buddha Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Not faithful, but ONLY short time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topcatta Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 I can see Ignorance is bliss in ppl who are not very smart or better to say stupid, they really do not suffer for long cause they cant think so they cannot worry for too long while our minds can...I say kick the bastards who are ignorant cause they put their problems on your plate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topcatta Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Not faithful, but ONLY short time.... Count me out then. I prefer looonnngg Time. It must be that 500 b extra that gets me... :hubba: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddha Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 Ignorance is not bliss...trust me...... Topcatta I saw that you posted in the 'back pain' thread in health....was it just thinking about it that did you in? WOW, I am wai'ing myself like crazy right now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 Excellent advice...I much prefer Rule number 1. I have a very few acquaintances in the South who initiate a serious heavy duty wai (fingertips to eyebrow) and I return with a serious wai (fingertips to chin). I am a professor and I am older than all of them. But that being said and done; rule number 1 works every time. Journey who are we to argue with a professor. i mean it when i say "academics rock !". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 When people are in "service" positions especially blue collar ones with low socio rank, it is not expected and it would be inappropriate to do so. A nod of the head is proper acknowledgeament. You will not see any Thai who is being serviced by thse types give a wai back. There is no reason why a farang should be any different in their response. Farangs only wai back because they don't understand thai culture. If the the farang who wai backs say it is out of respect. Then i will repeat, they don't understand Thai culture on this point... Now when people like CEOs, CFO, upper management types, laywers, or other white collar professionals wai you, then if you feel they are in the same social-econ class of yourself or higher than you, then it is appropriate and expected to return with a wai. Same same with friends, acquaintences or people you are being introduced to for the first time; your socio-econ class in relationship to theirs determines whether it is apprppriste to wai back... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkped Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Even a handshake is complex. You wouldn't shake hands with the CEO of your company. Interesting if true. I continue to feed at the public trough so I wouldn't know. I have met the U.S. cabinet secretary (cabinet minister to the rest of you) who I worked for (at considerable distance in levels of hierarchy) on a couple of occasions and seem to remember shaking hands both times. Would have thought it rather strange not to. I remember, when I was in the U.S.military in Thailand being told that if we ever met the King to salute, which was completely acceptable, because there was no hope that we could execute the appropriate wai. More recently, one of the security guards at the Royal President used to salute me when I left (have not been in any kind of uniform for a long time). At least once I returned it. Don't tend to initiate or return wais (although I do try to acknowledge them), but don't particularly worry about it either. After all, unless it's grossly inappropriate, I'm just a dumb farang who doesn't know any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preahko Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 I used to return wais to bargirls, but I was read the riot act on that last spring by a bunch of girls I know well at one bar...they said it's highly inappropriate and makes them feel awkward. they said it has something to do with my status as a university professor, but even more than that, it comes down to one word: age. so while I realize the opinions/advice of that one barful of girls doesn't necessarily describe the opinions/preferences of all thais (or at least all thai bargirls), however, since I had that conversation with them I only wai 1) bargirls older than me (there is a handful out there! I'm 47...) 2) bar owners (thai), though all the ones I know are within a few years of my age. relatedly, I find it interesting that in Cambodian culture, while an older person never initiates a wai (called "sompeah" in Khmer) with a younger person, it is perfectly acceptable to return one. while living in a thai village a few years back, however, when I tried to apply this rule cross-culturally, my girlfriend read me the riot act and told me under no circumstances should I *ever* return a wai to one of her kids...you just nod at them. I follow the same approach now with Thai waitstaff and bargirls. preahko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preahko Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 oh, and to make it even more complex, I was also instructed by said girlfriend to always wai (and address as "phi" her older brother and sister, even though they were both over 5 years younger than me...in such cases the age of your "spouse," apparently, determines your place in the age pecking order relative to her siblings. interesting stuff. preahko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AF16 Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 I don't have to wai her older brother, and as with you she slapps me silly if I wai her 'child', and I have to wai her parents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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