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    About Face.

    By Sean Moran, Created on: 14/10/2008, Last updated on: 13/04/2014

    » One olde axiom that comes to mind is, '[i:3b539sim]If you can't say something nice, then keep your mouth s.h.u.t.[/i:3b539sim]' Just a thread that pertains to one of the cultural differences one might notice in venturing from a typical 'westernised' society of the assertive kind to the shores of...

    • Sean Moran commented : [quote="HybridEm":2nmlopkv]^indeed the white lie is definitely a part of saving one's integrity, pride, or is just a way of 'looking out' for another. Yet to go back to khun NAB's point...there comes a time when this 'saving face' is ridiculous, and yet Thais still go along with it. Perhaps its just the inherent Confucian background which most Asians have. And I'd like to go back to another point which khun NAB made when a link recorded how in retrospect, R*a*m*a VII felt that the move towards a democracy was sadly a bit premature for Thailand. The culture is just at odds with Western theory, but Lord bless their souls for trying. On a lighter note, it makes me happy to hear delightful stories from you (it drags me down when people have bad experiences and lash out, but to each his/ her own) As devils advocate, sometimes I think if Thais weren't so concerned with the instant gratification of 'saving face', they might consider long-term goals where one must rise from the ashes before making a positive impact (especially for one's country). Or maybe corruption simply makes the world go round? The grass is greener on the other side? haha, what a mad, mad world. [/quote:2nmlopkv] There certainly would seem to be two extremes with the pandering sort of face-saving butt-kissing that goes with too much face, and the arrogant sort of "I'm alright Jack" don't give a damn about the other guy sort of thing. As Khun NAB mentioned, treating people with respect might have a lot to do with it. That's universal IMHO. I'm not too good with patronising rotten nasty people either - they get honesty from me, and it's not always funny. I only realise now that I never really thought about this before I started the thread. Only just got went to read through the first page too (looking for a user named Khun NAB before I worked it out.) There's got to be an happy medium I guess, but it remains one of the most common conflicts I hear about between FOB westerners and Thai society in general. It does seem that Thai society might not really suit democracy in the same way as some other nations, which might be related to this subject more than I'm yet realising. I'm a bit of a monarchist, anyway. Sometimes I wonder if much of the ceremony and things that seem almost pointless from an Australian pov might have some causal effect on that thing called harmony that I've been referring to throughout these rantings, but that's once again more than I can know after only two six month stints in LoS. This harmony does come down to respect, but could it be that the secret lies in having the self-control to stay cool long enough to predict the likely outcomes of getting stuck into someone for doing something silly, before the shooting starts? Getting mad (aka assertive) with someone who did you something wrong doesn't necessarily make that wrong right again, and that's where I see some sense in that white-lie approach when it results in everybody happy and nobody losing face and maybe things not ideally perfect, but things work out better than getting all worked up over the small stuff. I'm still trying to think through how to say this properly, but I've been a little preoccupied with some other work this week, so I didn't really have a good read of all the posts so far. Not good seeing I started this thread. I'll try to pay more attention next week now that the last week's job is over. We seem to have progressed a long way towards defining WHAT the concept of [i:2nmlopkv]face[/i:2nmlopkv] means, and that's a good start. If we can work that out, then we just need to find out HOW to cross that bridge between western and Thai (or eastern as you say) mentalities. The WHY is historical. It's the WHAT and the HOW that I would like to know.

    • 61 replies, 76,687 views

  • News & article

    Scandal rocks Thailand's Buddhist Sangha once again

    Jon Fernquest, Published on 30/09/2010

    » Monastic rules are strict but high-profile, charismatic monks sometimes get away with wrongdoing.

    • Forum

    The Ever-Present Tortured Expat and the Paradox

    By surinfarm, Created on: 27/05/2011, Last updated on: 11/06/2011

    » Perhaps someone might enlighten me as to the conditions of contradictory that persist amongst the resident {long-time or short-timers} Westerners in Thailand..... Angst, frustration, and mild hostility seems to be a common thread within a broader and growing extension within the Farang resident community....

    • drake commented : [quote="surinfarm":3or7laz2] Yet, I'm quite amused as to the poster above you that suggest Thais yearn to be "Western". Mostly from the deep-end.[/quote:3or7laz2] Actually, the cargo-cult mentality is alive and flourishing well here. Most Thais want this country to be GREAT and treated as a real player on the world stage, not some comedic walk-on bit. So they mimic the western appearance and behaviour. All the outward appearance but not the soul . Perhaps this is what 'yearning to be western' means ? Thais, like every other developing nations, had always look up to the westerners - mistaken the technologies for civilized consciousness. Glitz from Hollywood didn't do much to help that. The modernization (westernization) movement of the 40s forced the population of Thailand to adopt western morals and behaviour/social standard along with the western attire. In the 50s-70s, America was k*ng and everyone want to be (like) an American, or at least try to mimick what they see on the screen or in some magazine. Levis, coca-cola, rock and roll, you know, the lot. It eventually fades out in the 80s and 90s and now the IN thing is mimicking Korean and Japanese !

    • 6 replies, 17,968 views

  • News & article

    Wounded lawmaker Giffords to quit US Congress

    AFP, Published on 23/01/2012

    » US lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords said Sunday she will step down from Congress this week to focus on her recovery, a year after being shot in the head at point-blank range by a deranged gunman.

  • News & article

    Wounded lawmaker Giffords to quit US Congress

    AFP, Published on 23/01/2012

    » US lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords said she will step down from Congress this week to focus on her recovery, a year after being shot in the head at point-blank range by a deranged gunman.

  • News & article

    Obama demands fair economy from 'top to bottom'

    AFP, Published on 25/01/2012

    » US President Barack Obama Tuesday vowed to build a economy that is just from "top to bottom" in which the rich pay a fair share, as he sketched a populist vision to underpin his reelection campaign.

  • VDOs search for " Soul of a nation "

  • News & article

    Resurgent Serbia

    Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 26/01/2012

    » As peace has returned to most of the Balkans, countries in the region, including those that broke off from the former Yugoslavia, are opening their doors to tourists. And Serbia, despite the unsettled conflict with Kosovo to its south, is no exception.

  • News & article

    Greece protesters vent anger as EU ups pressure

    AFP, Published on 08/02/2012

    » Greeks angered at wage and pension cuts being imposed on their country burned a German flag on Tuesday, with government talks on approving the terms of the bailout dragging into another day.

  • News & article

    Troupes on display

    Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 15/02/2012

    » In the hodgepodge of student, amateur, professional and comeback theatre troupes that, for a decade, have together defined the Bangkok Theatre Festival (BTF), it can be difficult to discover the shining newcomers. Even those who have been on the scene for years can easily get lost in the muddle. While regular theatre-goers may prefer to invest their energy in watching the works of long-standing reputable troupes, sometimes it's the new discoveries that make your theatre-going experience all the more worthwhile and exciting. We talked to newly formed and lesser-known companies of veterans and new blood to give you a glimpse into this year's festival and the direction of the local theatre scene.

  • News & article

    Stars pay tribute to Whitney Houston in US

    AFP, Published on 18/02/2012

    » Hollywood stars, music greats and loved ones praised the "sweet miracle" of Whitney Houston at a moving funeral service in her home town Saturday, a week after the pop singer's sudden death.

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