Do Thai's Read?

[bkkjames]

Huh?

James my boy..I was replying to SBK's post, look at the link!

I don't even remember reading your post

Sorry, I have been searching for a post in order to role out that line-you got caught in the crossfire. Perhaps I won't read between the lines so much, this whole do they read, don't they read has got me on edge. Of course they read, how else can they reply on bb messenger!

[sbk]

Huh?

James my boy..I was replying to SBK's post, look at the link!

I don't even remember reading your post

Sorry, the people I saw reading were reading books. I will take a photo next time I am in bangkok for evidence if you would like

[Xangsamhua]

I was kidding about giving them away - a life of hell it would be - can you imagine if I did that. Reminds me of Seinfeld episode, Jerry on the stage and says something like "Why do people keep books around collecting dust that they already read? Up on shelf like some trophy to prove to the world how smart you are - pfff, get rid of them - nobody cares that you read Moby Dick 34 years ago".

Well, there's something in what Jerry says, too. I'm bookish and have a lot, mainly non-fiction, on my shelves. Hardly anyone takes the slightest interest in them, but I like having them there and I often do dip into books I've read to check something. There probably is something narcissistic about displaying all your books, but I'm going to keep doing it anyway. As I said, hardly anyone even glances at them, and Kindle kills the display motive.

Re Thais reading, I think it depends on whether they think reading something will make a difference in their life. Most Thais are so disempowered that reading books isn't going to make any difference to their ability to have an impact on anything. It's what the senior and older people think that counts, even if they haven't a clue. My wife is a keen reader, but her books are mainly about diet and health, areas in which she can and has made a difference, on her own life and those of others.

[Xangsamhua]

I don't read books; I find it extremely boring.

I hate people who look down nose at those who choose not to read as a leisure activity.

There is a reason people look down on non-readers.

Reading is the modern way of story telling which was the first leisure activity(and almost the only) for a LOT of centuries. It's part of being human, enjoying stories. If you dont enjoy a good book(which is relative to each and everyone) you're clearly trying to be as dumb as you can. Everyone can find a book they fall in love with. Once you do you will see that you can get even more deep into the story than with a movie, with no effort. Usually people who hate book also have never went through beyond page 20-30 (which are usually the most boring) or they read books of no relevance to them. If i had only read french literature books where the story takes place in 1500 to 1800.. I would of never wanted to read an other book in my life..

It's your choice not to be part of humanity though, hating those who look down upon you for ignoring our history and culture have all their rights, just as you have your right to be in your outcast sanctuary.

I think you're being a bit harsh. People have different ways of processing the world. I'm a constant reader and obviously have reasons for that, but my foster-son and my son-in-law are both almost total non-readers, except for manuals and things. Both of these guys are very sharp, have done well in their careers and are good husbands and fathers and community people. Why would I look down on them for not reading books?

[little_muppet]

I dont like to read but that didnt mean i dont care or know anything outside my own circle ,im a Thai anyway. I also have friends (Thais) that get very excited once there is a book fair and rush to the fiar like they giving books for free lol. they spend alot of money on books. But i do read alot on the internet news and some article im interested to.

I also dont watch any thai soap after the evening news since im 12 ,if u ask me for the name of TV star or i met them somewhere i couldnt tell who is who ,they r just looks the same.

Most of the time if i watch TV , im watching news, documentary channels, and often i end up watching animal planets or discovery channel when there is nothing else to watch.

I believe that if i like to read more i could be smarter than this lol

Well you are 12, dont feel bad about sticking to animal planet and discovery.. just keeping those stimulus in your life will make sure that one day you'll get into book, its natural. And even if you don't, as long as you're interested in the beautiful world you will keep learning. You can learn a lot on the internet and youtube.

lol appologised for my english. im not 12 and again i dont like to read noval.

[WebBangkok]

I dont read books anymore, I rather watch the Movie :)I just have no real time to read and as an active person, if I have time I am playing soccer, seeing friends or playing with my daughter.I always see Thai's reading when I walk past a newsagency

[happyrobert]

Same as Mexico. Mexico same as here. Mexican "bookstores" (outside Mexico City) typically are magazines, newspapers with accidents on the front page and comics.

I had to bring good books with me from the States. They either read sex comic books, which were actually pretty graphic and available to kids, or a comic called Condorito, about a young condor and his silly adventures, (sort of like a Mexican Benny Hill....except with a beak) which I must admit, was pretty funny. I even brought a few copies here to keep up on my Spanish.

