How Thai culture has changed over the last 20 years...

[HappyDazed]

First off, no Thailand bashing, plenty of other threads available to do that.

This thread is for those who were here 20 years ago and still spend time in the kingdom,

----

I was talking to my Thai friends a few days ago,

Reminiscing about the times when there might have only been one mobile phone in the village, which people paid to use like a public telephone, to call other villages( which might only have one mobile phone) ....but hardly anyone did as it was expensive.

And, how no one understood the internet, so most Thais would pay a ladyboy(usually) to send/translate an email for them from the LB's email account(thus assuring future business).

And, how much more reserved and shy Thais were back then...compared to now, for eg some of the pics/videos to be seen on FB.

Case in point, being a video I've just watch on FB of a LB using a Buddha statue as a sex toy...

The only comparison I can think of in western culture is the period: 1950-1970

[allane]

I have lived in Thailand since 1995.

- the telephone directory used to have a list of villages in the back, with the phone number of the pay phone (singular) in each village.

- remember the five baht coin phones that merchants used to have on their counters, and people sitting at folding tables on the sidewalk offering their mobile phone for public usag?. (There was some quirk in the long-distance rate structure. For those calling long distances, it was cheaper to do it on a mobile phone, and they didn't need a stack of coins.)

On the commercial front: The rise of 7/11 has been phenomenal. When I came here, they and Family Mart were more or less on an equal footing. 7/11 had a slogan of "2003 locations by 2003." By the time 2003 came, they had far surpassed that. And, I can think of two or three instances myself where "7" opened a new location and put a nearby Family Mart out of business.

- following the 1997 recession, the rise of Big C and Tesco Lotus was equally phenomenal. Starting from nothing, within 3 - 5 years they came to dominate the retail landscape throughout the country.Dominant Bangkok retailers The Mall and Robinson were caught completely flat-footed. At one point, the CEO of The Mall suggested that the government ought to pass a law requiring all retailers to sell the same article at the same price

Also noteworthy: the rise of "big box" stores on ring roads, and at the edges of towns, often in locations not accessible by public transport.

In Bangkok, when I arrived, there was no BTS, MRT, or Airport Link Trains.

.On the social front;

- the proliferation of cable TV channels;I don't know how they all survive.

- and,I was walking through Central Plaza Khon Kaen about a year ago. I saw a high school boy and girl, dressed in their school uniforms, walking through the mall holding hands. I wouldn't have seen that 20 years ago.

[sipi]

20/30 years ago Thailand was an adventure. A bit like Kenya or Nepal used to be back then.

Not any more.

[DLang]

I see a lot (a lot!) more anger and frustration within Thai society.

I put it down to a number of things.

Mainly the amount of 21st century products and 21st century marketing available to people who need face and ego, but cant afford it. They have really bought into the whole Buying Crud You Don't Need With Money You Don't Have.

An explosion of vehicles on the road in populaces too small to handle them.

Social media and a dawning awareness of how much they are schat on and how hopeless their lives are, and viewing daily of lives they pang for but will never have.

[Alive]

Education is much more accessible and taken advantage of.

Now rural people have lots of cars.

Some interest in the religion is fading. I know a few atheists.

Riding non-air buses in rural areas was normal in the past.

10 baht biils are gone.

Thais don't see foreigners as something special. Less starring and mouths forming the word 'farang'.

Young people are more liberated. Women drink more and go out with friends.

Eating at nice restaurants isn't just for the wealthy or for parties. Now teens can go out with friends and have the funds.

Many more Thais travel abroad on vacations. The international world is closer for all.

Health care and roads are better in rural areas.

People don't care as much about Levis.

The world cup isn't the only sport that attracts attention. Thai golfers have really come along.

Thai food has become a bit sweeter and of course now junk food is quite normal.

Coffee drinking has really come along.

Bread in the past was horrible and you could often only find pandan bread but these days there are much better choices.

2nd hand clothes were much more popular in the past.

The Skytrain wasn't there so buses were the way to get around. Traffic jams seemed worse too. That might have been because we were stuck on crowded buses.

Singh beer was number 1 twenty years ago. Chang probably is now.

I don't think Moo Ga-tah (neua yang) was around then. Now it is more popular than eating just Thai food in a lot of areas.

Laos wasn't so open to foreigners then.

