Should I just butt out?

[marquis22]

I cannot fathom why some farang want all other farang to say hi to them or acknowledge them in Thailand or I presume in other Asian countries too.

I do not see all Asians acknowledging each other in the streets of Melbourne Australia.

(Would be a heck of a lot of "G'days" )

Sure it is nice to be friendly but some people just treat other people all the same. So if someone does not acknowledge you whether they are farang or Thai so what?

They just don't like the "cut of your jib"

[ronthai]

OP, NEEDS A LIFE

[kurnell]

I've seen this story before.

You seem to be insecure and the one in need of personal contact. You are not likely to get that from a stranger because you are not someone they know, and yes, you could be a panhandler or any kind of con artist, thief or pickpocket. I definitely want you to leave me alone. If you want to meet people go to bar or some club where some drunk is likely to let you get your feel good feeling by invading his privacy......really weird post in my private alone do not disturb me opinion.

Again?

[louse1953]

Would a Vietnamese greet another Vietnamese in a Wallmart in rural Arkansas?

It is more like,would a Vietnamese greet a Thai overseas just because of skin colour.

[Jingthing]

Would a Vietnamese greet another Vietnamese in a Wallmart in rural Arkansas?

It is more like,would a Vietnamese greet a Thai overseas just because of skin colour.

That's a good point.

[Mudcrab]

If you walked up and said.."G'day Me names Gecko" and outstretched you hand, however limp, for a shake then I'd say "G'day mate.names .Mudcrab".

If you carried on in the poofter language like you did in your OP....well....tough ttities.

[Mudcrab]

In the past I have been in the deepest, darkest regions of Chiang Mai, sometimes sitting or queuing to pay a bill or sitting in a noodle stall at a local market and found myself sharing the same space as another farang. Then just made a simple comment, such as, this is a long queue, or it`s been a hot day today or similar on those lines, then had a response by either a grunt, total no response at all or a look as if I had just trod in a pile of dogs crap. Most of them have faces that could sink a thousand ships, totally unapproachable and these days I would not even consider infringing on their good person by letting them know I exist, something that appears to be strictly taboo with many ex-pats here in Thailand.

I can remember once about 12 years ago when I was at a local market. I saw an American guy who could not speak a word of Thai trying to ask a Thai lady where he could get a key cut. I knew of a key shop that was close by, so I intervened and told the guy, I can show you where to have a key cut. Then i took the guy to the shop, there was no one in the shop and then went to fetch the man who cut the keys. The American gave the man his key to be copied and the key man told the American to come back in 15 minutes. On that note the American just turned his back and walked out of the shop without any acknowledgement to me at all. I chased after the American guy, grabbed his arm and said; where I come from people usually say thank you if you do them a good deed. Then he begrudgingly said thanks and walked off. I thought; you a/hole, I hope the new key doesn`t fit.

In my opinion these people are weird and these days have found it better to blank these farangs if out and about.

I used to take this type of behavior personally, but that's no longer the case. This is in large part because I have learned on TVF that many others have experienced the same thing. But what I haven't stopped doing, however, is trying to figure out why people behave this way.

The conclusion I have come to is that Thailand probably does attract a disproportionate number of guys with poor interpersonal social skills. I will readily acknowledge that my interpersonal social skills aren't the greatest in the world either, so I am not sitting in judgment of anyone. I think the reason why guys with poor social skills might be attracted to Thailand is because Thailand has a reputation as "the land of smiles" and also as a place where it is easy to meet women. It's not difficult to see why a place which is known for its friendly outgoing people and easy-to-meet women wouldn't appeal to guys who struggle in the social skills department. But I think for many guys they soon discover that Thailand is not a panacea for their social skill shortcomings, and that it is possible to quickly find yourself even more socially isolated in Thailand than you were back home.

Let's take for example, a Western guy who marries a Thai woman and moves to Thailand. Let's say he speaks little or no Thai, and her English is very basic. Once he moves here, his social network back home typically begins to gradually wither away. Since the guy cannot speak Thai, he may find that his wife is one of the few people in her family or the village he can communicate with. In some cases, the language barrier can be so severe that even conversing with his wife can be a struggle. On top of this, the guy may struggle to adjust to the local culture and the resources available to help with this adjustment may be limited.

A person in this limited social environment is going to feel socially isolated. It's easy to imagine how they could become socially withdrawn and depressed, and how they might struggle to engage with a potential new acquaintance. While I think this pattern can be exacerbated if a foreigner moves to rural Thailand, I think this can easily occur in an urban environment as well.

I guess what I was trying to get across in my OP is that I've stopped feeling resentful towards people who act like this and started feeling sorry for them. My sense is that they are struggling to adjust more than anything else.

Well there ya go Gecko...and I thought you were a just poofter..

But apparently an educated poofter.

[Mudcrab]

I live in Isaan, south of Surin. There seem to be more farang living near here, than when I first came, last December. Most of them I see at Big C, either in the food court or store. The ones I see shopping are usually with their wife, baby(s) and mil in tow and are always, standing in the middle of the aisle, oblivious to the fact, no one can pass. My interaction with them is an "excuse me" and I continue my way. If they ask me a personal question, I might answer, depending on the question. Something along the line of, where I'm from or how long I've been here, but will not engage in a long conversation. I would not have a longer conversation with a farang in Thailand, than a complete stranger, in my home country. My longest conversation with a farang was when standing in an atm line. When he finished his transaction, he stopped and asked in broken English, if I spoke English. I told him "Yes". Do you live in Surin. I answered "Yes." Next question, "I have friend, that needs lawyer." Do you know any lawyers in Surin." I told him "No, But maybe you should be ask a native Thai." "Thank You, goodbye" Just because you see a farang and he doesn't talk too you, you make the assumption, that he is non social and a prick. But he is not your long lost friend. I have my family and that is what's most important too me. Oh, before I close. I'm an American and proud to say it.

I recall standing in the Lotus Express in a very small town in Surin Province . The greeting door thing was busted...and continued incessantly..." Welcome Hi How are You" or some similar inane crap.

I turned to a farang in the queue next to me and said "thats not the sort of thing you get fixed if it breaks"

He said nope with an obvious American accent.

We both went our separate ways

[bbbbooboo]

The only thing we have in common is skin color, this alone doesn't really form the basis for an interesting and fulfilling conversation does it? At least not in Tesco. Maybe if we met on the top of Mount Everest we could share a moment.

[bbbbooboo]

Yes, the non-verbal cues seem to be telling you to butt out so I would suggest that you do that