. I watch two TV shows a week she the rest of the time. I write a lot. She listens to music and reads. I like to walk to the store instead of drive. She is jealous I am not. This angers her slightly but it is just the way I am.

To sum it up. You are correct. One of the major reasons I don't teach her English is she has no desire to learn English.

[IanForbes]

Well this thread has wandered pretty far, now it has become a defense of the elderly. I don't think anyone is attacking seniors. I simply stated a ways back that there is no age limit on foolishness. Having been long in this world Mark, I would have thought that you would agree with that.

But I do feel that the greatest fools are people who ignore those who have experienced history. Though it is up to the listener to determine whether the stories hold water. You can only do that when there are facts to confirm; this can't usually be done on a forum. We all know that tales of days-gone-by become more fantastic as the years pass. And there is something about being an expat that makes men recreate their past. It is probably because no one can call them on it. Everyone becomes a former superhero and superior in all ways to those who arrive later on.

I have no problem with seniors, I am not so far away myself. I expect you are the same age as my dad Mark, he was born in 35, so I am sure i relate to the many of your own experience. Some of the most genuine and wonderful people on the planet are seniors, but very few of them relate every topic to sex and crow about their conquests until the letter "I" is worn off of their keyboard.

To bring this thread back to the OP, would you agree that the reason you don't teach your girlfriend English is because she isn't interested?

I imagine I could create a scenario where she would change her mind and want to learn English. I convinced my second wife she liked thigh high black nylons.

But it not necessary for her to speak English to do anything I want to do. If fact I have more peace of mind with her not speaking English.

I didn't decide to save her when I decided to cohabit with her. I liked her the way she was when I met her. She has not had to change to make our relationship work.

We have a division of labor that we both find acceptable. I cook she cleans. I watch two TV shows a week she the rest of the time. I write a lot. She listens to music and reads. I like to walk to the store instead of drive. She is jealous I am not. This angers her slightly but it is just the way I am.

To sum it up. You are correct. One of the major reasons I don't teach her English is she has no desire to learn English.

That pretty much sums it up. You have chosen to speak Thai and that saves her the bother of learning to speak English. Had you CHOSEN not to learn Thai then if she had wanted to have a relationship with you she would have learned English. I don't speak Russian because I have no intention of going to Russia. It's the same with just about everything in life... most of us are a little bit lazy and we only learn what we need to learn to get by. I can build a house, but I can't fix a broken auto. I hire a mechanic to do that. If i HAD to fix my truck because there were no mechanics available then I'd take the time to learn.

I also have to agree with canuckamuck. People can say anything they want over the internet (within moderators discretion) and it's up to the reader to decide what is true and what is false. That is often why I back up what I say with personal photos. I don't have to lie or make up stories. Besides, if you lie then you have to have a perfect memory because you'll need 10 more lies to back up the original one. There are too many people in cyberspace who take delight in jumping on the slightest misteak (intentional).

[DoubtingThomas]

Your all missing a key thing here. Mark45y is obviously as dim as a TocH lamp (and I can tell any of you none Brits out there that a TocH lamp is dim, very dim) and more than a little bit of a Walter Mitty. Yes, we know that, I hear you sigh, but he's also a pervert. What can you conclude about a Thai lady who spends much of her time listening to English conversation and fails to pick it up? My experience is that this is one area they were all born to; the ability to absorb new languages. Heck, many of them can speak Thai, Lao, Khmer, English and you name it. So, this girl is either very smart or, if other stuff he writes about her is true, at best slow, at worst a mental child. And he likes it. Pervert. I dunno how old he is, could be anything between 60 and 80+ based on his Walter Mitty postings, but it sure seems to me he's well into dementia, so I'll forgive myself this one post and strongly suggest we leave the daft old sod to slide into the mental abyss in peace. At least he'll be obliviously content.

[mark45y]

Your all missing a key thing here. Mark45y is obviously as dim as a TocH lamp (and I can tell any of you none Brits out there that a TocH lamp is dim, very dim) and more than a little bit of a Walter Mitty. Yes, we know that, I hear you sigh, but he's also a pervert. What can you conclude about a Thai lady who spends much of her time listening to English conversation and fails to pick it up? My experience is that this is one area they were all born to; the ability to absorb new languages. Heck, many of them can speak Thai, Lao, Khmer, English and you name it. So, this girl is either very smart or, if other stuff he writes about her is true, at best slow, at worst a mental child. And he likes it. Pervert. I dunno how old he is, could be anything between 60 and 80+ based on his Walter Mitty postings, but it sure seems to me he's well into dementia, so I'll forgive myself this one post and strongly suggest we leave the daft old sod to slide into the mental abyss in peace. At least he'll be obliviously content.

I really liked your last post. Some new insults.

Let me catalog them. 1. Dim as a TocH lamp. 2. A pervert. 3.(GF) a mental child. 4. Walter Mitty postings. 5. He's well into dementia. 6. Old sod.

It would be nice if you read my posts before you launched into your critique but one cant really expect to much from a Doubting Thomas can we.

You said,

“a Thai lady who spends much of her time listening to English conversation and fails to pick it up? My experience is that this is one area they were all born to; the ability to absorb new languages. Heck, many of them can speak Thai, Lao, Khmer, English and you name it.”

My lady has never worked in a place where English is spoken and I speak Thai at home. I only watch two TV shows a week in English. So how is the lady going to pick up English? So, even if the lady was an Einstein she has had no opportunity to speak English. I don't associate with Falang on a daily basis and only know a couple who may visit once a year. I don't work with Falang either.

Also you might want to go to the teachers forum and ask them how easily Thais pick up English in a class setting. Since almost all Thai's study English for 12 years and the ones who go to college for 16 years or more it is rather odd that none of them can speak English.

