Expats in Thailand: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[webfact]

Expats in Thailand: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
STAFF WRITER


Featured image is by Roberto.Trombetta and used under a Creative Commons licence

BANGKOK: -- Being an expat is often held up to be something of a hallowed experience. To live in a place other than your homeland, assimilate with the locals and emphatically change your life can only be a good thing. Right?

Well, yes. Absolutely true. But the reality – especially in Thailand – can be a little murkier…

When you think of an expat, the first thing that comes to mind is usually a professional at a multinational on a hefty expatriate package with kids in international schools. Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and Dubai all spring to mind as expat hubs.

And then we have Thailand.

Of course, most of the expats in Thailand are just like those from elsewhere – often they’re qualified teachers, company owners, professionals in some way, shape or form. Many – especially men – marry locals and assimilate fully into the culture, often having Thai children and living out long, happy lives over here.

But then you have the minority whose actions can tarnish the reputations of everyone else: the prejudiced, the White Knights, the Cheap Charlies.

In short: the <deleted>.

There’s shades of grey in expat communities all over the world, regardless of nationalities – here are some of the favourable, and less than favourable traits we’ve seen on display by expats in Thailand over the years.

The Good

Expats…

- Have a wide breadth of life and travel experience to draw from – often with unique perspective and great stories to boot. For examples, see the gazillions of blogs, vlogs, websites, the What’s On Sukhumvit homepage and more, to get a taste of the shiteload of experience people are hanging out to dry for just one… more… click.

- Are curious by nature; always looking for new people, places and things to discover.

- Are friendly, accepting of new people and cultures and non-judgmental. You can be whoever you want to be in Thailand, and the expats here will take you as you are.

- Are knowledgeable, whether in language or customs, and are generally willing to help others.

- Are often laidback, and happy to adapt to new circumstances.

- Can find humour in less than ideal situations, whether it was taking ‘coup selfies’ back in 2014 or getting pumped for the unpredictable thrills of 90-day reporting.

Full story: http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/expats-in-thailand-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/


-- (c) What's on Sukhumvit 2016-04-07

[noitom]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

[HooHaa]

cliche tripe.

i am certain i could find nearly identical articles online if i could be arsed to look.

[HOAX]

I read a Norwegian blog yesterday (quoted by Norwegian media) that many Norwegian junkies, alcoholics and people with history of mental illnesses has become a burden to local Thai communities, Thai police and the governments of Thailand and Norway as they often need help, become psychotic, get hospitalized, don't pay at bars, restaurants and hotels, are doing drugs or drinking too heavily, stealing or selling drugs.

They end up on the streets, in prisons, at hospitals or at the transit center, and asks the Seaman's Church, the embassy or at local police stations for help, but are often powerless to help when they often need money and have lost their passports or the passports are kept by the hotels and bars until they pay. One specific guy the blog talks about was a drug detox patient who had no visa, no passport and no money, and spent 120 days at a transit center in Bangkok until members of various Norwegian Asian/Thai travel forums started a donation campaign to get him home. Two days and about 45,000 baht later the goal was more than reached and he travelled home.

http://www.rus.no/id/1042.0#_ga=1.20758206.785999160.1459773502 (in Norwegian)

The good, the bad or the ugly?

The good

- 120 days with detox at the transit center probably made him drug free 5555

Edited April 7, 2016 by HOAX

[canuckamuck]

I don't see how that makes expats different from any other group?

[PankajAmrit]

I wonder if an article about Thai expats in the "Evening Standand" would resonate with the Thais in England.

[Boon Mee]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

Thai's call them "Kee Neeow" or "Farang Kee Nok"

[ezzra]

For the life of me, I couldn't come up with anything clever to say on this subject......

[HOAX]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

It varies a lot in Thailand. Some will call you cheap charlie if you don't pay the buffet bill for everyone at the table, while others call you cheap charlie if you don't make your wife's family wealthy with luxury houses, cars and money.

And then there are those who trust that you will gradually build up the family successfully over time.

[ChrisY1]

Sounds like a PM and associates inspired piece.........

[BrainLife]

What an enormous loud of behinds this article is, In My Honest Opinion.

Guess I qualify as one of the a............, Cheap Charlies and such.

Why, because I live my own peaceful quiet life here in Thailand.

No longer interested in de bar scene in any way.

Just have sometimes a great time with my Thai friends, with whom I share the total bill.

Or is it that I live a happy and for filled life in Thailand and only spend between 22.000-27.000baht a month?

My income is 3-4 times that, just don't have anything to spend it on.

Don't worry when I die in a few decades hopefully, all the saved money will be used well.

PS. Amazing that my typing gets a <deleted> while in the original post the same word is used and is allowed

In short: the &lt;deleted&gt;. See the original post same short sentence.

Edited April 7, 2016 by BrainLife

[AlQaholic]

• Have a wide breadth of life and travel experience to draw from – often with unique perspective and great stories to boot. For examples, see the gazillions of blogs, vlogs, websites, the What’s On Sukhumvit homepage and more, to get a taste of the shiteload of experience people are hanging out to dry for just one… more… click.

• Can be insufferable bores with self-indulgent stories and unwarranted advice. To all the Bar Stool Barrys: shut up, mate.

There you have it! who wanna listen to some uninteresting shit somebody experienced in some African or South American banana warring country somewhere? Or some crap about Sukhumvit and the filthy hangouts around there.

[BrainLife]

For the life of me, I couldn't come up with anything clever to say on this subject......

