Can People Really Be This Stupid?

[nicolas18]

Today, I was on Sukhumvit near a major BTS station (Sorry, won't say which one, I'm not a snitch ), ready to shop for groceries.

Suddenly, I saw a blond Western guy place sandwiches on a table on the sidewalk. I thought this was kinda odd, but I thought he was helping his girlfriend set up her shop or something like that.

An hour later, I went back to the BTS station to take a train home and that blond guy was alone behind his table, selling sandwiches to people on the street. And no, he was not of mixed descent, he was 100% Western.

How stupid can people be? I mean, come on... It's one thing to work with no work permit when you do it inside a school, but working on the street about 50m from a police station, that's just insane.

[Livinginexile]

About 6 months ago I witnessed an elderly farang guy picking aluminium cans and plastic bottles out of garbage cans in Pattaya!

Some guys will do absolutely ANYTHING to stay in Thailand.

[DP25]

I've bought meat pies from a foreigner selling them bar to bar out of a basket before, they were pretty good. I would have given this guy's sandwiches a shot

[transam]

My mrs is visiting her daughter down south. She saw a Kebab stall with farang working the set up. They bought a Kebab and asked where is your wife, he said no wife just gee's .

I suspect an education visa eh.

[saraburioz]

Do you really think the police give a fk about a guy selling sandwiches?

Cocaine maybe but bloody sandwiches!

Why are you so concerned?

Why are newbies so scared of the Thai police?

Maybe the guy has 'connections'.

Edited April 19, 2011 by saraburioz

[powderpuff]

gee's? <deleted> is zat?

[dmax]

maybe he,s doing it as a side line ? maybe he,s a teacher with a valid visa and low on funds ?

[Soutpeel]

gee's? <deleted> is zat?

Think he means "gik"

[Soutpeel]

Do you really think the police give a fk about a guy selling sandwiches?

Cocaine maybe but bloody sandwiches!

Why are you so concerned?

Why are newbies so scared of the Thai police?

Maybe the guy has 'connections'.

The BiB will give a fk, if they think they can make some money out of him.......

As regards newbies being scared of the Thai police.....I am not a newbie and I am very wary of Thailand finest, as for the most part they are a bunch of "legalised" bandits.

It is very naive to think of them as fine up holders to law and order in Thailand... honesty, integrity and duty dones not appear anywhere in the BiB's training manual

As regards the gentleman selling sandwiches at a BTS station is rather stupid if he is not "authorised" to do so as he is drawing attention to himself and all it will take is somebody to complain and he may be getting publicity for his "business" he doesnt want.....

[cdnvic]

Maybe the guy has 'connections'.

If that's the case, I think he needs new ones.

[manarak]

Maybe he has got a thai passport or is a permanent resident with WP.

[IanForbes]

The police are just smart. They know that he doesn't have any money now it they arrest him. It would just be a lot of paper work for them. They will wait until he actually starts to make money and has a group of customers. THEN they will bust him.

[Sakeopete]

The police are just smart. They know that he doesn't have any money now it they arrest him. It would just be a lot of paper work for them. They will wait until he actually starts to make money and has a group of customers. THEN they will bust him.

The BIB will just enjoy free sandwiches.

[Kilgore Trout]

Maybe he has got a thai passport or is a permanent resident with WP.

Selling sandwiches on the street is not something you can get a work permit for

You can only do the specific job listed on your work permit at the specific company listed on your work permit.

Don't think selling sandwiches would qualify

[Beetlejuice]

I've bought meat pies from a foreigner selling them bar to bar out of a basket before, they were pretty good. I would have given this guy's sandwiches a shot

Right! And if the man`s pies are made from inferior products, has all the hygene technics of a dung beetle and gives you severe food poisoning or worse, who ya goin to call; Ghost Busters?

[Kilgore Trout]

I've bought meat pies from a foreigner selling them bar to bar out of a basket before, they were pretty good. I would have given this guy's sandwiches a shot

Right! And if the man`s pies are made from inferior products, has all the hygene technics of a dung beetle and gives you severe food poisoning or worse, who ya goin to call; Ghost Busters?

So you are saying the authorities would do something if a Thai sold tainted food

btw; avoid the seaweed at the chiang mai night market

[StreetCowboy]

Maybe he has got a thai passport or is a permanent resident with WP.

He's probably undercover CIA, like the rest of us.

His WP probably says "SPY"

SC

EDIT: Why anyone thinks that they can plumb the depths of stupidity is beyond me. Einstein once said "Nothing is infinite but space and stupidity" although he, or I, may have been making that up.

Edited April 19, 2011 by StreetCowboy

[midasthailand]

Maybe he has got a thai passport or is a permanent resident with WP.

He's probably undercover CIA, like the rest of us.

His WP probably says "SPY"

SC

EDIT: Why anyone thinks that they can plumb the depths of stupidity is beyond me. Einstein once said "Nothing is infinite but space and stupidity" although he, or I, may have been making that up.

