Thailand seen through rose-colored glasses
Life in Thailand is as it is stated in all travel brochures: a great society of people with a fine character, always smiling, polite and helpful and the food is healthy and delicious. Yes, right?
Well, if you're unlucky, sometimes you can see from the corner of your eye that it's not always right, but then put on rose-colored glasses and see Thailand again as it always was, perfect in every way.
Here are a few examples where those rose-colored glasses come in handy:
1. Slim, healthy people
In reality: Thais love fast food, eat at "all-you-can-eat" buffets and ice cream parlors can't get enough of the ice cream.
Put on rose-colored glasses and see: Thai food is among the healthiest in the world. Thai food is rice, which is better than bread because it doesn't make you fat. Thailand is also world famous for its fruit, which is widely eaten. In addition, all Thai people do a lot of sports. It is not for nothing that Thailand always wins a bronze medal at the Olympics.
2. Caring
In reality: Thais slam the door in your face, don't hold the elevator open for you and jostle each other on your way to the skytrain.
Rose-colored glasses: Thai people are the nicest in the world, take good care of their families, so old people can grow very old. Divorces are rare in Thailand. The European explorers established centuries ago that the Thai is honest and will never ask too high a price when doing business. Thais are also very good at waiting their turn in line and they will always wait nicely with the elevator when you are approaching.
3. Honesty
In reality: a tuk-tuk driver will always try to scam tourists and take them to places where they can collect a commission.
Pink glasses: a Thai never lies. A recent survey found that 99,9% of Thais couldn't remember their last lie. Oh yes, the Grand palace is closed today, but the friendly tuk-tuk driver will gladly take you to the House of Golden Gems, which is more interesting for you anyway.
4. Genius generation
In reality: Thai children cheat on exams, think their teacher is a polar bear and graduates have no idea who Hitler was.
Pink glasses: The new generation is the best Thailand has ever had. Rubik's cube is no problem at all and the most difficult Sudoku puzzles are solved while brushing your teeth.
5. Waste
In reality: It's normal for garbage to be dumped everywhere. Sometimes in the rubbish bins, but often just next to them or in bushes around residential areas. The rivers and khlongs are also full of waste.
Pink glasses: Thailand does not have a waste problem, because it is neatly disposed of through our water drainage system or it is taken away by “saleng” (waste gnomes). Moreover, Thais mainly eat biodegradable food and it is perfectly acceptable to throw leftovers from the car on the street.
6. Innocence
In reality: Thailand has a vibrant nightlife and more sex tents than temples.
Pink glasses: Due to the film censorship, the Thai does not have to worry about sex and alcohol. That also explains why Thais are so nice and also monogamous, because they are pure souls without a trace of lust.
7. Materialism
In reality: It's just as easy to find a young student trading her virginity for a designer handbag as Thais making fun of the skin color of others.
Pink glasses: Thailand is a Buddhist country, so people don't worry about material things, such as brand names, mobile phones, which can boil an egg or be used as an iPad. Thais will always compliment you too. Such as: “What a nice dress you have on!”. It doesn't occur to them to say things like, "Have you put on some weight?" or “Did you sleep well last night?”
8. Nationalism
In reality: The Thais are very proud of everything that has to do with their country, but everything they have has already been Westernized or Koreanized.
Pink glasses: The Thais love their country, they only eat Thai food, listen to Thai music, have their own unique fashion and only watch Thai football.
Adapted from a story in the Guru supplement of the Bangkok Post
I think that the writer of this post wears black glasses at all times, wherever he is.
Every country has its advantages and disadvantages. It is nowhere perfect and Thailand also has its weaknesses,
But without getting too specific into the points, I can say that ALL points are over exaggerated, exaggerated and exaggerated and far from reality!
I have seen more than 50 countries in the world and there is not a single country that even comes close to Thailand in terms of the people, the facilities, the health care (I am an orthodontic specialist myself), the food, the 24 hour society, security and many many other benefits that the country has to offer.
I will therefore strongly recommend everyone to visit Thailand and to emigrate if possible.
Marcus
I have visited 21 countries in Asia and South America, including Thailand more than 40 times.
Also married to a Thai for 40 years.
Unfortunately, I don't really have the impression that Thailand comes out on top.
Immigrating to Thailand, to a country where you have little or no rights, does not seem to be recommended.
An asylum seeker in the Netherlands can still obtain a status of permanent residence., right to vote
You will not succeed in Thailand
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In addition to No. 4, that Thais have no idea who Hitler was. That is not true.
A friend, asked who Hitler was, replied:
"Hitler was the boss of the Jews".
Still quite a bit of historical awareness 🙂
I remember years ago that the prestigious Sacred Heart School in Chiangmai had organized a Nazi parade for its annual school party with swastika flags, mustaches and the whole Hitlerian outfit, and no one was aware of any harm, everyone had the greatest fun incl. the teachers.
Naturally, international protests followed, especially from Israeli embassies.