This will probably be the best reply this threads can get

[NeverSure]

I think that was written by someone who got all of the information on a bar stool while experiencing his first week in Thailand. Talk about cliche's.

[rosst]

What an enormous loud of behinds this article is, In My Honest Opinion.

Guess I qualify as one of the a............, Cheap Charlies and such.

Why, because I live my own peaceful quiet life here in Thailand.

No longer interested in de bar scene in any way.

Just have sometimes a great time with my Thai friends, with whom I share the total bill.

Or is it that I live a happy and for filled life in Thailand and only spend between 22.000-27.000baht a month?

My income is 3-4 times that, just don't have anything to spend it on.

Don't worry when I die in a few decades hopefully, all the saved money will be used well.

PS. Amazing that my typing gets a <deleted> while in the original post the same word is used and is allowed

In short: the <deleted>. See the original post same short sentence.

I class myself in a similar position and relate to your comments.

I love Thailand and live in a village in Isaan, very quiet with wonderful people with I hope mutual respect.

[sabaii69]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

Cheap Charlie actually means you aren't a fool to all the Thai games to separate you from your money.

[stoneyboy]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

Cheap Charlie actually means you aren't a fool to all the Thai games to separate you from your money.

After all these years I never realised it was a compliment.

[BrainLife]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

Cheap Charlie actually means you aren't a fool to all the Thai games to separate you from your money.

Mostly it are the idiot farangs whom think you are a Cheap Charlie, but then they are still the stupid ones.

[me313]

I am undoubtedly a minority in this opinion, but I believe the "bad" ex-pats are those who come to Thailand to build, build and build more and more condos, hotels, high-rises, pouring cement over the beautiful nature of Thailand, making real estate prices double, or triple in another real estate bubble which is sure to come, with nature being squashed by this encroachment upon plants, animals, habitats, and all the like that comes with "development', which people of all races, countries and belief systems embrace because the never-ending quest for profit rules over nature. Thailand is a sort of nature paradise and I am sad to see the same mentality that has become a legacy of endangered species and destruction of natural areas becoming the target of developers to pour down another shopping mall or condo or boutique or something essentially unnecessary, but deemed "essential" for the economy of Thailand, with everything soon to be shiny, new and renovated, prices up and up, flowers, butterflies and animals beware and the beautiful nature manicured into lots. How many decades of this "hip" development will it take for Thailand to become plastered over and made into an artificial cement paradise with species dying off? These are the ex-pats that I think are the "bad" ones, who should be discouraged from coming to Thailand to make a fortune off development, but these are the ones deemed the most precious and worthy of the most respect.

[Roota]

'Many . . . assimilate fully into the culture'

Apart from Hong Kong I can't think of any country in this part of the world where Western 'expats' assimilate less into the local culture.

[Kabula]

The Internet and news articles spreads too much, negative, and misinformation that creates hate, fear, anger and discrimination which leads to violence.

Authors of content need to think before they write in my opinion.

There are the good, the bad, and the ugly everywhere!

Why highlight Thailand?

Write positive content and change the world for the better!

[blazes]

Cheap charlies exist the world over. But the worst are those who don't even spend money on themselves. I know such a guy, one of the richest in the very rich city that I normally live in, who has worn the same sports-coat for 20 or more years, who goes to an Old Folks' Home to play snooker on a Saturday morning between 10 and 12 cos it is free at that time, who freezes rather than turn on the heating. (I suppose in LoS he would melt rather than turn on the AC.)

But he does have one feature that suggests deviance: he has been spotted by a neighbour walking around in his house wearing a negligé. Yet again, that is an activity that costs nothing, except for the buying of the negligé at the charity store.

[Crash999]

Some surprisingly defensive comments here. If the description of those ugly foreigners doesn't match you then why worry?

[godden]

I'm proud to be a cheap charlie i work hard at it every day.

[BrainLife]

Cheap charlies exist the world over. But the worst are those who don't even spend money on themselves. I know such a guy, one of the richest in the very rich city that I normally live in, who has worn the same sports-coat for 20 or more years, who goes to an Old Folks' Home to play snooker on a Saturday morning between 10 and 12 cos it is free at that time, who freezes rather than turn on the heating. (I suppose in LoS he would melt rather than turn on the AC.)

But he does have one feature that suggests deviance: he has been spotted by a neighbour walking around in his house wearing a negligé. Yet again, that is an activity that costs nothing, except for the buying of the negligé at the charity store.

So what, if he is happy with his life, whom are you to judge? Does it effect your happiness/life in any way?

[webfact]

2 posts discussing/questioning moderation removed

/Admin

[gandalf12]

Totally useless article. The sort of thing you could write in the bath about any country without even knowing where in the world it is

[tom21]

non-judgmental has he read thaivisa

[ggt]

Why the "hey" did I spend so much time reading the comments in this thread?

[bark]

"Cheap Charlie" is often a derogatory term used to characterize a "farang" who doesn't dish out money freely to Thais and cater to their sob stories of family hardship. A farang who doesn't like picking up the tab for everyone all the time is referred to as "Cheap Charlie" by Thais. A farang who merely meets the agreed price for sex without additional tip is called "Cheap Charlie" by Thai girls. The Thai newspaper should be clear about this being a derogatory expression and why.

Bangkok Post " Breaking News " Note to Thai girls. If Farang pay the price that you ask for sex, don't call them " Cheap Charlie "

I sure that will happen !