Why AreExpats So Stuck Up

[kingstonkid]

Sorry if i offended anyone. I realize that not all are but.

Here is my story. I live in rangsit in a small group of houses with many Expats teachers matter of fact i have 1 n either side of me.

There is a couple around my age and various other teachers.

Here is my question and I have noticed this on the streets in BKk and in malls.

First i am not handsome but not ugly i shave and brush my hair and teeth before I go out and wear good clothes.

However, if You smile and say hi hello to people they seem t look at yu as if you are the scum of the earth and that you are not worthy if they look at you at all.

my issue is that i have ended up isolated.

hence my question

i have even seen 2 teachers that i have been told tech at the same school get in line one behind the other and not even say HI.

WHY ARE EXPATS STUCK UP?

I am looking for real help here so please Trolls GO AWAY

Edited February 2, 2014 by metisdead
Please do not post using all caps. Topic title edited to remove all caps.

[Soutpeel]

You actually many not be far wrong, in my limited dealings with school teacher's in Thailand, they have come across the same way, full of a sense of their own importance, but think of it this way they may think they be big fish, but they are in a very small pond indeed

Edited February 2, 2014 by Soutpeel

[EyesWideOpen]

I am frankly astounded that farang teachers would be giving you attitude. Guess it harks back to

the old saying that the less important you are, the more important you think you are....

[Costas2008]

Yes, I agree with you.

There is something wrong with the teachers.

Generally, they have a chip on their shoulder, stuck up noses, and a superiority complex.

They would criticize you for every mistake you make, and call you illiterate, doesn't matter if English is not your mother language.

Don't know why and how they got the idea that they are superior beings, because in reality they are just ordinary men or women working hard to earn some money to live.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Costas2008

[smokie36]

Smile and enjoy life OP.....best wishes to you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[richard_smith237]

If someone I don't know wants to say Hi to me, I'll think they are a dash weird... That doesn't make me stuck up, it just makes me think you might be a bit of a nut-job...

In quieter area's, small villages etc there may be other reasons, but in a large city such as Bangkok I don't expect strangers of any nationality to say Hi to me and I certainly don't imagine that I'll go around saying Hi to people I don't know.

A counter question may be asked: "Do people think you are weird if you say Hi to strangers and expect a response ?"

[sustento]

Simple. You haven't been introduced. You need to send your butler round with a calling card first.

[kingstonkid]

Thank you for posting. I am feeling a little alone and isolated here in Rangsit if you can believe it.

[Soutpeel]

Yes, I agree with you.

There is something wrong with the teachers.

Generally, they have a chip on their shoulder, stuck up noses, and an inferiority complex.

They would criticize you for every mistake you make, and call you illiterate, doesn't matter if English is not your mother language.

Don't know why and how they got the idea that they are superior beings, because in reality they are just ordinary men or women working hard to earn some money to live.

Is it not to do with the fact a lot of teachers are in fact control freaks, and even when dealing with adults they really believe they are still in class with the children

[transam]

Smile and enjoy life OP.....best wishes to you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yep, dismiss it, keep your smile going and perhaps one day you might meet me and see there can be light at the end of your tunnel.........

[sustento]

Smile and enjoy life OP.....best wishes to you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yep, dismiss it, keep your smile going and perhaps one day you might meet me and see there can be light at the end of your tunnel.........

I'm not sure the OP wants anyone messing around with his tunnel. A simple 'hello' will suffice

[h90]

Well....I didn't want to start it, but I also saw teacher who were full of self importance.

You would believe they are professor for rocket science, but later you know they are from UK (just for example, no UK bashing) and teach English.

I am actually not smiling at other farangs, I am ignoring them. But if one is friendly to me I always be friendly as well smile back or say hello....

[Costas2008]

Soutpeel, on 02 Feb 2014 - 22:55, said:Soutpeel, on 02 Feb 2014 - 22:55, said:

Costas2008, on 02 Feb 2014 - 22:50, said:Costas2008, on 02 Feb 2014 - 22:50, said:

Yes, I agree with you.

There is something wrong with the teachers.

Generally, they have a chip on their shoulder, stuck up noses, and an inferiority complex.

They would criticize you for every mistake you make, and call you illiterate, doesn't matter if English is not your mother language.

Don't know why and how they got the idea that they are superior beings, because in reality they are just ordinary men or women working hard to earn some money to live.

Is it not to do with the fact a lot of teachers are in fact control freaks, and even when dealing with adults they really believe they are still in class with the children

That's a very good explanation, Soutpeel, but I still insist that they should try to change the bad attitude they have towards other people and especially foreigners.

