Expatitis in Thailand, Is Your Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

[djayz]

Same observation as with people with systematic relationship failures: "at some point you have to realize that the common denominator in all your problems is you"

You summed it up perfectly!! Spot on!!

[seajae]

yes and no, I love it here and do not intend moving back to my home country although I will still visit friends and family occasionally but I will always say what I see and not sugar coat it so people like you dont get their knickers in a twist. The other side is even my thai wife who is from a poor family says that the biggest problem in Thailand is the work culture as many are just too lazy and being a manager of a reasonable sized company she would know. Every one can have a bitch session about certain things in every country, anyone living in Thailand and declaring that none of what is said in here is true are simply burying their heads in the sand as many of whats said are true although they dont apply to all thais.

Admittedly I have seen some of these expats that are unable to smile or acknowledge anyone, while most will nod or say hello back many dont even look at you let alone say anything/acknowledge you. What you have to remember this is a forum so you will always get members voicing their opinions or coming in when they are frustrated.in pain etc so they can be a bit negative at times, thats life, whether you agree or not is your choice but labeling anyone that actually says what they see in the raw light and not with tinted glasses as ones that should "go home" is pretty pathetic and beneath contempt, yes the ones that always go toptally negative in every post are a joke but that is their right, just as it is the posters to push their biased/botched views.

Thailand is a great country but it has its faults, they are not what brought me here and are not why I stay and I will tell it like I see it, I am here because I love my wife and I love where I live, I enjoy the weather, the food, all our friends and family(even though I disagree with them at times) and the fact that I do not have the stress here I had in Australia, thats a real draw card in itself. If you are happy within yourself and with all those that are around you everyday what more can you ask for. TV is a great de-stresser as well as there is always someone ready to stir the pot and give you a laugh/bite at comments plus there is some great advice and posts. The author who wrote the crap post needs to chill out and stop playing with themselves and telling everyone how great they are, maybe the author is the one with all the problems as they refuse to open their own eyes to the truth, really need to get a life

[Wilsonandson]

This thread topic is racist. If you are living here, an expat, what's wrong with a moan or two about Thais or Thailand. Freedom of speech, etc. Those expats who have lived here longer are less likely to moan as they are used to the culture, people, way of life. This article seems to have been written by someone with xenophobic views to foreigners living here. It is pure racism such as the likes of whats being said right now in the UK about foreigners living there. Immigration, people living abroad more for whatever reason has made the world a smaller place, learn to live with it or end up loosing foreign visitors, friends, business.

[icare999]

I've lost count of the people on this forum that say ''If you don't like it here, go back to where you came from ''. I'm sure these people just want to keep Thailand all to themselves and not share it with the rest of us !!

shhhhhhhhh your right I'm fed up with so many forang here these days. Used to be i hardly ever saw a forang even when i lived in bangkok now at local big C or Macro or Tesco seems we've been invaded please go home please pretty please

[dom samui]

Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

In the lexicon of human migration there are still hierarchical words, created with the purpose of putting white people above everyone else. One of those remnants is the word “expat”.

What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.

Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.

Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races’.

Don’t take my word for it. The Wall Street Journal, the leading financial information magazine in the world, has a blog dedicated to the life of expats and recently they featured a story ‘Who is an expat, anyway?’. Here are the main conclusions: “Some arrivals are described as expats; others as immigrants; and some simply as migrants. It depends on social class, country of origin and economic status. It’s strange to hear some people in Hong Kong described as expats, but not others. Anyone with roots in a western country is considered an expat … Filipino domestic helpers are just guests, even if they’ve been here for decades. Mandarin-speaking mainland Chinese are rarely regarded as expats … It’s a double standard woven into official policy.”

Is there any space in the development debate for African experts?

The reality is the same in Africa and Europe. Top African professionals going to work in Europe are not considered expats. They are immigrants. Period. “I work for multinational organisations both in the private and public sectors. And being black or coloured doesn’t gain me the term “expat”. I’m a highly qualified immigrant, as they call me, to be politically correct,” says an African migrant worker.

