Is The Stickman Right?

[jamman]

... but please dont over generalize and draw inferences or a general conclusion from what is obviously limited experience with the Thai population.

Everybody's experience is limited, your's included. Why do you assume that your limited experience is enough for you to know how much experience is needed to draw a general conclusion?

Generalisations are not inaccurate, they are broad. Speech, thought, all of pattern recognition is built on generalizations. It isn't always prejudice, sometimes it is just generally like that.

[Lacoste]

Unless you can speak Thai it will difficult to discuss anything with the Thais.

Hi there Jamman i dont know how you can come to the defence of the comment i have quoted above, but you obviously have your reasons.

Regards, Charlie.

[Charma]

Back on topic......

Another generalisation about the Thai people. Of course many Thais will not be the slightest bit interested in polictics, especially US politics! But how many? Well probably no one has the faintest idea, outside of the people they have met, which I am guessing for most of us no matter how much time we have spent Thailand, is a TINY fraction of the population. So rather speculate about what Thais know of US politics, let's find some FACTS about what US citizens know about US politics...

Here is an interesting quote from a Boston.com article titled The ignorant American voter:

"Gallup found in January 2000 that while 66 percent of the public could name the host of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" only 6 percent knew the name of the speaker of the House. Last year, a Polling Company survey found that 58 percent of Americans could not name a single federal Cabinet department."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...american_voter/

I guess there are ignorant people everywhere!

[ROFL]

Back on topic......

Another generalisation about the Thai people. Of course many Thais will not be the slightest bit interested in polictics, especially US politics! But how many? Well probably no one has the faintest idea, outside of the people they have met, which I am guessing for most of us no matter how much time we have spent Thailand, is a TINY fraction of the population. So rather speculate about what Thais know of US politics, let's find some FACTS about what US citizens know about US politics...

Here is an interesting quote from a Boston.com article titled The ignorant American voter:

"Gallup found in January 2000 that while 66 percent of the public could name the host of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" only 6 percent knew the name of the speaker of the House. Last year, a Polling Company survey found that 58 percent of Americans could not name a single federal Cabinet department."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...american_voter/

I guess there are ignorant people everywhere!

YEAH! another America Barometer post!

Let me guess when your maid screws up your ironing she says...have you ever seen an American iron?

[p_brownstone]

Can you say exactly why you assume his status makes him ignorant of your sphere?

It’s certainly not an assumption, it’s a fact, which anyone who has been in Thailand for any length of time would realise – whether they approve of it or not.

Thai Society is quite firmly stratified - and, having just read the article on Stickmans’ site to which you refer, it is clear that he understands this too. Perhaps as a reflection of this, Farang society is similarly divided – again, like it or not, it’s just a reality of life here.

Thais usually recognise their own place in this structure and treat one another accordingly, (and, as individuals, they judge how a particular Farang fits into Thai society relevant to their own status). Very rarely would a Thai attempt over-familiarity with someone he considers to be of higher social status than himself. As an example, in the article you refer to Stickman complains that he is often asked for money by Taxi drivers etc. which indicates that they consider themselves almost equals – though without as much money obviously! Without wanting to sound elitist (honestly!), whenever I have been obliged to use a Taxi the driver has never broached any such subject, even though my Thai is quite fluent he would confine himself to general pleasantries.

The end result is that Stickmans’ understanding of Thailand is coloured by the society in which he lives, which is absolutely fine until people start to presume that what he experiences in day to day life applies to Thailand, and Thais, as a whole. If he were a member of a few Chambers of Commerce, or the Sports Club or the Rajapreuck Club for example, the Thais he met in such society would give him an entirely different perspective.

That perception would still only apply to that particular segment of Thai society, not the whole culture or citizenry and no thoughtful person would think it did, which is the point I made in my original Post.

Patrick

[JimsKnight]

Just so people can form an opinion on the “enlightened” Stickman’s view of the World I am quoting 2 readers submissions as well as the comment Stickman made to them. The views he are promoting are deeply degrading and frankly untrue. I find it hard to believe that reasonably educated and critical people can respect this guy.

To put it plainly, these girls are toys. Play with the toy until you get bored with it. Then throw it away and find another one to play with. Simple advice, easy to follow, and you will enjoy everything Thailand has to offer without the suffering.

