Thread: How many Thai mates have you got?

^ My old man was talking to me about Twitter. He had looked into it after my nephew told him about it.

He asked what the point of it was. I couldn't tell him. However I proudly told him I had a twitter account. He was quite impressed until he found out I hadn't ever done anything with it, not twittered once.

On scatter you set up a group of non-friends, these are people who you don't want to recieve "scats" from. Of course, part of the trick (and this is why it will make money) is that becuase you can't add friends to your scatter account, you can't recieve any scats ever, which will save a lot of time and money in the development of the site. It will also make it very high tech, as you will be able to not recieve scat on a multitude of devices including email, mobile, your toaster and using exclusive brain wave scats.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Quite a few, actually. Substantial handful of good Thai mates.

Predictable

Originally Posted by NickA

I like it

seems my first choice of name is already taken

nnnnnnnnnnit noy.

Originally Posted by PattyFlipper

Robert Cooper comments on this in Culture Shock - Thailand, stating, as others have here, that Thais basically keep even each other at something close to arms length. Not an overly-appealing cultural trait, unless you enjoy living in a social vacuum.

Sounds like Southern England or New York. That's probably why I like it here.

Originally Posted by mrsquirrel

Not a sole around to pester me

I like snorkelling too

Originally Posted by NickA

^I think a few of us on here could start a internet social networking sensation, a site for arranging not to meet people and for not making friends. Arsebook or Scatter sounds good.

I came up with a similar idea a few weeks ago - thought about calling it ShitFace. Scatter is very good.

Originally Posted by astasinim

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Quite a few, actually. Substantial handful of good Thai mates.

Predictable

.....and real.

Originally Posted by robuzo

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by PattyFlipper

Robert Cooper comments on this in Culture Shock - Thailand, stating, as others have here, that Thais basically keep even each other at something close to arms length. Not an overly-appealing cultural trait, unless you enjoy living in a social vacuum.

Sounds like Southern England or New York. That's probably why I like it here.

Bangkok is, like Tokyo, more or less a migrant city- comparatively few people in the capital have roots going back more than a generation. Transplants, especially from village-oriented cultures, often don't feel very comfortable in their skin in the big city, and tend to have negative views of big city life and the people they find there in comparison to their idealized image of how people behave back on the farm. The same sulky and surly Thais one meets in Bangkok might happily pour a strange farang a cup of tea and shoot the breeze were they met in the place they think of as "home." "Bangkok is not Thailand" is a refrain I've heard more than a few times. My wife is an interesting example of this- a firm believer in the virtues of rural living who decries the evils of the Maha Nakohn; a prolonged trip back to the village invariably disabuses her of these notions ("They are so stupid and lazy there!" ), but sooner or later she forgets and misses the bosom of the (stupid, lazy, unreliable) family.

Bangkok is a big city but, also like Tokyo (and unlike NY, London, or Hong Kong), not terribly cosmopolitan. From a US perspective I think it compares better with Los Angeles, also not a terribly friendly city in comparison with NY or Chicago- BKK and LA have in common a certain sunny superficiality that disguises a pitiless nature. On the other hand, Chiang Mai people seem to have a stronger sense of identification with their city than Bangkokians, and while it has been a long time since I spent any time there, I used to find people in CM much friendlier than many other places in Thailand, especially BKK.

It is an interesting observation, and in my experience a correct one. Actually in most places I have visited in the world, rural people tend to be more open and hospitable than urban ones. But Kuala Lumpur is very similar to Bangkok in having a large "immigrant" population, where it seems half the city head back to the "kampung" during major festivals and holidays. Ditto places like Saigon during Tet or Jakarta during Adil Fitri or Christmas. Yet my experience has been that people in these cities are far more "open" to strangers than what is the case in Bangkok.

In fact, perhaps one would expect the inhabitants of a largely "immigrant" city to be more sociable, as many people would have to start from scratch in order to build up a social life.

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

But Kuala Lumpur is very similar to Bangkok in having a large "immigrant" population, where it seems half the city head back to the "kampung" during major festivals and holidays. Ditto places like Saigon during Tet or Jakarta during Adil Fitri or Christmas. Yet my experience has been that people in these cities are far more "open" to strangers than what is the case in Bangkok.

KL 2 million?

Bkk 12 million?

size matters!

anyway, I have never had any problems with locals, usually very friendly everywhere

it is up to you and your attitude

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

perhaps one would expect the inhabitants of a largely "immigrant" city to be more sociable

yes, London is friendly

I would like to thank Robuzo and Pattyflipper for their replies - I cannot agree more with your posts and you saved me the time to think.

It has to be said that working and living in a different country is ultimatly different than spending lesuire time and would result in a different perception of that said country.

I fiercly have enjoyed my times travelling SE Asia especially Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and have enjoyed myself there far more than most of my time in Thailand

Living there? I wouldn't know or be able to compare with my time in Bangkok as with many others here

Originally Posted by DrAndy

KL 2 million?

Bkk 12 million?

Greater Klang Valley, 7+ million people. So not that different from Bangkok's 8 million people.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

anyway, I have never had any problems with locals, usually very friendly everywhere it is up to you and your attitude

That must be due to your exceptionally positive attitude and your lovely sunny disposition and personality, combined your your exceptionally good looks and high education (PhD - wow!) We aren't all so lucky, you know.

But it is nice of you to spend the time to share your deep personal knowledge and insight about Thai culture, its sociological particularities and local life in general with us. You benevolence obviously has no limits, and for this we are all eternally grateful.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

perhaps one would expect the inhabitants of a largely "immigrant" city to be more sociable

yes, London is friendly

I had the misfortune of being in london the other day, after many years successfully avoiding the place. All I can say is it's full of utter wankers.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

Originally Posted by Whiteshiva

perhaps one would expect the inhabitants of a largely "immigrant" city to be more sociable

yes, London is friendly

Not historically.

Originally Posted by The Zapster

I had the misfortune of being in london the other day, after many years successfully avoiding the place. All I can say is it's full of utter wankers.

I shouldn't be laughing at that. Where do you hail from Zapster? From all reports the whole of Blighty is full of utter wankers at the mo.

Originally Posted by somtamslap

Originally Posted by The Zapster

I had the misfortune of being in london the other day, after many years successfully avoiding the place. All I can say is it's full of utter wankers.

I shouldn't be laughing at that. Where do you hail from Zapster? From all reports the whole of Blighty is full of utter wankers at the mo.

Nottingham. There are plenty of wankers here too, but they're just ordinary scum - cockney wankers are rich twats, who've disappeared up their own arseholes.