Thais are rude to me

[tuonsai]

Earlier I asked in a post whether long term expats living here find an unfriendliness towards foreigners, and I mentioned that I had experiences of rudeness in Thailand.

The people who responded mostly disagreed this is an issue.

However, yesterday I came from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok after 4 months in Cambodia, during my stay in Cambodia I cannot recall a single instance of rudeness. As soon as I arrived in Thailand I experienced three blatant instances of people being rude for no reason whatsoever.

To list these:

First the lady at the Aranyaprathet bus station selling tickets. She speaks about three words of English and when I tried to enquire about basic information she acts in a rude manner. After giving me my ticket, she says something to me in thai, I though she was speaking English and didn't understand so I ask "excuse me" and she barks at me rudely the same thing in thai again. I had no idea what she was saying so the guy next to me translated. An example of shameful service.

Second, I love kids and get along well with them. However one little kid on the bus, begin staring at me in a really rude manner for no reason. The thai kids on the bus were misbehaving the entire trip and this kid was downright rude, and I know the difference between a rude stare and a curious stare. The mother did nothing to stop the kid.

Third, arriving in Bangkok I get in the taxi and say "Hello, Saphan Kwai please", the driver doesn't say a word, but starts grumbling, he says absolutely nothing, so I ask "Saphan Kwai BTS, okay?", again completely rude, insulting lack of any response. He did not even say yes, or okay. When we arrived he only managed to mutter a forced "thank you" when I gave him a 20 baht tip.

Today more rudeness from people in Bangkok, so I've been in the country less than 24 hours and experience more rudeness than in Cambodia over two years. I still love Thailand, because you still have three nice and polite people for every rude one, but the Land of Smiles moniker is not going to hold up for long if Thais continue behaving this way.

[Costas2008]

So a little kid was looking at you the wrong way?

You need some help, mate.

[Brit_Doggie]

Sadly your story rings a bell until you get a thai gf or bf,then attitudes tend to reverse,but is it not the same in your own country i from uk and find that a lot of the so called aliens are treated similar.

[GarryP]

I would say you are looking for it. Seek and ye shall find.

[berybert]

I always used to hold the door open for people, still do when I forget not too. I cant remember one Thai ever saying thank you or someone holding the door open for me.

[tonytigerbkk]

Bloody kids staring at people, how rude.

You should have burned the bus down with everyone on it, that would have taught him.

[topt]

OP I have to ask why you are even posting this? You even say that you have already posted a topic in a similar vein and comments mainly disagreed with you. Seems like you are trying to validate your feelings.

Sorry but the examples you give can happen anywhere (although apparently not Cambodia ) I personally think you need to chill and I hope that you get the message from the above replies that most of us really don't care

tonytigerbkk above puts it far more eloquently

[Soutpeel]

Just out of curiosity how does one ?

"begin staring at me in a really rude manner" ?

Mate think you where born 150 year too late, just think in those days if a native treated the bwana in the manner you have described, you could have had the child's parents tied to a tree and flogged for their child's insolence

[Crazy chef 1]

helpful as I am I'll give you a good advice....move to Cambodia....

People are much more friendlier there and still honor the White man....

Edited March 23, 2015 by Crazy chef 1

[marko kok prong]

A lady at the bus station barks at you,a kid stares at you and a taxi driver grumbles.presumably, they had not forgotten the red carpet when you returned to your place of residence,as you would have no doubt listed that too, you must be a very sensitive fellow is all i can say.

[KarenBravo]

Maybe learning to speak a bit of rudimentary Thai would solve the problem?

[tonytigerbkk]

helpful as I am I'll give you a good advice....move to Cambodia....

CC is correct and may I suggest that you get out of Dodge very quickly lest someone sneezes in your general direction or has silent but racist thoughts about you.

[Soutpeel]

A lady at the bus station barks at you,a kid stares at you and a taxi driver grumbles.presumably, they had not forgotten the red carpet when you returned to your place of residence,as you would have no doubt listed that too, you must be a very sensitive fellow is all i can say.

may be the OP should charter himself a helicopter and he can travel about at his leisure and not have to interact with those pesky natives who keep staring at him in a rude manner

[Chivas]

I always used to hold the door open for people, still do when I forget not too. I cant remember one Thai ever saying thank you or someone holding the door open for me.

