Whilst farang are often charged more than Thais, there are many things that work in our favour. I am let off by traffic police all the time, for example, especially with my little one in the car. I can get discount that Thais wouldn't have the nerve to ask for, and better service in shops. Bank workers go out of their way to help me. I don't lose face very easily, which enables me to get away with a lot more than my Thai brothers and sisters.
People remember me which used to be a bad thing when I was a 'naughty boy' Now it is an advantage. Thai people are not all after money(anymore than foreigners) and the longer I live out of Bangkok/tourist areas, I realise this.
I hate to hear the farang saying, "they can't do this to me, do you know what would happen in United Farangland if they did this?". Quite simply, I have started a new life in a country, which will never accept me as one of them, even if I pass a degree in Thai, become a monk, or have Toxin's daughter as a "mia noi".
I have to chill out and adjust certain ideas and attitudes. I must remember that this is not my home country, and therefore has different ways of doing things. Christ, that is one of the reasons I love it here. I used to want them to keep doing the things I liked and stop doing the things I didn't like. What a shity attitude!
Realise what I can change and what I can't. Don't let the things that you can't get on top of you, they're not worth it. Once you have done this, weigh up the pros and cons of living in a new land and decide if it is for me or not. I have not been sentenced to live in Thailand, it is my choice.
Some things like double pricing are the Thai way an I sometimes think I should simply respect their decision - when I do this I usually see that they have a valid reason for doing something that thought 'racist' or unfair.
It's my fear of being take advantage of that I have to address. "can't have them Thais getting the better of ME, the almighty!
I know that if I want to become a Thai citizen I can, but when I weigh up all the pros and cons, I would rather keep my British passport.
Once you've seen one temple, you've seen them all anyway.
N N
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Good, fair attitude to have. Many expats take note.
When I was in America a guy told me to 'have a nice day' but I didn't, so I sued him
i agree
i am just happy some of the local lasses will take me money , whatever the price .
Pros and Cons everywhere. Balance. Every cloud has a silver lining. Nothing new here .. but true none the less.
Classic example..
In Nong Bua Lampoo .. a few years ago .. I went to a local clinic as a cut on my leg had turned into septicemia. (I didn't know I could get anti biotics over the counter then).
There was a long line of people waiting .. but they ushered me to the front and straight to a doctor. Then they gave me a dozen anti biotic caps for free...
No thread here is complete without the word racism or racist. He managed to slip it in. Very British. Well done.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be. - TJ
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I have never understood why the 'vip" coaches from khao sarn sometimes charge up to double for a Thai passenger.
excellent opening post.
people can be so tiresome about so much. never heard so much whinging about a culture in which they choose to live and, presumably, have every capability of leaving.
"vast and black. the thing that was poised, like a crow over the moon. round and smooth. cannon balls. things that have fallen from the sky to this earth. our slippery brains. things like cannon balls have fallen, in storms, upon this earth. like cannon balls are things that, in storms, have fallen to this earth. showers of blood. showers of blood. showers of blood. " c.f.
there's a huge difference between understanding and accepting. while i understand dual pricing, i'll never simply accept it. i'll politely fight it when possible and avoid all outlets where it has happened to me. i don't care what occurs in the west (and complaints come from everyone, not just those from "united" countries), dual pricing is wrong. it's not part of thai culture; it's part of a culture of greed and that culture exists across borders.
the barber down the street who charged me 100 baht more for hair cut than normal (when asked why, he said it's because it's the price for "farang hair") got 200 baht from me once. the guy who charged me the same price as thais has been receiving my business every month for years now. when the greedy bastards (notice i said "greedy" and not 'thai') realize how to encourage repeat business, they'll benefit from it.
i'll politely fight it when possible and avoid all outlets where it has happened to me.
and that's fine...jsut don't fucking whinge about it!
it's not part of thai culture
well, it is isn't it...
^ i truly don't think that it's part of the thai culture per se. if it were, i would have to assume i'd encounter it more often. rather, i think it's a reflection of some greedy people and greed is not unique to thais, nor is the act of dual pricing.
people will try to charge others more money when they think they can get it. if the majority of foreigners pay inflated prices, i can't blame them for asking inflated prices. if i calmly explain (in thai) that i know where i can get the same service or good for a lower price, then they typically give me a decent price. if they press on with their scam, i just walk.
i truly don't think that it's part of the thai culture per se.
the per se bit kinda allows you to breathing space eh mate!
i've never experienced dual-pricing based on nationality anywhere except thailand. to be honest i never saw much anyhow; avoid touristy places and bang, no problem. paid it once to get into a marine national park i think, in trang. thais paid the equivalent of 50 pence, i paid three quid. who cares...
I don't accept dual pricing at all, it's discrimination. I always opt out if places that want to charge me more, it even states in the Thai constitution that foreigners should not be discriminated against.
Section 30.
All persons are equal before the law and shall enjoy equal protection under the law.
Men and women shall enjoy equal rights.
Unjust discrimination against a person on the grounds of the difference in origin, race, language, sex, age, disability, physical or health condition, personal status, economic or social standing, religious belief, education or constitutionally political view, shall not be permitted.
'After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box'
well, that handily inserts the word 'unjust'...kinda like crew's 'per se'.
something of a get out clause. they could be multiple arguments as to how double-pricing isn't actually unjust. ah, the law...
originally posted by hales:
the per se bit kinda allows you to breathing space eh mate!
well, that handily inserts the word 'unjust'...kinda like crew's 'per se'.
I'm not sure what you're getting at hales and not sure why I need any "breathing space". I've been all around SE Asia and I've seen dual pricing in every country. I've also heard countless stories of rackets and touts operating all over the world--as I'm sure you have as well. All I'm trying to say is that dual pricing isn't really a part of Thai culture in as much as it's much more an aspect of greed in general. Seeing as greed crosses all borders, I prefer to chalk it up to that rather than it simply being a Thai thing. There are plenty of service providers and merchants who've never even thought about charging me more money than the standard price.
Might I liken it to over-eating??? Contrary to popular belief, over-eating isn't only an American thing. The Aussies get closer and closer to being the fattest nation on the planet as well as the Brits and Russians. Must over-eating be an American thing? I suppose that's only true for people who wish to simply bash Americans while ignoring the universal nature of decadence, excess and gluttony.
I'm not sure what you're getting at hales and not sure why I need any "breathing space".
if you're trying to make a point, maybe like "double-pricing isn't part of culture" you can put something like per se at the end. very difficult to argue against it then because you open up a whole multitude of ambiguities. the exact same reason why a law against discrimination is prefixed by the word 'unjust'. the definiton of unjust, or the 'truth' of your statement, is then open to endless interpretation.
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