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

[SaintLouisBlues]

Why would I want to "assimilate with the locals"? Doesn't assimilate mean "adopt their values rather than keep my own"? I'm of the view that societies are better for everyone if they're open, transparent and democratic. Were I to assimilate I would be compromising that core belief.

[BritManToo]

Not many expat 'qualified teachers' in Thailand.

Mostly TEFL on slave wages.

Didn't think expats 'assimilated' either, mostly ghetto living from what I see.

Edited April 7, 2016 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

I think thailand has the worst quality expats in the world because of its low cost living. This face is full of uneducated losers.

Nothing to do with 'low cost', living in Spain, France, and Portugal all cheaper than Thailand now.

I know, I spend most of my year living there.

What Thailand has is cheap and plentiful women, similar to the Philippines.

The 'expats' come here for the cheap women, wife/gf or rentals, all very cheap.

[mcfish]

"- Are friendly, accepting of new people and cultures and non-judgmental. "

[Oceanbat]

I've only ever heard the term "cheap Charlie" on this forum.

OB

[Yann55]

I think thailand has the worst quality expats in the world because of its low cost living. This face is full of uneducated losers.

You chose a remarkably appropriate name for yourself, Sir.

To equate quality and education with money is absurd, unintelligent, and ignorant.

To imply that people without money are 'losers' is downright insulting and stupid.

There are plenty of rich people around the world who are uneducated, rude, and thick in the head. On top of which they often have the arrogance of a thousand 'losers', and arrogance is not the mark of intelligence and/or education. You're a good example.

You need to grow some brains, because obviously, for the moment, you don't have enough to fill a thimble.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Yann55

[puffy]

"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.

Hahaha, everyone who liked this post is obviously a cheap charlie aka a-hole - please leave the kingdom, thanks 8-)

A new cocky 48 poster throwing in his 2 cents worth. Over time he may yet learn to put a sentence together that is readable.

Yes he is an idiot, but he will still be an idiot even if he had over 5000 posts. You do not become less of an idiot just because

you have more posts on Thai Visa, in fact from what I have seen the opposite is more likely true.

[dunroaming]

When I first moved to Thailand I was told that the belief there was that the person at the table who has the most wealth (or perceived wealth) pays the bill, not just once but every time. I went along with this until I met my wife who told me that it was nonsense. Certainly when we visit her family they insist on paying even though I am "perceived" to have more money than them. We then reciprocate when they visit us.

Living in Thailand means different things to different people. If you spend all your time with the girls in the bars you probably have very different experiences to having a wife and kids.

[BritManToo]

Living in Thailand means different things to different people. If you spend all your time with the girls in the bars you probably have very different experiences to having a wife and kids.

If you brought the wife with you from your home country, I agree.

If the wife is a local product, then I probably don't agree.

Many of the Thai wives are very similar to the Thai girls in the bar.

The main difference being less customers for them, and less sex for you.

Edited April 7, 2016 by BritManToo

[chicowoodduck]

THE BAD

All those hopeless souls who parade up and down the streets of Thailand with no shirt on and almost clueless as to how stupid they look with their beer bellies and assorted tattoos....oops and almost forgot the long ponytails.....geez.....can"t they get a grip? :-)

[Familyonthemove]

"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"

"Kee Neeow "is sticky shit, "Kee Nok" is Bird shit,...not the same thing !!!

Regards.

I think we need a ThaiVisa Glossary so we can standardize these classifications?

Kee Neeow - always wanting the lowest possible price for everything

Kee Nok - as in 'felang kee nok' - lowest tier of European foreigners, usually with no wealth or social graces

Cheap Charlie - person not inclined to give money to people who believe they have a right to handouts

Sex pat - a businessperson posted overseas who is able to expense sexual services

Poer - father figure, not necessarily a compliment

Mia Luang - formal wife

Mia Noi - minor wife

Mia Chow - rental wife

Geek - casual girlfriend

Dek wen - young man prone to racing motorcycles on the street - especially older two strokes (see Motorsai Ghai Yang)

Motorsai Ghai Yang - 'grilled chicken bike' - a two stroke motorcycle that smokes like a grilled chicken street vending cart

Scoi - teenage girl with heavy make-up and miniscule denim shorts seen on the back of motorsai ghai yang qv

Kon Yeu - a person who tends to over-complicate things. All falangs are culturally 'yeu'

Wai torng - menopausal behavior - usually seen in older poer qv

ATM gap song kha - literally 'two legged ATM' - male foreigner who is an easy source of cash

Edited April 7, 2016 by Familyonthemove

[Lupatria]

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.

Now I know where to find a real cheap Charlie. It must be the guy in charge of hiring the writers for peanuts to contribute to whatsonsukhumvit. How else can one explain such crap.

