gobbledonk Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 OK - many of you read the same crap I do on various forums, and I swear there are Farang out there who wont be happy until Thailand is a pile of rubble - think Syria or even Cambodia in the Khmer Rouge era. From gloating over the baht's decline to predicting economic chaos and civil war, I'm mystified as to exactly why some of these people ever went to Thailand in the first place - they clearly loathe the country and it's people. The same tossers who moaned and bitched about the GBP-THB exchange rate 12 or so months back are now crowing about how many baht they are getting for their pension payments - class acts ..... Given that many here have lived in Thailand for decades, I'd be interested in some perspective from people that have endured the various rollercoaster rides over the years - I'm hoping its mostly BS from people who werent even in Thailand in 1997. I know Suthep and Thaksin havent done the country any favors, but some of the posts on various fora are way OTT. Anyone ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Living here you see little difference in local prices when the baht climbs or falls. When the baht went from US$ = 40 to US$ = 30, costs in Thailand stayed the same. I've been through at least half a dozen coups and an assortment of major protests, all having little effect on cost of living here. Thus I don't mind seeing the dollar rate climb. The only damage it does to me is when I have to pay bills in the US and convert baht to dollars. But I know what you mean about bitching expats. I get especially pissed off by their slagging off the Thai education system, when they know fanny adams about it. They just parrot the same crap they hear from others and then complain that Thais don't know how to think for themselves. I commented about that on Thai forums a few times, and got nasty replies telling me to stop giving examples and citing my experiences from decades of teaching here. That is one reason I spend little time with "foreign experts' who refuse to learn even the most basic Thai or spend their time outside of the Farang ghettos. I also no longer post on almost any other Thai board than this one. This is one of the most poster-friendly boards I know of, with only a relatively few firefights or napalm attacks now and then. p.s. However, I will add that our wonderful Pheu Thai government has really effed things up with the brilliant rice purchase plan to buy rice at 40% over the market value to win farmer's votes (even the farmers never saw several thousand of that amount). Rice is decaying in warehouses, whilst rice on the local market is going up and Thai families are starting to feel the pinch. Another 5 or 10 baht doesn't hurt me, but it does if you are raising a family on 10,000 baht or less a month! Our 25 baht meals now cost 35-40 and are smaller in portion. Even pro-red shirt taxi drivers have complained to me over that (besides complaining about the 1.2 million new cars PT has put onto the roads). PT has cost the country billions of baht and wants to cost it even more, but folks in the red shirt villages still love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 What irritates me is that many people only have a narrowed view of this country. They only listen to what their wives tell them and barely read up on the countries history and do not even learn the language, and consider themselves experts. I am a history nut myself and I like to follow politics very close. I am constantly reading up on things from both sides of the divide. And I speak to many people of all sides. I personally wish for it to all end without to much pain. But I am personally afraid the unwell wishers to Thailand might get what they wish for. I have always said that imho Thais are like little volcanoes. They build up a lot inside (because they keep smiling) and do not let their true feelings show. Until one day it snaps and they will erupt over something (usually something small). And I am afraid we will see many of these little volcanoes erupt the coming weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coss Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 I'm hardly the one to say that I'm qualified to comment about anything Thai. My thoughts are that Thailand is moving through what Europe did several hundred years ago. If you replace the industrial revolution with the 'consumer' revolution it might make some sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 I agree with that Coss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Thanks for the feedback guys - I take Flasher's point that a lot of the 'experts' are people who really know little about Thailand or its people despite having parked their carcasses in country for years. waerth, slightly OT, but you raised the importance of history and this saddens me - these clowns were prepared to sacrifice millions to prove that their view of the world was 'right'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_rouge#Paris_student_group Fortunately, in Takky's case its all about greed and a sense that he wuz robbed - the idealogues are much more dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Newspaper editorials have commented on the Thai characteristic to feel that their view is right and everyone else is wrong. This is a disaster in politics, where there is virtually no empathy for anyone of the other persuasion. A pretty yellow shirt girl in her 20s was killed by a police gas grenade and the pro-reds applauded and called her a "whore". Reds were killed in 2010 clashes and the anti-reds cheered and say they deserved it. Protesters right now are killed by "mysterious gunmen" and the pro-reds are happy. I still get almost physically ill whenever I see the photos of the 1976 Thammasat student massacre, in which ordinary Thais acted like savages - leftist students beaten to death, lynched etc. For the first time, I heard Thais saying 'they deserved it". I saw the same lack of sympathy in the US after the Kent State student shootings by the draft-dodging Ohio NGs: they deserved it. Is there any hope for humanity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 @Gobble ....... yes you do know whom emulate the Khmer Deang most right? Which is why the press supports them, same like the press supported the poor misunderstood farmers of the Khmer Rouge. The parallels are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Newspaper editorials have commented on the Thai characteristic to feel that their view is right and everyone else is wrong. This is a disaster in politics, where there is virtually no empathy for anyone of the other persuasion. A pretty yellow shirt girl in her 20s was killed by a police gas grenade and the pro-reds applauded and called her a "whore". Reds were killed in 2010 clashes and the anti-reds cheered and say they deserved it. Protesters right now are killed by "mysterious gunmen" and the pro-reds are happy. I still get almost physically ill whenever I see the photos of the 1976 Thammasat student massacre, in which ordinary Thais acted like savages - leftist students beaten to death, lynched etc. For the first time, I heard Thais saying 'they deserved it". I saw the same lack of sympathy in the US after the Kent State student shootings by the draft-dodging Ohio NGs: they deserved it. Is there any hope for humanity? Flasher, if you can name a country where people do *not* turn into savages when the shit hits the fan, I'm all ears. In terms of blood in the streets, one can only wonder how the 'lockdown' would have been greeted in Africa, the Middle East or most of South America, particularly when the protesters are calling for the overthrow of the current government. I doubt they'd be greeted with rose petals and holy water. Doesnt make any of the killing 'right' - not even remotely - but I can see how quickly such a situation could get out of control. Longer term, I just dont see how this can be resolved - what government will ever be able to keep both elites and the rural poor happy as long as Thaksin is free to fund dissent ? I hate to say it, but this is why Vlad goes after Russian billionaires when they no longer want to play his little games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Thaksin infuriates his opponents because he simply refuses to give up. He is determined to come back in triumph, no matter what the cost to others, if it is the last thing he does. (It probably would be.) If Pheu Thai had not been so "in your face" with their policies, Thaksin could have sat back and let Yingluck run the show. But that wasn't enough for him. Subtlety has never been his strong point. Even now, when she wants to resign, he will not let her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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