Why stay in Thailand if everything is bad (according to some)

[nidieunimaitre]

Some people are just never happy about anything! Unfortunately the habitual complainers are everywhere! Nothing better to do, then complain!!

Please.

Stop complaining.

[h90]

Beautiful temples, commercial sex, nice climate, commercial sex,low cost of living, commercial sex,... I could continue, but probably you get the idea. Just a little more seriously, I have often asked myself the same question, and can't come up with a better answer.

I think you should also mention the easily available commercial sex....

[ttthailand]

@ttthailand,

You are right of course.. I don't mind the complaining because of course there are things wrong here. Its more the putting down of the locals all the time that gets to me.

There are plenty of valid complaints, but acting like the locals are all dumb greedy and so on.. just not true.

I agree but until you have walked in a man's shoes don't judge him. Who know what the guy complaining has been experiencing.

[robblok]

As long as people are speaking the truth I see no problem with them speaking out. Why sit back and suck it up all the time.... Call a spade a spade and move on.... Get it off your chest.... Release some stress ....

Many of us came here young and worked in real jobs made money, invested and planted roots. Things change and we don't like it and complain, so what, this is our home even though we are not Thai. We have homes, cars, wives or girlfriend, friends etc .... We have the right to complain when things are wrong.

People who bend over and take it all the time are the ones who bother me not the ones who speak up again the wrongs of the world.

People who come here on long holidays and think this is the greatest land in the world are blind and can't see anything as they have not had time. They don't read the papers, experience the corruption, or experience being robbed or raped. Be here awhile and you will see.... Sure it happens everywhere and people in those places complain also.

And what gives someone the right to say " if you don't like it go back to your own country" if they don't like what I say then don't listen.

People have the ability to block or skip people or posts they don't like. Stop complaining about people complaining !

Worry about yourself more and stop worrying about what other people do. Live and let live..... Have a nice day

You could take your own advice too

Big difference in what you and I complain about.

Now suck it up and bend over and be a good quiet little sheep....

Yes we are at different sides of the political fence.. but I don't mind that. But our complaining has about the same effect (zero)

[robblok]

@ttthailand,

You are right of course.. I don't mind the complaining because of course there are things wrong here. Its more the putting down of the locals all the time that gets to me.

There are plenty of valid complaints, but acting like the locals are all dumb greedy and so on.. just not true.

I agree but until you have walked in a man's shoes don't judge him. Who know what the guy complaining has been experiencing.

True.. but generalizing never works.. but its so easy the us against them. I am not from the UK but will try to give an example to make it clear what I mean.

Like if i were to see a drunk Brit with a shaved head causing trouble i could say all Brits are trash (not true of course) while a Brit would say all Chavs are trash excluding himself from the group.

Its so easy for a foreigner to slag off all Thais instead of being a bit more specific .. generalizing is never good and putting down each and every Thai is just bad.

[55Jay]

A lovely, thoughtful Thai once told me, "Up to you!"

Smart lady that.

[fang37]

A lovely, thoughtful Thai once told me, "Up to you!"

Smart lady that.

"Up to you" - indeed it is.

[Berkshire]

As long as people are speaking the truth I see no problem with them speaking out. Why sit back and suck it up all the time.... Call a spade a spade and move on.... Get it off your chest.... Release some stress ....

Many of us came here young and worked in real jobs made money, invested and planted roots. Things change and we don't like it and complain, so what, this is our home even though we are not Thai. We have homes, cars, wives or girlfriend, friends etc .... We have the right to complain when things are wrong.

People who bend over and take it all the time are the ones who bother me not the ones who speak up again the wrongs of the world.

People who come here on long holidays and think this is the greatest land in the world are blind and can't see anything as they have not had time. They don't read the papers, experience the corruption, or experience being robbed or raped. Be here awhile and you will see.... Sure it happens everywhere and people in those places complain also.

And what gives someone the right to say " if you don't like it go back to your own country" if they don't like what I say then don't listen.

People have the ability to block or skip people or posts they don't like. Stop complaining about people complaining !

Worry about yourself more and stop worrying about what other people do. Live and let live..... Have a nice day

You could take your own advice too

Big difference in what you and I complain about.

Now suck it up and bend over and be a good quiet little sheep....

What are you if not a sheep? Albeit a loud one. None of your complaining on an anonymous English-only forum is going to change anything. Ever. You're barking at the moon. You're as insignificant as a gnat that I just swatted away. So if you want to continue to live in Thailand under conditions that you find horrible, "suck it up and bend over."

