Isaan People Vs. The Rest Of Thai's?

[swissie]

This could easily turn into a 2 page opening comment, but I have no intension of putting anyone through such an ordeal. So I try do do this Telegram-Style.

Old buddy of mine, living in the Isaan for the last 6 years, finally has managed to visit me. = I live only a short distance from the Myanmar border, 45 km from Ratchabury.

He stayed 2 weeks and had the following to say: (Telegram-Style).

- The countryside is absolutely beautiful.

- But the Thai's here have a "stiff upper lip" (an introverted kind of people). He found the Thai-Female population here as "unapproachable and arrogant and not pretty at all". The fact, that there is no "house of ill-repute" to be found within a radius of 50 km and the few local Karaoke-Singers, asking 2000 Bht for "minimal-entertainement" did not improve his overall mood.

As far as this is concerned he offered a theory: Inevitably, border regions will mix over the centuries and this border mix Myanmar/Thai has produced this particular sort of ethnic group that is (according to him) so much different ( and extends from Bankkok through central Thailand all the way up north) to the border-mix of Thailand/Cambodia/Laos that emerged over the centuries. According to him: No comparison as far as people and their attitude is concerned!

Well, this is one man's opinion. I myself haven't travelled the Isaan enough to make any comparisons and be the judge of it. But maybe I could get a "second-opinion" by someone, that has been in the many parts of Thailand and had the chance to discover "differences" among Thai's, depending on where they live.

Thanks & cheers.

[IsaanAussie]

OK I'll bite. But from a different perspective. I live in Isaan in Sisaket to be exact, which has historically been one of the poorer provinces. When I first came to Thailand I would probably have agreed with your friends generalisation whilst I lived in Bangkok. But having lived here for some years and seen the province change so radically I think the free and easy spirit that Isaan women have for years been famous for will change quite soon. Venturing out to a free and easy lifestyle out of economic necessity is now not so mandatory. Now with better education and opportunities the destinations are changing.

[rgs2001uk]

Your old buddy sounds like a CC farang who couldnt get laid.

Chooses to live in the most impoverished part of Thailand where many have no choice but to be approachable.

Is he married to a local?

[Michael S]

I have never been to the North, but many times in the Isaan region. I found that I get a lot more attention in the Isaan region, than say Bangkok or any tourist region. I like to believe it is because farangs are much rarer to find there, although this may have changed in recent years.

OK I'll bite. But from a different perspective. I live in Isaan in Sisaket to be exact, which has historically been one of the poorer provinces. When I first came to Thailand I would probably have agreed with your friends generalisation whilst I lived in Bangkok. But having lived here for some years and seen the province change so radically I think the free and easy spirit that Isaan women have for years been famous for will change quite soon. Venturing out to a free and easy lifestyle out of economic necessity is now not so mandatory. Now with better education and opportunities the destinations are changing.

I met an Aussie a few years ago when I was in Sisaket. Do you happen to be Ray?

[SICHONSTEVE]

OK I'll bite. But from a different perspective. I live in Isaan in Sisaket to be exact, which has historically been one of the poorer provinces. When I first came to Thailand I would probably have agreed with your friends generalisation whilst I lived in Bangkok. But having lived here for some years and seen the province change so radically I think the free and easy spirit that Isaan women have for years been famous for will change quite soon. Venturing out to a free and easy lifestyle out of economic necessity is now not so mandatory. Now with better education and opportunities the destinations are changing.

Better education??? You mean they are educated in issan!! If so, why are they so stupid and gullible - and any farangs living there seem to get sucked into it all thinking that Thaksin is god and Pheu Thai is the answer to Thailand's problems.

I won't go on as you are probably getting the message regards my thinking on all things Issan!!

[Pinot]

You've lived in Issan for 6 years and someone who visited you has these comments. They're obviously naive. Is this what you think?

This doesn't deserve a second opinion. You should get out more often.

