My girlfriend was struggling to divide 2 by 5

[maddas]

I did, she said 2/5 is 2/5.

2 divided by 5 is indeed 2/5 if your asked to represent 2/5 as a decimal?

its not only thailand, in oz the old power failure had a deli chick stuffed as she couldnt even use the calculator, 2 sandwiches @ $2.50 and I had to tell her how much

[andrewrooney]

No western music before 2006? I kinda doubt that. Try playing some Cranberries or some Eagles, I bet she'll recognize it.

The question, OP, is how much Thai music made before 2006 you would know if the shoe was on the other foot?

[canman]

I know some blonde girls in my home country that could not even explain why 2 + 2 is 4 . I think this is a world wide problem .

Indeed.

There are people back home who can't do basic maths and have no common sense or general knowledge too.

Someone I know said / did the following....

When asked to point to the UK on the map of the world pointed at France.

When asked to point to Europe pointed to Africa.

Asked if Scarborough was in Spain

Asked who Al Queda were and what they did

Asked if India was the capital of Pakistan

Those are just things I can remember of the top of my head. She has a uni degree. Studying to be a teacher at the moment.

Some people I see using a calculator for basic sums but back home they have tills that tell them the total and what change to give and I guarantee most of the staff couldn't work it out in their head so I don't see why it's a big deal.

Worrying slightly when it's 10B + 10B and you've given a 50B note maybe.

Not everyone uses a calculator. Most of the street food vendors round here can count quick as a flash and don't make mistakes with change.

A lot of the Thai's I know personally are quite well aware of what's going on in the world and current events.

I don't see how I can expect them to be able to name members of The Beatles or other bands born before their time, in other countries, that they were never interested in or listened to.

When asked to point to the UK on the map of the world pointed at France.

When asked to point to Europe pointed to Africa.

Asked if Scarborough was in Spain

Asked who Al Queda were and what they did

Asked if India was the capital of Pakistan

Not having a go at americans here but I could easily see the same result happening if you asked these questions in America. It's nothing to do with inteligence, simply to do with what has been taught and what news feeds you are fed.

[buck99]

After living in the Philippines for 3 years, I find common knowledge to be at a far higher level in Thailand. The Filipina takes pride in telling you that she is "simple". Knowledge is not valued there like it is in the West. I had a Filipina g/f that graduated at the top of the class from the University of Cebu in Accounting. Yet she struggled to solve "what is 10% of 100". When I questioned her about it, she said it was a difficult equation with out a calculator.

[harrry]

Must confess , the shop I buy beer at 40bht a bottle, 5 at a time, 200 bht. Done so for years. Still they use the calculator at all my purchases.

You would think that with that happening twice a day they would have learned by now.

[benalibina]

Another Thai bashing thread - how terribly original.....

Another basher bashing the bashers - how terribly original......

How much is 50-49 ?

[WitawatWatawit]

I know some blonde girls in my home country that could not even explain why 2 + 2 is 4 . I think this is a world wide problem .

Indeed.

There are people back home who can't do basic maths and have no common sense or general knowledge too.

Someone I know said / did the following....

When asked to point to the UK on the map of the world pointed at France.

When asked to point to Europe pointed to Africa.

Asked if Scarborough was in Spain

Asked who Al Queda were and what they did

Asked if India was the capital of Pakistan

Those are just things I can remember of the top of my head. She has a uni degree. Studying to be a teacher at the moment.

Some people I see using a calculator for basic sums but back home they have tills that tell them the total and what change to give and I guarantee most of the staff couldn't work it out in their head so I don't see why it's a big deal.

Worrying slightly when it's 10B + 10B and you've given a 50B note maybe.

Not everyone uses a calculator. Most of the street food vendors round here can count quick as a flash and don't make mistakes with change.

A lot of the Thai's I know personally are quite well aware of what's going on in the world and current events.

I don't see how I can expect them to be able to name members of The Beatles or other bands born before their time, in other countries, that they were never interested in or listened to.

When asked to point to the UK on the map of the world pointed at France.

When asked to point to Europe pointed to Africa.

Asked if Scarborough was in Spain

Asked who Al Queda were and what they did

Asked if India was the capital of Pakistan

Not having a go at americans here but I could easily see the same result happening if you asked these questions in America. It's nothing to do with inteligence, simply to do with what has been taught and what news feeds you are fed.

Check Google or YouTube for videos (street interviews) on "dumb Americans, "dumb Aussies", dumb Brits" - in fact "dumb any nationality". You'll puff out your chest with pride about how smart you are, and immediately send in your application for a TV quiz show. In one vid I saw, Americans in New York were asked street questions. Several had no idea what "ground zero" was. In an Aussie one, a world map was shown with the word Iran on (I think) PNG. You can guess what happened. Have fun with the vids.

[historyprof]

I have been here for 34 years and I cannot count how many farangs I have met that lost everything to such stupid girls, they lost their house, car, money, property etc... Now can you tell me who cannot count, the girls or those men?

How high can you count?

[canman]

I have been here for 34 years and I cannot count how many farangs I have met that lost everything to such stupid girls, they lost their house, car, money, property etc... Now can you tell me who cannot count, the girls or those men?

I have met plenty of expats who have told me stories about guys losing everything to "such stupid" girls but I have never actually met anyone to whom this has actually happened.

[transam]

I have been here for 34 years and I cannot count how many farangs I have met that lost everything to such stupid girls, they lost their house, car, money, property etc... Now can you tell me who cannot count, the girls or those men?

I have met plenty of expats who have told me stories about guys losing everything to "such stupid" girls but I have never actually met anyone to whom this has actually happened.

I have.

