Impressions on Violence in Thailand

[ultimate weapon]

A fair fight in this part of the World:

Your photo was from 2010 in Cambodia where the story was," Mob killings are not uncommon in rural Cambodia, where police are often seen as corrupt and villagers take justice into their own hands."

This is not a Cambodian forum. The guys getting beat up were motorcycle thieves.

thanks for explaining it cos the pic poster doesn't want to. I really hate it when ppl post of some interesting incident but there's no back story or information of the happenings or the place and then tries to prove a point which is often bias because it is unsubstantial.

[HeavyDrinker]

One thing that always stands out for me in threads like this is when people say things like 'I feel safer in Thailand than I do in the UK/US/Aus/wherever" but they always fail to either be aware of, or choose to ignore the fact that if, unfortunately, they should get caught up in a violent incident here, the chances of weapons (guns included) being used is around 100% higher here, in fact it's almost a certainty.

Edited December 22, 2013 by HeavyDrinker

[MJP]

One thing that always stands out for me in threads like this is when people say things like 'I feel safer in Thailand than I do in the UK/US/Aus/wherever" but they always fail to either be aware of, or choose to ignore the fact that if, unfortunately, they should get caught up in a violent incident here, the chances of weapons (guns included) being used is around 100% higher here, in fact it's almost a certainty.

It's ignorance. It's all it is. They have no idea whether they're safer or not, no idea where this 'feeling' comes from.

[MJP]

i think a lot of the rubbish shown on Thai soaps makes people think that this is the norm and therefore acceptable.

Pistol whippings, shootings, kidnappings, cops on the take, drug deals, hi-so's in Mercedes above reproach, etc. etc. it's all there in the Thai soaps, impressionable youngsters seem to think it is cool to emulate their heros on tv, and i say that is the root of the problem.

Judging from the number of young Thais (mostly girls) you see emulating the so-called movie stars, talking rudely and LOUD, and making the same exaggerated facial expressions, I would say television definitely has an effect on the behavior.

Sent from my Xoom using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

This is absolutely right.

Rollerblades, mountain bikes, electric and acoustic guitars, tablets, cameras, computers, books, fancy comfortable bedrooms with sofas and silk trees and wall hangings . . . but no television in the house apart from one connected to a DVD player. The aim is to keep the kids active, learning and interested growing up in a stimulating envirionment without being contaminated by television.

It's a policy.

[Ulysses G.]

One thing that always stands out for me in threads like this is when people say things like 'I feel safer in Thailand than I do in the UK/US/Aus/wherever" but they always fail to either be aware of, or choose to ignore the fact that if, unfortunately, they should get caught up in a violent incident here, the chances of weapons (guns included) being used is around 100% higher here, in fact it's almost a certainty.

Apparenty, you have never been to America. There are plenty of violent incidents involving guns,.plenty of violent robberies and plenty of gang violence .

Edited December 22, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[HeavyDrinker]

Apparenty, you have never been to America. There are plenty of violent incidents involving guns,.plenty of violent robberies and plenty of gang violence .

I'll also guess there are plenty there which don't involve guns and weapons. Here there seldom is....

[kikoman]

Apparenty, you have never been to America. There are plenty of violent incidents involving guns,.plenty of violent robberies and plenty of gang violence .

I'll also guess there are plenty there which don't involve guns and weapons. Here there seldom is....

The USA has the most heavily armed civilian population in the world, with a lot of open carry laws and stand your ground laws, one needs only to look at the violence there on you tube.

Thailand does not have near as many guns on the street that other country's have and the knock-out game being played out in the states is a violent attack on unsuspecting victim, that are attacked for no other reason than a kid wanting to have his 2 minutes of fame on you tube!.It could be you ,your mother, your wife, your daughter or Grandmother!

[Kangawallafox]

Working in clubs in Sydney in the past,and going out in clubs there is no comparison whatsoever.

Western youth are seriously screwed up now,the girls are surpassing the men.

Thailand is ok,has it's share but few get picked for no reason.

[bonobo]

It's really really odd that someone would be speaking about violence in thailand when it's the west that glamourizes it. Terminator 2 is a very old movie and it was standard violence for a hollywood movie. How about the rambo movies? All of these are old movies and what about the hip hop songs of today?

What about ppl like chief keef who claims his new album will increase the killing crime spree in his home town of chicago and then try to put a thai equivalent to it?

