News Forum - Government angry Thailand came last in ‘Land of Smiles’ poll

[Stevejm]

13 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Or if you are just a pleasant person.............give that a shot

Exactly. The best way to start any interaction when going into a bank, shop etc. is to look at the person you are dealing with and smile. A greeting in Thai helps too.

[vlad]

On 7/20/2022 at 4:07 PM, Marc26 said:

 

To be fair their Reputation goes before most Thais. There are the occasional good one's but overall most dislike us. A friend of mine who speaks fluent Thai was sat with me at a celebration in Udon Thani all he heard was the bad comments about us until he spoke to them in Thai and they quickly went quiet.

[Stevejm]

38 minutes ago, vlad said:

There are the occasional good one's but overall most dislike us

If that’s the impression that you have you must go around with a really bad attitude

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, vlad said:

To be fair their Reputation goes before most Thais. There are the occasional good one's but overall most dislike us. A friend of mine who speaks fluent Thai was sat with me at a celebration in Udon Thani all he heard was the bad comments about us until he spoke to them in Thai and they quickly went quiet.

I don't really care if that is true, to be honest

 

I know my wife and close personal circle of Thais like me

My stepson's friends like me

 

And I have good interactions with the Thais I meet in everyday life(mostly) in stores, restaurants, etc....

 

So if some Thais I don't know don't like because I am a farang, that doesn't bother me in the least

[Stevejm]

2 hours ago, vlad said:

friend of mine who speaks fluent Thai was sat with me at a celebration in Udon Thani all he heard was the bad comments about us until he spoke to them in Thai and they quickly went quiet

So a group of people at a celebration decided to spend their time talking about the two strangers at the next table for no reason? That’s hilarious. You might want to think about what you were saying or doing just prior to that to prompt them to focus their attention on you. ( top tip never assume that people can’t speak English because you will be surprised!)

[Stevejm]

49 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I don't really care if that is true, to be honest

I know my wife and close personal circle of Thais like me

My stepson's friends like me

And I have good interactions with the Thais I meet in everyday life(mostly) in stores, restaurants, etc....

So if some Thais I don't know don't like because I am a farang, that doesn't bother me in the least

If it is even true it’s probably for a reason. If you behave like an a hole you get treated like one in any country

[Marc26]

8 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

If it is even true it’s probably for a reason. If you behave like an a hole you get treated like one in any country

But I think his point was Thai's in general

Just their view of us

 

But like I said, I don't really care if people I don't know like me or not

 

The ones I am close with like/love me

The rest, I can only be a nice person when I interact with people...........I am not worried what anyone else thinks

[Stevejm]

31 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

But I think his point was Thai's in general

Just their view of us

I don’t think that’s true. I have spent over 20 years working here mostly managing teams of Thai engineers and other staff. I would say that a few Thai people inherently just don’t like us but most don’t have any particular feelings about us ( or have a positive viewpoint). A lot depends on how you personally deal with people you meet but my experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

[vlad]

1 hour ago, Stevejm said:

So a group of people at a celebration decided to spend their time talking about the two strangers at the next table for no reason? That’s hilarious. You might want to think about what you were saying or doing just prior to that to prompt them to focus their attention on you. ( top tip never assume that people can’t speak English because you will be surprised!)

Top Tip we were not the only 2 falangs.

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, vlad said:

Top Tip we were not the only 2 falangs.

But you said that they were talking bad about you?

[Skip]

10 hours ago, Marc26 said:

For sure and a different scenario than known people

But what examples would that be? Besides a retail/service transaction, I am not really interacting with younger Thais I don't know

Not by any rudeness on either part..........but I don't know when I would have such an interaction

Take your blinders off... do you never make eye contact with strangers out in public or open a door for anyone other than yourself or many other interactive events in daily life... 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Skip said:

Take your blinders off... do you never make eye contact with strangers out in public or open a door for anyone other than yourself or many other interactive events in daily life... 

Of course I do

And I am not super concerned what thier reaction is

 

It's downright weird to be worrying about shit like that

 

But..... In most cases, I get a polite curtsey or wai

As pleasant as can be........

[vlad]

Sadly and we  are all aware the horror stories far outnumber the good stories we hear from the LOS.

[Stevejm]

5 hours ago, vlad said:

Sadly and we  are all aware the horror stories far outnumber the good stories we hear from the LOS.

What are you replying to?

[Marc26]

7 hours ago, vlad said:

Sadly and we  are all aware the horror stories far outnumber the good stories we hear from the LOS.

It's utterly bizarre to me that someone would associate themselves with a country they feel like that way about 

 

Your other alternatives must be bleak then.......