[55Jay]

A lovely, thoughtful Thai once told me, "Up to you!"

Smart lady that.

"Up to you" - indeed it is.

Precisely.

[ttthailand]

@ttthailand,

You are right of course.. I don't mind the complaining because of course there are things wrong here. Its more the putting down of the locals all the time that gets to me.

There are plenty of valid complaints, but acting like the locals are all dumb greedy and so on.. just not true.

I agree but until you have walked in a man's shoes don't judge him. Who know what the guy complaining has been experiencing.

True.. but generalizing never works.. but its so easy the us against them. I am not from the UK but will try to give an example to make it clear what I mean.

Like if i were to see a drunk Brit with a shaved head causing trouble i could say all Brits are trash (not true of course) while a Brit would say all Chavs are trash excluding himself from the group.

Its so easy for a foreigner to slag off all Thais instead of being a bit more specific .. generalizing is never good and putting down each and every Thai is just bad.

I agree but sometimes when they refer to something and suggest all Thais sometimes it is really meaning most or many Thais. Example is this crazy thing about saving face. Would you agree that most farangs think this is a bad behavior and also that most Thais are guilty of this ?

Would you also agree that most if not all Thai bar girls are in it for the money. Or that most Thai police are corrupt ? .... There and many things that do cover a huge percentage of Thais, nothing is ever 100 % regarding people and how they act but you can generalize when a large enough percentage do or think the same way.

Just my two cents worth...

Edited October 16, 2015 by ttthailand

[robblok]

@ttthailand,

You are right of course.. I don't mind the complaining because of course there are things wrong here. Its more the putting down of the locals all the time that gets to me.

There are plenty of valid complaints, but acting like the locals are all dumb greedy and so on.. just not true.

I agree but until you have walked in a man's shoes don't judge him. Who know what the guy complaining has been experiencing.

True.. but generalizing never works.. but its so easy the us against them. I am not from the UK but will try to give an example to make it clear what I mean.

Like if i were to see a drunk Brit with a shaved head causing trouble i could say all Brits are trash (not true of course) while a Brit would say all Chavs are trash excluding himself from the group.

Its so easy for a foreigner to slag off all Thais instead of being a bit more specific .. generalizing is never good and putting down each and every Thai is just bad.

I agree but sometimes when they refer to something and suggest all Thais sometimes it is really meaning most or many Thais. Example is this crazy thing about saving face. Would you agree that most farangs think this is a bad behavior and also that most Thais are guilty of this ?

Would you also agree that most if not all Thai bar girls are in it for the money. Or that most Thai police are corrupt ? .... There and many things that do cover a huge percentage of Thais, nothing is ever 100 % regarding people and how they act but you can generalize when a large enough percentage do or thing the same way.

Just my two cents worth...

Your already talking sub groups with police and bar girls (and I agree with the remarks about those). Not so much with the face thing for all Thais but sure a lot of them do. But these are valid things, but its nothing compared with what you read here sometimes. Lot of overly negative things. For people who are THAT negative I don''t understand their reasons for staying.

And there is no country in the world that is perfect, I just like it here more as in the Netherlands (for now) never said it was perfect here. But as I know some great Thais who are nothing like the stereotypes portrayed here it gets boring at time.

[jspill]

If there was a USAvisa.com (probably is actually) I'd go there and complain about this latest Drone Papers exposé about how the president puts people on kill lists and 90% of drone attacks don't hit their intended target.

That would be less fun though because I don't live there.

Thaivisa is our own 'patch' of the internet for complaining about things we come across in our day to day lives.

[CWMcMurray]

[bkksteve123]

And why start another thread about this? You are not bringing anything new to the table, just asking the same old question that has been beaten to death on this forum.

You know VERY WELL that many people do not like everything about Thailand yet choose to stay here. So what?

There is nothing left to discuss as I'm sure you've already heard all the various reasons some expats are frustrated with the locals and local culture.

Do you need a refreshed list or something?

[kannot]

Wife and ability to grow many trees I like, dont like Thais much especially selfish cultural traits of "me first" and happy to say so.

Almost all the trees which can be grown in Thailand can also be grown in Mexico. Just something you might want to consider.

And the Wife?

[lovelomsak]

Everybody has to be somewhere so why not Thailand. Good as any place to complain.So the differences makes it even easier.

