Five Things I Hate About Thailand

After living here for many years, here are 5 of the things I hate most about Thailand, in no particular order:

1. Sleazy Pattaya
2. Smelly Tuktuks
3. Excessive Xenophobia
4. Internet Censorship
5. Filthy Streetstalls

There's more, but I'll leave it at this. Is there something I like? The easy availability of cute boys, but even that attraction is fading.

After living here for many years, here are 5 of the things I hate most about Thailand, in no particular order:......

Is there something I like? The easy availability of cute boys, but even that attraction is fading.
Given that list and your only seemingly likeable thing fading, it's a wonder you haven't moved on to pastures new or returned home by now???

After living here for many years, here are 5 of the things I hate most about Thailand, in no particular order:

1. Sleazy Pattaya
2. Smelly Tuktuks
3. Excessive Xenophobia
4. Internet Censorship
5. Filthy Streetstalls

There's more, but I'll leave it at this. Is there something I like? The easy availability of cute boys, but even that attraction is fading.

what's the problem? Running out of money already?

[Aunty]

1. Farang trash infesting the place.

2. Pollution

3. The exploitation of people, places, animals and things

4. Corruption

5. Thai nationalism.

[Hmmm]

There's a quote this week on Stickman's site about Thai "xenophobia/racism", as follows:
.....

Wonder what others think about that?

As for the others on your list:

Filthy street stalls -- some of the finest Thai food anywhere comes from them.

Unfortunately I think it's a case of 'all of the above' - racist, classist, and xenophobic.

Most Thais have very little knowledge of the countries around them, yet just assume they are inferior.

As for food stalls, Thais do tend to avoid the many that they will tell you are "too dirty".

... here are 5 of the things I hate most about Thailand, in no particular order:

........
4. Internet Censorship



Interesting, but the one site i find that is blocked at the moment is the one you advertise in your signature.

Why bother to put it there if you don't let people in?

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Last night I went to the flicks, and had to stand as usual for you know who's anthem and I just though to myself thank god I'll not have to do this for much longer. And to finish of the anthem nicely, the stupid farang sitting in front of me did a really low bow after. What an ares!

Well said John I couldn't agree more....

Thailand will never move into the 21st Century until they get rid of their lese majesty laws. Notice that Nepal has just woken up!

[Smiles]

" ... Yep, move on. If it gets to you that much (as it has me), then just get out. Return home or move to another country ... "
John, do you think if you hadn't settled specifically in Pattaya . . . and you hadn't chosen to start up (or buy?) your own business in Pattaya/Thailand, that you might possibly be feeling rather less disillusioned than you seem to be.
And perhaps ~ in combination with those two things ~ if you might have had also somewhat of a different natural personality than you do . . . would that have possibly made a difference to your (seemingly) less-than-victorious End Game in Thailand?

Perhaps it's mainly a certain 'type' of personality who can live and be happy in Thailand, with all of it's unforeseen cultural shockings at every turn.
Perhaps the population of farangs who choose to live in Thailand ~ and end up doing so with not too many problems ~ bring something "extra" to the table: in terms of their general 'outlook' on things ... perhaps a willingness to be delightfully amused by the uncontrollable ... or perhaps a natural tendency to not give a damn whether they "control" anything in the first place?

Don't know the answers to any of these questions. Just speculating on whether the foreigners who end up living successfully in Thailand have some kind of personality 'common thread' which makes their End Game different than yours?

Cheers ...

After living here for many years, here are 5 of the things I hate most about Thailand, in no particular order:

1. Sleazy Pattaya
2. Smelly Tuktuks
3. Excessive Xenophobia
4. Internet Censorship
5. Filthy Streetstalls

There's more, but I'll leave it at this. Is there something I like? The easy availability of cute boys, but even that attraction is fading.