If they carry this attitude in the class, I feel sorry for the kids they are teaching.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Costas2008

[Tmymaimee]

Yes, I see them in the nightclubs….just acting as if they own the world and are doing girls a favour by coming out. When you talk with them, they honestly believe that they can have any girl they want just by looking at her.

Why would you choose to live out in Rangsit? Maybe a reason you feel so isolated is because you are. Is it not an option to move to an area where there are more social activities and things to do?

[Robininbkk]

Thank you for posting. I am feeling a little alone and isolated here in Rangsit if you can believe it.

Why not make friends and aquintances with Thai people?

Why would you even want to be with such arrogant people. I experienced IMHO that farangs, especially caucasians are more stuck up than in their respective home countries. In my home country, it is very normal to greet people with a ''Hi'' or a nod with the head, in public places, even with unfamiliar people. I almost always get a mutual greeting in return, it would be considered weird and impolite if not returning a greet in my home country, that is mostly in all of Europe as far as I know.

[lmfao]

Seen this myself, make's me laugh now, but in fairness it 50/50. I live nearly out in the sticks but I was walking along the road I was happy to see a farang walking towards me as there are not many English speaking people around here, I said hello as we had to walk pass each other he didn't even say hello or say anything, I think a lot of the English Teacher out here are

Then I past a Thai Guy who smiled and he said "where are you going?????"

Edited February 2, 2014 by lmfao

[Beetlejuice]

Sadly the picture you paint of many ex-pats living in Thailand is right on the nail.

A lot of ex-pats are impolite, rude, anti social and some I can only describe as obnoxious and there will not be any ex-pats welcoming the newbies into the country with open arms.

Luckily for me I am already well established here, made my Thai friends and what’s left of my farang friends who haven’t died or moved on many years ago.

But it must be extremely difficult for the newbie’s and far too easy for them to fall into isolation here without any peers to be able to converse with, as many ex-pats are either total loners, only in with their own cliques or the types that prefer only to be socialable in bars as drinking buddies. Then there are the bar and restaurant owners who will befriend their customers to a point providing the customers become regular and spend lots of money in their establishments, or in other words, it`s strictly a business relationship.

My advice to the OP is; do some searching Online, especially on facebook and other social networking sites, as there are quite often groups of ex-pats, of all ages that meet regularly and will welcome new members to their fold. Some of these groups have themes such as; yoga, photography or certain hobbies and others just meet for fun.

I know there are several in Bangkok and in Chiang Mai, but not sure about your area. Don`t delay, do a search today, you maybe pleasantly surprised and then you can pick and choose the type of company that suits you.

Here is one to get you started:

http://www.meetup.com/cities/th/bangkok/

[muchogra]

Please don't blame the teachers. Many expat teachers are here to enjoy Thailand. While here, they need to support themselves!

Perhaps, blame the country for not projecting a good image in the law enforcement arena.

When foreigners get into trouble, there's no one to help them. Invariably, they try not to associate with people they don't know.

Try harder and reach out for them.

[whoisyourdaddy]

From my experience, when a foreigner made contact if was either to ask for money or to ask for money.

On occasion it was to offer some kind of scam.

I do not believe it is about being stuck up, but rather self preservation, as no doubt many have had somewhat bad experiences with some expats.

[StreetCowboy]

In my experience, when people do not want to speak to me, it can be equally attributed to either a defect of my character or theirs, or my prudence or theirs. I make allowances for my own shortcomings, and I would not like to blame my neighbors for my own loneliness

SC

[3NUMBAS]

i know 1 who is very conceited but he was like that back home too ,he claims he won teacher of the year award ,but unconfirmed

in udon thani there is a bunch of these cretins who its best to avoid ,theyre all trouble exemplified

Edited February 2, 2014 by 3NUMBAS

[Tchooptip]

However, if You smile and say hi hello to people they seem t look at yu as if you are the scum of the earth

Most of the time not to say every time if you smile to a Thai people you'll receive a nice smile as an answer so instead of saying hello and smiling to expats say sawat dee krap and smile to the Thais.

[Ajaan]

I have to say that for me, being surprised at and suspicious of a stranger who says "hi" on the street is just part of living in a city of 10 million (and I've spent a good part of my life in large cities in the US as well). It's just a way one becomes "hardened" and builds a wall around oneself living in a large city. Unfortunately, the times I have allowed strangers (in Bangkok), foreign and Thai alike, to engage me in conversation on the street, my suspicions (that they've got a scam going) are usually confirmed. However, if another farang were to say hello to me while walking by, I would at least return the greeting...but most likely nothing else, unless it was clear they needed to ask for directions, etc.

I'm much more likely to talk to someone beyond hello if we're already both engaging in the same activity: sitting in a bar or restaurant, or on an airplane or van, waiting in a line at the movie theater, etc.