[hanno]

Thai-bashing is of course a popular pastime for quite a few posters on TV. However, to ridicule the girl friend on a public forum must be a new low. I hope she reads your post and has enough sense to dump you.

[breadbin]

Divide 2 by 5 = ???

Op answer please

[transam]

Divide 2 by 5 = ???

Op answer please

eeeeeeeeeeeeeer, hmmmmmmmm, now let me see,, this over that, take away this, then, eeeeeeeeeeeer............go for a beer. .............

[1Ping1]

Well said Mr worldwide. My wife has a masters in economics. I can run numbers through my head faster than she can in a calculator. Do I care........hell no.......

[1Ping1]

Well said Mr worldwide. My wife has a masters in economics. I can run numbers through my head faster than she can in a calculator. Do I care........hell no.......

[1Ping1]

Well said Mr worldwide. My wife has a masters in economics. I can run numbers through my head faster than she can in a calculator. Do I care........hell no.......

[transam]

Well said Mr worldwide. My wife has a masters in economics. I can run numbers through my head faster than she can in a calculator. Do I care........hell no.......

How did she get the masters.

[jocko]

My ex wife had a degree from Thailand and a Masters from Australia but didn't know who Shakespeare, Bill Clinton or the Rolling Stones were. She sparked up when I said the Beatles but could not tell me a song or member of the band but she said she had heard the name. Btw she is 40 years old.

 

Thais are told from day one that everything they need is in Thailand and everything that is good comes from Thailand and are not taught or encouraged to look outside Thailand, so I suppose it is hardly suprising that they have no knowledge of popular culture from the West. That doesn't explain how " I wanna be a billionaire" assualts my ears everytime I go out though!!.

 

When I was teaching 74% of my group students (all adult learners) some of whom worked at GM thought the car was invented in Thailand.

 

on a lighter note:

I recently went into a 7/11 and bought 3 packets of sweets at 10 baht a packet. The girl worked it out on a calculator. I gave 40 baht and..... well you know the rest.

 

 

You mean like all those Australians who think Holden and Ford are Australian owned?

Back in the 70s I was working on a job in Newbury in England I was staying in a B&B and there was a young Ozzie guy staying there we would go out for a few beers most nights now this lad was car mad and he was always talking about Australian motors and there engine size which he used to quote in cubic inches well I have to admit I had no idea what he was talking about as far as I was concerned it was all CCs I didn't know anything else .

So there you go.

@ Transam sorry to let the side down I could have done with you being there.

[masuk]

The bit about Thais thinking the car was invented in Thailand, reminds me when I was interviewing a student about to join our English school.

We had to determine what level they should start at, and one of the questions was; "what books have you read". The usual answer in the under-20s was "I only read comics". This guy was in his early 20s, and proudly told me he'd only ever read the Quoran, as that was all he needed. As an aside, he said he hated Western things and never used them.

I then stood up, asked him for his mobile phone, then turned off the air con and the lights. A voice in the dark said 'what did you do that for?"

Of course, I told him that these things were all Western inventions so we'd best not have them on.

Some folk have no imagination!!

[Sharp]

I was on a flight that landed in BBK a long time ago and departing the aeroplane walking down the steps the ground staff asked Taipei as it was a connection flight , sweet as a nut the Thai girl says 'No Falang Pay'

Never forgot it still kills me today...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[StreetCowboy]

Divide 2 by 5 = ???

Op answer please

I suppose it depends on what you were dividing. Since he's used integer numbers, I'm guessing it was something discrete, like crystal vases or automobiles in which case you be left with eff-all if you divided them by five.

Arithmetic is only helpful insofar as it relates to the real world...

SC

[harrry]

Divide 2 by 5 = ???

Op answer please

I suppose it depends on what you were dividing. Since he's used integer numbers, I'm guessing it was something discrete, like crystal vases or automobiles in which case you be left with eff-all if you divided them by five.

Arithmetic is only helpful insofar as it relates to the real world...

SC

vases easy you can allways drop them first before working it out,

[Stradavarius37]

Another Thai bashing thread - how terribly original.....

Another basher bashing the bashers - how terribly original......

How much is 50-49 ?

Defending the indefensible makes you look like a tool btw...

[brewsterbudgen]

If the OP really believes that Thais are any more stupid than Brits, Americans, Australians or any other nation he's not the brightest spark himself. I wonder why his girlfriend stays with him?

[gavin310]

So when you went on the first couple dates with this girl you didn't catch on that she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed? You're her boyfriend for god sake. Sounds like your interview process is what's letting these dimwits through.

[benalibina]

Another Thai bashing thread - how terribly original.....

Another basher bashing the bashers - how terribly original......

How much is 50-49 ?

Defending the indefensible makes you look like a tool btw...

That makes 2 of us then ?

[chiang mai]

Perhaps the OP should devise an IQ test to aid in the future selection of his girlfriends, should he decide to marry an advanced series of tests would be required, obviously!

[benalibina]

Perhaps the OP should devise an IQ test to aid in the future selection of his girlfriends, should he decide to marry an advanced series of tests would be required, obviously!

And to get 100% sure she is honest, a lie detectortest to finish it with.

[transam]

Perhaps the OP should devise an IQ test to aid in the future selection of his girlfriends, should he decide to marry an advanced series of tests would be required, obviously!

And to get 100% sure she is honest, a lie detectortest to finish it with.

...................

[Stradavarius37]

Another Thai bashing thread - how terribly original.....

Another basher bashing the bashers - how terribly original......

How much is 50-49 ?

Defending the indefensible makes you look like a tool btw...

That makes 2 of us then ?

Only if you eat the way you talk.