Stickman's thoughts:

An excellent submission, excellent story, and excellent advice.

the way they look at the females is different. They are raised, educated (if possible), clothed, and groomed to snare the richest man possible and bring the most money back to the family both in the way of sin sot, monthly allowances, and “face” or enhanced community position. Female children are property first, family second. The goal is for the daughter to bring in as much in the way of money as they can and that is that. Farangs are like hitting the lotto and in most cases will never be accepted as “family” because they’re simply not Thai, so many families and indeed entire communities will participate in elaborate charades to milk the farang for as much as the cow can give, all the while knowing the Thai lady will end up dumping him when she gets what she can and then moving on to another victim. This might be another farang, but eventually it will be another Thai man who the family and village will accept despite that her dealings / marriages / affairs with farangs lower her status as a person in the process.

Stickman's thoughts:

This doctor of yours sounds seriously cool. I loved what she said about the sin sot. She sounds really switched on.

He's speaking a truth (of sorts) but he's generalising and tarring all thai girls with the same brush... very irresponsible.

[Ulysses G.]

Just so people can form an opinion on the “enlightened” Stickman’s view of the World I am quoting 2 readers submissions as well as the comment Stickman made to them. The views he are promoting are deeply degrading and frankly untrue. I find it hard to believe that reasonably educated and critical people can respect this guy.

To put it plainly, these girls are toys. Play with the toy until you get bored with it. Then throw it away and find another one to play with. Simple advice, easy to follow, and you will enjoy everything Thailand has to offer without the suffering.

Stickman's thoughts:

An excellent submission, excellent story, and excellent advice.

the way they look at the females is different. They are raised, educated (if possible), clothed, and groomed to snare the richest man possible and bring the most money back to the family both in the way of sin sot, monthly allowances, and “face” or enhanced community position. Female children are property first, family second. The goal is for the daughter to bring in as much in the way of money as they can and that is that. Farangs are like hitting the lotto and in most cases will never be accepted as “family” because they’re simply not Thai, so many families and indeed entire communities will participate in elaborate charades to milk the farang for as much as the cow can give, all the while knowing the Thai lady will end up dumping him when she gets what she can and then moving on to another victim. This might be another farang, but eventually it will be another Thai man who the family and village will accept despite that her dealings / marriages / affairs with farangs lower her status as a person in the process.

Stickman's thoughts:

This doctor of yours sounds seriously cool. I loved what she said about the sin sot. She sounds really switched on.

He's speaking a truth (of sorts) but he's generalising and tarring all thai girls with the same brush... very irresponsible.

Again, my guess is that these quotes are taken out of context. I don't remember Stickman supporting this sort of thinking except in certain specialized circumstances - not as the common rule in dealing with Thai women.

He is happily married to one for Christ's sake!

[Charma]

YEAH! another America Barometer post!

Let me guess when your maid screws up your ironing she says...have you ever seen an American iron?

Actually I was addressing the OP 's post directly! The only reason I highlighted a US survey was because it was US politics that were mentioned as of no interest to Thais. I am sure that I could quickly find similar surveys from UK, Oz etc. I made the point clearly at the end of my post:

"...there are ignorant people everywhere"

A little too sensitive perhaps?

[Cassandra]

Stickmans’ site and its’ content are relevant to perhaps 50% of Farang living in Thailand.

He seems like a nice enough chap but at the end of the day he is a rather poorly paid English Teacher, and he can only comment on the opinions and experiences of his social circle – Thai and Farang – here.

It would be a mistake to assume that he has any insight at all into the thinking or attitude of Thais (or Farang for that matter) in other social or intellectual strata.

Patrick

I fully agree.He seems a decent if naive young man and I think he should be given credit for having identified and exploited a niche.If I was in his shoes I would be thinking about turning the website into a paying proposition.In this event he could abandon the teaching job which is wretchedly paid and which he obviously doesn't like very much.

Perhaps instead of publishing all readers submissions he should be more selective.

His challenge is to attract a more upmarket and better educated clientele, the same challenge incidentally that faces Thai Visa if that's not too sensitive a topic!

[Boon Mee]

The end result is that Stickmans’ understanding of Thailand is coloured by the society in which he lives, which is absolutely fine until people start to presume that what he experiences in day to day life applies to Thailand, and Thais, as a whole. If he were a member of a few Chambers of Commerce, or the Sports Club or the Rajapreuck Club for example, the Thais he met in such society would give him an entirely different perspective.

Patrick

Spot on, Patrick.

You nailed this one to a tee.

[jamman]

Unless you can speak Thai it will difficult to discuss anything with the Thais.

