Thread: Isaan People

Originally Posted by genghis61

9/10 in the pointless thread stakes

what next? What do you think of (insert region/country here) people

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hmmm...I'm something of a master at the ' bombed ' thread meself, . Nonetheless it is worth pointing out that apparently ( from a statistical point of view ) some of the mosty ' pointy ' threads are :

1) What are you listening to right now ?

2) The Thai girls knickers thread ( full of real merit )

3) What did you have for lunch ?

4) Answer my question with another question


Etc Etc. When you have gone through the labour pains and conceived a thread of your own ( bless it ) it is only human nature to have a look at it from time to time to see if it is stillborn or full of spunk. And the strange thing is you never know whats gone fly like an eagle or dive like a penguin unless you try. Such is life as a single parent.

Originally Posted by daveboy

I have no problem with Isaan people in fact my mother in law is a wonderful woman I love her to bits.

Sorry to hear Dave, when did she pass away?

Isaan people, Isaan food, Isaan pussy, all good.

. . . . some of the mosty ' pointy ' threads are :

1) What are you listening to right now ?

2) The Thai girls knickers thread ( full of real merit )

3) What did you have for lunch ?

4) Answer my question with another question

well I do like 2 of the above list; the music one has introduced me to some good new (for me anyway) artists . . . and the other one is . . . . one of the other three!

They're fun (not necessarily good clean fun!), it's the ones re race/nationality/politics that so often degenerate within just a few posts to a personal slagging match or an outlet for racism, i don't see the point.

Thanks for the reminder on the Thai knickers thread!

Originally Posted by sabang

small business loans were very popular

of course they were, free money it was, who wouldn't

Originally Posted by sabang

and in many cases quite succesful

actually not true, a lot of failed businesses which had to be paid back to the government with loan shark money. Default rate on the loans were maybe low, but that's hardly an indication of success without proper accounting measures. In some sense, those loans gave them hope, but at the same time put them in a weaker financial position.

They are indeed colorful, love the music and the food, they are great for party

but only enjoyable in small dose, like any good thing, or else they can become very annoying

^^ I think your dislike of Thaksin is diminishing your Socialist credentials there BF. A large feature of the success of these micro-loans was that they were basically applied for, approved & distributed on a decentralised basis- in other words, at the Village or Amphur level- so the local yabba freak or drug dealer could hardly make a case for a micro-loan, but someone who honestly wanted a 10k kick start to get a noodle stand going could. My guess is that is why the pay back ratio (around 90%) was so high.

I certainly know that at least two of the local noodle places were started this way- which means the local eating scene, poor though it is, would be abysmal without it! really, 10K may be chump change to us, but not so in Isaan- unless you've already got a fair few rai or an established shop. And the Kubota guy proved to be a thrifty, astute businessman, but considering that he even started off poor by local standards, I suppose it was easy enough for him to live on a shoestring budget while he parlayed up his assets.

So, forget Thaksin for a while- gawd knows where he is anyway, but he sure ain't here. Isn't this local community based, modest empowerment of people what Socialism is all about? Or has modern Euro Socialism evolved into a more centralised bureaucratic type model?

Originally Posted by sabang

I think your dislike of Thaksin is diminishing your Socialist credentials there BF.

nothing to do with him personally, more like about his policies. They had nothing to do with Socialism but all about a certain clientielism, at the end his policies were going to fuck them over. If you couldn't see that coming then

Originally Posted by sabang

large feature of the success of these micro-loans was that they were basically applied for, approved & distributed on a decentralised basis- in other words, at the Village or Amphur level- so the local yabba freak or drug dealer could hardly make a case for a micro-loan, but someone who honestly wanted a 10k kick start to get a noodle stand going could.

agree, and that would have been a good thing if 90% of those loans would have been that. But the truth it wasn't, it was used for different things, including making down payments to buy a new truck, open another mini-mart next to an existing one, so you will have 3 mini-mart in the same soi within 10m of each other etc... the fact that there were not any accountability of any kind for the projects, and that business opportunities were limited in the first place (there are so many noodle shops you can open in a village), the whole thing was a shame. Sure it served 10% of the people who needed such loans, but at what cost ? enormous waste of financial resources, money that could have been used more efficiently to finance public projects or pay for educations grants etc... the only surprising thing here was the honesty of the people to pay it back, even though the official rate of 70% would still be considered enormous for a normal bank NPL.

Originally Posted by sabang

Or has modern Euro Socialism evolved into a more centralised bureaucratic type model?

Socialism is traditionally centralized, and I think you are confusing Populism ideas with socialism. Socialism invest in public resources, not personal projects to serve politically a corner of the population.

It's funny how the longer I live in Isaan, the more I can understand their support for Taksin. He's without doubt done more for the area than any other government has.

Indeed, it was a cunning ploy on his part.

Yes, it is his motivations I question, not his local policies as such. Few would question them who have spent any time living in a village.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

It's funny how the longer I live in Isaan, the more I can understand their support for Taksin. He's without doubt done more for the area than any other government has.

when you are desperate, any hero will do. Can't blame them. He is god over there, and yet some claims that without him, they still could bring the same changes to Thailand, while in fact without him they are a lost cause.

stupid fukin thread

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

Isaan people, Isaan food, Isaan pussy, all good.

Isaan food? you are a sick man

Originally Posted by sabang

Your Thaksobsession is eerily reminiscent of our Right wingers Obamobsession BF.

maybe that's how I come across, but I really don't have an obsession with him. I just point the many problem with him as he was central to a lot of changes in Thailand. He is the elephant in the room you can't ignore.

Originally Posted by sabang

Personally, if I want to know what a Villager thinks, I would ask him.

What the villagers think is irrelevant. They are simply actors in a play they never acted in before.

Originally Posted by sabang

But I do know he's got much better things to do around here than talk politics.

Definitely, and that's how things should be. Thaksin and friends tried to "politicize" them for their own benefits while in fact they shouldn't have been involved.

You can shag the sister and not feel guilty.

The esarn people are some of the people who made Thailand sabai sabai. There best qualities are also their weaknesses. They work hard making the Chinese and others who hold outside values rich without too many complaints. They are the dark Thais without any real sinister dark ties for the most part. Time has taken them to a point where they are ruled by outsiders in their own house. They may be the 'children' of the Thai family in terms of power and decisions. Not much other than a Khmer-rouge style revolution would give them their power and opportunity back. I guess if they discover the world's largest oil reserves under Esarn there might be hope but even then they probably would be swindled out of it.

There are a few bad apples from Esarn but I can tell you I have met plenty from central Thailand and other places too. My relatives in Esarn have never sought money from me like some have experienced; in fact, they have always treated me with respect and kindness. Many people make bad choices or just are unlucky in the person they chose to marry.

Considering the poverty, the lack of education, the lack of opportunities and the negative stereotypes other Thais paste on northeasterners, they aren't all that bad people.

Originally Posted by Rattanaburi

Many people make bad choices or just are unlucky in the person they chose to marry.

Don't you find it suspicious how many farang marriages to Isaan girls fail, it's more than just unlucky.

Over half of global marriages.

throw in a complete lack of cultural understanding and it's bound to up the % somewhat.

Yes I'd say you are right there CM, I've talked to and known many men who have had failed marriages to Isaan girls, they mostly cite unrealistic monetary demands on the part of the wife's family and often with wifeys complicity.
That's a cultural barrier many western men will never understand

they mostly cite unrealistic monetary demands

I'm sure that marrying uneducated prostitues in anyother country will lead to similar issues.

they are not all prostitutes, but the families are all Isaan