And to the poster that postulated "cold" weather in Miami, Houston, Phoenix and Los Angeles and Honolulu led to reading as opposed to going outside...uhm....no. Surfer dudes read too.

I think it's called education. In your free time you can read up about any "western" country's (such as but not limited to, Greece, Italy, America, Jamaica, oh, and pretty much all of South America) weather...in, well, a book....about summers and seasons and climates and...oh, nevermind. Just wait for the movie.

[digibum]

Books are expensive therefore Thai's do not read.

I would disagree. There's no demand. In Vietnam they have sellers of pirate books (the quality and binding is a dead giveaway) who roam the streets with books stacked six feet high selling pirated books for very cheap. If there was demand for books in Thai the Thais would certainly copy the pirate book model just as they have done with software, DVD's, CD's, clothing, etc.

[SteeleJoe]

Books are expensive therefore Thai's do not read.

I would disagree. There's no demand. In Vietnam they have sellers of pirate books (the quality and binding is a dead giveaway) who roam the streets with books stacked six feet high selling pirated books for very cheap. If there was demand for books in Thai the Thais would certainly copy the pirate book model just as they have done with software, DVD's, CD's, clothing, etc.

I think there are a few reasons why the "book are expensive" explanation doesn't work. Digibium has just given an excellent one. (Printers near universities do in fact make excellent reproductions of textbooks. If you want to get the premium model -- still cheaper than the copyrighted one, they come with a hardback cover iwhich has the identical image or graphic on it).

[sbk]

I dont like to read but that didnt mean i dont care or know anything outside my own circle ,im a Thai anyway. I also have friends (Thais) that get very excited once there is a book fair and rush to the fiar like they giving books for free lol. they spend alot of money on books. But i do read alot on the internet news and some article im interested to.

I also dont watch any thai soap after the evening news since im 12 ,if u ask me for the name of TV star or i met them somewhere i couldnt tell who is who ,they r just looks the same.

Most of the time if i watch TV , im watching news, documentary channels, and often i end up watching animal planets or discovery channel when there is nothing else to watch.

I believe that if i like to read more i could be smarter than this lol

Well you are 12, dont feel bad about sticking to animal planet and discovery.. just keeping those stimulus in your life will make sure that one day you'll get into book, its natural. And even if you don't, as long as you're interested in the beautiful world you will keep learning. You can learn a lot on the internet and youtube.

Attacking non-native speakers of English is extremely poor netiquette and one that is frowned upon in Thaivisa. If you can't make your point without resorting to personal nastiness, then its usually best to not post at all.

3. If possible please proofread your post first, poor grammar and spelling can make the post difficult to understand. However be aware that not every member is a native english speaker and excessive posts regarding others spelling and grammar not only hijacks the topic but is poor netiquette.

[SteeleJoe]

So, the last bit of numbers I found (in something I had written elsewhere and which I took from The Other Newspaper this year) says that in 2005 the average number of books read per year are as follows:

Vietnam 60

Japan 50

Singapore 40-50

Malaysia 40

Thailand 2

That's quite a difference, I'd say. According to the same source, this year it has risen to 5, for Thailand (can't say if the other countries have risen as well or fallen -- but I think it's safe to say Thailand probably hasn't surpassed them yet).

[soomak]

ohh i just come up with a theory, why the percentage of western read more than Thais.

My theory says it is about the climate that lead to the reading culture, Thais read less coz they prefer to go out and have alot of things to do outside the house so they dont put "reading" as the first thing to do. while Western countries are usually pretty cold. so ppl stuck in the house got nothing to do than to "read" because it is too cold to go out not much activities to do outside the house so reading is the best choice to take their mind away outside the house...

what do you think? this is just my opinion anyway. :jap:

In my home country (Israel) its warm or hot for 8 months of the year, but we are number one in the world in books read per capita, so I guess that's not the reason.

My opinion is that's its a culture issue combined with low income.

[SteeleJoe]

ohh i just come up with a theory, why the percentage of western read more than Thais.