Most white people deny that they enjoy the privileges of a racist system. And why not? But our responsibility is to point out and to deny them these privileges, directly related to an outdated supremacist ideology. If you see those “expats” in Africa, call them immigrants like everyone else. If that hurts their white superiority, they can jump in the air and stay there. The political deconstruction of this outdated worldview must continue.

[bim]

Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

In the lexicon of human migration there are still hierarchical words, created with the purpose of putting white people above everyone else. One of those remnants is the word “expat”.

What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.

Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.

Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races’.

Don’t take my word for it. The Wall Street Journal, the leading financial information magazine in the world, has a blog dedicated to the life of expats and recently they featured a story ‘Who is an expat, anyway?’. Here are the main conclusions: “Some arrivals are described as expats; others as immigrants; and some simply as migrants. It depends on social class, country of origin and economic status. It’s strange to hear some people in Hong Kong described as expats, but not others. Anyone with roots in a western country is considered an expat … Filipino domestic helpers are just guests, even if they’ve been here for decades. Mandarin-speaking mainland Chinese are rarely regarded as expats … It’s a double standard woven into official policy.”

Is there any space in the development debate for African experts?

The reality is the same in Africa and Europe. Top African professionals going to work in Europe are not considered expats. They are immigrants. Period. “I work for multinational organisations both in the private and public sectors. And being black or coloured doesn’t gain me the term “expat”. I’m a highly qualified immigrant, as they call me, to be politically correct,” says an African migrant worker.

Most white people deny that they enjoy the privileges of a racist system. And why not? But our responsibility is to point out and to deny them these privileges, directly related to an outdated supremacist ideology. If you see those “expats” in Africa, call them immigrants like everyone else. If that hurts their white superiority, they can jump in the air and stay there. The political deconstruction of this outdated worldview must continue.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant. And yes I echo everthing in your well researched words. Could not have said it better.

[NeverSure]

George, the OP is plagiarism. You surely copy/pasted if from General Topics, LOL.

[BudRight]

...there is one more possible option to going back to your own country. You discover that it is actually is a better place to live than Thailand. That there is more money, opportunities and that the weather isn't so bad. That you can genuinely own your own land, that you never have to worry about a visa clock, that you are legally allowed to work in any job in which you are capable, that you can be politically active without scorn, that you can benefit from an actual social safety net and that everyone speaks your language.

Edit: No-one will quibble about whether you are an expat or an immigrant, either. You simply are you.

[phutoie2]

Personally, I find the 'head in the sand' brigade more annoying than the whiners. There is nothing wrong in seeing a place for what it is, to walk around with blinkers on makes people appear none too clever and somewhat in denial. The author of the article sounds like a bitter person himself, and etiquette is a word usually associated with politeness, so completely misused in the context that he chose for it.

The most miserable expats here are the ones who seem to have no interests. The happiest have at least 3 interests, perhaps 1 sporting and 2 intellectual. And often a full time job on top of that. Too much time on your hands is a big problem. Highest points on the misery index always go to the alcoholics and the old sex-pats. Those two groups just seem to be caught in a nightmare cycle of despair.

Totally agree. Two types of farangs here, those who sit and think and those who just sit.

Mind you I have no objections reading the odd rant on here, so more entertaining than the rose tinted mob. "my life is wonderful since moving here__________"

[ExpatOilWorker]

Half full? My glass is full to the rim even overflowing!

[eeeya]

This should be a sticky

[Toknarok]

Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

In the lexicon of human migration there are still hierarchical words, created with the purpose of putting white people above everyone else. One of those remnants is the word “expat”.

What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.

Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.

Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races’.

Don’t take my word for it. The Wall Street Journal, the leading financial information magazine in the world, has a blog dedicated to the life of expats and recently they featured a story ‘Who is an expat, anyway?’. Here are the main conclusions: “Some arrivals are described as expats; others as immigrants; and some simply as migrants. It depends on social class, country of origin and economic status. It’s strange to hear some people in Hong Kong described as expats, but not others. Anyone with roots in a western country is considered an expat … Filipino domestic helpers are just guests, even if they’ve been here for decades. Mandarin-speaking mainland Chinese are rarely regarded as expats … It’s a double standard woven into official policy.”