[wym]

So many of the foreigners here are either whacko nut jobs or scam artists worse than any Thais.

Much better off making friends with Thais.

[Somsrisonphimai]

As a joke says, Thais like to say in their defense for behaving conventionally, "You wouldn't understand. It is a Thai culture." So OP, my answer to your question would be it's part of the expats' culture.

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[BillyBobThai]

If someone I don't know wants to say Hi to me, I'll think they are a dash weird... That doesn't make me stuck up, it just makes me think you might be a bit of a nut-job...

In quieter area's, small villages etc there may be other reasons, but in a large city such as Bangkok I don't expect strangers of any nationality to say Hi to me and I certainly don't imagine that I'll go around saying Hi to people I don't know.

A counter question may be asked: "Do people think you are weird if you say Hi to strangers and expect a response ?"

You my friend are what we are talking about. Must be a sad life.

[richard_smith237]

If someone I don't know wants to say Hi to me, I'll think they are a dash weird... That doesn't make me stuck up, it just makes me think you might be a bit of a nut-job...

In quieter area's, small villages etc there may be other reasons, but in a large city such as Bangkok I don't expect strangers of any nationality to say Hi to me and I certainly don't imagine that I'll go around saying Hi to people I don't know.

A counter question may be asked: "Do people think you are weird if you say Hi to strangers and expect a response ?"

You my friend are what we are talking about. Must be a sad life.

But you are not my friend BillyBob.. and thats the whole point.... Some may wish to waltz around saying hi to anyone they meet and thats fine, but don't get upset if someone think's you're a little strange for doing so.

Would you walk around London saying Hi to strangers, or it just Foreigners in Thailand from whom people expect a response and call them snooty when ignored?

Or do you say Hi to every Thai you walk past?... It's just a little bit odd...

Or perhaps these 'hi to all and sundry folks' are the sort of person who thinks offering my Wife a stick of Gum at the airport baggage carrousel is an opener to impressing them with their 'at-one-ness' with Thailand and all things Thai when all she wants to do is to get rid of the pervy-old-pest !...

In a quiet village where paths may cross regularly there is nothing wrong a nod and a Hi, but in such a large city the chances are that when someone wants to talk to you for no apparent reason they want something....

There are foreigners in my apartment in Bangkok, when in a lift or at the door we say hello... but I do that with Thai's in the same building too. Singling out foreigners seems, well, just weird and too needy...

[stedyedy]

Thats how they interpret been professional and (manly me got big penis not you)you see it everywhere man in politics,sports,music industry,this is why I dont like competition in schools because it pits kids against one another and winners get to brag and loosers have to soak it up and then what work harder more determined to beat his ass right thats ugly coming from childrdn some may say its just a bit of fun but for the loosers it aint,and we know how hard there trying and taking it seriously look at those soccer fans and fights they get into.

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[NeverSure]

Thats how they interpret been professional and (manly me got big penis not you)you see it everywhere man in politics,sports,music industry,this is why I dont like competition in schools because it pits kids against one another and winners get to brag and loosers have to soak it up and then what work harder more determined to beat his ass right thats ugly coming from childrdn some may say its just a bit of fun but for the loosers it aint,and we know how hard there trying and taking it seriously look at those soccer fans and fights they get into.

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Kids need competition in school. What do you want - for them to wait until they are out of school to find out that life is competition with winners and losers? They should compete for grades, and in sports, and then they won't be shocked to learn they have to compete for a promotion or to run a business.

As for adults being stuck up, I don't know all of the reasons. I have suspected that many expats didn't do so well with people in their home countries either. I suspect that many are loners, depressed, and generally misfits. Not all of course, but I suspect that many are.

[wym]

If someone I don't know wants to say Hi to me, I'll think they are a dash weird... That doesn't make me stuck up, it just makes me think you might be a bit of a nut-job...

In quieter area's, small villages etc there may be other reasons, but in a large city such as Bangkok I don't expect strangers of any nationality to say Hi to me and I certainly don't imagine that I'll go around saying Hi to people I don't know.

A counter question may be asked: "Do people think you are weird if you say Hi to strangers and expect a response ?"

You my friend are what we are talking about. Must be a sad life.

Were you brought up in a small town?

One sees the same cultural problem when a person from a rural country town moves to the big city. All the sophisticated slickers thinks the bumpkin's a bit strange for smiling and greeting people as he walks around, and he wonders what he's doing wrong.

Plus the fact is most people approaching you in Thailand want something from you, are running some sort of scam.

Finally, when I'm here the last people I want to talk to are random foreigners who think we have something in common just because we're both "not Thai". I actually have much more in common with the Thais and they are usually much more interesting - so leave me alone farang!