My theory says it is about the climate that lead to the reading culture, Thais read less coz they prefer to go out and have alot of things to do outside the house so they dont put "reading" as the first thing to do. while Western countries are usually pretty cold. so ppl stuck in the house got nothing to do than to "read" because it is too cold to go out not much activities to do outside the house so reading is the best choice to take their mind away outside the house...

what do you think? this is just my opinion anyway. :jap:

In my home country (Israel) its warm or hot for 8 months of the year, but we are number one in the world in books read per capita, so I guess that's not the reason.

My opinion is that's its a culture issue combined with low income.

Yes, that theory -- as happyrobert pointed out -- is frankly rather silly.

Do you have any source for a list of books read per capita by country? That would be interesting. (Or even one that shows Israel as the as the highest?)

[digibum]

A friend in Chiang mai is reading something all of the time. Another one of thoses farange misconceptions about Thais shot down.

Not quite. At least that contradicts what I've read, seen and heard.

BE ADVISED: The following is not a value judgment nor does it discount that there are or may be perfectly logical reasons for the differences suggested herein. Thank you.

Studies I have seen -- I won't vouch for their accuracy or statistical merit as I'm not qulified to -- have shown that Thais read much less than that of neighboring countries and many countries around the world;some reports say as little as an average of 2 books a year (Vietnam, for example, is well over 50 I believe).

It's far more common than it used to be but there's no doubt in my mind that the number of Thais I see reading on trains or buses if significantly less than you will see locals reading on trains or buses in NYC or London etc.

25 years ago, when I taught English in Thailand, I discovered that I could incidentally learn a lot about Thais from the fact that I always asked similar questions or raised the same topics with various classes. Since then I still have an opportunity in both my work and otherwise to ask a question or two from Thais, and as many as a couple times a month I continue to get some anecdotal data that way. Moreover I have a 2 friends who are university teachers and have taught conversation classes here for a very long time (one, for 18 years) and they too gather information the way I used to, in class. We share our information on a regular basis and one of the things we agree on is that it's a rare Thai who says they like to read and of those who do, the majority read comic books, and of the rest most read magazine (TV, gossip, or sports).

If all this is true, I don't think it's poverty, given the numbers compared to the percentage of middle class and wealthy, and comparing it to their neighbors. I also think that the fact that Thailand reportedly has a high literacy rate perhaps tells us something too -- they can read but they don't: I have generally high regard for Thais and I don't think they are stupid in general (obviously, just as anywhere including my native land, there are plenty of stupid people) but while I've known many exceptions, I do think that as a general rule, they are not especially intellectually curious.

(Of course, Moe, if a Thai friend of yours reads a lot, I guess that's all we need to know about 65 million Thais, eh? )

EDIT for attempt to sort out syntax and clarity

This is probably the most important response in the thread. The number you're quoting is likely from the 2007 article in The Nation (which I won't fully copy here) that says:

Thailand's reading habits stack up poorly against neighbours like Vietnam and Singapore. The average Thai reads just two books a year, it was revealed yesterday.

And the average annual amount people spend on books is just Bt260, visitors to the Book Expo at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre learned.

In Vietnam the average is 60 books a year and in Singapore the number is 45, according to survey data. This year's exposition runs until October 28 and has attracted 819 booths and 408 publishers. More than 1.2 million visitors are expected.

Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT) president Risuan Aramcharoen said the association conducted a reading survey in conjunction with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.

"We prefer listening and watching rather than reading, so we are more interested in television and the radio," she said.

In addition, the Internet, computer games, plus night entertainment also took up a lot of people's leisure time.

This clearly shows that reading is a choice and Thais choose not to do it. All this stuff about cost of books, etc is just chaff. Thailand is certainly better off than Vietnam economically and yet the average per person is embarrassing.

There was a similar sort of informal poll that a Thai editorial writer who works for a newspaper I don't think you're allowed to mention here did with a class of business students he was lecturing. He asked them to describe the Thai work ethic. The responses he got back from his Thai students were, lazy, dishonest, corrupt, saabai saabai, etc.

I really think both of these things are going to come back and bite Thailand in the next 10 or 20 years as competition in the region increases and there's more of a demand for labor who understands global markets.

[WebBangkok]

I don't read novels, so I must be a dumb then according to most people here. lol

Thaivisa members always showing its true colors.

[GreenSnapper]

Further more I was very disapointed in my wife when I was watching a documentry about endangered animals, I aksed her why she did not want to watch and she said she does not care about animals. We got talking on this topic and I was even more supprised how much she did not know about the world around her and its history. All of which you learn in school from reading. She is very well educated, uni degree and all.