I rather think the dementia to which you refer may be personal. Good luck with it. By the time of your post I assume you are posting from England. Weather is nice in Thailand right now, no flooding where I am.

But thanks for the post. With the exception of the “old sod” one the rest were new insults and I appreciate new insults. It shows you put some thought into writing. Not particularly bright thoughts but at least you tried. Good on you.

Cheerio pip pip.

[chrishopkins53]

Yes there was a draft in WW1 and WW2, I didn't realise there was during the Vietnam war, sorry.

Dont often post on here, but Jesus Christ! Your apparently only 5 years younger than me and completely oblivious to such a major part of history. Admittedly I do enjoy a Vietnam war film more than most, but I'm British and have witnessed the Vietnam war drafting referenced in hundreds of films, TV programmes, songs etc.

I consider myself well educated and fairly knowledgeable for my age, but I rarely get involved in these discussions as I know there's nothing I'm truly an expert on. Hence I dont open my mouth. Though I'll admit this forum would be dead if everyone did the same.

[IanForbes]

Yes there was a draft in WW1 and WW2, I didn't realise there was during the Vietnam war, sorry.

Dont often post on here, but Jesus Christ! Your apparently only 5 years younger than me and completely oblivious to such a major part of history. Admittedly I do enjoy a Vietnam war film more than most, but I'm British and have witnessed the Vietnam war drafting referenced in hundreds of films, TV programmes, songs etc.

I consider myself well educated and fairly knowledgeable for my age, but I rarely get involved in these discussions as I know there's nothing I'm truly an expert on. Hence I dont open my mouth. Though I'll admit this forum would be dead if everyone did the same.

Sambovilla probably wasn't even around during the Vietnam war and probably doesn't read anything historical... and probably not even in school. Many people don't have a clue about history other than the 5 second sound bites on television. Anything farther back than 2 years is totally forgotten. it is a changing world of instant gratification. I've seen more than a few of those funny programs where a television announcer asks the general public on the street certain questions that you would expect everyone to know. The answers are hilarious in their lack of knowledge.

[mark45y]

Yes there was a draft in WW1 and WW2, I didn't realise there was during the Vietnam war, sorry.

Dont often post on here, but Jesus Christ! Your apparently only 5 years younger than me and completely oblivious to such a major part of history. Admittedly I do enjoy a Vietnam war film more than most, but I'm British and have witnessed the Vietnam war drafting referenced in hundreds of films, TV programmes, songs etc.

I consider myself well educated and fairly knowledgeable for my age, but I rarely get involved in these discussions as I know there's nothing I'm truly an expert on. Hence I dont open my mouth. Though I'll admit this forum would be dead if everyone did the same.

Sambovilla probably wasn't even around during the Vietnam war and probably doesn't read anything historical... and probably not even in school. Many people don't have a clue about history other than the 5 second sound bites on television. Anything farther back than 2 years is totally forgotten. it is a changing world of instant gratification. I've seen more than a few of those funny programs where a television announcer asks the general public on the street certain questions that you would expect everyone to know. The answers are hilarious in their lack of knowledge.

I agree with you. At the same time I can't personally understand how a person would not want to know something about history if for nothing else, not to repeat errors made by the people of previous generations.

How could you understand the current economic crisis without understanding the Great Depression?

How could one understand the American Vietnam war without understanding the French Vietnamese war. (America did not understand this especially Dwight D. Eisenhower who was the President when the mess started). Truman if you want to get really technical.

How could you understand the current drug problem and the DEA in Thailand without understanding the history of the DEA in Thailand in the 1960's.

Can one understand India and Pakistan without understanding the British influence on both those countries?

If my GF knew what I wrote or thought it would worry her pretty little head to no end. Better she has no idea what I am typing. What you mean Thailand had war with Bratet Fa ran cet? or King not American, King Khun Thai, shu ahh.

Edited October 22, 2010 by mark45y

[Samuian]

The OP has not only one point, but many, to which many down here, or somewhat connected to a thai wife, gf... etc. have developed a rather large blind spot - he's simply spot on!

[ozzieovaseas]

Well, this has been one entertaining thread i must say..its got the lot...bickering, witty comebacks, tales of marks various sexcapades, name calling, picking on old guys..all the things we come to know and love on TV.

And good for you Mark that you can take take the punches like a champ and give a few back whilest keeping your cool. I guess that is one thing that does comes with experience..hehe

Speaking of experience, i dont think ive ever heard of a guy who has worked in so many industries as you...

A long career in the army...another long career building bridges? (or communication towers was it?) after the war...(sorry, bad memory ..it comes with age.)..

A long career in what you could loosely describe as the..err..entertainment industry...Also i think there was mention of the food industry?....working in hotels/pubs at some stage?

Of course theres the education industry,..Did i also see you mention you had a stint in the aged care industry or something of the like?...

Oh, and you were building computers at some stage, so we must assume you have had experience in that industry as well...

You obviously are a writer, so we have that industry covered without a doubt..who could forget your nocturnal activities and adventures as reported in some of your earlier threads...one thing for sure you have had ample experience in the sex industry

Actually I think a lot of your critics are a tad green that they probably will never have the opportunities to have such a colourful existance as you have..

Anyway, for mine it has been a good read..mark me down as a fan..(yes im obviously a guy with to much time on his hands)

As far as the "not teaching the Thai girlfriend English" bit, i think this is one of the most inspiring lessons that you could possibly teach these young whippersnappers who seem to delight in calling you and old fart.

We can only hope that one day they will come to appreciate the beauty of matrimonal silence and wish they had listened to you.