soongmak Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 As long as I have been coming to thailand, I have heard stories of scams, rip-offs, family disputes, double pricing (for falangs as well as thais), lending money and not paying it back, resentment among friends because of stingy freeloaders, friends unashamedly asking each other how much their bf/husbands are making etc. Although I will not dispute that the dollar is king in farangland as well, I feel that the thais, as a group seem to be even more obsessed with money. Is this just my distorted view or is there some truth in it? what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Read Stickmans weekly with an interveiw with someone (Thai) who went to the uk for a trip and seemed preoccupied with the high cost of living rather than being somewhere new and different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 In my experiences, the short answer would have to be a resounding "Yes"!, as it is in most class structured societies. Your financial footing, dictates a large portion of who you are there. And to some degree, that is the case in all societies. Just seems to be way overblown there, at least from what I'm used to in the US. I've never known a couple here not being able to be uninted, because the groom could not afford to buy his bride's parent's a new house. :: Common US saying is, "The clothes make the man". In Thailand, it seems 'The bank account makes the man', and dictates your social standing, to the exstreme, and quite unforgiving in this respect. There.......'you are what your bank statement says you are', with little room for movement, and a strange resignment to that fact, by the general Thai population. Just my take on it all. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Hi We have a Thai guy staying with us ..goes back to BKK in a few weeks. Has had one trip into the city,(too expensive)..thats all i have heard since he got here....looks at TV all F*****G day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soongmak Posted September 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 The perception I have of the thais is mainly through my wifes perception, to be honest. I don't know that many thais so well. The stories she has to tell about her compatriots are seriously sad. People telling over-the-top bullshit stories to gain face, exaggerating the richness of their husbands, forgetting to pay their part when the bill arrives after a night out, loaning money from friends and refuse to pay it back, bragging over monthly allowances, sometimes it all makes me sick. Always the fucking money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Monthly allowence?...are they children? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gomez Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Thais are preoccupied with money and the stuff it buys, but no more than people in my home country -- in some ways less, some more, I'm no expert in greed, it's a saw-off. And I think consumerism tends to express itself a bit differently in developing countries than it does in the West. >>>Read Stickmans weekly with an interveiw with someone (Thai) who went to the uk for a trip and seemed preoccupied with the high cost of living rather than being somewhere new and different.<<< God, that sure sounds like a lot of farang in Thailand, concerned about some peripheral issue rather than the wonder of being somewhere new and different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Quote: "Thais are preoccupied with money and the stuff it buys, but no more than people in my home country" I agree. Where the problem comes in, is that most falangs associate with lower class Thais. Ask yourself, back in falangland, if you associate with lower class people, what do they talk about in your presence - money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
check_bin_krap Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 I think there is different groups, and views as its in farang countries also. Some are obsessed with it. Others not. There is no clear answer here. I have seen both types of people. The ones I respect and remember is the ones who are not obsessed with it. I can point to many examples, but its really boring reading. Is Thailand that different from your own country? I think NOT. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
check_bin_krap Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 MightyMouse said:Quote: "Thais are preoccupied with money and the stuff it buys, but no more than people in my home country" I agree. Where the problem comes in, is that most falangs associate with lower class Thais. Ask yourself, back in falangland, if you associate with lower class people, what do they talk about in your presence - money. It has nothing to do with low class people. It has to do with spirit, inner self. You think rich people all don't care about money :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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