[GuestHouse]

Once again, why does the OP feel so strongly about the opinions others have of Thailand if he himself is happy with the choice he made.

Why does it matter to ask the OP this question?

Because Thaivisa is one of the few places expats in Thailand can express their feelings and frustrations about their life in Thailand.

Though I have to admit, I bought really duff car once (Triumph 1500), I knew it was a duff car, I made a bad choice and I used to get really upset when people pointed out that there was something wrong with my car. When I later bought an MG C, you could say whatever you like about my car, I did not give a hoot, I knew I made the right choice and I was happy with my choice.

And a personal word to the OP, I'm currently in your home country, I love it here, there are I am sure many people who complain about the place - It will not stop me having a wonderful day in a wonderful country where I chose to live and where I am happy with my choice.

When people are truly happy with their choice, what others think or say makes not a jot of difference to them.

Edited October 16, 2015 by GuestHouse

[GuestHouse]

MGC....Hmmm, would loved to have driven that...

In a straight line

[Gecko123]

Wife and ability to grow many trees I like, dont like Thais much especially selfish cultural traits of "me first" and happy to say so.

Almost all the trees which can be grown in Thailand can also be grown in Mexico. Just something you might want to consider.

And the Wife?

Life's short. Do what you gotta do to be happy.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Gecko123

[CharlieH]

A number of overly negative posts and bickering have been removed.

Moving this to the Pub.

[Suradit69]

I don't get it why people stay in Thailand if its so bad.

You assume they know why they do or say anything. For some, chronic moaning is probably a genetic disorder or a family tradition.

If you suggest the logical thing: "If things are better somewhere else, why not leave Thailand?" they just get even more upset at such a simple and obvious solution. I know if I were that unhappy with everything here, I'd pack up and leave.

Often they accuse those of us who are relatively happy here of "wearing rose-colored spectacles." In fact I would think most of us can see things here (and wherever we came from) quite clearly. We never thought life here would be without ups and downs and we knew there was plenty to moan about back home as well ... then we decided Thailand was the better choice and got on with our lives rather than being perpetually convulsed with every little thing that we imagined was a problem.

And let's face it, there's an obvious element of racism. For many this is the first time in their lives that they are in a minority. If one Thai doesn't smile at them or genuflect as Khun Farang approaches, that immediately means all 66 million of them "don't want us here." If one Thai cuts in a queue at 7-Eleven or can't speak perfect English, then the country isn't civilized and the education system is deplorable.And the biggest moan is that "they just want us here for our money." Why else would any country want foreign residents or tourists?

As I've said before, most of the malcontents are probably just as upset wherever they find themselves. They carry it with them. They are undoubtedly a relatively small percentage of all the visitors and foreign residents, but they make a disproportionate amount of noise and like missionaries of gloom, they want to impose their misery on everyone they can.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Suradit69

[fang37]

They either leave or stay (if they have no $$$).

[Katipo]

The time for me to leave feels like it is getting closer. Just how much longer I can stay I am not 100% certain. The lack of spatial awareness and the over generous dollop of selfishness many Thais seem to have been served at birth make it harder and harder. Corruption... I'll just leave that there.

Thais never really accept foreigners as one of their own, or at least I have never seen it. As we are perceived to be different, we are treated differently. This is a double edged sword, but a side effect is that we can also act differently and get away with a whole lot more. That is, we are not expected to conform to the sometimes archaic cultural norms that are still prevalent throughout the country. So, if you can put up with being treated like an alien, you can get away with acting like one to a large extent too.

I am in a well paying job with a reasonable number of holiday days available to me. This allows me to travel throughout the region and beyond quite frequently. My job itself is also rewarding and allows me to travel to Europe, USA, and other parts of Asia. If I am honest, this travel is one of the 2 main things that keep me here.

For the most part I prefer the company of other foreigners, both male and female, as to be frank, they are much better conversation. This has little to do with language skills, and a lot to do with world view. There are only so many times you can talk about hot weather, hot food, and bowel movements in one day (or so I thought). I have been over here long enough so that the novelty of being chased by pretty little Thai girls has all but worn off. I'd rather take one with a slightly less attractive face, but a western educated brain and the ability converse on a broad spectrum of current events and an interest in outdoor activities (as opposed to soaps, malls, and sleep)

The other main thing that keeps me here is the standard of living. My salary is on of a similar level to what I would be getting for the same type of work as home, but as you know, expenses in Thailand are much less (unless you insist on fine European dining every night and 5 start hotels every weekend). I know if I went home i would have to forgo a significant amount of travel, nightlife, and general entertainment. I simply couldn't afford it.

