Is the mood changing in Chiang Mai?

[daveAustin]

Op, you'll get little joy here, some of our esteemed cm members are a little bit loved-up meekly green.  

 

Thai imm can be right dicks on their day, no matter how polite or how well dressed you may be. Likely a power thing coupled with a general underlying disdain for the foreigner. I found that CM immigration were generally ok, though, and there were a couple of real gems there... you should see them down south! I've also seen horror shows, such as the two guys at front going to town on a young lady who didn't have her paperwork in order. Okay, it was her fault and they probably get tired of it, but it was way over the top and embarrassing for her... two grown men ganging up on a young girl basically.

 

I would just simply ignore any childish snarkiness and do as little as possible. ie. don't say 'good' when you receive your visa and certainly do not wai them (unless wai'd first). For those that are clearly having a bad day, a civil hello and thank you should suffice.

Edited August 27, 2016 by daveAustin

[dcnx]

On 8/25/2016 at 8:11 AM, MissAndry said:

 

In my opinion those foreigners that wai (and boast about it) have low self esteem. Don't do it.

As for friendly, I've never found any Thais particularly friendly or welcoming, they smile a lot but it doesn't fool me. They mostly seem to hate white men and what they get up to here. Can't say I really blame them. 

 

I'm a pretty cynical guy with plenty of bad experiences here regarding the locals, but I absolutely have met and know many friendly and welcoming Thais. People are people no matter where you go. Sometimes you get diamonds,  sometimes you get stones. 

 

That doesn't mean there isn't a strong sense of xenophobia here,  because there is. But it's not everyone. 

 

Having said that,  I have one Thai neighbor who is beyond friendly, and another who is a complete douchbag who won't even return a hello or a smile, ever. So, flip a coin. But I find the further away from tourist zones I go,  the friendlier people become. 

[dcnx]

13 hours ago, thai3 said:

 

They are well paid and get free health care, lots of people would love those jobs

 

Yes,  but most people also want to be somewhere else. The grass is always greener.  Few people in life LOVE their job,  which is a shame. 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

you get free health care in most prisons, also.

[212Roger]

1 minute ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

you get free health care in most prisons, also.

And free sex!

[FruitPudding]

On Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 8:11 AM, MissAndry said:

 

In my opinion those foreigners that wai (and boast about it) have low self esteem. Don't do it.

As for friendly, I've never found any Thais particularly friendly or welcoming, they smile a lot but it doesn't fool me. They mostly seem to hate white men and what they get up to here. Can't say I really blame them. 

 

I thought you were a woman? (It seems like you just referred to yourself as a white man).

[MissAndry]

4 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

 

I thought you were a woman? (It seems like you just referred to yourself as a white man).

 I didn't say they hated me, I said they hate white men and what they get up to here.

I can't really blame the locals for that.

 

As for elderly white women, we're tolerated,  but not really much use to them.

We aren't going to buy them houses or cars.

Edited September 4, 2016 by MissAndry

[Sandy Freckle]

Is the mood changing on Thai Visa ?

[Teak]

On 2016-08-24 at 6:55 PM, kenk24 said:

 

As someone who is older, I rarely wai first but have no issue at returning one when offered and there are more formal situations, like picking up my kid at school when I am constantly returning wais.. they come with sincere smiles... I understand that there are many different types and occasions of smiles just as there are different facial expressions. If you are here long enough and observant of the culture, you eventually learn that just as a language has different words, culture can have differences too... such as "types" of smiles. 

 

I am a white male. Though I go to CM once a month, I never see any particular hatred. I think Thai are much more perceptive than you might think and respond to what they see. They pick up quickly on angry people and tend not to respond well to such, mostly not liking or wanting to avoid them. I walk around with a smile and friendly demeanor, non-threatening and non-confrontational and this is what I receive back, especially so in the countryside, I see no hatred toward me or the few other farang in our area... 

 

As to the OP - - would an increase in farang lead to an increase in workload compounded by having to deal with angry customers? 

 

As older now I seldom wai first unless the Thai is older than myself, however, I often slightly nod my head in acknowledgement. After spending more than 10 years in a small village, I was riding in and saw a lone 20 odd year old male on the side of the road. I prepared to nod my head as I motored past but he abruptly turned his back to me.  I was pissed, arrived home and started ranting to the wife. She just laughed and explained he knows who you are (only white guy) but he had never met you and he was just embarrassed so he turned around and avoided the situation. The wife later introduced us and he was a pleasant, friendly young man.

[Chiengmaijoe]

On 04/09/2016 at 9:01 PM, MissAndry said:

 I didn't say they hated me, I said they hate white men and what they get up to here.

I can't really blame the locals for that.

 

As for elderly white women, we're tolerated,  but not really much use to them.

We aren't going to buy them houses or cars.

 

Just curious. How long did it take for you to become so cynical? 

[Chicog]

On 8/27/2016 at 4:04 AM, thai3 said:

 

They are well paid and get free health care, lots of people would love those jobs

 

I doubt they are that well paid, and that's if they didn't get the job through a tap of the nose and pay half of their salary to their "mentor".

 

 

[Bob9]

On 8/25/2016 at 9:04 AM, cmsally said:

As well as being August which is musical chairs season. "Promotion, demotion, and shake it all around. Do the hokey kokey ....."

Good point.  And on top of all that the Boss is being hounded and pressured by HQ about what he has done to contribute to 'good guys in bad guys out'.  Whats the bet the Boss has been overlooked or demoted - and that has made the whole office feel the pressure. Maybe there has been a few sackings too??