Hi there Jamman i dont know how you can come to the defence of the comment i have quoted above, but you obviously have your reasons.

Regards, Charlie.

Hi Charlie. Actually I didn't pay a lot of attention to the whole context - sorry. It's just that one argument against negative stereotypes heard often is that stereotypes are too broad and general to be meaningful. Any one person can only know a limited number of people, and so can't say anything meaningful about a group as large as a whole Thai society. For many reasons, I disagree with this, and think that the arugment has way more good standing than it deserves.

Edited July 4, 2006 by jamman

[jamman]

Can you say exactly why you assume his status makes him ignorant of your sphere?

It’s certainly not an assumption, it’s a fact, which anyone who has been in Thailand for any length of time would realise – whether they approve of it or not.

Thai Society is quite firmly stratified - and, having just read the article on Stickmans’ site to which you refer, it is clear that he understands this too. Perhaps as a reflection of this, Farang society is similarly divided – again, like it or not, it’s just a reality of life here.

Thais usually recognise their own place in this structure and treat one another accordingly, (and, as individuals, they judge how a particular Farang fits into Thai society relevant to their own status). Very rarely would a Thai attempt over-familiarity with someone he considers to be of higher social status than himself. As an example, in the article you refer to Stickman complains that he is often asked for money by Taxi drivers etc. which indicates that they consider themselves almost equals – though without as much money obviously! Without wanting to sound elitist (honestly!), whenever I have been obliged to use a Taxi the driver has never broached any such subject, even though my Thai is quite fluent he would confine himself to general pleasantries.

The end result is that Stickmans’ understanding of Thailand is coloured by the society in which he lives, which is absolutely fine until people start to presume that what he experiences in day to day life applies to Thailand, and Thais, as a whole. If he were a member of a few Chambers of Commerce, or the Sports Club or the Rajapreuck Club for example, the Thais he met in such society would give him an entirely different perspective.

That perception would still only apply to that particular segment of Thai society, not the whole culture or citizenry and no thoughtful person would think it did, which is the point I made in my original Post.

Patrick

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for spelling it out. That makes a lot of sense.

It's funny, as a Canadian, we also of course do have classes, but they are not as explicit. I lived in Canada until age 22, and with my healthy Canadian dosage of ignorance, I managed to be oblivious of the fact of class barriers. It had seemed to me that people moved fairly freely wherever they chose depending on their aspirations, diligence, and abilities. Thats one of the pluses of living abroad, seeing different societies highlights different aspects of the general human condition.

I have some short term memory deficits, so I have a terrible time learning a new language now. I used to be a wiz as a teen - maybe the old brain stem is too battered now by age and alcohol to shunt the signals to the right places. So I never was able to read the right papers to find where certain social groups gathered. I still hope it was a mistake to simply assume that there are no social groups and social circles built around interests. In most western towns I lived in, people with similar interests, like writing, or meditation, or art, or whatever and what have you, would meet for classes and could form societies in that way. I have no experience with the social circles you mention. It seems a rather broad way to group people, but hey, social opportunities are good. Still, one must wonder, just what is being grouped?

[jamman]

Just so people can form an opinion on the “enlightened” Stickman’s view of the World I am quoting 2 readers submissions as well as the comment Stickman made to them. The views he are promoting are deeply degrading and frankly untrue. I find it hard to believe that reasonably educated and critical people can respect this guy.

To put it plainly, these girls are toys. Play with the toy until you get bored with it. Then throw it away and find another one to play with. Simple advice, easy to follow, and you will enjoy everything Thailand has to offer without the suffering.

Stickman's thoughts:

An excellent submission, excellent story, and excellent advice.

the way they look at the females is different. They are raised, educated (if possible), clothed, and groomed to snare the richest man possible and bring the most money back to the family both in the way of sin sot, monthly allowances, and “face” or enhanced community position. Female children are property first, family second. The goal is for the daughter to bring in as much in the way of money as they can and that is that. Farangs are like hitting the lotto and in most cases will never be accepted as “family” because they’re simply not Thai, so many families and indeed entire communities will participate in elaborate charades to milk the farang for as much as the cow can give, all the while knowing the Thai lady will end up dumping him when she gets what she can and then moving on to another victim. This might be another farang, but eventually it will be another Thai man who the family and village will accept despite that her dealings / marriages / affairs with farangs lower her status as a person in the process.

Stickman's thoughts:

This doctor of yours sounds seriously cool. I loved what she said about the sin sot. She sounds really switched on.