Take three steps outside the tourist area and you will no longer see pink, but a heavily polluted country, with an extremely narcissistic, very poorly educated population, who are hardly capable of making decisions and certainly not inventing anything new. Hence the many expats…still…
Well I can tell you that I happened to step on my rose colored glasses a long time ago and have not bought another one since then and I like it fine because this story is 100% the truth, of which I have to act.
Apparently there are people who think that the Thai world can be divided into black and white. This piece is very short sighted.
Realistically all true anyway. The whole of life is a theater piece from birth to death, so it can also be clearly observed in the way people interact and approach them. Thailand is not otherworldly and people are not that different. However, cultural values (Buddha, Allah you know them, but never seen them) play a major role and your own position (rank, position, etc.) partly determines your actions.
It is and remains a fascinating spectacle.
The fact that many Thai people do not know who Hitler was has little to do with stupidity. The occupier of Thailand during World War II was Japan. How many Dutch people know (without secretly googling first) who was the leader of Japan at that time?
I feel compelled to respond to Francois' piece. The following has happened; I was about 6-7 years ago with 3 Thai ladies in the war museum in Overloon. Was a large photo of the emperor of Japan. Yes, those from the 2nd world war indeed. The 3 Thai ladies were bowing like a jackknife for that photo. They thought it was the Thai king . Needless to say I felt quite embarrassed when several eyes were on us .
It will be part forgetfulness and part bad teaching, but the everyday reader will know that the material is not exactly impressive. Together with the way of education, which is more like military drilling and critical questioning / thinking is not an issue, the author is right. It is a bit short-sighted, but that's what you get when you want to summarize a topic in two three sentences.
Many Thais will vaguely know or have known something about Hitler, but the details less so. You forget things you don't do anything with. How many Dutch people remember names like Polpot, Trotsky, etc. after years of school? Or what their role was? Many will soon forget that. And many people will no longer recognize a photo.
My wife knew who Hitler was and that he was a German dictator in the Second World War, I didn't find that special. I found it impressive that she knew details: she knew he was from Austria. And she once showed me a video of a cat raising its front leg on the command Sieg Heil (or Heil Hitler). To recognize that, you must have some interest in the subject. Together we watched several films about the war in Europe and Japan: Der Untergang, Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood's films about the war with Japan, etc.
But as said, the occupation by Japan (where Thailand was not occupied according to the Thai books) will be closer to home than the German occupation. Understandable, but disturbing if you see it as disinterest. For example, my grandparents, who lived in the Dutch East Indies and ended up in the camps there, could sometimes get annoyed with people who could only talk about how bad the war was without coffee and big meals. That was not fun but less bad than a camp, but the realization about that occupation is unfortunately a lot vaguer here.
The Emperor of Japan? Jorohito is my first entry. Let's peek: Hirohito.
Finally: The piece also seems more focused on the Bangkokian. The simple rice farmer and their family are not well off enough to eat fast food and all you can eat on a daily basis.
I have a strong suspicion that many Thai people are not even aware of the horrors that took place not so long ago in their closest neighbors being Cambodia and Vietnam. I feel free to ask passers-by in Udon Thani, say, who Pol Pot was or what they know about the Vietnam War. I think you will have to quote the answer yourself.
Except for a lot of farang, not a single Thai in Pattaya knows that the local airport U-Tapao was an American base during the Vietnam War.
The average Thai has very little interest in culture and history. They are very pragmatic people. They only act or think if it is of some benefit to them. Sometimes my wife wonders what we all want to put into our heads….what is the use of that, she asks me.
I've been coming to Thailand for almost 15 years, twice a year to be exact.
I recognize what Gringo put down on paper. All points are correct and the facts speak for themselves.
If I were not familiar with the story, I would also respond that it is not true as others say and of course do not know. I've seen so much over the years and certainly through rose colored glasses.
It's a pity that others see this through transparent glasses.
The saying is : Thailand is the smile of the world, but behind the smile there is something.
Mr Gringo thank you for expressing the story so precisely, thank you for this!
Reality:
Thailand is one of the most violent countries in the world. A disagreement, or their “loss of face”, is resolved with a few serious stabs or a simple pistol shot.
Pink glasses:
Thailand is “Land of smiles”.
I have no idea how you got this wisdom, but Thailand is one of the SAFEST countries in the world. Bangkok with 18 million people is in the top 20 of the safest cities in Southeast Asia and in the top 50 in the world. I live in Bangkok myself and have been to Thailand more than 50 times before that.
All the violence, crime I have experienced has been in Europe and NOT Thailand.
In short, a complete misrepresentation with all due respect.
Dear Marcus,
Could it be that in the other countries you didn't get a lady from the upper classes like in Thailand, and you came into contact with the lower classes more. Then I don't think you should ask how someone got this wisdom because he got to know Thailand from a completely different way.
Crime occurs in ALL countries in one way or another.
It's just where you're in the right place or the wrong place and disaster is calling.
