ThaiHome Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 Well outside perception seems to matter to some people. I don't see it as very important. Thais seem to be divided between rural poor and Bangkok elite....with some in the middle. I doubt if any external pressure will change that. Knowing Thais it might even make things worse. I think Bangkok based reporters know enough to stay neutral. Even the lese majeste industry has gone quiet. Please define this "Bangkok Elite" you speak of. The very fact that you use the term, which is nothing more then a UDD invention, shows your misplaced sympathies and how effective the the Red propaganda has been. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acockasian Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 The term "Bangkok Elite" refers to the top 20 to 50, depending on who you ask, predominately Teochew speaking ethnic Chinese families in Bangkok. Mostly the same families since World War II and you can probably find the term used back that far. Not new at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 Thank you cockasian. I admit to using the term loosely. Perhaps it means different things depending who you ask. Don't know about numbers but to me it means the people who control the banking, property and various other things like communications and agribusiness. A lot of them treat their own citizens with contempt. My sympathies? That's a tough one. I'm losing my sympathies for Thais across the board I think. I still find them fascinating but I don't have a lot of sympathy to spare. I hope they can work this out but Thailand is losing its charm for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 So, 20 families, maybe a thousand people and the rest of Thailand, that is how it is divided? Pleeease. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 Thank you cockasian. I admit to using the term loosely. Perhaps it means different things depending who you ask. Don't know about numbers but to me it means the people who control the banking, property and various other things like communications and agribusiness. My sympathies? That's a tough one. I'm losing my sympathies for Thais across the board I think. I still find them fascinating but I don't have a lot of sympathy to spare. I hope they can work this out but Thailand is losing its charm for me. So the where does the upcountry elite, the ones that actually control the lives of the rural poor, the ones that have either encouraged them to go to Bangkok or encouraged them not to, depending on their political alignment at this time, where do they stand in this country divided between a thousand Bangkok elite and everyone else. You people have to stop putting a western liberal socialist view on this. It just doesn’t fit. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 I try not to do that. I think Thai society is much more complex than outsiders like myself realise. Societies will always arrange themselves into elite and common people but Thais seem to have a much more intricate system. Perhaps it's an Asian thing. Or maybe it just depends on which family you're born into. For me visiting Thailand has always been a process of trying to understand what makes them tick. In a way I think what we are seeing now is life behind the smile.....though oddly enough some of them still seem to be having fun. Fascinating people. I've had this discussion before BTW. Is there a Thai way of doing things? Are we part of it or are we just farang? Can modern democracy work there? etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 Thai society is still hesitantly trying to move into the early 1900s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 Yeah. Or maybe it's being forced too quickly into the 2000s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 Shamelessly stolen from TV TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted May 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 TV news is tripe mostly. They just skim the surface. Thank goodness for the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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