Is there any space in the development debate for African experts?

The reality is the same in Africa and Europe. Top African professionals going to work in Europe are not considered expats. They are immigrants. Period. “I work for multinational organisations both in the private and public sectors. And being black or coloured doesn’t gain me the term “expat”. I’m a highly qualified immigrant, as they call me, to be politically correct,” says an African migrant worker.

Most white people deny that they enjoy the privileges of a racist system. And why not? But our responsibility is to point out and to deny them these privileges, directly related to an outdated supremacist ideology. If you see those “expats” in Africa, call them immigrants like everyone else. If that hurts their white superiority, they can jump in the air and stay there. The political deconstruction of this outdated worldview must continue.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant. And yes I echo everthing in your well researched words. Could not have said it better.

Brilliant maybe, it would have been a lot better had it not been almost completely plagerised from an article in the Guardian two days ago.

[WhamBam]

'Fake it until you make it' sounds like a woman who is till waiting to achieve an orgasm

Sometimes the glass is fuller, sometimes the glass is a little drained That is life, is it not?

I'd say on average that life away from the main resorts and cities is a lot more laid back. Though it can also be more depressing, so get out and go to the resorts and cities sometimes to re-charge the batteries and then get back to the laid back life. Best of both worlds then, though that can be depressing too

[bim]

'Fake it until you make it' sounds like a woman who is till waiting to achieve an orgasm

Sometimes the glass is fuller, sometimes the glass is a little drained That is life, is it not?

I'd say on average that life away from the main resorts and cities is a lot more laid back. Though it can also be more depressing, so get out and go to the resorts and cities sometimes to re-charge the batteries and then get back to the laid back life. Best of both worlds then, though that can be depressing too

So whatever you do its depressing? Nothing to do with Thailand

It seams to suggest more about you. Maybe surround yourself with more uplifting people and not moaning expats....... ooppps sorry immigrants. Just a suggestion. Hope life gets better for you.

[MaeJoMTB]

Same observation as with people with systematic relationship failures: "at some point you have to realize that the common denominator in all your problems is you"

I actually realized the common denominator was women.

[MaeJoMTB]

Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

In the lexicon of human migration there are still hierarchical words, created with the purpose of putting white people above everyone else. One of those remnants is the word “expat”.

What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.

Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.

Immigrants get citizenship, expats don't.

It's not to do with skin colour, it's to do with citizenship.

Wikipedia has it wrong, correct definition should be .........

" an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing., without obtaining citizenship"

[bubblegum]

I am so lucky, my bartender has a sharp eye for half filled glasses :-)

[Strangebrew]

Even though your article was well written you in writing it proved your own point . First any man or woman can be happy anywhere they maybe. The reaction some expats give here about Thailand are just that knee jerk reactions which we all do. So lumping people into a group or mind set like you did serves no purpose. Other than building up your holier than thou position. I my self can careless what goes on here cause as here and was where I'm from out of my control. But with that being said The weather the food and yes the ladies make life just a bit more enjoyable. I still rant at the stupidity of people and most likely always will. But I'm not at your local wateringhole drowning my sorrows looking for my next lay like most. I'm out enjoying life and what it offers the good as well as the bad. Maybe if you don't need all the trappings of life to prove yourself worth you could enjoy the gift of life your were given and not wasting time grouping people into different mindsets. In other words enjoy what is happening around and have an exit plan if it gets to the point of causing you harm on move on. For we are all here for different reasons.

[Thian]

Well at the airport you can see the faces of those negativ minds. Do i need to say more?

[phrodan]

This article has summed up 90% of the sad acts on this forum.

Oh, the irony.

Did you do a survey on that?

Or was that you just issuing a bitter and twisted personal opinion?

[Jeremy50]

Personally, I find the 'head in the sand' brigade more annoying than the whiners. There is nothing wrong in seeing a place for what it is, to walk around with blinkers on makes people appear none too clever and somewhat in denial. The author of the article sounds like a bitter person himself, and etiquette is a word usually associated with politeness, so completely misused in the context that he chose for it.