True, Thailand is very violent, most tourists do not know this, much takes place within the Thai community itself
Now the way the Thais see the farang:
Reality: The farang regrets most of the money he has to spend on his in-laws! Reluctantly, he keeps his father-in-law's run-down farm afloat. Reluctantly he builds the big house that his wife wants in the farm hole where the parental home is. His last money goes to it. The house is unsaleable at that location, of course.
Pink glasses
A farang in the family! We're out of trouble! A big house for everyone! A new car! A moped for brother! Johnny to university. Is someone in the family sick? To the most expensive hospital! After all, the farang has endless cash reserves!
With all due respect: this kind of insinuation says more about 1. the level of the person who creates these kinds of cliché stories and 2. the level of the "farang", who goes into business with a village girl in the countryside and maintains a Thai family, which, incidentally, is the choice of whoever does so. It is advisable when a relationship arises between a farang and a Thai to learn more about the culture.
In general, the farang, mentioned under point 1 and point 2, comes from a low social environment.
I myself deal with medium to highly educated Thai people and then we are talking about a completely different story. They earn much more than the average income in the Netherlands and are absolutely NOT waiting for farang in their social circles. In general, the “low social” farang does not come into contact with it.
https://alleenbackpacken.nl/gemiddeld-inkomen-thailand/
Markus, I must say that you give the impression that you think you are of a higher class than the other people, you show a thought that raises some questions, I don't want to elaborate on that!
I just want to ask a question about your comment that higher Thais are not waiting for farang, why do you come into the picture with these people?
It gives me the impression that, like some politicians, you have lost reality.
Marcus, love can blind and it seems to me that this phenomenon is not linked to anyone's background.
Your comment about the low social environment that you can discern, it seems, simply cannot be right. As if people from the less wealthy groups cannot think logically?
Good to hear that you have the knowledge to point out those people. Gained knowledge in India from the Dalit perhaps?
Pink glasses:
Country full of beautiful women.
Reality:
Country full of beautiful women!
To wear rose-colored glasses is to lose sight of reality.
What circles you move in is a clear example here.
Most of those who judge here often come from pattaya where the life of bar and bar ladies is intertwined.
The same applies to tourists who go to Amsterdam, for example. The ramparts and drugs are the place to be for foreigners.
However, the actual visitor / resident of Thailand has a number of things in his own hands and just wears normal glasses.
Of course there are things that are not equal to the Netherlands. However, the Thai who visits the Netherlands will also notice differences.
The pink glasses? No, you can see things through normal glasses. Idealize? No, just look at it with normal sobriety.
What circles do you move in? Normal Thai ladies also come from Isaan.
Also highly educated.
Fortunately, we are in a situation where you wear normal glasses. Of course we also see that it is not all rose scent and moonshine. Only by just thinking and living sober you don't have to use rose colored glasses.
It can't be true that anyone takes Gringo's writing seriously, can it? It's meant as a joke, right?
Nice to compare these observations with the situation now. Then it wasn't so bad in 2016. Now you are not even allowed to sit next to your girlfriend in a car without a face mask, crime is increasing rapidly, and as a Westerner you are called 'ai farang'.
It's time for pink face masks to come on the market as a replacement for the ones used to gag the Thais.
I agree with Erik BKK: This generalizing story must be a joke. It comes from Guru (from 2016) and has been taken over by the writer with his own interpretation. The actual context in which this should be placed is conjecture.
This story can be transferred 1 to 1 to the situation in the Netherlands. I also do not understand all those derogatory reactions, or it must be that people in the Netherlands have always worn rose-colored glasses and forgot to take them off when they traveled to Thailand.
1, Slim and healthy: 50% of adults in the Netherlands are much too heavy (obese)
2. Caring: This probably means politeness, but even in the Netherlands doors are not (always) kept open and there is a fight for a seat on the train.
3. Honesty: Dutch taxi drivers apparently received their training in Bangkok, because if you don't show that you are known, you will be treated with taxi rides in every major city, even if you are not a tourist.
4. Generation of genius: Education Inspectorate report from 2019: Pupils score increasingly worse for language and math and perform poorly in citizenship education.
5. Waste: The Netherlands is a major dumping ground for chemical drug waste.
6. Innocence: Coma drinking is becoming the number 1 national sport among young people. There are regular deaths and injuries during hazing. More and more young people are walking the streets armed.
6. Materialism: Working in the escort service is very popular among students. Research (NOS) shows that 6% of students engage in sex work and 27% are considering doing so.
7. Nationalism: The Netherlands has been 'Americanising' for decades. Market forces are the magic word for everything. The Dutch language systematically supplemented with anglicisms.
If we talk about crime: the Netherlands is known worldwide as the narco state of Europe. You can read the consequences of this in the newspapers every day.
Furthermore, I think that when you question the Dutch youth about the Second World War, the answers also make you frown.
That ignorance knows no bounds was once shown in a Dutch travel program in which Dutch people on holiday were asked to indicate on a globe where they were at that moment. Spain goers cheerfully pointed to Hungary! Hilarious!
Moral of the story: I know self-reflection is hard, but take a good look in the mirror before judging others!