So here I am. For now.

[eldragon]

@ttthailand,

You are right of course.. I don't mind the complaining because of course there are things wrong here. Its more the putting down of the locals all the time that gets to me.

There are plenty of valid complaints, but acting like the locals are all dumb greedy and so on.. just not true.

I agree but until you have walked in a man's shoes don't judge him. Who know what the guy complaining has been experiencing.

True.. but generalizing never works.. but its so easy the us against them. I am not from the UK but will try to give an example to make it clear what I mean.

Like if i were to see a drunk Brit with a shaved head causing trouble i could say all Brits are trash (not true of course) while a Brit would say all Chavs are trash excluding himself from the group.

Its so easy for a foreigner to slag off all Thais instead of being a bit more specific .. generalizing is never good and putting down each and every Thai is just bad.

I agree but sometimes when they refer to something and suggest all Thais sometimes it is really meaning most or many Thais. Example is this crazy thing about saving face. Would you agree that most farangs think this is a bad behavior and also that most Thais are guilty of this ?

Would you also agree that most if not all Thai bar girls are in it for the money. Or that most Thai police are corrupt ? .... There and many things that do cover a huge percentage of Thais, nothing is ever 100 % regarding people and how they act but you can generalize when a large enough percentage do or thing the same way.

Just my two cents worth...

Your already talking sub groups with police and bar girls (and I agree with the remarks about those). Not so much with the face thing for all Thais but sure a lot of them do. But these are valid things, but its nothing compared with what you read here sometimes. Lot of overly negative things. For people who are THAT negative I don''t understand their reasons for staying.

And there is no country in the world that is perfect, I just like it here more as in the Netherlands (for now) never said it was perfect here. But as I know some great Thais who are nothing like the stereotypes portrayed here it gets boring at time.

And Thais are a subgroup within humanity... Anyway, it's foolish to ignore trends. What good does it do to talk about the small percentage of people within any subgroup that are different other than to establish there is hope for the rest? Anyway, there is hope in Thailand and Thai people, which is possibly what is so frustrating for many expats. When you look at where this country is right now- with pretty much every western comfort (and many eastern ones) a foreigner could ask for- despite the typical Thai mentality, it can be a little maddening at times. The potential for more is here.

[F4UCorsair]

Those unhappy in Thailand won't go home because they would be unhappy at home......get it?

[Berkshire]

I don't get it why people stay in Thailand if its so bad.

You assume they know why they do or say anything. For some, chronic moaning is probably a genetic disorder or a family tradition.

If you suggest the logical thing: "If things are better somewhere else, why not leave Thailand?" they just get even more upset at such a simple and obvious solution. I know if I were that unhappy with everything here, I'd pack up and leave.

Often they accuse those of us who are relatively happy here of "wearing rose-colored spectacles." In fact I would think most of us can see things here (and wherever we came from) quite clearly. We never thought life here would be without ups and downs and we knew there was plenty to moan about back home as well ... then we decided Thailand was the better choice and got on with our lives rather than being perpetually convulsed with every little thing that we imagined was a problem.

And let's face it, there's an obvious element of racism. For many this is the first time in their lives that they are in a minority. If one Thai doesn't smile at them or genuflect as Khun Farang approaches, that immediately means all 66 million of them "don't want us here." If one Thai cuts in a queue at 7-Eleven or can't speak perfect English, then the country isn't civilized and the education system is deplorable.And the biggest moan is that "they just want us here for our money." Why else would any country want foreign residents or tourists?

As I've said before, most of the malcontents are probably just as upset wherever they find themselves. They carry it with them. They are undoubtedly a relatively small percentage of all the visitors and foreign residents, but they make a disproportionate amount of noise and like missionaries of gloom, they want to impose their misery on everyone they can.

Very, very well said. And a pretty darn accurate assessment of the TV whining/whinging brigade.

[bra]

Feel like complaining? I suggest that you consider the old saying "I complained a lot about my shoes until I met a man who had no feet"

[mihalis]

Hahahahah, because this forum is full of bitter, twisted foreigners, either burnt by a thai, or completely bored with their lives.....

[stevo52]

Trip advisor ?? no i dont , dont know much about it actually

[leeedwards]

Just because it's better here than most people's home countries it doesn't mean that we can't comment on some of the ridiculous and idiotic things that go on here.