Dammit man, now you have gone and blown my cover!!

[BangrakBob]

Sandwich stall facade "Would you like to see what we have under the table sir?" wink wink

[transam]

I've bought meat pies from a foreigner selling them bar to bar out of a basket before, they were pretty good. I would have given this guy's sandwiches a shot

Right! And if the man`s pies are made from inferior products, has all the hygene technics of a dung beetle and gives you severe food poisoning or worse, who ya goin to call; Ghost Busters?

Who ya gonna call. ?

[tolsti]

Sandwiches at the bottom of the stairs at a Sky Train station... sheer brilliance.

Edited April 21, 2011 by metisdead
Off topic comments removed.

[somchaismith]

I bet they weren't full of mayo. Getting hungry now... where was he again?

[WarpSpeed]

They say the best place to hide is often in plain sight ..

Edited April 19, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[transam]

They say the best place to hide is often in plain sight ..

Hmmmmm, out to buy a wig tomorrow.

[StreetCowboy]

Every time I see the title of the thread, I feel challenged; luckily, to date, I have not risen to the bait.

However, I feel his original example would be relatively easy to match, and I am sure that we could set the bar much higher....

SC

[MaiChai]

Well this being Thailand means someone will be collecting money for renting out space on the pavement. Maybe he already paid his rent?

Same with the taxi drivers; they have to pay a 'fee' to the police to ensure they don't get pulled for something. Its a monthly fee; you pay your fee and then don't need to pay any fines for the month. Welcome to Thailand...

Edited April 19, 2011 by MaiChai

[ClockworkOranges]

A popular trend on this forum seems to be about ferang beggers and how low these scum bags are. Yet here we have a guy who is probably hovering around the poverty line but trying to do something about it - and he gets tagged with being a stupid idiot.

I often think that to many posters on this forum, if you are not working in the CBD on a seven figure salary you are not worthy of being here.

Fair play to the guy. He knows the gamble involved and is simply trying to get by and earn a living. If he gets arrested its hardly going to be a 10 year stretch in Bang Kwang prison is it?

Who cares anyway?

[StreetCowboy]

A popular trend on this forum seems to be about ferang beggers and how low these scum bags are. Yet here we have a guy who is probably hovering around the poverty line but trying to do something about it - and he gets tagged with being a stupid idiot.

I often think that to many posters on this forum, if you are not working in the CBD on a seven figure salary you are not worthy of being here.

Fair play to the guy. He knows the gamble involved and is simply trying to get by and earn a living. If he gets arrested its hardly going to be a 10 year stretch in Bang Kwang prison is it?

Who cares anyway?

I didn't really see the connection between selling sandwiches and being stupid. I met my old boss selling sandwiches and, while a little disheartened that business had sunk so low, did not feel he was in any way more stupid than when he had lorded over me as a mere peon. If the OP wants to issue a challenge about how stupid we could be, fair enough, but I do not think that he is starting the bar at a credible level

SC

In terms of sutpidity, I handed out fliers for money, and I'm a doctor (though to be fair I was not at the time - you'd look daft, handing out fliers with a stethoscope round your neck...).

[nicolas18]

A popular trend on this forum seems to be about ferang beggers and how low these scum bags are. Yet here we have a guy who is probably hovering around the poverty line but trying to do something about it - and he gets tagged with being a stupid idiot.

I often think that to many posters on this forum, if you are not working in the CBD on a seven figure salary you are not worthy of being here.

Fair play to the guy. He knows the gamble involved and is simply trying to get by and earn a living. If he gets arrested its hardly going to be a 10 year stretch in Bang Kwang prison is it?

Who cares anyway?

Since I'm the OP, I will reply to that. I am an English teacher, so I am definitely not part of the "Seven-figure income" brigade.

Also, the guy would quite young (25-ish) and didn't look like he was starving or anything. He was actually wearing more than decent clothes.

Which is why I called him stupid. Selling products on the street when you are a Western foreigner is just insane. Not only does he not have a work permit, he is also performing a job which is restricted to Thais.

One of my friends got busted by immigration because he was behind the counter in his own internet cafe in a shopping center. I'm going to give that sandwich guy two days before he gets arrested by the immigration police and sent to the IDC.

[nicolas18]

I didn't really see the connection between selling sandwiches and being stupid. I met my old boss selling sandwiches and, while a little disheartened that business had sunk so low, did not feel he was in any way more stupid than when he had lorded over me as a mere peon. If the OP wants to issue a challenge about how stupid we could be, fair enough, but I do not think that he is starting the bar at a credible level

SC

In terms of sutpidity, I handed out fliers for money, and I'm a doctor (though to be fair I was not at the time - you'd look daft, handing out fliers with a stethoscope round your neck...).

As I've said before, it has nothing to do with selling sandwiches. Sorry if that wasn't clear enough.

I have worked in shops, Internet cafes, etc... so I would never make fun of someone for selling something on the street.

What is downright stupid though is to do it in the street in Thailand. Considering the risks, it is just insane IMHO.