Let's change the thais!

[pattaya127]

Ok, we love to get pissed off at them for one reason or another, but IYO, what things you think a farang, or farangs will be able to change about thai behaviour, idiosyncracies, manners, etc..... Not your GF, not your wife, but thais. And how would you go about it?

 

PS: this may be the shortest thread ever if it stays on topic. Guess i gave my opinion.....

[mogul]

q: why would falangs want to change thais?

 

a: because of their racist, imperialistic, and ethnocentric world views--same-same as thais, but they don't want to change falang.

[liquidflux]

I dont think any farang could or should change anything about the thais. IMO their behavior and idiosyncrances are what makes the people and the country great. If I wanted to be somewhere where farang ideals rule, I could just vacation at home. Some of the politics and policies of the country may be sketchy, but the people are just fine.

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

Thailand is not a farang playground to change things as we see fit. Thailand is Thailand and I guess if a white guy doesn't like it.....don't go. A farang should not even attempt to change a Thai. We visit their country because we enjoy it. If you don't have fun there, don't go. This is not at all an attack on P127, just a generalization about the subject. Even if it's broke, don't try to fix it. Bottom line......if you don't like Thais, don't go. Same as if you don't like anything else, don't patronize it. This should be interesting.

[think_too_mut]

>what things you think a farang, or farangs will be able to change about thai behaviour, idiosyncracies, manners, etc.....

 

Thais are actually begging us to tell them what to change and improve.

Nit in a casual, but in an official and systematic way: Thai Airways customer satisfaction survey.

 

Other than ticking rating boxes after the questions, I made two comments:

 

The crews should be sent to English classes.

 

They should stop waing passengers: makes them look silly and incompetent.

 

So, they want to know and we are telling them. Thai Airways is usually the first contact point between us and Thais and has more weight than any other Thai giant (Siam Cement popped up as an example).

[Zaad]

TTM,

 

You use the word "should" as in giving advice, trying to improve, learn from eachother etc..That's the way to go and definitely not to be mistaken with 'changing' a person.

 

P127,

No problem in coming forward, yes, I like to (and do) try to teach Thais regarding (Western) manners, behavior, language usage (with different kind of people) etc. and vice versa. They learn from me and I learn from them. Very normal for people, especially those originating from different "worlds".

 

Farangs *should* adapt themselves in Thailand in order to make life somewhat easier and the same could be said for at least those Thais, such as cab drivers, who deal with farangs on a daily basis. "But they're in their country, why should they change?" Don't know how often I've heard those stupid words here, but again NOT change, ADAPT. Not exactly the same.

Sure, they don't have to, neither do we, but IMO we could make life easier and joyful by learning from and respecting one another.

 

Orandanodes,

You said the following in another thread which I will reply you in here as I find more appropriate:

"We westerners see classifying people as offensive. For Thais this is a way of life."

 

That's IMO a reason for such incidents, not an excuse.

If Thais are willing to learn from us then such situations will not occur. I know it's a way of life, it's how they have lived for decades and how they likely want to live forever.

But again, nobody needs to change, not even we farangs, simply adapt and learn. They'd still be Thais if they do so.

 

This has btw nothing to do with Thais only. Tourists (to a lesser extent) but surely expats adapt themselves all over the world in the country where they plan to work and live and it's most natural for the local people they interact with to adapt and learn from those who are 'new' in their country. Minor adaptations (manners, language usage, etc.) but essential though.

[Zaad]

Question..if the Thais know (most) of the farangs find the word 'farang' insulting/offensive would they still use it to address us? Would they uberhaupt care?

[Guest]

>>if the Thais know (most) of the farangs find the word 'farang' insulting/offensive would they still use it to address us?<<

 

Most of them would wonder why we find it offensive/insulting.

[Zaad]

That's not the point. We wonder about lots of things here in Thailand, and most of the times we do or accept without fully understanding the concept.

 

Question remains, would they use the word had they known about our interpretation or couldn'e they care less?

 

Not asking you, Oran, just thinking out loud.

[Guest]

Funny, there was a study at one of the major Unis (either Chula or Tsat), that looked at why Thai-Farang joint ventures usually fail (I read this in the Post or the Nation). The reason concluded upon was that the Thais were to "Thai," and if they wanted to succeed in the international market in the future they needed to learn to be less "Thai."

GS