rapidlaser commented : [quote="Ian":16n65ha4]I totally agree with Dave, DKO, on this one, the writer obviously has never been to Britain judging by the totally false comments, there is absolutely no double pricing in England, although as Dave points out if you pay for membership of the National trust you can get a discount, also most places will give a discount if you hold a student's card. I often get a discount as a pensioner, incidentally I get the same discount in Hong Kong and China. Even the government indulges in double pricing in Thailand, I pay 3 times the tax/stamp duty registering a lease than a Thai does.[/quote:16n65ha4] Ian I agree totally with you. I also find unfortunately that Racism is more prevalent in Thailand than any other country I have visited, I have now started a 2 tier pricing policy for my services in here in London, i now charge Thai's double and no longer eat in Thai restaurants. I would like to hear from the Thai's I see writing racist remarks on here and the arguments over land ownership, why they think we allow them to own land in England.

stilljustbrowsing commented : Corky has made a good post to which I agree. We farangs are paradoxical? Perhaps we are. But why? My beloved wife is Thai, as is my adopted family. I love the weather here (never cold) and seeing banana trees, orchids, a multitude of different birds and butterflies makes my heart sing every day I wake up and see them all anew. What annoys me? I am a professional aircraft engineer (licenced) with many years of experience but cannot be employed by a Thai airline. Why? Thai Government legislation. ( I can understand job protection for the locals, but when experience and help is also thrown in the bin then there is something wrong with the system.) At the same time, Thais with the same qualifications CAN WORK IN EUROPE AND ARE ACCEPTED WITH OPEN ARMS. Thaksin Bought Man City, Can A farang buy a Thai football team? Harrods, a London shopping must see is owned by an Arab! Does England protest? (No) It goes on and on. So could I. So before anyone else starts ripping into us Farangs, Think about what we have to endure to stay with our loved ones in a country we love that we can never call 'home' because of beaurocracy. I am not even going to talk about the 90 day thing. (yet)

Anonymous commented : Ian, It is difficult for a western cultured alien to understand the common personality of ordinary Japanese, and to be worse, Japan and the people have been wrongly introduced to the world by western scholars and, to be funny by Japanese descendants whose ancestors migrated to US in 19 and 20c. In general, their studies are full of mistake or too imaginery products. I can say there is no racism or racial discremination in modern Japanese society. However there is a rigid value among them, say, distinguishing MEIMOKU and HONNE. The former is external appearance that shall socialize with others including foreigners, and the latter is the internal faith or real desire of an individual. In other's eyes, it is shown as a double-ty or confused personality. A Japanese ususally form two groups around him, one is formal or open society and other is the group of inner people. When they play golf in a team and if the team is inner cicle people, they used not to invite a lone alien player into their group. However if the team is a gathering of 'international' people, they are friendly and open to anyone. Here their MEIMOKU works well, like paying bill alternatively, in strick golf rule and atiquette by way of carefully chosen conversation. Because the rule of Meimoku is not to disturb others and not loosing own face. This whole picture is seen by westerners as 'discrimination'. Also Japanese people is ones who feel easily "shyness" to, especially to westerner because the western culture is advanced and "they may cajole our Nato eating culture". (Nato is deeply fermented soy bean paste, generally emits strong, unacceptable odor. Also the raw fish eating is same.) Befriending a Japanese is initially difficult but once got it, they are very pleasant people. Getting into the inner circle - Honne group is the matter. Korean and Chinese know this very well and they deal Japanese very well. Also few of them feel they are discriminated by a Japanese. Rather they often cajole clumsy Meimoku protocol Japanese demonstrates. "You must endure long greeting ceremony when you meet first Japanese business partner" Once CNN reporter reported. Many Japaneses too laughed at this report. Today most of internationalized biz people or youngers are same one as found in London. They are rude, impolite and aggressive, as long as in the eyes of the old generation of Japanese.

thaieye commented : Oh dear poor VIP you have stirred up a hornet's nest ! I don't really think that the Thai propensity for charging visitors more than nationals is racist just pure financial opportunism, based on the, now very outdated notion, that all farangs are rich and all Thais poor. Somebody at the Ministry of Screwing It All Up (and every country has one) needs to get an update and outlaw this, one of Thailand's least attractive practices. The cost of haircuts is just fascinating. In Bangkok, Jomtien and now in Chiang Mai where I live, I have always been charged the advertised price and the delightful young man who currently crops my locks, including a shave a short massage, charges the princely sum of Baht 50, consistently refusing my offer of a baht 20 tip. When I took my three grandsons for their schoolboy scalping at baht 20 per head, he insisted on giving me a group discount and would only accept baht 50. The last haircut I had in London, more than five years ago, after searching for the cheapest I could find cost twelve pounds. Since the barber spent the whole time complaining of how pitifully little he was able to charge, I fairly well felt obliged to leave him the change from the fifteen pounds which I gave him. Ladies too it seems enjoy these minimal charges since when my sister visited in August. I took her to my chap's wife who operates in a corner of his shop and my sister was stunned by the baht 40 fee for a shampoo and blow dry, the best she had had for many years she claimed. Now in August (oh happy days) baht 40 was about 60 pence and my sister pays 25 pounds in the UK to a lady who lives in her village and works from home. Well, special treatment for poor old farangs may not always involve being treated like Thais but as Shakespeare observed, "Every like is not the same O Caesar". And let's just be glad it isn't.

rogerbangkok commented : As a foreigner with a wonderfull Thia wife i will tell tell you what a special price is. 25% to 30% more than Thias if you can bargin. When we buy any thing i keep out of sight & my wife gets the right price. Roger - London