[dmacarelli]

I completely disagree. Maybe they were surveying what people thought of government officials, who are sour, dour, arrogant and lost in space. But, the people? Compared to others I find many Thai people delightful. And it is one of the few places I can flirt mercilessly with cute young waitresses and they not only don't seem to mind, they seem to enjoy it. Thais are still a rather lighthearted people. Despite all the nonsense. I love that about them. 

I am in the US right now. You want sour and sober? You want disenfranchisement and disappointed? You want unpleasant and stressed? Come to America. 

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, dmacarelli said:

 

I am in the US right now. You want sour and sober? You want disenfranchisement and disappointed? You want unpleasant and stressed? Come to America. 

I would disagree with that....

 

I think, as a country the US is a dumpster fire, politically but for way many other reasons as well

 

But I travel all over the US and don't find people sour and sober, disappointed 

 

I find them incredibly happy, engaging

And that's from all walks of life......

[vlad]

5 hours ago, Marc26 said:

It's utterly bizarre to me that someone would associate themselves with a country they feel like that way about 

Your other alternatives must be bleak then.......

Not at all Marc people like you will never see any fault with Thais and anyone that says anything bad you go on the defensive probably why you turned your back on the UK and married a Thai. All you do now is slag off Brits.

[vlad]

7 hours ago, Stevejm said:

What are you replying to?

Some see the Thai smile and believe it, most know the truth behind their eyes Stevejim.

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, vlad said:

Not at all Marc people like you will never see any fault with Thais and anyone that says anything bad you go on the defensive probably why you turned your back on the UK and married a Thai. All you do now is slag off Brits.

He hasn’t mentioned Brits has he? I think there are good and bad people in Thailand like anywhere else but you seem to want to characterize them as being mainly bad as if they are a monolithic people which is plainly not the case . If that’s how you find most people then it probably has more to do with your own personality than the nation as a whole. My experience in Thailand has been that I have a positive experience with the vast majority of people I have met. I have met more objectionable expats than Thais to be honest. 

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, vlad said:

Some see the Thai smile and believe it, most know the truth behind their eyes Stevejim.

Most know the truth do they? Sounds like you are in a cult! I prefer to judge people as I find them rather than based on toxic,prejudiced views spewed by others like you. I don’t really understand why you are so bitter but I am sure you have your reasons. If you have such a negative experience in Thailand I have to wonder what you are doing here.

[Stevejm]

4 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I would disagree with that....

I think, as a country the US is a dumpster fire, politically but for way many other reasons as well

But I travel all over the US and don't find people sour and sober, disappointed 

I find them incredibly happy, engaging

And that's from all walks of life......

I think there are many countries that you can describe as being in trouble if you read the news but on a personal level the people in those countries are more concerned with their own quality of life than the fortunes of the country as a whole and their demeanor reflects that.

[vlad]

13 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

Most know the truth do they? Sounds like you are in a cult! I prefer to judge people as I find them rather than based on toxic,prejudiced views spewed by others like you. I don’t really understand why you are so bitter but I am sure you have your reasons. If you have such a negative experience in Thailand I have to wonder what you are doing here.

I like the Tropical climate the beaches and the food and the price. What i don't like is the corruption the Rip-offs the Scams that come when you Travel to Thailand Ask yourself why it has the reputation that it has unless you think all the stories we here are made up and it doesn't happen. 

[Stevejm]

35 minutes ago, vlad said:

I like the Tropical climate the beaches and the food and the price. What i don't like is the corruption the Rip-offs the Scams that come when you Travel to Thailand Ask yourself why it has the reputation that it has unless you think all the stories we here are made up and it doesn't happen. 

You have obviously had some bad experiences so you are entitled to your opinion. I just happen to disagree because I haven’t had the same experiences. I also think that many people who have a bad experience do so as at least partially as a result of their own actions or attitude but only you know if that is true in your case. My experience here may be different because after coming first as a visitor I worked here for many years so probably lived in a different environment than someone like yourself who by your own admission just comes for cheap prices, sunshine etc. Most  of my friends who come as tourists have a great experience here otherwise they would go somewhere else instead of returning year after year.

[Stevejm]

48 minutes ago, vlad said:

I like the Tropical climate the beaches and the food and the price. What i don't like is the corruption the Rip-offs the Scams that come when you Travel to Thailand Ask yourself why it has the reputation that it has unless you think all the stories we here are made up and it doesn't happen. 

PS

it sounds like you might be better off going to Benidorm for your holidays. I’m sure they have thai restaurants there and you will be surrounded by people like you and the weather is good . I personally wouldn’t go on holiday to a country where I don’t like the majority of the population.