The most miserable expats here are the ones who seem to have no interests. The happiest have at least 3 interests, perhaps 1 sporting and 2 intellectual. And often a full time job on top of that. Too much time on your hands is a big problem. Highest points on the misery index always go to the alcoholics and the old sex-pats. Those two groups just seem to be caught in a nightmare cycle of despair.

What a load of rubbish. Im retired at 47 have loads of time of my hands and love life and the people and the family around me. I have my 8 dogs and studio and drum room as interests and met my thai wife in the UK so can hardly be described as a sexpat as you put it. I have a standard of living I could only dream of back in the UK. If anyone is bitter it sounds like yourself. I dont need the money to work so choose to live me life as I wish. Now I know your comments were not directed at me but your generalisation is way off the mark. I know of many expats like me who love it here. Im not in denial nor do I walk around with blinkers on. Is it perfect? No such thing as perfect but compared to living in the UK? No contest. Thailand wins hands down.

Exactly, you have many interests. My case in point. And I only suggested that the sex-pats were the unhappiest people here, not that everyone here is a sex-pat.

[BKResort]

The BIG problem is..that most farangs believes that it is not country better than its own country....and its are here "forced" by the "circumstances"

[redandyellow]

Once I discovered the Complaint Box was ( always ) Full ( to Bursting ), things got a lot easier, In Thailand and my other home.

[lildragon]

I completely agree with this article. It really is time to leave the bitter and twisted outlook in the past. It seems that even on this forum some are simply not happy no matter what happens and in fact the statement "They actually want Thailand to be corrupt or in an economic downturn or experience other problems" resinates with me because that way they can justify their distain for the military and say "I told you so" They want to hard for the Thai people to suffer and for the economy to fail just so they can say those 4 simple words.

I stand shoulder to shoulder with my family who stands shoulder to shoulder with our village who do not share any bitter and twisted outlook. They see a bright future and see the positive in Thai life. Thai or farang we share the same view that Thailand is a great place to live and has been shown the corruption is declining and the country has a bright future ahead of it.

Lets hope the bitter and twisted see the glass as half full in the future and remember we do want corruption to reduce and the economy to improve no matter who is attributed to the success of it.

Look no further than the following examples of what the bitter and twisted say.

If the Junta did not hold a trail for yinglucks impeachment the comments would be “This is a feature of most totalitarian regimes”. When they do hold a trail the comments are “Show trial - a feature of most totalitarian regimes”

When the Junta do not offer social security for poor families with children the comments are “The Junta do not care about the poor” When the do introduce it the comments are “That'a a dozen more pints of Lao Kao for Pa!”

When the Junta remove 5 students at a speech in Khon Kaen the comments are “they will never be seen again” When they are seen again and free without charge the comments are “only let go because the Jurassic junta did not appreciate that the clip of them being removed by gun toting thugs would go viral world wide so quickly I expect”

When the Junta say they wont have a referendum for the constitution the comments were “This is typical of a military take over where the voice of the people is squashed” When the Junta change there stance and have a referendum for the constitution the comments are “This will be a rigged referendum and all will be forced to vote yes”

When Prayut and his team did not declare assets the comments were “The PTP are way more democratic and transparent because they did declare their assets”. When Prayut and his team do declare their assets the sarcastic comments are “No doubt all those outstanding members of society have earned their money through hard labor and honesty”.

Before the Junta arrest one of their own the comments are "The Junta are corrupted and would never arrest within their own ranks" When the Junta arrest one of their own. It is a PR stunt.

If the police chief was not reinstated it would be a conspiracy by the DEM's and the courts. When he is, it is nepotism.

When the Junta found a small amount of weapons it was "An insignificant weapons find" When they found 10% of all weapons finds in 14 years it is "A fake news story".

Before the Junta paid the rice farmers it was "They don't care about the farmers" When they paid the farmers it was "They are a populist Junta"

Time to see the good in Thailand and Thai's. The majority of Thai's heart is in the right place and they only want to see a bright peaceful and happy future. That is an outlook that some farangs need to adopt as well.

Trust you Jamie to make this political and spew your sycophantic nonsense.