I'm sorry to say that, but she is not much educated. Like most Thais.

In much of Asia, education has a high value. But not in Thailand.

Talk about some interesting subject with educated people in Malaysia, Singapore and even the Philppines and you will see the huge difference to average Thais. Education has no real value here. People read books in school or university because they are forced to. Once school is over, reading is over.

[WebBangkok]

Further more I was very disapointed in my wife when I was watching a documentry about endangered animals, I aksed her why she did not want to watch and she said she does not care about animals. We got talking on this topic and I was even more supprised how much she did not know about the world around her and its history. All of which you learn in school from reading. She is very well educated, uni degree and all.

I'm sorry to say that, but she is not much educated. Like most Thais.

In much of Asia, education has a high value. But not in Thailand.

Talk about some interesting subject with educated people in Malaysia, Singapore and even the Philppines and you will see the huge difference to average Thais. Education has no real value here. People read books in school or university because they are forced to. Once school is over, reading is over.

You comparing avg Thai's to educated folks?

I deal with many educated Thai's here and they IMO are pretty knowledgeable. Especially the ones educated abroad.

[SteeleJoe]

I don't read novels, so I must be a dumb then according to most people here. lol

Thaivisa members always showing its true colors.

Really?

I confess I didn't read the thread all that carefully or remember that well what I read is it true that "most people here" think that people who don't read novels* are dumb?

Hmmm...let me go back and check...

Nope. Maybe your reading skills have suffered from insufficient practice. Or you are just one of those people that freaks out at anything that can in any way be perceived as critical of Thais or Thailand (those people do exist -- I've come across them for decades now and we have them on this board,) and who -- like many -- can't be honest in your effort to make a point.

Or maybe you are a dumb.

*I must admit I am surprised and very mildly annoyed at how many people mentioned novels and implicitly suggest here and there that "serious reading" means reading novels. I have no problem with fiction and love a good novel, but for the latter half of my life (20+ years) I have read non-fiction about 90% of the time and while I do it primarily because I enjoy it, I also take pleasure and even what I think of as some justifiable pride in the fact that am constantly educating myself on a wide array of topics (not that the knowledge necessarily does me much or any good or matters to anyone but me.) -- so let's not forget the readers of biographies, history, sociology, politics etc when we talk about reading habits...

[WebBangkok]

Nice post, you obviously don't know Thaivisa very well.

[SteeleJoe]

Nice post, you obviously don't know Thaivisa very well.

Uhmmm..be that as it may (I'm sure I don't and frankly don't feel that is a great loss -- I mostly enjoy myself here and that will suffice), how does that change the fact that what you claim simply isn't so?

Oh, and...thank you.

Edited July 19, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[happyrobert]

The little bit of time I have spent in Vietnam left quite an impression on me. Communist or not, the younger generation is eager to explore new things and ideas, read books, and learn other languages. They plan their future and want to make the most out of it. I saw far less interest in watching television there than here, or Mexico, or for that matter, the States.

An obvious westerner, it was virtually impossible for me to walk through the park, or many other places, without groups of kids surrounding me, in a most friendly fashion, and wanting to practice English while asking about my culture and pastimes.

They also would often ask if I had any books I did not want anymore.

I asked my girlfriend if Thai like to read books.

No.

Why not?

Because they don't.

Ah, I see. Why not.

They like television and magazines and books about Buddha.

She, however, now reads 2 or 3 books a month and very much enjoys it. When we met, she read nothing, but since I read a lot, she just fell in step. Hence why I need some used books in Thai.

My language skills in Thai are nowhere near some of you guys, but they are sufficient that I have determined that reading a novel, in Thai, translated from English, is like eating old shoe leather. Dry and a lot of work and not very satisfying. Maybe that has something to do with it.

[WebBangkok]

Because its easier to get a response generalizing what people think on here. Plus this is not the first time I have read/ spoke about this topic with people in forums and in pubs.

[GreenSnapper]

Further more I was very disapointed in my wife when I was watching a documentry about endangered animals, I aksed her why she did not want to watch and she said she does not care about animals. We got talking on this topic and I was even more supprised how much she did not know about the world around her and its history. All of which you learn in school from reading. She is very well educated, uni degree and all.