The violence in western movies is 100x worse and so is the crime in western countries just that these farangs are all blind to it just like how they themselves act when they are racist to thais but take no notice of it but when a thai slights him probably by looking at him wrongly he complains of racism to the skies.

This evening, I walked by the television where my g/f and her nine-year-old niece were watching a soap. A man was beating a woman on the screen. I made some mention of it and was told that it was OK because the character getting beat had slept with the man's sister's husband.

I think there is a big difference between Terminator 2 and Thai soaps depicting violence. Not too many people really think robots from the future are coming to the world today to wreck havoc, just as they don't think Chinese kung <deleted> fighters are going to dance on tree tops fighting or that dragons are wrecking havoc in what used to be London. These are escapism, and while some people could be affected by them, I doubt it is too many.

When Thai soaps depict violence, the characters being played seem more real. They may all be richer than the average Thai, but still, there is more of an air of authenticity to what they do.

I am not asserting that Thai soaps are causing violence. I am just pointing out that comparing the violence depicted in Terminator 2 with what you see on Thai tv is apples and oranges.

[NeverSure]

I'll also guess there are plenty there which don't involve guns and weapons. Here there seldom is....

The USA has the most heavily armed civilian population in the world, with a lot of open carry laws and stand your ground laws, one needs only to look at the violence there on you tube.

Thailand does not have near as many guns on the street that other country's have and the knock-out game being played out in the states is a violent attack on unsuspecting victim, that are attacked for no other reason than a kid wanting to have his 2 minutes of fame on you tube!.It could be you ,your mother, your wife, your daughter or Grandmother!

One thing that always stands out for me in threads like this is when people say things like 'I feel safer in Thailand than I do in the UK/US/Aus/wherever" but they always fail to either be aware of, or choose to ignore the fact that if, unfortunately, they should get caught up in a violent incident here, the chances of weapons (guns included) being used is around 100% higher here, in fact it's almost a certainty.

Apparenty, you have never been to America. There are plenty of violent incidents involving guns,.plenty of violent robberies and plenty of gang violence .

I wish people would post links to credible statistics, rather than just "feelings." I have lived in the US all of my life and have never seen a violent act using a gun. I have seen a couple of fights between drunks at bars but they were just using fists and there was no ganging up. Sure, there's the occasional nutter who gets world wide press, but the the US has the world's 3rd largest population, so more of everything including eating at MacDonald's is likely to happen.

There is a link above from the FBI which shows that violent crime in the US has fallen by at least 1/2 in the past 20 years. Now that I can get into because it's my experience backed by authority. This is despite the huge gun ownership among Americans.

No link, it didn't happen.

[HeavyDrinker]

The USA has the most heavily armed civilian population in the world, with a lot of open carry laws and stand your ground laws, one needs only to look at the violence there on you tube.

Why do people always have to drag 'other countries'' into the mix? This is about Thailand and the violence (or potential for) here. I see guns here on an almost daily basis, and you can not deny any of the points I've raised, namely when there is an violent incident here, it invariably will involve the use of weaponry or mob mentality.

Earlier this year I was talking to a couple of coppers in Pattaya who were on helmet duty near where I was having a few cold ones. It was a Friday afternoon. One of them was down in the mouth as he had been assigned to 3rd and Sukhumwit roads that night, the other had been assigned to 2nd and Beach roads.

The gist of their banter was that one would have an easy night dealing with maybe a few 'Farang incidents" while the other would have to deal with "Thai fights" which they explained simply by saying the former usually involved a few drunks or a small punch up, the latter usually a shooting or a serious incident.

Edited December 22, 2013 by HeavyDrinker

[thailiketoo]

This evening, I walked by the television where my g/f and her nine-year-old niece were watching a soap. A man was beating a woman on the screen. I made some mention of it and was told that it was OK because the character getting beat had slept with the man's sister's husband.

I think there is a big difference between Terminator 2 and Thai soaps depicting violence. Not too many people really think robots from the future are coming to the world today to wreck havoc, just as they don't think Chinese kung <deleted> fighters are going to dance on tree tops fighting or that dragons are wrecking havoc in what used to be London. These are escapism, and while some people could be affected by them, I doubt it is too many.

When Thai soaps depict violence, the characters being played seem more real. They may all be richer than the average Thai, but still, there is more of an air of authenticity to what they do.