[Baerboxer]

OK I'll bite. But from a different perspective. I live in Isaan in Sisaket to be exact, which has historically been one of the poorer provinces. When I first came to Thailand I would probably have agreed with your friends generalisation whilst I lived in Bangkok. But having lived here for some years and seen the province change so radically I think the free and easy spirit that Isaan women have for years been famous for will change quite soon. Venturing out to a free and easy lifestyle out of economic necessity is now not so mandatory. Now with better education and opportunities the destinations are changing.

Better education??? You mean they are educated in issan!! If so, why are they so stupid and gullible - and any farangs living there seem to get sucked into it all thinking that Thaksin is god and Pheu Thai is the answer to Thailand's problems.

I won't go on as you are probably getting the message regards my thinking on all things Issan!!

Yes - I know many Issan people who have both bachelor and master's degrees, and are intelligent as well educated. I also know many seemingly well educated farang who are arogant, and do not demonstrate any intelligence other than opinionated comment. But I try not to stereotype.

Lot's of people in other countries are conned by plausible politicians - Blair, Brown Bush, spring to mind. But of cause asstute geniuses see through all this.

Don't people in other parts of Thailand support PTP - Chiang Mai perhaps for example?

Edited April 15, 2013 by Baerboxer

[Billmont]

I don't know who this Taksin person is but he has a lot to answer for as far as I am concerned. No matter what subject is broached somebody will mention Taksin, perhaps it is a Thai word that I do not understand and just means "Cool" "Happy" "Unhappy" "Like" "Dislike" and can be used in a multitude of situations, it seems in fact in every situation. I have tried looking the word up for a translation but without success. Someone suggested it means the user of this word has a unnatural obsession which is deemed to be very unhealthy. I looked up unnatural obsession and I think I got the answer. Wow! I am enlightened!

[ccarbaugh]

"But maybe I could get a "second-opinion" by someone,

that has been in the many parts of Thailand and had the chance

to discover "differences" among Thai's,

depending on where they live."

Been to many parts of Thailand (and around the world,)

and have learned to form "opinions" of others based

on individual characteristics- not generalizations based

on nationalities, geography, gender, religion, etc.

[SICHONSTEVE]

OK I'll bite. But from a different perspective. I live in Isaan in Sisaket to be exact, which has historically been one of the poorer provinces. When I first came to Thailand I would probably have agreed with your friends generalisation whilst I lived in Bangkok. But having lived here for some years and seen the province change so radically I think the free and easy spirit that Isaan women have for years been famous for will change quite soon. Venturing out to a free and easy lifestyle out of economic necessity is now not so mandatory. Now with better education and opportunities the destinations are changing.

Better education??? You mean they are educated in issan!! If so, why are they so stupid and gullible - and any farangs living there seem to get sucked into it all thinking that Thaksin is god and Pheu Thai is the answer to Thailand's problems.

I won't go on as you are probably getting the message regards my thinking on all things Issan!!

Yes - I know many Issan people who have both bachelor and master's degrees, and are intelligent as well educated. I also know many seemingly well educated farang who are arogant, and do not demonstrate any intelligence other than opinionated comment. But I try not to stereotype.

Lot's of people in other countries are conned by plausible politicians - Blair, Brown Bush, spring to mind. But of cause asstute geniuses see through all this.

Don't people in other parts of Thailand support PTP - Chiang Mai perhaps for example?

A good retort!! You raise some fair points here.

[glegolo]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

[SICHONSTEVE]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

[glegolo]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

My friend you cant assume anything based on my post. But all what I write is stupid prejudice, and so is also the post who descibe people from isaan that way... We are all individuell people and should be judged after that.

Glegolo

ps. i am swedish...

[SICHONSTEVE]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

My friend you cant assume anything based on my post. But all what I write is stupid prejudice, and so is also the post who descibe people from isaan that way... We are all individuell people and should be judged after that.

Glegolo

ps. i am swedish...

I wasn't commenting on your nationality - just inferring that it seemed as if you were describing Americans in your post.

Yes, we are all individuals but the people from Isaan are collectively Isaan people and exhibit irrational thinking (accepted, this is to do with the fact that a majority are poorly educated, but all the same, it doesn't alter the fact).