1. As someone else said, don't go there. More especially, don't live there.
2. Smelly tuk-tuks? Aren't we reaching a bit hard here? I ride tuktuks frequently, and find that Life Goes On. :-)
3. Excessive xenophobia. What? Have you tried Japan? Iran? Korea?
4. Internet censorship. Again, reaching a bit hard. Who needs bleeping porno when they live in Thailand? And, more than that, there is Amateur Porno going on all over the country.
5. Filthy streetstalls. Well, I don't run into them very often in Chiang Mai.

How about (6)? Gay farang men who move here for the sex, and then discover that they have nothing else to do with their free time. So they form shuffleboard clubs and bitch about the Thai. How exciting!

[bigben]

JB... That is so funny to see. I have seen it also and the first thing I think of is what a Suck Azz/spine-less piece of work. 55555555

As bad, is seeing some of these pieces of work waiing (sp) the Mamasens or bar boyz. I almost throw-up when I see it.

Gentlemen:

You are not Thai no matter how much you think you know about the culture or how much Thai food you eat (Thai boys excluded)

Lesson for the day.

Unless you enjoy being thought of as Kee Nok (look it up) by the Thais, do not Wai other farangs and.....

Do not Wai Pimps or in this case Mamasens and....

Do not Wai prostitutes...or in this case bar boys.

And please please don't greet me or other farangs in the Soi with a "Sawadee Krap"........

Ok....Rant is over as well as the lesson for the day.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

Five Things I Love About Thailand
in no particular order:

1. Sleazy Pattaya
2. Sleazy Pattaya
3. Sleazy Pattaya
4. Sleazy Pattaya
5. Sleazy Pattaya

and..ummm..thats it. :cheers:

[Wesley]

There is so much good about Thailand I find it hard to spend my time thanking about the bad. There is ac`certain amount of Culture shock, however I found he shock quite stimulating.

Wes

Its a love hate relationship.

they hate it but love to talk about it.

[dab69]

good post Lunchtime

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[netrix]

[quote="John Botting":1hnfgn5y]

OK, he was mistaken but the point is, who the hell does he think he is telling me to stand?



Seems he was doing the exact same thing you are...trying to give a lecture on how to behave in Thailand.[/quote:1hnfgn5y]

ouch!

[netrix]

and yes, by the way, i have travelled all over asia from Shanghai to Singapore
and beyond ... and in my opinion, Thailand is the least xenophobic country i've
ever been fortunate enough to visit, including my own!

Yep, move on. If it gets to you that much (as it has me), then just get out. Return home or move to another country.

Amazing, extraordinary, unprecedented!! A post of JB's I fully agree with!


Last years President of my Rotary Club would always address members or guests (farang) as Khun.... I took exception to this and told him so. Like you, I said I am not Thai and nor are you so why do you call me Khun John? It is polite came the reply. Bollocks!

I knew it couldn't last! What an incredibly stupid remark (or at least it would be from anyone else).

Yours is a "bilingual English/German" branch of the club, based in Thailand where Khun is the normal polite form of address and the direct equivalent of the English Mr / Miss / Mrs; in France Monsieur would be normal, in Germany Mein Herr, and so on (and the female equvalent). The term "Khun" here is not only polite but normal, particularly in such circumstances, and not to use it would not only be unusual but downright rude.

"Bollocks!" That you were ever made President of any branch of the Rotary Club having displayed that sort of attitude says, sadly, a lot about that particular branch of the Rotary Club and about some (but fortunately not all) of the expats in Pattaya.

[Marsilius]

(1) I totally agree with you, John, about the ludicrous wai-ing of bar boys and mamasans. And the ironic thing about it is that the guys you see doing it - usually of the shorts-and-black-socks-with-sandals-in-the-evening brigade) give off the impression that you ought to admire them for having settled into Thailand so well, observing the local customs, etc. It's as if they're trying to say smugly to the rest of us "Look at us! We know what we're doing, unlike all you dumb tourists, because we live here!"