He's speaking a truth (of sorts) but he's generalising and tarring all thai girls with the same brush... very irresponsible.

I take the exact opposite view to yours. While it is true that many of the warnings and much of the established group wisdom can't apply to all of Thai society and all individuals, there is, still, all that wealth of individual experience that adds up to some very useful guideposts. The experiences spoken of on that site are many and real, and will be repeated again and again. Westerners are more helped than harmed by the knowledge. We are clueless - it's all so foreign, and we have no idea what to expect. At least by reading of what others went through, we can widen our wisdom with memories borrowed from others oral histories.

[Thaipwriter]

at the end of the day he is a rather poorly paid English Teacher.

You've seen his salary slips right?

You have access to his bank accounts?

I spoke to him a couple of times on the phone about advertising on his site, he said he could easily demonstrate traffic through his pages numbering a quarter of a million hits per week

It's quite expensive to advertise on his webite and I dont see any shortage of takers.

Anybody dissing his efforts on here is just a jealous idiot in my opinion.

[jamman]

I'd like to bring up that the Stick has written a lengthy submission on deadline each Sunday since he started his website. Each piece maintained a good quality standard. It's easy to sit and critic, but which of us could pull in a large group of interested readers so continuously? Just try it - what he did is beyond the abilities of most of us. Prove me wrong.

Edited July 4, 2006 by jamman

[wolf5370]

THAI's and discussing worl politics? Not a prayer, 95% have no interest in the USA, and frankly youve got a front expecting everywhere in the world you go to wanting to talk about ######ing america, you dont rule the worls and no one cares <--- That came from sunet my thai girlfirend.

also - 90% of thai girls are not respected in the same vein as men, they very very sadly are considered second class, and again 90% in tourist areas of Thailand are used by there families to

milk money from falangs. Horrible but 100% true.

...and 87.3% of statistics are made up on the spot (just like that one ).

I think Stick's OK. Don't always agree with him - and skip the sex stuff, but otherwise OK for a browse now and then. Pat, to use Boon's words, 'nailed it on the head' above - he knows his stuff with reference to the area of Thai society he lives amongst.

As to politics. Some Thais know nothing about it and couldn't care less - just like every other country in the world (just look at voting turnouts in Europe!); some Thais know a lot, but do not like to talk about it (especially with farangs - remember Thais are generally non-confrontational by nature and politics nearly always ends up heated, unless you all agree, and then its just boring). Take a look in the BearPit for as many examples as you want to find!

[jamman]

THAI's and discussing worl politics? Not a prayer, 95% have no interest in the USA, and frankly youve got a front expecting everywhere in the world you go to wanting to talk about ######ing america, you dont rule the worls and no one cares <--- That came from sunet my thai girlfirend.

also - 90% of thai girls are not respected in the same vein as men, they very very sadly are considered second class, and again 90% in tourist areas of Thailand are used by there families to

milk money from falangs. Horrible but 100% true.

...and 87.3% of statistics are made up on the spot (just like that one ).

I think Stick's OK. Don't always agree with him - and skip the sex stuff, but otherwise OK for a browse now and then. Pat, to use Boon's words, 'nailed it on the head' above - he knows his stuff with reference to the area of Thai society he lives amongst.

As to politics. Some Thais know nothing about it and couldn't care less - just like every other country in the world (just look at voting turnouts in Europe!); some Thais know a lot, but do not like to talk about it (especially with farangs - remember Thais are generally non-confrontational by nature and politics nearly always ends up heated, unless you all agree, and then its just boring). Take a look in the BearPit for as many examples as you want to find!

Ya, you brought to light some squirmy facts. The girls are called girls because they are wonderful and feminine, and not more is required or wanted. It does make attraction to an opposite sex more simplified, having opposites defined.

About informed populace, my first pre-rational girl confused me until I saw her clearly enough to lose hope with her. She refused to hear talk of dinosasurs or distant glowing plasma balls bigger than the sun; the stars. So I went to bars, and also asked western folks what they thought the lights in the sky were. Glowing rocks. Whatever. Buy me beer.

It takes all kinds?

There are not all kinds of suns. Some people can't handle the truth, or the concept of it. It isn't a multicultural diplomatic democracy - it is an evidence based world.

Edited July 4, 2006 by jamman

[longway]

at the end of the day he is a rather poorly paid English Teacher.

You've seen his salary slips right?

You have access to his bank accounts?

