pattaya127 Posted August 23, 2001 Report Share Posted August 23, 2001 TIT again. I would have talked to the english guy outside of the building. In my Pattaya condo, a french guy rents out rooms and bulshitted would be renters the same way. After 15 years of wheeling dealing in Thailand, he's become as bad as the thais. get the money first and then talk yourself out of the problem when the guy has already moved. That was last year, now we all have Sophon cable at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 23, 2001 Report Share Posted August 23, 2001 Originally posted by LondonFun: "Maybe the owner wasn't used to this sort of outspoken honesty ...". Most of Thailand isn't used to this kind of honesty and often it's rewarded with aggression or violence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 23, 2001 Report Share Posted August 23, 2001 aggression and violence? examples, please... In most cases, only bad feelings and plenty of occasion to save face, or pretend, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 23, 2001 Report Share Posted August 23, 2001 Okay, Pattaya127, a personal example: A few years back when the taxi drivers were still mostly thugs (today you have better educated folks who lost their former jobs), one of these people took me on a long, extended route. I told the driver that he's going an unnecessarily long way, upon which he started to argue. The route I was travelling was/is a daily routine, so I'm very familiar with it and all its possible (longer) variations. Since he diverged from the route I had told him to go, I made it clear to him that I would only pay the fare I usually pay for the trip. Incensed, the driver cursed me "I-hia kooway" (fucking prick) and pulled out an iron bar from under his seat. Luckily, the doors weren't locked and I escaped. The guy was raving mad and he would have used that bloody bar. Thais are very thin-skinned and many can't cope with criticism. The reason may be that a lot of things in Thailand are swept under the carpet, and the one who speaks out endangers the (seemingly tranquil and socially harmonious) status quo. Not to speak of the loss of face of the individual. Another example from the papers which I remember well: During the construction of one of the expressways, a German engineer reprimanded his workers for being tardy. He may not have been very subtle about it, I don't know. Anyhow, the workers beat him up for his criticism and he ended up in hospital, with multiple fractures. I have a few more examples at the ready, but this should suffice. [ August 23, 2001: Message edited by: Scum_Baggio ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 23, 2001 Report Share Posted August 23, 2001 This is the whole point. They have to lose face, worse if it happens in front of others, to react violently. I just meant that there are many ways to prevent this to happen, hence the famous Thai smile. I also have many examples where thais knew they were wrong and took the scolding without reacting. Your taxi story is a recurring one, it happened to me too to have to deal with a taxi getting angry, but again, there are many chances to deflate a situation. That waitress you talked about, if your friend was complaining courteously, was a nut, and getting angry MADE HER lose face, not your friend. never seen a waitress go ballistic about a meal she did not cook, frankly. The cook was her b/f? So, i can agree with you, things could go bad if you do it the unthai way, more confrontational than just stating your case. When i argue with a thai, i always try to manage a few smiles, and i make a lot of talk, avoiding finger-pointing in language and gesture. In the case of BKKPhil, i do not see anyone losing face, just the manager ending up telling him "it's none of your business how i rent my flats". Not every disagreement is a "lose face" situation. he is really up against a whole TIT system of promising what you can't deliver, Thailand is moving but not that fast! [ August 23, 2001: Message edited by: pattaya127 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lembeh Posted August 23, 2001 Report Share Posted August 23, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Chongnoi: They're living in a global community now and its time that they start learning some of the culture of this new community of theirs. chongnoi Damn right. Bloody Thai's. Anyone would think they owned the damn country or something....time they shaped up or shipped out.....NOT.. -j- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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