(2) I, for one, am also with you on the issue of "khun". If the members are all English or German, I'd address them as "Mr X" or "Herr X" on a one-to-one basis. Only if I were introducing a farang to a Thai person might I say "Do you know Khun X?" as that is the way that the Thai person would perceive him.

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Jonh Botting wrote: "Internet censorship -- no site I care to visit is currently blocked. They can block all the anti-royal sites they want and I wouldn't be bothered."

That is an ill informed comment, and it is especially disappointing to read something like this from a former policeman (?)

This very site is blocked on my True connection here in Bangkok. Like many, I like to visit porn sites and sites that are critical of the powers that be. There's nothing wrong with that and I think I should be free to watch what I want in the privacy of my own home. Yet I frequently get "blocked" messages, so some faceless bureaucrat has decided what is good for me. That patronizing attitude sucks, but it is pervasive in Thai society.

Furthermore, Internet censorship slows down connections because ISPs have to waste resources and money to filter traffic. This affects everyone who uses the Internet in Thailand. The censorship diverts money that could be invested in better and faster Internet infrastructure into wasteful and arbitrary ways of trying to micromanage people's behaviour.

Having a faster and uncensored Internet translates into more economic opportunities, more growth, and it helps foster critical minds. Alas, the elite are not interested in people who can think for themselves.

[quote="Gone Fishing":5vjl88eo]
Yours is a "bilingual English/German" branch of the club, based in Thailand where [


Quell surprize Khun Gone Mad. You have it wrong AGAIN. The Rotary Club Of Taksin-Pattaya is certainly NOT a bilingual club. We are an English speaking club that has some German speaking members. All our meetings take place in English.[/quote:5vjl88eo]

My mistake again! Why do I still believe some of the things you post, such as


There is, the Royal Cliff - name Jomtien and English speaking

The Montien, named Eastern Seabaord, English speaking lunch time club,

Town in town, named Pattaya and bilingual English/Thai

The Balcony, named Marina and French speaking

Lastly us, The Amari, named Taksin-Pattaya and bilingual English/German

which you posted on 18 June 2007. How gullible I am.

[Wesley]

and yes, by the way, i have travelled all over asia from Shanghai to Singapore
and beyond ... and in my opinion, Thailand is the least xenophobic country i've
ever been fortunate enough to visit, including my own!

I could agree more with this comment.

Wes

[Smiles]

"Five Things About Thailand Which Bother Me to Distraction" perhaps. But "hate" . . . I don't think so.

I had always thought (and still do) that the word 'hate' was the ultimate negative emotion, worthy of describing those very small number of people and things which pop up out of the blue only occasionaly, and if one is lucky, never.
To use it so offhandedly (as in the title of this thread) dilutes the word 'hate' to the point of meaninglessness . . . puts us in the sad company of the Hillary-Haters, or the Obama-haters, or the Bush-haters, or the Thai-food-haters, or commie-haters or right-wing-haters, or wife-haters, or lawnmowing-haters. Westerners (mainly Americans I'm sorry to observe) seem to able to blithely "hate" on the turn of a dime.

Thailand's got lots of faults (I've got a bushel basketfull in mind) ~ some quite glaring & grating & in greater quantity than other states or cultures, such as the Thai's general disregard for much evironmental as one example.
But not one of my pet bitches comes anything close to being a hair-trigger for 'hate'.

Cheers ...

[bao-bao]

I agree 100%, Smiles. I allow myself use of the word "hate" about a half dozen times a year (damn, that takes me down to five now) and I usually reserve it for banks, insurance companies, the phone company, the cable company and others of that ilk.

"Your call is very important to us," "That's just our policy" and "We apologize for any inconvenience," indeed!!

Very few individuals are worthy of that strong a word, and certainly nothing (so far) about Thailand.

The one problem I have with Thailand is that it's about 12 hours away.

If Thailand could just swap places with France, then I could go there every month.

The one problem I have with Thailand is that it's about 12 hours away.

If Thailand could just swap places with France, then I could go there every month.