I'm sorry to say that, but she is not much educated. Like most Thais.

In much of Asia, education has a high value. But not in Thailand.

Talk about some interesting subject with educated people in Malaysia, Singapore and even the Philppines and you will see the huge difference to average Thais. Education has no real value here. People read books in school or university because they are forced to. Once school is over, reading is over.

You comparing avg Thai's to educated folks?

I deal with many educated Thai's here and they IMO are pretty knowledgeable. Especially the ones educated abroad.

I should have said "average educated Thais"

Thais educated abroad are an exception. And a very small minority.

[sotsira]

Further more I was very disapointed in my wife when I was watching a documentry about endangered animals, I aksed her why she did not want to watch and she said she does not care about animals. We got talking on this topic and I was even more supprised how much she did not know about the world around her and its history. All of which you learn in school from reading. She is very well educated, uni degree and all.

I'm sorry to say that, but she is not much educated. Like most Thais.

In much of Asia, education has a high value. But not in Thailand.

Talk about some interesting subject with educated people in Malaysia, Singapore and even the Philppines and you will see the huge difference to average Thais. Education has no real value here. People read books in school or university because they are forced to. Once school is over, reading is over.

You comparing avg Thai's to educated folks?

I deal with many educated Thai's here and they IMO are pretty knowledgeable. Especially the ones educated abroad.

Who are the majority? certainly not the ones that are educated abroad.

Also agree with GreenSnapper that education has no real value here, even uni degree grads come across as uneducated

compared with western education standards.

The OP needs to realise that his wife may have a uni degree but that doesn't mean she is well educated.

[23423981]

For whatever it's worth to this topic, the following is a quote from Wikipedia.

"UNESCO monitors both the number and type of books published per country per year as an important index of

standard of living and education, and of a country's self-awareness."

According to the UNESCO's latest survey, Thailand was ranked 29th in the world in publication of new book titles per year,

only 14 European countries were ranked higer.

As I said whatever it's worth... May have nothing to do with the question of "Do Thais read?".

[SteeleJoe]

The OP needs to realise that his wife may have a uni degree but that doesn't mean she is well educated.

Why?

[SteeleJoe]

According to the UNESCO's latest survey, Thailand was ranked 29th in the world in publication of new book titles per year,

only 14 European countries were ranked higer.

As I said whatever it's worth... May have nothing to do with the question of "Do Thais read?".

It may not. But interesting nonetheless.

I suppose it would depend on what titles and whose buying them -- and the former only if we are not going to be too literal with the question (as, of course Thais read -- but do they typically read for pleasure? Do they read anything of "substance"?) and the latter is presumaby Thais (but is it possible they are book exporters?)

Oh, well. Not going to lose any sleep over it!

[23423981]

The OP needs to realise that his wife may have a uni degree but that doesn't mean she is well educated.

Why?

Yes! Why +1

[sotsira]

The OP needs to realise that his wife may have a uni degree but that doesn't mean she is well educated.

Why?

Because i've met Thais with uni degrees in Thailand and they are only educated on the

specific subject of their degree, anything outside that field eg; mathematics, science, history, geography, languages etc,

they would have little knowledge about.

Unlike the western education curriculum where the mentioned subjects are mandatory

before any degree can be studied, it appears that in Thailand that isn't the case.

[SteeleJoe]

Because i've met Thais with uni degrees in Thailand and they are only educated on the

specific subject of their degree, anything outside that field eg; mathematics, science, history, geography, languages etc,

they would have little knowledge about.

Yes, I have too.

But you misunderstand me: my question is: why does the OP "need to realise that his wife may have a uni degree but that doesn't mean she is well educated"? How will that add value to their relationship or his life to realize that?

Besides, I've wondered if the OP was a troll from the very beginning...

_________________________________________

Anyway, before I log off, I'll add something I forgot to mention earlier: I saw a few people talking about not having time to read: it' absolutely true that I have far less time now that I have a family I want to spend time with and increased responsibilities and can no longer 3, 4 or more hours a day as I did when I was younger. But even though I work about 60 hours a week, I read every single day for at least an hour and often more. That doesn't mean anything at all -- but I just thought I'd point out that if you want to read (not saying one should want to though I firmly believe there is much value in it), you almost certainly can and will find the time.

Now I'm off to bed -- to read for a bit before sleep...

Edited July 19, 2011 by SteeleJoe