jonny danger

Good one .. both of them.

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“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

Just another BOF

Hopefully, the Thaisquest for face will blow up in their faces a few years down the line. When Thais go to study abroad it is as Thais with Thai beliefs, Thai attitudes and Thai respect for hierarchy and so what they learn is cur so it fits into there already established prejudices. However, people who have learned with westerners will have been encouraged to question things (either consciously or unconsciously) by their teachers, who are just teaching the way they learned. So when these students go abroad there is a chance that on their return they will be more forward looking in their planning.

Oh look! There's a flying pig.

But seriously there is no room for pessimism in a teacher.

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BOOM BOOM

jonny danger

I have an M-5 who returned from the USA after a year of student exchange. She seemed just like an American teen, talk, mannerisms and all .. last semester. Today she is Thai through and through. It doesn't take long.

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“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

Sanuk Canuk

JD

The part of the post I had trouble with is that it seemed to imply that the leaders of the Thai government (primarily military), were trying to undermine Thai education in order to maintain their own position. In other words, keep the huddled masses ignorant and in the dark so that they are easier to rule and swindle. I doubt this is the case.

They may be inept, they may be misguided, they may be somewhat corrupt but I doubt that they want to outright undermine the development of their own country.

If I read too much into your post and this was not what you intended then I don't see anything that I would disagree with.

On the other hand, I don't think that we should forget that our institutions in the west are not flawless either. In Canada we do spend quite a bit on public education (don't know the % of GDP) but there are unresolved issues here as well. We currently have a policy of "inclusion" or "streaming" where special needs kids are placed in regular classrooms. This is great for the special needs kids but it can be very detrimental to the rest of the class. We also have issues around the balance between academic studies, phys ed., music, etc.

I know a number of people who did the TEFL thing before returning to Canada to do a BEd. and teach here. Many of them state that the experience in Asia was more rewarding professionally. This is especially true of those who teach in the elementary grades.

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[Laying Plans] "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected." Sun Tsu

jonny danger

SC, it isn't a conscious effort on anybody's part to keep the mass' down, it's natural.

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“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

Sanuk Canuk

I am guessing this is a bit facetious, I would argue it is more natural for people to have a balance between self interest and communal interests. Where the balance lies would depend on the individual. Most people want to do a bit better than their neighbors but they also want to see the neighbor do well.

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[Laying Plans] "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected." Sun Tsu

jonny danger

Haven't you ever seen traffic accidents where bystanders stand around and watch someone die? Not all peoples have communal interests embedded in them. I'd say it's more common in the poor as a survival tool. A person at the top knows his position. He knows what to expect from the underlings, and the unders in turn, act accordingly, no questions asked.

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“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

panhunger

This really baffles me. I was told to stay away to save me from blame. I don't think anyone wants to be responsible for ANYTHING!

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"It began as a mistake."

Post Office
By Charles Bukowski

spliff

If I think you read way to much intelligence into the Thai psyche.

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Wherever I go.....the people there always complain....
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Sanuk Canuk

I would agree that not all people have communal interests ingrained, sociopaths would be an obvious group that does not. I think that if you look at the average person (whatever that means) you would find they have self interest and communal interests. Most people do enjoy helping others if it does not cost them too much in time, effort or money. I suppose that might just be my rose coloured glasses outlook but I am a bit of an optimist when it comes to people and their behaviour.

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[Laying Plans] "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected." Sun Tsu

jonny danger

SC, take it from an anthropologist ***** helping behaviour is not a universal human trait. It's culturally transmitted. New York City pedestrians who literally won't give you the time of day are not sociopaths. In California there is a law that states you MUST assist a person in need. If it were a natural act there wouldn't be a law.

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“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

SunsetSam

I dug up a quote from BusinessWeek referencing Thailand specifically. This is from a course on International Management back in 2000. "Self managed teams would not be a viable management style because workers are used to taking direction from leaders whose authority is absolute and based on status."
What JD says refers to is obviously very deeply ingrained in their culture. It hasn't changed in hundreds of years, It's unlikely it will change in our lifetimes. How uninformed are the masses? ask any bargirl, farmer or the lady running the juice stand where I go for my shake about the recent coup or the structure of her government. They just smile innocently and say "we love our King". Ignorance is bliss.

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Right behind the glass lays a real blade of grass.
Be careful as you pass, move along move along.

DunceCap

While I agree with jd, I have to say that environmental conditioning plays a much larger role in this than either of you are giving it credit for. Well, actually jd, kind of pointed to it.

I like the comparison of the New Yorker and the Californian. In Washington state you also are obliged to help as long as your life is not in danger. impraved-indifference to human life, I think they call it when you don't help.

I arrived at the scene of an accident. there were people already encircling the scene-looking on. A micro-bus had collided with a motorcycle. The motorcycle rider was thrown through the air and into a phone booth. I made my way through the crowd to take a look. A friend said it happened about five minutes ago. the motorcycle rider lay crumpled and motionless next to the phonebooth. The driver and passenger of the microbus were talking with others next to the damaged microbus.
I asked my friend where the paramedics were. He said that they were most likely on their way, but that it didn't matter because the motorcycle rider was probably dead.

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amazing Thailand
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Wanting the population to learn English is one thing. Checking the pulse of those in charge of the MOE is another.

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Miles and miles to go before I sleep...

jonny danger

Did the hot dog kart lady come running over?

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“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”