I have a hypothesis.

Thai culture is big about symbolic showing of respect.

Could remembering a name be a big priority in order to show respect? Or is forgetting someones name a big show of disrespect?

My Mrs calls me Darling, don't know why, keep telling her my name, mind you, god knows what her real name is. ............................................

I have a hypothesis.

Thai culture is big about symbolic showing of respect.

Could remembering a name be a big priority in order to show respect? Or is forgetting someones name a big show of disrespect?

Respect....Hi Honey can i have some more money, mine gone

Disrespect....you, you, yo you....cheap charlie!!!!! you owe me

My wife NEVER forgets to lend me the car, when the tank is empty....amazing memory

Oddly enough I was in Chiang Mai in December and stopped by a Net Cafe to scan a copy of a letter for work. I had been there before a long time ago thats how I knew it was there. But to my supprise the guy knew me by name and asked me if I wanted him to go get me a Leo while I do my invoice. (what I was there for lasttime and he got me a Leo as well) That blew my mind.

That's a prime example of what I'm talking about

That man must have seen thousands of other customers going through his shop, how the hell did he remember that?

I have a hypothesis.

Thai culture is big about symbolic showing of respect.

Could remembering a name be a big priority in order to show respect? Or is forgetting someones name a big show of disrespect?

It's a fair hypothesis, the question would then be, what is the technique they use to hang the name against the person?

I have a hypothesis.

Thai culture is big about symbolic showing of respect.

Could remembering a name be a big priority in order to show respect? Or is forgetting someones name a big show of disrespect?

It's a fair hypothesis, the question would then be, what is the technique they use to hang the name against the person?

Here is another wrinkle. I know lots of Thai people people who can't remember my name.

For example in my building the administrative staff have a lot of trouble remembering my room number and name after years and years of paying bills etc.

Is it just a selection bias of remembering the ones that can remember?

I think people tend to remember remarkable people such as ones they are physically attracted to or valuable customers etc.. So they replay the name in their heads many times to prevent memory loss.

Edited April 7, 201313 yr by CobraSnakeNecktie

There is a rule of thumb that memory is made of unusual or important events, that's how we can recall falling off our bike when we were 6 years old but we can't recall what we had for dinner last Tuesday.

Your point stands though, my final year primary school teacher always said that "forgetting was being too lazy to remember", it may well be those admin staff fall in to that category. On the other hand, if you were in the habit of using a certain bar and the staff kept forgetting your name you would end up feeling miffed.

My headmaster told my dad, ''Academically he is useless, BUT, put a tool in his hand and he will do the job'', well l hated my headmaster but gawd did he know his stuff.

A few years ago, I was walking with a friend down 2nd Rd Pattaya. A girl came up to my friend and says

"Hello XXXX, how are you, you forget me already"

My friend um'd and aw'd, but had no idea who she was. She then told him that she meet him before when he walked through Mike's Mall with his GF at the time, who introduced him to her. This was three years before, they met once for less than 30 seconds and she remembered him by name

My headmaster told my dad, ''Academically he is useless, BUT, put a tool in his hand and he will do the job'', well l hated my headmaster but gawd did he know his stuff.

Which tool?

Anyway, there's too much concentration on academia in schools, vocational training should be brought back to the fore. It was the one way of maintaining the interest of the less academically gifted who like you, were gifted with their hands.

I do think boredom is a source of a lot of problems in schools.

My headmaster told my dad, ''Academically he is useless, BUT, put a tool in his hand and he will do the job'', well l hated my headmaster but gawd did he know his stuff.

Which tool?

Anyway, there's too much concentration on academia in schools, vocational training should be brought back to the fore. It was the one way of maintaining the interest of the less academically gifted who like you, were gifted with their hands.

I do think boredom is a source of a lot of problems in schools.

Nooooooooooo, l am brain dead, really. But l can fix a carb, build a V8.

So what is your wife's real name then Transam?

That's you stumped now

So what is your wife's real name then Transam?

That's you stumped now

Ooooooooooooow shit, hmmmmmmmmmm, brian, eeeeeeeeer no that was on her phone. Hmmmmmmmmmm, ah yes, Naphaporn, never used, perhaps the porn thing . She is affectionately called Pook by everyone, l call her Nap.

My ex was called Saowaluck, which apparently means alive? Seems to be a bit lazy on the part of her Dad just calling her that.

I just remembered my wifes real name, after all this time...."avachat" !!!! during the day, and "Turndatcrapoff" at night watching the tele.

But she does remember when i like to have dinner....

Be thankful for small mercies Transam

She just done it again....I can hear the ice going into the glass....what a memory!!!

At supermarkets, they don't give them their valuepoints card but reel off the 15 digit number.

From a people who need to remove their socks to add 5 plus 7 it strikes me as amazing.

My Mrs remembered 200 bht I borrowed 2 months back. .........................

Mine has forgotten the 200 baht she borrowed yesterday.

The difference between a bank ATM and walking ATM!

Sent from my GT-P6200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I've found that many Thais can remember my name even though they are brief acquaintances from years ago, or maybe I've never even talked to them but they know of me through 3rd parties etc. Can be a bit alarming at times.

Equally as bizarre is that my wife rarely ever refers to any of her friends or family by name, but will always say my friend from school, or my friend from Chumpon, or Aunty/uncle/sister etc. when it could really be some distant cousin or even just a friend of the family. I know she is just referring to the pi/lung/nong/yai etc,. method of referring to people by their age range.....but when asked the specific name of the relation, she is usually stumped and will say something like "my mum's younger sister's oldest daughter".

Go figure!! Maybe the name recognition only applies to Westerners as somebody else in the thread pointed out.

I've found that many Thais can remember my name even though they are brief acquaintances from years ago, or maybe I've never even talked to them but they know of me through 3rd parties etc. Can be a bit alarming at times.

Equally as bizarre is that my wife rarely ever refers to any of her friends or family by name, but will always say my friend from school, or my friend from Chumpon, or Aunty/uncle/sister etc. when it could really be some distant cousin or even just a friend of the family. I know she is just referring to the pi/lung/nong/yai etc,. method of referring to people by their age range.....but when asked the specific name of the relation, she is usually stumped and will say something like "my mum's younger sister's oldest daughter".

Go figure!! Maybe the name recognition only applies to Westerners as somebody else in the thread pointed out.

Very true......it's an interesting phenomena, one that most of us seem to have noticed. Very intriguing.

Be thankful for small mercies Transam

That reminds me of a ZZ Top song.