I spoke to him a couple of times on the phone about advertising on his site, he said he could easily demonstrate traffic through his pages numbering a quarter of a million hits per week

It's quite expensive to advertise on his webite and I dont see any shortage of takers.

Anybody dissing his efforts on here is just a jealous idiot in my opinion.

as, i think, no-one has pointed it out so far, stick is a businessman. one of his sources of income is investigating bgs for his clients. by 'happy coincidence' the majority of the submissions on that site highlight what can go wrong with these relationships and thai women in general. he does seem to promote this theme himself.

he knows his readership and how to generate traffic also. a controversial piece by him or a contributor will naturally help focus attention on his site.

i dont believe he is a cynic, manipulating people, but this is something to take into account when judging his site in terms of its informative value.

personally i think its far too -ve and i stopped reading it a long time ago. It puts out the same message again and again. reading it for 3 weeks or 3 years u dont get much more out of it. unless u are looking for a continual affirmation of certain beliefs.

i think this post summed up stick's site, right at the start of the thread.

Stick deals with generalities and cliches.

i think its a good site to read if u are a newbie visiting bars or coming to thailand for the first time but i cant see how its that great for it to generate a line like the one in bold by the previous poster.

[Kananga]

The end result is that Stickmans’ understanding of Thailand is coloured by the society in which he lives, which is absolutely fine until people start to presume that what he experiences in day to day life applies to Thailand, and Thais, as a whole. If he were a member of a few Chambers of Commerce, or the Sports Club or the Rajapreuck Club for example, the Thais he met in such society would give him an entirely different perspective.

Patrick

Spot on, Patrick.

You nailed this one to a tee.

Absolutely! I have read his site a few times and not only is he restricted to teacher social circles (ironic seeing as his weekly recently was about sticking to your own social level in order to have an interesting and ultimately more rewarding social interaction with people.) but also that he puts on this hero of sex tourist facade to generate hits for his site. It's all an act.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

[Cassandra]

The end result is that Stickmans’ understanding of Thailand is coloured by the society in which he lives, which is absolutely fine until people start to presume that what he experiences in day to day life applies to Thailand, and Thais, as a whole. If he were a member of a few Chambers of Commerce, or the Sports Club or the Rajapreuck Club for example, the Thais he met in such society would give him an entirely different perspective.

Patrick

Spot on, Patrick.

You nailed this one to a tee.

Absolutely! I have read his site a few times and not only is he restricted to teacher social circles (ironic seeing as his weekly recently was about sticking to your own social level in order to have an interesting and ultimately more rewarding social interaction with people.) but also that he puts on this hero of sex tourist facade to generate hits for his site. It's all an act.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

Very perceptive post and its good sense makes me slightly ashamed of my schoolboy tease in the farang/falang thread.Sorry about that.

[Kananga]

The end result is that Stickmans’ understanding of Thailand is coloured by the society in which he lives, which is absolutely fine until people start to presume that what he experiences in day to day life applies to Thailand, and Thais, as a whole. If he were a member of a few Chambers of Commerce, or the Sports Club or the Rajapreuck Club for example, the Thais he met in such society would give him an entirely different perspective.

Patrick

Spot on, Patrick.

You nailed this one to a tee.

Absolutely! I have read his site a few times and not only is he restricted to teacher social circles (ironic seeing as his weekly recently was about sticking to your own social level in order to have an interesting and ultimately more rewarding social interaction with people.) but also that he puts on this hero of sex tourist facade to generate hits for his site. It's all an act.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

Very perceptive post and its good sense makes me slightly ashamed of my schoolboy tease in the farang/falang thread.Sorry about that.

Thanks, I love you too.

[danone]

discussing with thais about such issues lets you discuss with a whole different approach.

westerners rather hold to ethics, values, standards.

in thai society such values are nil, if you, for instance, came from the same military school as the current leadership.

look at our defense minister and how he is lying.

in any semi-healthy democracy he immediately would have resigned.

not here. even more: they keep on protecting him and he keeps on lying, even though the whole world knows he's a bought fool.

many thais still think in those hierarchic schemes.

how do you want to argue with that?

[p_brownstone]

Anybody dissing his efforts on here is just a jealous idiot in my opinion.

