Fauxie said:

My faith is being tested. But I love the fact that all faiths here seem to get along and it's never an issue.

TheVoid said:

But down south?

Fauxie said:

The Islamic freedom groups down there are fucking crazy. But aren't they more a speratist fringe of communists or something who are just using religion as a smokescrean?

TheVoid said:

Well yes. Land, religion, socialized fanaticism that's long forgotten/strayed from its actual original motivation... lots of issues, I guess. Lawd help Thailand if there's ever a dispute over food. Folks would take to the streets in their millions and there would be murders.

btw, the other day I nearly made a photoshop in your style of Kanye West butting in on Rama 9 and declaring Rama 5 one of the greatest Thai kings of all time. I decided against it.

Fauxie said:

Oh hell, I wouldn't even go anywhere close that subject, fool!

I asked a student once (I give these oral tests) if she could do a 1 minute commercial promoting Thailand for visitors to come, what she would produce.

Her answer was that she would do a documentary on the King of Thailand to get the world to understand why he is great. (mind you--a one minute commercial).

I do not have anything against their love of their king. The British love Princess Diana. There's nothing wrong with pride in something in your country.

But what struck with her answer was that the objective is to get 'foreigners' to come to your country for holiday---she was unable to step outside of her own way of thinking to ask herself, what are foreigners interested in? Food? beaches? attractions? Instead, she asked herself what she was interested in.


My mom does the same thing. I really appreciate that she's been such a great mom, and that she's a really (and I mean sincerely) GREAT grandmother. But when she buys gifts for the grandchildren, she buys them stuff 'she likes' and not stuff 'they like'. It's not because she's selfish, but because she doesn't seem to have the ability to step outside of herself and see that other people do not think the same way.



I think this is very Thai in general. There's a surface level way of thinking, and THai's tend to really connect on that level. But they don't dive further. I literally had a student, when I asked her to tell me about something that was really important about her life, tell me that her false eyelashes were the most important thing to her. !!!


There was sense in the conversation that she couldn't even conceive of the notion that wanting 'large western eyes' are the result of something much more sinister in Aisan culture (not just Thai culture). It's a devaulation of one's own beauty to match that of another culture because they've been breed to believe the other 'race' or culture is the epitome of beauty and power.

I get answers like, 'I want to be white', "I want to look white", or "I'm too black" or "I'm fat." when I ask them to tell me what their primary challenges of being a University student is. I'm not joking... at least 30% of my answers will fall along those lines.


I don't get it. I just don't get it. I am in love with Thai people. But they don't seem to want to 'dig deeper'. Because of this, I don't see how they could appreciate literature and the arts the way such things should be appreciated.

Am I just not getting something? Am I just missing something?

It somethings depresses me because there are so many things about them that I find so much more agreeable than Americans. I love this place... I just get confused.


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[Edited 1/21/10 11:39am]

TheVoid said:

I get it too, so much frustration. I let it go, but then something comes along that moves me to try to get through. I don't want to be patronising, but it's just like banging your head against a brick wall, how insular Thais can be, how conformist, sometimes totally laissez-faire, or incapable of being objective about themselves and their country. I understand that even in chat rooms and forums we don't speak about the King in any way other than absolute reverence. I don't agree with censorship of the media and les majeste (sp?) but I understand it's the law. However, just in a Thai chat room the other day a situation came up that I'd been through countless times before and felt the same frustration about. I made a critical remark about something in Thailand and the same responses, but from different ppl to the last time, came up.

- You're not Thai, you can't criticize.
- I'm protecting my country. It's bad for Thailand for you to say bad about it.
- I'm Thai, I know Thailand better than you (kept saying it and I didn't claim otherwise)
- We love Thailand and you hurt Thailand.
- Every country has bad things. Why do you criticize Thailand?
- You think your country is perfect.

One or two Thais living and working abroad shared the same frustrations that I did and tried in vain to be understood. Like me they stayed away from anything like personal attacks, were respectful and logical in their arguments, which couldn't be said for the patriotic Thais on the other side of the argument.

Always the same. There will be those ultra-patriotic Thais but then equally frustrating are the people who always chime in with 'why are you so serious? we chat for fun' or something along those lines. Why not talk about some issues though? Just once. What are they so afraid of? They can get so defensive sometimes and it makes me wonder what exactly is the root of that insecurity?

In the end, I've found I have to forget about it for 99% of my life here and just concern myself with what I'll have for lunch. There's something to be said for that too, but there will always be that part of me that wants to debate, that wants to ask questions, simply because I care about this country and want it to succeed and for its people to prosper.

Fauxie said:

oh hell, I just trying to get the to understand when they write an essay to realize that the 'audience' isn't using the same brain as they are and that they need to explain what they write in such a way that the other person can know nothing about the subject but arrive at an understanding of the material at hand. THey write from a place were they assume you think the same way--ergo, the essays completely miss vital information that needs to be stated.


I don't even breech political issues--I'm a foreigner, it's their country--I don't care. I honestly don't care.

HOWEVER, I want the to think more indecently because my job is to get them ready for the business world. I don't like the fact that Thai workers end up being blue collar workers for Japanese and Korean industries. Thailand needs to produce their own Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. They have it in them. And it starts with college students stepping outside of themselves.

Objective thinking is a struggle in America too---but only in the freshman year. Students break out of their 'training' and become researchers and thinkers. It seems that it doesn't happen the same here. They still expect more 'training', which is not the purpose of Uni.

I can't even teach them literature.



Take for example, Greek Mythology.
Everybody knows the most beautiful goddess chose the ugliest (in fact the only ugly God, Mercury) as her husband. When he was courting her he said, "I work very hard. And I work long hours." She gave him a sigh smirk.

Now a western student with enough training knows that she chose him because of that statement because he was implying that by working long hours, he would turn a blind eye to her extra marital affairs. It's a reflection of Greek culture during classical times, and allows us to see a bit about their way of thinking---it's not just story about an ugly god with a good work ethic and a female goddess who likes to smirk.

But there's no way my students would 'get' that.

TheVoid said:

So when was the part where she said 'no money no honey'?

About politics, that's the thing, it's not like I get into details about red shirts, yellow shirts, the army and all that. I'm talking about the principle of being ABLE to talk about it, being willing to do so, and being objective. It's that that bugs me. Just being able to have a discussion about anything beyond the mundane everyday things. Just being able to have an argument at all, with respect, humility and the head rather than the heart. Usually the topic of the arguments I mentioned is irrelevant and quickly fades into the background because I push about just the idea of having the conversation (partly because owing to trying to switch off more I'm not as well-informed about Thai politics as I used to be ).

Just noticed, re-reading your post, the bit I put in bold. Dude, you need to be a GOOD influence on these young minds.

Fauxie said:

shut. up.

But yes, just being able to have a discussion about something like like jumping in the Music & More forum and some douchbag of an orger gets pissed because you want to talk about Prince and anal sex and it's taking up their "Is Prince still a vegan" time.

I forgot to mention I laughed out loud at the 'Part-ay' designation on your thread title.

TheVoid said:

Thanks for telling me that. I was gravely concerned that nobody would notice it, but more importantly that they wouldn't tell me they had noticed it and praise me on it.

Fauxie said:

I already know you're devastatingly funny only for applause.

Cinnie said:

It's JustErin, she brings the heavy flow.

Fauxie said:

It's so tempting to say what's actually on my mind

Not about you, Erin, of course
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[Edited 1/21/10 14:00pm]

Alej said:

Say it, coward.

Fauxie said:

I don't want to get banned again

Alej said:

Say it in Spanglish!