Why Don'T Thais Have Forward Thinking?

[Berkshire]

When you ask a Thai a direct question and get the "deer in the headlight" non-response. You can almost see the smoke coming out of their ears while trying to formulate a response. Doesn't matter if it's a food stall vendor or the VP of Operations for a multi-national corp. I've gotten the same blank stare from all of them.

What language are you using for your queries?

I was thinking the same question. I'm sure that if I were to ask the old geezer, eh, Keyser, anything in a foreign language, he'd give me the standard "deer in the headlight" look.

[Berkshire]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

That's a very good description of what seems to go on here on TV with remarkable regularity.

[mca]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

After observing the actions etc of a depressingly large number of expat westerners over the years in LOS and reading a large number of posts on TVF I feel it would be easier to provide a theory about the existence of fairies, elves and unicorns than one of racial superiority.

Edited May 8, 2011 by mca

[carmine]

The simple answer to this topic is that Thais do have forward thinking. The difference is that they are not so hung up on "whats happening tomorro like so many in the western world. I find this slightly more laid back attitude very refreshing.

Edited May 8, 2011 by carmine

[samran]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

After observing the actions etc of a depressingly large number of expat westerners over the years in LOS and reading a large number of posts on TVF I feel it would be easier to provide a theory about the existence of fairies, elves and unicorns than one of racial superiority.

Watching and reading the travails of our TV brethren is a bit like watching a car crash in slow motion (you can't help but look) or alternatively, analogous to watching Wile-e-coyote continually mucking things up in those old Road Runner cartoon.

average Farang in Thailand

[rgs2001uk]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

That's a very good description of what seems to go on here on TV with remarkable regularity.

After living here for the last 5 years and listening to the locals thoughts and views on the Burmese, Cambodians and the ee Lao I tend to agree.

The memories of Sukothai and Ayutthaya still linger in the psyche, the ghost of Suriyothai will appear shortly in a Joan of Arc like vision to sort of the temple dispute and restore it to its rightful owners.

[zzaa09]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

That's a very good description of what seems to go on here on TV with remarkable regularity.

Sure. The need to reinforce such delusions is steadfast. Might you be expecting anything from the ordinary?

[StreetCowboy]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

That's a very good description of what seems to go on here on TV with remarkable regularity.

Sure. The need to reinforce such delusions is steadfast. Might you be expecting anything from the ordinary?

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition

[DavidSL]

The simple answer to this topic is that Thais do have forward thinking. The difference is that they are not so hung up on "whats happening tomorro like so many in the western world. I find this slightly more laid back attitude very refreshing.

This is similar to what I was going to post. I can't answer whether Thais have forward-thinking abilities or not, since I've been here only just under a year, but from what I've seen and experienced I'd say that their thinking definitely isn't driven by the same need for results that we Westerners have, and sometimes suffer from. Thai people, in my opinion, take working life a lot less seriously than we do, and enjoy their lives based on simple pleasures. I don't know how many Thais are looking to become millionaires, but apart from the lottery here I haven't seen much evidence of Thai people aspiring to that goal. Many seem to be living day to day, and based on places like MBK it is easy to assume that they don't know how to do business (multiple phone shops in ONE area, for example). But my girlfriend laughs at this, and finds it as absurd as I do, but growing up here she has learned not to take things so seriously, and I think that extends across Thailand.

It seems that every Westerner who comes here (myself included) notices these things and suddenly has a great idea about how to do business, when back in our own Countries we were doing nothing more than working in an office run by a huge corporation. Every Westerner is a business genius in Thailand, but how many of us are successful? I'm certainly not, and I've started to let that relaxed attitude wash over me and not try to change Asia into the West. It will come, as it already is, and soon Thailand will lose it's charm to those who 'know better'.

[zzaa09]

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

After observing the actions etc of a depressingly large number of expat westerners over the years in LOS and reading a large number of posts on TVF I feel it would be easier to provide a theory about the existence of fairies, elves and unicorns than one of racial superiority.

...certainly when this supposed racial and cultural superiority has been derived from delusion and generational conditioning.

[surayu]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition

I seriously doubt there is any sort of Torquemada hideying between them....

The inquisitors were true evils and did what they did to keep their power, so acting purely on their own interests and greed, these guys here instead, are going against their own interest(apart from a few REAL thais, not just wannabes).

There are many of these kind, the same people that in their own countries put their fellow countrymen(including theirselfs and their families) in a disadvataged position against foreigners, it seems they have an infinite hate against their own kind, ready to go as lower as they possibly can to be an obstacle to fairness and common sense, some of them have no problems to admit they hate themselfs too, this surely play a big part on this kind of beauvoir, probably even Darwin would struggle to find a proper definition for them.

[Kwasaki]

The simple answer to this topic is that Thais do have forward thinking. The difference is that they are not so hung up on "whats happening tomorro like so many in the western world. I find this slightly more laid back attitude very refreshing.

+ 1 Seconded.

[TigerWan]

it is because Thais never had to store food, supplies and wood for the winter, so planning is not part of their culture.

I agree with this, in fact it sounds like what I've written elsewhere, and don't think it's racist at all. It's called heritage and I would apply it to all tropical peoples around the globe . Maybe it explains why the richest Thais are all of Chinese heritage, not tropical.

Of course humans that evolved in cold climes adapted and evolved depending on storage of food, future planning- in order to survive cold winters. In a tropical climes, no such preparation is needed as food is abundant all year round.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book about heritage called Outliers and it explains other examples of behavior from heritage like US southern rednecks stemming through Irish violence, and other assorted decidedly non -PC ideas, thankfully.

Gladwell is a great author who has a gift for original thinking . Blink and The Tipping Point very good, too.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Me thinks if the majority of the posters on this thread were around 170 years ago, they'd be making their living as racial theorists, finding reasons why slavery was right and why Carte Blanche extermination of the 'natives' was totally justified.

All backed up by nutbag theories of racial superiority.

Either that, or they'd be traveling salesman.

Look that is utter nonsense. At least, I can only speak for me.

I would have been a (maybe the - I'm too lazy to Google dates) Scarlet Pimpernel. And this is more or less Fact.

FYI

[KRS1]

That explains why they marry you guys