I too live in a country town well away from the touristy areas in the mid-South of Thailand and can see that the people there are, on the whole and even if they are poor, more understanding of the goings on in Thailand.

Apart from the fruit sellers and market traders they can see through Thaksin and Pheu Thai and tend to be Democrat voters as they know that this bunch of wasters will be disastrous for Thailand's future.

If only the people of Isaan realised this and stopped blindly following someone who has got rich by 'raping' the country at their expense and then using them as pawns in his war then we would all be better off!!!

[glegolo]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

My friend you cant assume anything based on my post. But all what I write is stupid prejudice, and so is also the post who descibe people from isaan that way... We are all individuell people and should be judged after that.

Glegolo

ps. i am swedish...

I wasn't commenting on your nationality - just inferring that it seemed as if you were describing Americans in your post.

Yes, we are all individuals but the people from Isaan are collectively Isaan people and exhibit irrational thinking (accepted, this is to do with the fact that a majority are poorly educated, but all the same, it doesn't alter the fact).

I too live in a country town well away from the touristy areas in the mid-South of Thailand and can see that the people there are, on the whole and even if they are poor, more understanding of the goings on in Thailand.

Apart from the fruit sellers and market traders they can see through Thaksin and Pheu Thai and tend to be Democrat voters as they know that this bunch of wasters will be disastrous for Thailand's future.

If only the people of Isaan realised this and stopped blindly following someone who has got rich by 'raping' the country at their expense and then using them as pawns in his war then we would all be better off!!!

After reading your post I am not afraid to say that maybe my first post wasn´t that "stupid prejudice"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are putting a big part of Thailand together (Isaan), brand them and tell the rest of us that they are wrong!!!

I think that it might be a problem for you to learn about Thailand and Isaan, sitting in your livingroom watching TV, or sitting in the pub talking to your friends down south.. You will never understand or learn about Isaan that way.

I live here and I find the original post about that guy talking about Isaan to be completely stupid and ignorant. My God shall I bunch all you englishman together and call you drunks, all you australians crocodilehunters, all you South-Africans apartheidlovers or what??? isaan is like 30% or maybe even more of Thailand with lots of millions of people living here. You will find that here are living people in all social classes from down to bottom, and you will find the full scale of social behavior here....

Just let it go,,,,,, you do not know.. Come up here, and learn......

Glegolo

[chuckd]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

My friend you cant assume anything based on my post. But all what I write is stupid prejudice, and so is also the post who descibe people from isaan that way... We are all individuell people and should be judged after that.

Glegolo

ps. i am swedish...

I wasn't commenting on your nationality - just inferring that it seemed as if you were describing Americans in your post.

Yes, we are all individuals but the people from Isaan are collectively Isaan people and exhibit irrational thinking (accepted, this is to do with the fact that a majority are poorly educated, but all the same, it doesn't alter the fact).

I too live in a country town well away from the touristy areas in the mid-South of Thailand and can see that the people there are, on the whole and even if they are poor, more understanding of the goings on in Thailand.

Apart from the fruit sellers and market traders they can see through Thaksin and Pheu Thai and tend to be Democrat voters as they know that this bunch of wasters will be disastrous for Thailand's future.

If only the people of Isaan realised this and stopped blindly following someone who has got rich by 'raping' the country at their expense and then using them as pawns in his war then we would all be better off!!!

So your argument isn't really that Isaan people are more or less ignorant than other Thais, it is because you don't approve of Thaksin or his politics, so his Isaan supporters must, by association, be ignorant.

I have lived in Isaan for the last five years and in Pattaya for many years before that. The Thais in the south are no better or smarter than the ones in Isaan.

I am American so your reference to Yanks is as silly as the rest of your hypothesis.

[glegolo]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

My friend you cant assume anything based on my post. But all what I write is stupid prejudice, and so is also the post who descibe people from isaan that way... We are all individuell people and should be judged after that.

Glegolo

ps. i am swedish...

I wasn't commenting on your nationality - just inferring that it seemed as if you were describing Americans in your post.

