What Is The Definition Of An Insult Here That Is Not Considered An Insult In The West ?

[Thailand2012]

Loosing face is way overvalued....

Not if you are Thai.

The offender could loose his/her life...........

I think that's what he was saying.

Face is incredibly, ridiculously important here, to the point where what would be considered normal joking around tomfoolery back home is often grounds for a potentially murderous confrontation here.

I found something similar when I first moved to Australia - I found the male ocker style of aggressive banter in the bars incredibly hurtful and intimidating, which I guess was intentional, macho kind of strutting bantam-cock top-dog posturing putting down the Yank but hey it's all in good fun if you get angry you just lose face.

Only way to get any respect and reduce the barrage of challenges and insults, was to learn to dish it out right back just as aggro - I ended up getting employed as a bouncer in a bar frequented by bikees and miners in the goldfields, hated every minute of it but had to make a living didn't I.

That kind of verbal agression gets dangerous here, but then again since I've found many Brits and Aussies enjoy a good fight when they go out drinking, they often get what they're looking for.

But then they get all whingey when the Thais don't "fight fair", take it seriously gang up a dozen to one and sometimes people actually get seriously hurt or killed.

The difference is the Thais don't see this as entertainment, face is life and death, far more important than money or freedom or anything else.

so you worked at the exchange? how long ago im sorry but no way would of given back the shit you copped in there you would of had to cop it loss of face? they would of torn you a new 1 no probs.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

so you worked at the exchange? how long ago im sorry but no way would of given back the shit you copped in there you would of had to cop it loss of face? they would of torn you a new 1 no probs.

If you mean the Exchange Pub in Bendigo, good guess but no, bit further south along the Calder, and it was a good thirty years ago now, probably gone all poofy with vegan items on the menu 8-).

As for the rest, sorry I can't quite make out the meaning you're trying to convey but yes it was pretty rough, we went through a half dozen pool cues some weekends, probably matched by cracked skulls.

Edited November 7, 2012 by BigJohnnyBKK

[lovelaos]

Yes if you find a point that is better in Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia they feel insulted.

"Beer Lao is better than any Thai beer" and some feel insulted in their national pride.

Actually my Isaan housekeeper keeps telling me I should look for my new girls in Lao across the river from her hometown, much nicer girls there she says.

She's lying.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

She's lying.

Most likely mistaken then, she's certainly got no reason to lie about it. Actually she's stopped that tack lately, seems to be trying to set me up with relatives, we've been getting regular eligible visitors over the past couple of weeks.

Guess I should take it as a compliment since she knows how skint I am, owe her a total of seven month's wages. . .

[Honkie]

She's lying.

Most likely mistaken then, she's certainly got no reason to lie about it. Actually she's stopped that tack lately, seems to be trying to set me up with relatives, we've been getting regular eligible visitors over the past couple of weeks.

Guess I should take it as a compliment since she knows how skint I am, owe her a total of seven month's wages. . .

So You pay her in Kind ?

[BigJohnnyBKK]

So You pay her in Kind ?

She's more mother to my toddlers than their birth mother is, it's not a stretch to say we're family, but not in a physical way if that's what you're trying to say - her husband's around a fair bit, and she's way too old for me anyway.

Most of it's bonus money from past years rather than the month-to-month which I do try to keep up with as much as possible. She knows if I'd given it all to her it would all gone by now, she'd rather get it all at once in order to get a good start on the house she's planning on building back home.

But yes, she's a patient lady and I regularly show her my gratitude in many ways.

[Thailand2012]

so you worked at the exchange? how long ago im sorry but no way would of given back the shit you copped in there you would of had to cop it loss of face? they would of torn you a new 1 no probs.

If you mean the Exchange Pub in Bendigo, good guess but no, bit further south along the Calder, and it was a good thirty years ago now, probably gone all poofy with vegan items on the menu 8-).

As for the rest, sorry I can't quite make out the meaning you're trying to convey but yes it was pretty rough, we went through a half dozen pool cues some weekends, probably matched by cracked skulls.

ok i thought you meant the goldfields kalgoorlie the exchange there is 1 wild pub and 30 years ago i heard a lot of stories,i was trying to convey that you being an american and a bouncer you would of copped it big time in a pub bikies miners ect bendigo kalgoorlie all were rough as guts back then.and you would of as thais dont lose face if you tried to argue or get aggressive you would of copped a flogging just as you would if you tried to argue with a thai same consequences maybe worse?.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

ok i thought you meant the goldfields kalgoorlie the exchange there is 1 wild pub and 30 years ago i heard a lot of stories,i was trying to convey that you being an american and a bouncer you would of copped it big time in a pub bikies miners ect bendigo kalgoorlie all were rough as guts back then.and you would of as thais dont lose face if you tried to argue or get aggressive you would of copped a flogging just as you would if you tried to argue with a thai same consequences maybe worse?.

Well the Victorian gold miners and bikies were indeed rough enough for me.

My point is that the "all in good fun just joshing around" aggro you cop in the normal course of things there is not considered acceptable behavior in most other cultures, and would most likely result in the foreigner taking it personally. And a mild-mannered Yank experiencing it over there reacts quite differently from a Thai in his home territory.

The other funny bit was all the ex-WWII geezers taking it out on me about their slutty women (I mean that in the best possible way 8-) getting it off with the US soldiers while they were fighting overseas fifty years previously. "Goddamn Yanks, comin' in here with your stockings and chocolate, overpaid, oversexed and over here" is a direct quote I'll never forget ,delivered with the utmost sincere bitterness, spittle flying and all while I'm trying to serve drinks 8-)

What's it gotta do with me grandpa?

[Devmartin]

Thansk to share this.

[HeijoshinCool]

Talking/acting as if you know better than they do, causing them to think they are stupid.

I haven't met one yet who thought they were the one that was stupid.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I haven't met one yet who thought they were the one that was stupid.

Sorry, of course I meant: causing them to think that you think they are stupid.

[giddyup]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned showing the soles of your feet to a Thai. My lady takes great offence if I point to anything with my foot or push her away with my foot in play. I also made the mistake of showing the soles of my feet to a monk when sitting in front of him.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned showing the soles of your feet

<Ctrl-F> "Pushit" just above. . .

[payak]

my ex was well mad when i told her and her mother in front of the whole family that her mum probably worked as a bar girl with her train of thought and nature, and she would be best suited down in pattaya where she can earn a quid doing farang tourists again.

i dont know what she did in her youth really but it was deserved as she was a money hungry old bat and i wasnt given none of them anything, not with there attitute, they do go off though, right off.

Edited November 8, 2012 by payak

[uptheos]

My Thai teacher said that calling someone a Buffalo is really bad.

If someone called me a buffalo (kwai) I'd piss myself laughing.

If I called the wrong Thai a kwai, I probably would just piss myself. There are Thai's who would think nothing about shooting you for this!

[payak]

surely everyone here has called a thai a buffallo before, the response is golden.

[TwoDogz]

surely everyone here has called a thai a buffallo before, the response is golden.

Like I said earlier....add 'see dum' to it and that usually mellows out the situation.

[DavoTheGun]

I really think this subject has run it's course, you are all talking crap now!