You're like clockwork.

I respect your view point no matter how condescending it may be.

When faced with the stark illogical thought processes of those that made those comments (which come directly from TVF members) that reply is to be expected. It is simply unable to be rebutted.

Have a lovely evening my friend.

Jamie I have refuted your claims in other threads only to be met by silence or your posts end up getting deleted (I wonder Why)

This thread is full of posts talking about their personal feelings and connections to this wonderful country. Yours was the first properly political one. It's really not the place for it.

You do make this place interesting though I'll give you that! Enjoy your weekend sir

[lildragon]

This article has summed up 90% of the sad acts on this forum.

Oh, the irony.

Did you do a survey on that?

Or was that you just issuing a bitter and twisted personal opinion?

Maybe I spend too long on here reading just about any news topic being turned into bashing the Thai people. >_>

I dislike a lot of the 'authorities' here as they are constantly screwing over the people. But just don't understand the mentality of some that twist every little thing to have a go at Thai people themselves.

[Prbkk]

The 'syndrome' described transcends political views and it doesn't add any value to the discussion for a few of the fawning junta lovers to heap opprobrium on others with different views. Thailand has its frustrations and charms for all expats, visitors, residents, retirees. Some venting is healthy but what is overlooked is the fact that, frustrations nothwithstanding, most posters have a genuine interest in the country and a desire to see it grow and succeed.

[ChrisY1]

A pretty inane article.......whatever country people live in....whether their home country or a foreign land, as us lot.....there will never be 100% that are completely happy with their lot..............

Yes we criticise.....we also admire and applaud........

Back in our home lands, we criticise our PMs or Presidents and most politicians.............we criticise the cops and protesters.......local councils and the list goes on...........

I like it here......glass half full or empty.......as long as there's something in it!

[bim]

The 'syndrome' described transcends political views and it doesn't add any value to the discussion for a few of the fawning junta lovers to heap opprobrium on others with different views. Thailand has its frustrations and charms for all expats, visitors, residents, retirees. Some venting is healthy but what is overlooked is the fact that, frustrations nothwithstanding, most posters have a genuine interest in the country and a desire to see it grow and succeed.

You would have a point if many on TV offered anything constructive to say but many dont. They outline the problem rarely offering a solution. My own countymen the British are the worst. Many back home like that. Remembering we are all guests here. For example I had a neighbour burning and making charcoal. We complained to the local police who paid them a visit and threat of a fine and it stopped. But many on here would bitch about Thais burning charcoal but do nothing about it or advise fellow TV members because they like being that way and by offering a solution they would have nothing to moan about. Just a thought. If there desire was to see genuine change then be more positive.

[BB24]

Easy one!

Go to 'Manage Ignore Prefs'

Add name of whinging stupid idiot half-empty TV member's name

Click Ignore - Posts, Signatures, Messages

Save changes. Problem Solved !!!

Next ?

[noitom]

It's easy to form negative impressions of Thais in general. The easiest thing to dislike about them is that they don't live in an authentic experience with others. They are generally deceitful in all aspects of their relationships. To the outsider, this is not understandable. The foreigner or expat also has a negative view of Thais for their lack of responsibility and commitment. They reneg on business deals and personal promises. They manipulate the facts to suit their self absorbed interests. Thais don't read, they are not interested in classical art, music or world history.

Thais generally have little or no awareness of western culture. They live in a total state of denial about their society and its reality. They have little or no intellectual curiosity or passion about much. They have little work ethic and their sense of value is most limited to material things and money. Just look at the way Thais splay out money at any event. Random acts of truthfulness and honesty are big news in the Thai press. Thais love secrecy, exclusion, and opaqueness in society, business, and life in general. Thais rarely if ever take responsibility and never say I'm sorry, I made a mistake. When expats get together, it's easy to complain about Thais because something has always just happened that has them shaking their heads about Thais. Expats who don't complain about Thais are living in the same false reality and unauthentic life experience. Expats who never complain about Thais or Thailand are being deceitful to themselves or they've become Thai thinking in a land where Thais will never accept them for who they really are.