I am not asserting that Thai soaps are causing violence. I am just pointing out that comparing the violence depicted in Terminator 2 with what you see on Thai tv is apples and oranges.

Training simulation:' Mass killers often share obsession with violent video games

Since Ramsey’s 1997 rampage, several other mass killers, including Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, have been linked to violent video games. And some experts worry that as the games get more violent and more realistic, so does their power to blur the line between fantasy and reality in alienated gamers.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/12/training-simulation-mass-killers-often-share-obsession-with-violent-video-games/

[Munger]

In my experience as I live in a rural village where violence does not exist, I do go to Nakhon Sawan a lot and at least once a year to Bangkok and Pattaya..

I think you are correct the cameras are all over, as in the Boston bombing how quickly the bombers were ID-ed by looking over the tapes from security cameras. Prior to leaving the state I was driving on a empty New Mexico highway as I came over a rise a police car pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket. I said how are you going to prove I was speeding and he pointed to an airplane overhead that was taping my speeding, "busted".

Also I watch many acts of police brutality and abuse of power in the states on You-tube that were taken by witnesses. I just began reading the Bangkok Post again and yes there is crime in Thailand, I have not seen so much as a street fight since leaving Pattaya. I am glad I do not live in the city!

Cheers

That must be some kind of village you live in ,Whats it called heaven?Do you read the local Thai media outlets where you live?I seem to remember my ex Thai wife who comes from isaan telling me stories about Thai men from one village having a fight with men from another village about a land dispute it was an alcohol induced fight with machetes and fire arms.

Only in 2012 when still married we where invited by close family in Buriram provence because one of the sons was going to be ordained as a monk but a few local drunks wanted to have a go at me because i was a farang and not welcome.

Rape,murder, wife beating etc .... seems to be a daily occurence in said part of the country .You dont get out much do you?

Yup, "kikoman does not get out much, because he is on this forum defending thais 16 hours / day.

What is this the forth or fifth one liner you have left in regards to my pass posts?

If you have something to say to me, "man up" and say it, as I noticed we locked horns on a past post,

For a poster that claims I defends every thing Thai and spend hours on TV, which indicates you have something you want desperately to say to me, Man up and Say it!

Cheers

Cant you read my "fifth one line reply". You spend most of the day (and night) on this forum defending thais, then you dont get out much, do you? Just what is the name of this village (heaven) where you live ?The world would like to know. Man up and speak up , where is this heaven ?

[Bikkii]

One thing that always stands out for me in threads like this is when people say things like 'I feel safer in Thailand than I do in the UK/US/Aus/wherever" but they always fail to either be aware of, or choose to ignore the fact that if, unfortunately, they should get caught up in a violent incident here, the chances of weapons (guns included) being used is around 100% higher here, in fact it's almost a certainty.

It's ignorance. It's all it is. They have no idea whether they're safer or not, no idea where this 'feeling' comes from.

What a stupid couple of posts. Honestly, pull your heads out of your asses.

I for one feel much safer walking through Patong than Kings Cross or Auburn. But then again, unlike you 'heavy drinker' I make friends not enemies.

Is there no guns/knives in the west? Not sure about your country but our deadliest weapon at the moment is the fist. One punch, head on concrete, coma, life support turned off! Weekly occurence.

[Ulysses G.]

I wish people would post links to credible statistics, rather than just "feelings." I have lived in the US all of my life and have never seen a violent act using a gun.

I have - a number of them and with my own eyes. I have never seen one in Thailand. other than on TV. That does not mean that they do not happen, they do, but I feel much safer in Thailand than a big city back home.

[Briggsy]

I mentioned to girlfriend that all the soaps she watches contain regular violent attacks on women, many of them sexual attacks, with an intention to rape. These scenes are frequent, at least one appearing in every episode, if not more. Never are the perpetrators of these attacks hauled before the court and sentenced for assault or attempted rape, etc. I said it was a very poor model for people to be watching, normality is women as the regular victim of violence, men as the perpetrators of such violence and there being no consequence for their actions.

My girlfriend's response, "If you don't like it, don't watch it," or "If you don't like the tv I watch, then keep your opinions to yourself." I feel the conversation went awry.

[Ulysses G.]

My girlfriend's response, "If you don't like it, don't watch it," or "If you don't like the tv I watch, then keep your opinions to yourself."

Your girlfriend sounds like she has a lot of common sense.