Yes, we are all individuals but the people from Isaan are collectively Isaan people and exhibit irrational thinking (accepted, this is to do with the fact that a majority are poorly educated, but all the same, it doesn't alter the fact).

I too live in a country town well away from the touristy areas in the mid-South of Thailand and can see that the people there are, on the whole and even if they are poor, more understanding of the goings on in Thailand.

Apart from the fruit sellers and market traders they can see through Thaksin and Pheu Thai and tend to be Democrat voters as they know that this bunch of wasters will be disastrous for Thailand's future.

If only the people of Isaan realised this and stopped blindly following someone who has got rich by 'raping' the country at their expense and then using them as pawns in his war then we would all be better off!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So your argument isn't really that Isaan people are more or less ignorant than other Thais, it is because you don't approve of Thaksin or his politics, so his Isaan supporters must, by association, be ignorant.

I have lived in Isaan for the last five years and in Pattaya for many years before that. The Thais in the south are no better or smarter than the ones in Isaan.

I am American so your reference to Yanks is as silly as the rest of your hypothesis.

I believe that you are "talking" to me, Glegolo? I cant really see that you and me have different opinions... We are actually saying exactly the very same thing about the isaan people..... If you are NOT talking to me, maybe you should be quoting the other guys......

My reference to yanks PLUS the rest of the englishspoken world I was talking about was pure ironi,, didn´t you get that????

Glegolo

Edited April 16, 2013 by glegolo

[MobileContent]

Putting all of the Isaan people's as stupid really means that the posters that look down on Isaan never really have lived here in Isaan. I have met many people's from Isaan that are highly educated, fluent in English, French, Chinese or Japanese and no they did not worked or came out of the bars.

A large number of farmers seems to be voting for the PTP but the same can be said in the United States were most farmers seems to be voting for the Republicans which is even worse for me then the PTP.

To one poster that praises the Democrats here in Thailand, he seems to have forgotten that the Democrats are not the same party as 20 years ago when Chuan Lekpai and Surin Pitsuwan and both had a very good and honest reputation but over the years the Democrats always ignored the Isaan region. Abhisit seems to me a good state-leader but he took the wrong people's on board such as Suthep and his group.

The political climate in Thailand are family dynasties such as the Lekpai, Banharn, Newin, Shinawatra and the late Chatchai families. Banharn and Chatchai had a large number of voters and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Newin Chidlob got a large chunk of the Isaan vote all the time so with the voters backing Banharn, Chatchai (who passed away already), Chavalit and Newin they are always able to beat the Democrats.

What Thaksin did was only merging the four political groups into one group but many people's in the North and Northeast left the Newin group and voted PTP.

It doesn't really matter who is in power in Thailand as the results are most of the time the same.

All in all it is not our business for who the Thai's vote as we are guests in the country. I lived several years in Malaysia and didn't liked UMNO or in Singapore the PAP but if politics got to much in my head I could always chose to leave those countries.

I am happy here in Isaan and would not want to change to some of those farang ghettos in Phuket, Samui or Pattaya.

Correction: The Shinawatra family is very new in the political landscape but they have a fair understanding of the North and Northeast of Thailand which the Democrats ignored for to long.

This is only my 2 cents.

[bergen]

Putting all of the Isaan people's as stupid really means that the posters that look down on Isaan never really have lived here in Isaan. I have met many people's from Isaan that are highly educated, fluent in English, French, Chinese or Japanese and no they did not worked or came out of the bars.

A large number of farmers seems to be voting for the PTP but the same can be said in the United States were most farmers seems to be voting for the Republicans which is even worse for me then the PTP.

To one poster that praises the Democrats here in Thailand, he seems to have forgotten that the Democrats are not the same party as 20 years ago when Chuan Lekpai and Surin Pitsuwan and both had a very good and honest reputation but over the years the Democrats always ignored the Isaan region. Abhisit seems to me a good state-leader but he took the wrong people's on board such as Suthep and his group.