I am certainly not "dissing (sic) his efforts"; his website has definite appeal to a certain segment of Farang society in Thailand, I am merely pointing out that his opinions do not represent the distilled wisdom of all that there is to know about Thais or Thailand; very far from it.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

This strays somewhat from the original Post, however as other contributors have pointed out it does raise questions about motivation and so on. I think anyone who gives the matter a modicum of thought would realise that it is virtually impossible for a Farang to conduct this sort of investigation in Thailand with any degree of reliability, however it has obvious attractions for the credulous client and, properly marketed, could be quite a money maker:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...ndpost&p=525615

Patrick

[kerryk]

Anybody dissing his efforts on here is just a jealous idiot in my opinion.

I am certainly not "dissing (sic) his efforts"; his website has definite appeal to a certain segment of Farang society in Thailand, I am merely pointing out that his opinions do not represent the distilled wisdom of all that there is to know about Thais or Thailand; very far from it.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

This strays somewhat from the original Post, however as other contributors have pointed out it does raise questions about motivation and so on. I think anyone who gives the matter a modicum of thought would realise that it is virtually impossible for a Farang to conduct this sort of investigation in Thailand with any degree of reliability, however it has obvious attractions for the credulous client and, properly marketed, could be quite a money maker:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...ndpost&p=525615

Patrick

I am a farang. I had a friend call me up and ask me to go to a particular bar and see if his wife was working there. She had told him she was staying at the home he built for her in Korat. It was pretty easy I went into the bar and bought her a drink and chatted for an hour and emailed him she was working at the bar. It wasn’t really that difficult.

[Ulysses G.]

Anybody dissing his efforts on here is just a jealous idiot in my opinion.

I am certainly not "dissing (sic) his efforts"; his website has definite appeal to a certain segment of Farang society in Thailand, I am merely pointing out that his opinions do not represent the distilled wisdom of all that there is to know about Thais or Thailand; very far from it.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

This strays somewhat from the original Post, however as other contributors have pointed out it does raise questions about motivation and so on. I think anyone who gives the matter a modicum of thought would realise that it is virtually impossible for a Farang to conduct this sort of investigation in Thailand with any degree of reliability, however it has obvious attractions for the credulous client and, properly marketed, could be quite a money maker:http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...ndpost&p=525615

Patrick

I am a farang. I had a friend call me up and ask me to go to a particular bar and see if his wife was working there. She had told him she was staying at the home he built for her in Korat. It was pretty easy I went into the bar and bought her a drink and chatted for an hour and emailed him she was working at the bar. It wasn’t really that difficult.

It isn't difficult at all.

[mbkudu]

Anybody dissing his efforts on here is just a jealous idiot in my opinion.

I am certainly not "dissing (sic) his efforts"; his website has definite appeal to a certain segment of Farang society in Thailand, I am merely pointing out that his opinions do not represent the distilled wisdom of all that there is to know about Thais or Thailand; very far from it.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned his bar girl private investigation service yet. Do people actually fall for that shit?

This strays somewhat from the original Post, however as other contributors have pointed out it does raise questions about motivation and so on. I think anyone who gives the matter a modicum of thought would realise that it is virtually impossible for a Farang to conduct this sort of investigation in Thailand with any degree of reliability, however it has obvious attractions for the credulous client and, properly marketed, could be quite a money maker:http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...ndpost&p=525615

Patrick

I am a farang. I had a friend call me up and ask me to go to a particular bar and see if his wife was working there. She had told him she was staying at the home he built for her in Korat. It was pretty easy I went into the bar and bought her a drink and chatted for an hour and emailed him she was working at the bar. It wasn’t really that difficult.

It isn't difficult at all.

The only difficult part is for the farang to get his friend to accept the truth, believe what he says and not go into denial.

Edited July 6, 2006 by mbkudu

[Ulysses G.]

The only difficult part is for the farang to get his friend to accept the truth, believe what he says and not go into denial.

Words of wisdom!

[beleby]

Getting back to the original question - it is true that the average Thai on the street has little interest in discussing politics. It should also be borne in mind that most Thais have access only to controlled media sources, so their opinion can be influenced by a certain party.

I think it's also important to remember that - rightly or wrongly - many Thais do not think farangs can or should discuss politics in Thailand. Many locals will take offence to this. In my experience it's best to leave such discussions until you know someone very well.

I'm very interested and opinionated on local politics though, you are always welcome to chat with me :-)

[Boon Mee]

Getting back to the original question - it is true that the average Thai on the street has little interest in discussing politics.

Not in my experience.

I'd honestly say the average Thai in the street has more interest in discussing politics than your Joe Six-Pak southern redneck NASCAR fan. So it really boils down to compared to what?

Edited July 7, 2006 by Boon Mee

[Donz]

where did my post go??????????????