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[BritManToo]

gik not geek

In the past

geek was a circus performer that bit the heads of live chickens.

Currently

geek is a computer nerd with no social skills.

Great to see you are a fellow student of Thai hooker bar talk.

Edited April 7, 2016 by BritManToo

[smotherb]

I see no problem; just guarantee that you will give the family of your wife/gf exactly as much money as she gives your family. Nothing cheap about that.

[waighty]

You need to get over it. Never heard it used for a farang who wouldn't pick up the bill. But i know it will come in useful now

"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.

[waighty]

I believe that there are other nations on this rather large planet that suffer from the Good, Bad and Ugly expats.

[lookforzeros]

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.

I'd say your friend sounds pretty smart, having invested in a coat which lasted 20 years and not blowing his money on fashion fads to impress people that know him.

[BritManToo]

"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"

"Kee Neeow "is sticky shit, "Kee Nok" is Bird shit,...not the same thing !!!

Regards.

To point out

Kee Neow and Kee Nok are different 'Kee' words, first Kee means 'adverse character trait', second Kee means 'shit'.

So no 'shit' in Kee Neow.

Most of the times you hear Kee, from a Thai, they are talking about character not shit.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Having read the full article I wonder if "staff writer" has much knowledge of people that live in countries other than their place of birth. All over the world people are living away from what might be considered their natural culture and habitat. Throughout Europe the numbers of EU migrants has grown to huge proportions and they often do not integrate, in fact they usually form their own communities.

The term "expat" is being misinterpreted, to include drug dealers, mafia, people traffickers and the other dregs of humanity is inappropriate.

These bloggers that think they can write are a curse to professional journalists.

I suggest if you want to read rubbish just read a blogger; no research, no perspective and no writing skills.

[Gecko123]

Edited April 7, 2016 by Gecko123

[Jonmarleesco]

"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's a Thai newspaper - two-faces, one side.

[Gutenberg]

[citzofwrld]

I'm a 60+ year old American male, married to a Russian, that no longer lives in the U.S. because its people are generally to money obsessed, backstabbing, ignorant, plastic, fake, superficial, and are to uncaring, unconcerned about serious matters for me. Most have zero knowledge related to the history of their own country and the world. Talking to them for more than five minutes makes my head hurt. So, I've been traveling the world off and on since 1977. Been to over thirty countries, lived in four. Now, I'm only back and forth between Thailand and the Balkans. I like both cultures, European and Asian. Not a bar person, not a sex obsessed person, so I avoid those area's in Thailand. The LB's still seem to find me tho. So, I'm working on looking like a tree or something else uninteresting. Every country is different in mentality and culture. I try to smile a lot, be friendly, courteous, kind, mind my own business and avoid trouble area's. I let the small things that irritate me slide, esp, small taxi overcharges, rude sales people, grumpy locals and their snippy, nosy remarks, etc. That has has worked for me. No serious problems in any country to date. I like Thailand, except for the garbage and aggressive LB's problem. Hopefully, one day both will be cleaned-up. As for expats in Thailand, I know a few, and most seem like nice people. They mind their own business and rarely mention Thailand's problems. I guess, I choose my few expat friends well, so the drama, mental disorders, drinking/drug problems aren't there. I see, quite a few expats starting early in the morning sitting on bar stools or at the beach drinking. Every society has them. As long as they aren't bothering people, causing problems and not leaving their bottles behind for others to clean-up, its their life, so be it. Live and let live. A expat that is a big complainer and/or causes never ending problems for themselves and the locals, its time to move on.

Edited April 7, 2016 by citzofwrld

[Jonmarleesco]

''Might bring their prejudices ... including racism and sexism.'
'Use Thailand as a front to hide from the rule of law, choosing to deal drugs or indulge in other criminality.'
'Project their own insecurities and issues ...'

Could have been taken straight from a Thai culture seminar ... with the exception of number two. Thais usually simply ignore the law.

[HLover]

"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"

Only the ones that take you for a complete useless c*nt who was neutered years ago and gets/deserves zero respect by association with the gutter trash that utter these words.

[hoffy66]

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.

I agree with everything you have just said,,, even 10 years ago this was a nice place to live, before the prices of everything went through the roof.. due to expats

[BritManToo]

I think you'll find the price of everything went through the roof due to Thai greed.

[HLover]

And economic inflation.

[how241]

ezzra, on 07 Apr 2016 - 07:39, said:

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

Honesty is always appreciated.

[ozyjon]

I refuse to be an Expat in any country

because ''I'm a lumberjack''

I wish i'd been a girley just like my dear papa

now try to translate / explain that to the Thais,

many lumberjacks there.