The political climate in Thailand are family dynasties such as the Lekpai, Banharn, Newin, Shinawatra and the late Chatchai families. Banharn and Chatchai had a large number of voters and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Newin Chidlob got a large chunk of the Isaan vote all the time so with the voters backing Banharn, Chatchai (who passed away already), Chavalit and Newin they are always able to beat the Democrats.

What Thaksin did was only merging the four political groups into one group but many people's in the North and Northeast left the Newin group and voted PTP.

It doesn't really matter who is in power in Thailand as the results are most of the time the same.

All in all it is not our business for who the Thai's vote as we are guests in the country. I lived several years in Malaysia and didn't liked UMNO or in Singapore the PAP but if politics got to much in my head I could always chose to leave those countries.

I am happy here in Isaan and would not want to change to some of those farang ghettos in Phuket, Samui or Pattaya.

Correction: The Shinawatra family is very new in the political landscape but they have a fair understanding of the North and Northeast of Thailand which the Democrats ignored for to long.

This is only my 2 cents.

and quite a good 2 cents!

[chuckd]

Thailand is full of englishspoken people, that is living down in the touristghettos along the coastline. They never come "out" and learn about the country they live in, and they all think that Thailand is similar to London, New York, Sydney, Durban and Wellington. They do not now where Schwitzerland, Austria, Sweden and Albania is situated, and they have a hard time learning and pronouncing words in thai because they have that english language as a base... Their mouth is just not functional to learn anything new languagewise....

This above is also prejudice as well at that crap I read about people that do not SEE anything when they enter Thailand....So much nonse about isaan, my God the last idiot is not yet born...

Glegolo

I hope and assume that you are referring to Americans here!! If you are then I can understand where you are coming from.

My friend you cant assume anything based on my post. But all what I write is stupid prejudice, and so is also the post who descibe people from isaan that way... We are all individuell people and should be judged after that.

Glegolo

ps. i am swedish...

I wasn't commenting on your nationality - just inferring that it seemed as if you were describing Americans in your post.

Yes, we are all individuals but the people from Isaan are collectively Isaan people and exhibit irrational thinking (accepted, this is to do with the fact that a majority are poorly educated, but all the same, it doesn't alter the fact).

I too live in a country town well away from the touristy areas in the mid-South of Thailand and can see that the people there are, on the whole and even if they are poor, more understanding of the goings on in Thailand.

Apart from the fruit sellers and market traders they can see through Thaksin and Pheu Thai and tend to be Democrat voters as they know that this bunch of wasters will be disastrous for Thailand's future.

If only the people of Isaan realised this and stopped blindly following someone who has got rich by 'raping' the country at their expense and then using them as pawns in his war then we would all be better off!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So your argument isn't really that Isaan people are more or less ignorant than other Thais, it is because you don't approve of Thaksin or his politics, so his Isaan supporters must, by association, be ignorant.

I have lived in Isaan for the last five years and in Pattaya for many years before that. The Thais in the south are no better or smarter than the ones in Isaan.

I am American so your reference to Yanks is as silly as the rest of your hypothesis.

I believe that you are "talking" to me, Glegolo? I cant really see that you and me have different opinions... We are actually saying exactly the very same thing about the isaan people..... If you are NOT talking to me, maybe you should be quoting the other guys......

My reference to yanks PLUS the rest of the englishspoken world I was talking about was pure ironi,, didn´t you get that????

Glegolo

No, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to the post I quoted which immediately preceded my comment.

[SantiSuk]

Everyone who responded seemed to miss the point of your ironic posting about falangs on the south coast, Glegolo.

All Thai Visa members are stupid, other than you and me.

[Wait for the outrage - we will see that unfortunately irony does not work well in the written form]

[SICHONSTEVE]

Everyone who responded seemed to miss the point of your ironic posting about falangs on the south coast, Glegolo.

All Thai Visa members are stupid, other than you and me.

[Wait for the outrage - we will see that unfortunately irony does not work well in the written form]

Have you always been this delusional??

Dare I ask your nationality!!!.

[SlyAnimal]

This thread has gone off topic and has a few too many negative sweeping generalizations.

So I'm going to close this thread.