Sympathy Or Their Own Fault?

[bowerboy]

In our housing village/compound there is a Gardner and his wife and their 3 children. They are absolutely dirt poor and the kids don't always go to school and sometimes they don't eat lunch because they cant afford it.

The Gardner is 64 and they have a 16 year old, an 8 year old and a 1 year old! The wife is about 38 I guess and works as a road sweeper. A nice hard working family but absolutely dirt poor

So today the Gardner was riding his motorbike with the side buggy with all his gardening gear in it and the 1 year old baby perched on the front with absolutely no protection and barely old enough to sit up on its own (this is how they do it all the time). As he was riding along the baby nearly fell off and as he reached out to grab it to stop from falling his bike swerved and he hit and damaged (not badly and no injuries) a Mercedes Benz parked in the road. So they went to the police station and the Benz owner wants 8,000THB in compensation (even though she knows how destitute this family are).

Its a little bit heart breaking and I am thinking of just giving the Gardner the 8,000 baht (I would do it anonymously as I don't want any hassle or thinking he owes me anything). BUT should I be feeling sympathy or this all just born out complete stupidity that should not be rewarded with any "good luck".

If you are absolutely destitute then why on earth would you have another baby at age 63 (when the kid was born and it wasnt an accident as he claims his dead mother came to him in a dream and asked him to have another baby). Also why on earth has he got a 1 year old sitting unsupported and unprotected in the side buggy? (He could easily of left the baby with the daughter who mostly just hangs out in the park in the village).

So what do you think? Should this stupidity be rewarded with some good luck (the money is irrelevant to me in the scheme of things and will impact his life hugely) or should I just be thinking he got the bad luck for his own stupidity?

[ukrules]

I would have thought the drivers insurance would cover this kind of accident.

Does this destitute guy own any land, like the land he lives on ?

I know of and have heard of people who live a very moderate existence in small wooden houses built on land which would sell for several million dollars at today's prices.

Edited June 2, 2014 by ukrules

[benalibina]

A fight between the heart and the mind.......its your own call.

[Soutpeel]

one side of me says, if the Merc owner, who also understands the circumstances is not showing any "compassion" why should you ?

but the other side of me understands what your saying...

tough call..

[David48]

As heartless as this may seem to some readers ... your best option is to do nothing.

Let the Thais sort out their problem.

The Benz owner may decide to make merit by not persueing the matter.

Why did a 63 year old have a baby?

Abortion is illegal in Thailand.

[Chonburiram]

Give it to him, and let him do your garden once a month for the next 18 month, problem solved.

And tell the Benz owner it's not cool to park in front of his house on a public road - playing kids, pissing dogs, drunk gardeners, car thieves, envy neighbours, rain, sun and so on and so forth...

[bowerboy]

Yeah I am thinking along the lines of "if the Benz owner is Thai and doesn't care then why should I care" It is a bit tight of the Benz owner to do this but honestly it is a result of bad judgement all around from the Gardner.

Yeah right, what is any 63 year old doing having a kid but even more so one that is absolutely dirt poor. And as I mentioned it wasn't like it was an accident.

I am not sure about the land he lives on but I would be surprised if that was the case given how destitute they are.

[Issangeorge]

฿8,000 means different things to different people. For the gardener it is all the money in the world, for me it is money I would be depriving my own family, for a lot of posters it is a night out. If you can afford it and it would make you happy, do it. I know I would if all it meant to me was a night out. To us the gardener is behaving differently than we do now, but how many of us did similar things when we were young and before the Ralph Naders of the world took over. Just think of how happy you would make the gardener and his family if you looked after it for him. It beats giving to some charity where less than 50% of the money reaches the people it is intended for.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mrtoad]

Sad story really, but also sums up a lot the problems in Thai Society.

[Soutpeel]

Give it to him, and let him do your garden once a month for the next 18 month, problem solved.

And tell the Benz owner it's not cool to park in front of his house on a public road - playing kids, pissing dogs, drunk gardeners, car thieves, envy neighbours, rain, sun and so on and so forth...

I disagree, doing that will make a rod for the OP's own back, as every time the gardener get's into trouble whether with money, or something else he will be turning to the OP for help or his hand out.

Tell the Merc owner not to park outside their own house on a public road... ....what plant are you on ?....I park my car on the road outside my house, and if you came up to me to have a "word" I would be telling you to go forth and multiply, if I am not blocking the road preventing other residents/owners it's got nothing to do with you where I park my car.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Soutpeel

[PaullyW]

Most likely they are both scamming you. Amazing Gullible Farangs

[Display]

I would do it, Karma will pay you back big time.

There is too much selfishness in this world as it is, I think we all in Thailand own something back as what a great place to live and enjoy and we are getting it for 20% the cost of our own country.

[thailiketoo]

Help if you can.

[PaullyW]

I would do it, Karma will pay you back big time.

There is too much selfishness in this world as it is, I think we all in Thailand own something back as what a great place to live and enjoy and we are getting it for 20% the cost of our own country.