There were a lot more Peace Corps and other volunteers still around.

Life was more laid back in general. Chiangmai wasn't as polluted.

Many(Most?) of the high tech companies in Navanakorn, Ayuttaya and other places weren't around. They were just starting to come in around 20 years ago.

The convenience store I knew before 7Eleven was AM/PM. It was in central and northern Thailand. Not sure if they had it in other parts.

Pleng Puea Cheewit was at a high with Carabow, Pongsit Kumpee and others big stars.

There seemed to be a lot more Suan Ahaan around where girls would sing the top songs while you ate dinner. they'd also sit with you and sometimes take a trip with you too.

I'd say there was a bit more wildlife/nature too.

People were much more innocent.

There were a lot more mia nois around too. I don't think women accept that so easily these days as they have jobs and power.

Of course, there is so much more to say.

[JaiLai]

There's more fat people, hardly ever used to see any plumpers

[mr3cho]

24 years ago, I came to Thailand for a visit and was 18yrs old at the time.

Then: No "obese" Thai people as I recall

Now: See several "obese" ppl on a daily basis (agree with JaiLai)

Then: Not many western brands / franchises

Now: Many Starbucks, Burger franchises, Donut franchises

Then: Cold drinks on the go came in a plastic bag, rubber band and straw

Now: plastic or paper cup

Then: Thai art and culture was very "Thai" very traditional. Music was Carabao and Joey boy

Now: Thai art is very much fusion and very quick with keeping up with the West. First modern wave of music Da endorphine, Bodyslam, Potato, Thaitanium. Now some Gen-Y Thai bands even sing in English. see "Part Time Musicians", Hugo, Montonn Jira on youtube.

Then: Thai fashion was Levis and Gap

Now: There are many Thai born brands. Thai clothing Naraya, Dapper and Waft x Weft

5 baht phones but now-a-days Thailand is number in Facebook and Instagram usage.

My opinion... back then, Thais were outward looking. Today, Thai people are more and more in-ward looking (still take influence from elsewhere, but not different from anywhere else). Maybe as evidence, Thailand as a whole, English proficiency is dropping year to year.

I used to live in Los Angeles. I can say that Bangkok is folds more modern than Los Angeles. Granted LA is a suburb, not a metro. More brand shops, Mega malls, public transport, Huge electric billboards. Seems like Big brands will group Bangkok along with NYC, London, Shanghai, HK, Dubai, Singapore with their expansions.

[villagefarang]

I am not particularly nostalgic. Sure the physical environment was different and peoples lives were different but the change has been pretty gradual in my opinion. Like many or most Thais, I have enjoyed a better lifestyle with the introduction of more modern conveniences. I have no desire to maintain Thailand as some exotic petting zoo for westerners to satisfy their fantasies or perversions.

I figure Thais have the right to choose their path and it is up to me to find ways to adapt. Then again, I started out very young and have had plenty of time to learn how to adapt over the last 40 years. No use lamenting a past which will never return, just get on with life.

[BudRight]

These observations are less about "culture" than the arrival of the information age and transformative technologies. One could make the same comments about the disappearance of "pay-phone culture" in the UK.

The world is becoming more flat. Even grass-hut dwelling villagers in Africa have smartphones with Internet. That's a good thing, and as villagefarang points out, it is without downsides except for the nostalgic among us.

Edited July 14, 2016 by BudRight

[villagefarang]

I guess the thing I find disturbing is that while the world is becoming more flat, it is at the same time becoming more polarized and confrontational. All this modern technology throws ignorant and intolerant people into close proximity and instead of leading to understanding it seems to lead to confrontation.

ThaiVisa is an often vivid example of how we are not growing closer and more understanding as the world shrinks.

[roamer]

A cultural change I've observed is that 20 or more years ago it was far less common to see young farang/Thai couples where the girl was not from the bar scene. I knew a couple of guys on Uni cultural exchanges etc that found it next to impossible to date someone from their college, that has certainly changed.

[kannot]

I guess the thing I find disturbing is that while the world is becoming more flat, it is at the same time becoming more polarized and confrontational. All this modern technology throws ignorant and intolerant people into close proximity and instead of leading to understanding it seems to lead to confrontation.

ThaiVisa is an often vivid example of how we are not growing closer and more understanding as the world shrinks.

so long as confrontations are only words.......