I think you would have a hard job trying to convince Thailand to swap places with France. Come to think of it, I think you would have a hard job convincing any country to swap places with France. :glasses8:

Aux Fran็ais ici je plaisante seulement. J'aime la France vraiment, surtout le Sud.




George

[Brad the Impala]

I agree 100%, Smiles. I allow myself use of the word "hate" about a half dozen times a year (damn, that takes me down to five now) and I usually reserve it for banks, insurance companies, the phone company, the cable company and others of that ilk.

"Your call is very important to us," "That's just our policy" and "We apologize for any inconvenience," indeed!!

Very few individuals are worthy of that strong a word, and certainly nothing (so far) about Thailand.

Indeed!

Five Things I Hate About America

1) American nationalism
2) Xenophobia
3) Corruption
4) Backwards / puritanical ideas
5) The religious right

(1) And what country isn't nationalist? (2) HUH? (3) HUH? (4) Yes, and the worst is the homophobia (5) Yes, I don't like them either.

Now, your ideal country was???? France, China, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam?

Oops, it appears you did not choose to talk about that part.

Was your true love France? (1) Highly nationalistic (2) VERY xenophobic (3) quite corrupt (4) hate queers (5)have no religion at all.

Or was it China? Just as in France. Both countries offering great cuisine.

Singapore?

Well, I won't bore you with the rest.

How about....Russia?? Now that's a great place!!

[quote="Strontium-40":1rcclfav]Five Things I Hate About America

1) American nationalism
2) Xenophobia
3) Corruption
4) Backwards / puritanical ideas
5) The religious right

(1) And what country isn't nationalist? (2) HUH? (3) HUH? (4) Yes, and the worst is the homophobia (5) Yes, I don't like them either.

Now, your ideal country was???? France, China, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam?

Oops, it appears you did not choose to talk about that part.

Was your true love France? (1) Highly nationalistic (2) VERY xenophobic (3) quite corrupt (4) hate queers (5)have no religion at all.

Or was it China? Just as in France. Both countries offering great cuisine.

Singapore?

Well, I won't bore you with the rest.

How about....Russia?? Now that's a great place!![/quote:1rcclfav]

The only thing wrong with Russia Henry, is it's geographical location. It's above sea level. :angel4:

Cheers,



George.

(1) I totally agree with you, John, about the ludicrous wai-ing of bar boys and mamasans. And the ironic thing about it is that the guys you see doing it - usually of the shorts-and-black-socks-with-sandals-in-the-evening brigade) give off the impression that you ought to admire them for having settled into Thailand so well, observing the local customs, etc. It's as if they're trying to say smugly to the rest of us "Look at us! We know what we're doing, unlike all you dumb tourists, because we live here!"

(2) I, for one, am also with you on the issue of "khun". If the members are all English or German, I'd address them as "Mr X" or "Herr X" on a one-to-one basis. Only if I were introducing a farang to a Thai person might I say "Do you know Khun X?" as that is the way that the Thai person would perceive him.

Mister Marselius, just stick to the language you're using in a conversation and use whatever the language expects you to use.
Herr Marseius, das ist doch nicht so schwer, oder?
Mijnheer Marselius, waarom moeilijk doen als het makkelijk kan?
Monsieur Marselius, est que cest pas ...................!!
Senor Marselius, why should we use Khun instaed of the usually, according to the spoken language used title.

And yes, it's a big joke to see people waing around against Thai cultural standards, making a complete fool of themselves.
Exceptions: Government's Officials and the (great) parents of your partner.

[Marsilius]

Senor Marselius, why should we use Khun instaed of the usually, according to the spoken language used title.

Because the Thai person that we are speaking to may not understand that the first word we utter -"Mister", "Herr", "Monsieur", etc. etc. - is the honorific and is not actually an integral part of the person's given name. You are thus being helpful to the Thai person by saying "khun" and allowing him or her to avoid any possible social embarrassment.

By the way, my name is spelled "Marsilius".