Does this piece describe you? Culture shock.

[sglad]

Yes, "even you" know... everything (shades of Beachlover). Let me put it this way: if I were to return to America now, I would be very displeased with the way things are going.

No, I don't know everything and wouldn't want to. Knowing everything would imply the death of curiosity and I wouldn't want that. What I meant is that America is a lot more diverse than what Hollywood America/the liberal media portray. Thanks to Hillary's elitist election strategies (among other things), the Russ Belters and the Bible Belters are now having their say through their faux conservative evangelical celebrity pastor, Donald Hallelujah Trump. And one doesn't have to go to the US to appreciate this. I say this because Chiang Mai is teeming with these types, most of them missionaries. Two Sundays ago I was invited to a barbecue by one of my friends who conveniently omitted to tell us that it was being organised by a youth wing of The Church of Christ in Thailand. Jesus Christ, it was like stepping into a set of a 1950s American movie! Women with big hair, guys in plaid and khakis, and they all talked slow and funny and used words like "amaaazing", "grreaaat" and "wowww". One guy who was flipping burgers (whom I later found out was a pastor of some sort) asked me if I was a Christian and I said "No, I'm Buddhist." And you know what he said to me? "You're still young son and it's not too late to come back." Now what the fuck did he mean by that? And some of these people have been in Thailand for decades, spoke perfect Thai and yet they still lived in their SUV bubbles. There goes the theory that living someplace for a long time, speaking the language, etc amount to true appreciation and understanding of the local culture. Myself and their Thai and Burmese minions were the only non-whites there! Did that pastor guy become like that only since 20 January 2017? No, he didn't so I don't get these incredulous "Oh this not my America", "This is not who we are" crap. Yes, it is exactly who a lot of you are and they're having their fifteen minutes of fame with Trump's election. And from what I could gather Trump is only a seat warmer for their real hero, Mike Spence, the true conservative who comes with a requisite fat wife and son who looks like he bashes gays for fun at the weekend.

[fountainhall]

And some of these people have been in Thailand for decades, spoke perfect Thai and yet they still lived in their SUV bubbles. There goes the theory that living someplace for a long time, speaking the language, etc amount to true appreciation and understanding of the local culture

And if that's the basis on which you base your conclusion, you have totally blown it. Note the language you use, sglad, and the references you as a alleged student make. It's all just blowing wind!

[bobsaigon2]

Yes, "alleged". I can't escape the feeling that Beachlover or one of his cohorts is lurking in the shadows.

[werner]

This discussion had many interesting replies. But why do so many of these discussions become personal attacks on other members??

[Marsilius]

The concept of bowing does not necessarily travel well internationally:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/20...-tribunal-told

[sglad]

The concept of bowing does not necessarily travel well internationally:

Unlike kneeling and bending over.

[fountainhall]

Now that you are much more active, sglad, I note you have not responded to my earlier post.

Originally Posted by sglad
And some of these people have been in Thailand for decades, spoke perfect Thai and yet they still lived in their SUV bubbles. There goes the theory that living someplace for a long time, speaking the language, etc amount to true appreciation and understanding of the local culture

And if that's the basis on which you base your conclusion, you have totally blown it. Note the language you use, sglad, and the references you as a alleged student make. It's all just blowing wind!

[fountainhall]

What's wrong sglad? It's the weekend. You should have plenty of time to spare a little for your chosen chat room. What about a response to my eariier question ?

Originally Posted by fountainhall
And if that's the basis on which you base your conclusion, you have totally blown it. Note the language you use, sglad, and the references you as a alleged student make. It's all just blowing wind