Thais can never say thank you for anything regarding a farang........ Its in built from School age in my opinion !

[Soutpeel]

Maybe learning to speak a bit of rudimentary Thai would solve the problem?

how would that stop children starring at him in a rude manner...?

Maybe the OP is just a funny looking f er

[Bernard Flint]

I always used to hold the door open for people, still do when I forget not too. I cant remember one Thai ever saying thank you or someone holding the door open for me.

SIR

They always say thank you to me, and i have held doors open for many years. The OP is relating to Bangkok thais or in general. I find some BK thais and farangs have this air of supremacy, compared to any other area of Thailand, and i have been to most.

My answer dont let them drag you down to their level, still plenty of nice people about.

[Bernard Flint]

I always used to hold the door open for people, still do when I forget not too. I cant remember one Thai ever saying thank you or someone holding the door open for me.

Thais can never say thank you for anything regarding a farang........ Its in built from School age in my opinion !

I agree, they all say khop khun khrap to me, what does it mean.

[jcisco]

When you get a real problem to tell the world, we'll be here to lay into you... err advise you. Till then, grow a spine and learn the lingo

[marko kok prong]

A lady at the bus station barks at you,a kid stares at you and a taxi driver grumbles.presumably, they had not forgotten the red carpet when you returned to your place of residence,as you would have no doubt listed that too, you must be a very sensitive fellow is all i can say.

may be the OP should charter himself a helicopter and he can travel about at his leisure and not have to interact with those pesky natives who keep staring at him in a rude manner

One would dread to think how the op would react if he saw anyone spitting near him.

[CharlieH]

Moved to the Pub

[kannot]

So a little kid was looking at you the wrong way?

You need some help, mate.

Nah he needs to beat the living <deleted> out of the kid.............. that'd sort it hahahaha

[marko kok prong]

I always used to hold the door open for people, still do when I forget not too. I cant remember one Thai ever saying thank you or someone holding the door open for me.

Sounds like you are opening said doors,expecting a thankyou,while you have good manners,bery,you cannot expect the whole world to have the same,as far as i can see this kind of courtesy is not prevelant in asian culture's,so mate,don't bother and feel happier.

[Pomthai]

Taxi driver probably though you were calling him a buffalo which would be considered rather rude on your part OP.

[Songhua]

So what was bus station lady saying? Or is it too rude to print?

[KarenBravo]

I always used to hold the door open for people, still do when I forget not too. I cant remember one Thai ever saying thank you or someone holding the door open for me.

Thais can never say thank you for anything regarding a farang........ Its in built from School age in my opinion !

Rubbish........your opinion is wrong.

I live in the south of Thailand with supposedly the rudest Thais and I've never had a problem.

[Morakot]

So what was bus station lady saying? Or is it too rude to print?

'We are humbled by your ginourmous presence. Your magical powers are erecting, White Man who has descended upon us from the hills of Cambodia!'

Edited March 23, 2015 by Morakot

[sipi]

Thanks for the warning. I'll take the train.

[tuonsai]

OP I have to ask why you are even posting this? You even say that you have already posted a topic in a similar vein and comments mainly disagreed with you. Seems like you are trying to validate your feelings.

Sorry but the examples you give can happen anywhere (although apparently not Cambodia ) I personally think you need to chill and I hope that you get the message from the above replies that most of us really don't care

I'm posting this because it's an issue of interest to me and this is a discussion forum.

I'm thinking about moving to Thailand from Cambodia, but I'm afraid this country is a bit xenophobic. No, this level of rudeness does not happen anywhere, it's obviously aimed at my white skin. I've never had a taxi driver not say a word to me or even look at me anywhere else in the world and I have traveled widely. It just surprises me because I take care not to look like a low class foreigner, so that can't be a reason either.

I do understand these are individuals, and I noticed these people look like they're frustrated with the world in general. Some others have been nice so far, but the balance over the last 24 hours leans toward rudeness. I guess a lot of people just get used to it and the same will happen to me.

Edited March 23, 2015 by tuonsai

[tuonsai]

So what was bus station lady saying? Or is it too rude to print?

Haha, she actually said, "you can get on the bus", to

me in thai, and then became pissed off I didn't understand her so practically

yelled it to me... in thai again.

[marko kok prong]

Have you not read the replies to your post,there is one person with a problem,and that is you.