Wow, what a dumb post. Sorry. Karma? Is that like the the story of the guy in the sky who watches over all of us?

We foreigners owe Thailand exactly FA. We pay to play. Matters not what our currencies buy us here. We don't owe the Thais anything because their country is relatively uncompetitive and poor. Where do you get these strange notions?

[kurnell]

Most likely they are both scamming you. Amazing Gullible Farangs

This is almost certainly true. The penniless gardener and the rich Benz driver got together one afternoon over a beer and thought "what is the best way to scam 8,000 baht out of that stupid farang across the road?" an they came up with this. You have to admire the Thais for their genius.

[Display]

I would do it, Karma will pay you back big time.

There is too much selfishness in this world as it is, I think we all in Thailand own something back as what a great place to live and enjoy and we are getting it for 20% the cost of our own country.

Wow, what a dumb post. Sorry. Karma? Is that like the the story of the guy in the sky who watches over all of us?

We foreigners owe Thailand exactly FA. We pay to play. Matters not what our currencies buy us here. We don't owe the Thais anything because their country is relatively uncompetitive and poor. Where do you get these strange notions?

If you are so smart why do you not understand the simple equation of Newton's third law of ... For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?

Also my soulless fellow human - If you stay in a friend house for a week till you get a place to stay where it suits your lifestyle - do you not think you own this friend?

Edited June 2, 2014 by Display

[Jip99]

one side of me says, if the Merc owner, who also understands the circumstances is not showing any "compassion" why should you ?

but the other side of me understands what your saying...

tough call..

Couldn't put it better myself, so...

+1

[PaullyW]

You guys disgust me. You'd help Thais (who would NEVER help you) but probably wouldn't help your own kind.

No wonder they call us dumb farangs

[David48]

You guys disgust me. You'd help Thais (who would NEVER help you) but probably wouldn't help your own kind.

No wonder they call us dumb farangs

Humm ...

They never refer to me as 'a dumb farang' ... could just be me though ...

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Most of the Thai gardeners I see on Moobaans wouldn't even get out of bed for less than 300bht a half day.

His wife is working too, destitute on 900bht a day, are you sure?

As for the Merc owner, expensive car, best to park it in your driveway.

Edited June 2, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[bowerboy]

I must say that from a retribution perspective I am thinking that the 8,000THB could cover a lot of my sins over the last 10 years in Thailand!!

On the other hand I don't want the guy thinking that this piece of "good luck" warrants his poor choices in life and then he just carries on being irresponsible.

To be fair I had thought of giving him money in an anonymous way long before this happened becuase its clear they are desperate for money and he is actually a 'salt of the earth" type of guy and always cheerful and friendly despite his lot in life.

[bowerboy]

I feel sorry for PaullyW....you have clearly been mixing with the wrong crowd...seriously.

[PaullyW]

I feel sorry for PaullyW....you have clearly been mixing with the wrong crowd...seriously.

Been mixed with all the crowds. Been here (and elsewhere) a long time. Seen them all.

High-end to low-end, everything between.

Foreigners (especially westerners) need to toughen up here. The Chinese did not colonize Thailand by being so godd@mned weak.

[Rumblecat]

I must say that from a retribution perspective I am thinking that the 8,000THB could cover a lot of my sins over the last 10 years in Thailand!!

On the other hand I don't want the guy thinking that this piece of "good luck" warrants his poor choices in life and then he just carries on being irresponsible.

To be fair I had thought of giving him money in an anonymous way long before this happened becuase its clear they are desperate for money and he is actually a 'salt of the earth" type of guy and always cheerful and friendly despite his lot in life.

As it's something you've been thinking about for a while, I'd say go ahead and do it. It's a small little things like this which make the world a wee bit better.

And as a bonus you can get to make some ThaiVisa posters increasingly bitter by an act of kindness. That's a win-win situation.

[robblok]

As heartless as this may seem to some readers ... your best option is to do nothing.

Let the Thais sort out their problem.

The Benz owner may decide to make merit by not persueing the matter.

Why did a 63 year old have a baby?

Abortion is illegal in Thailand.

It is but still happens a lot and.

My take on this is one of feeling sorry for them on the other hand why should the merc owner be out of pocket for something he did not do. Sure there is compassion but also stupidity on the side of the gardener.

As you said real tough call.

[benalibina]

I would do it, Karma will pay you back big time.

There is too much selfishness in this world as it is, I think we all in Thailand own something back as what a great place to live and enjoy and we are getting it for 20% the cost of our own country.

Hmmm....a comment of contradictions...

So you would help them because of KARMA you will be paid back later in life.

And you blame the selfishness of people in this world............yeah right.....

Dont you see how stupid your comment is ?

[evadgib]

I suspect you have been trolled and counter trolled.

[AYJAYDEE]

Most likely they are both scamming you. Amazing Gullible Farangs

amazingly cynical canuck

[AYJAYDEE]

pay it, anonymously

[manarak]

#1 best advice for farangs in Thailand:

mind your own business and don't interfere with Thai matters.