Rubrik-UmgangsformenSocial behaviour in Thailand
At this point, I do not want to bore you with a social essay and I don’t want to repeat the information which is often provided in travel guides about how you shouldn’t touch strangers on the head or show them the soles of your feet; as if this were normal behaviour in the western world!
The reason for writing this section is fellow countrymen who I often came across who made life difficult for themselves and others with their constant nagging and grouchy ways. They often felt cheated on and deceived by their wives or families and then saw this as a reflection of all Thai people. Some of these unhappy people even decided to return to the homeland at some point. This was probably a commendable decision for these people and for society in general.
In order to permanently live in Thailand, I urgently advise you to get to know the culture, the customs and the mentality of the people in the guest country. The Farang’s (Thai term for western people) common reference to the Thai, therefore the standard Thai, does not exist. The people in Thailand are very different individuals. However, due to the education, culture and mentality, several differences to behaviour and mentality in western cultures can be identified.
Thais are generally very friendly and tolerant people who often turn a blind eye to major faux pas by foreigners.
Thai/Farang relationships
Relationship problems between Thais and Farangs are usually caused by misunderstanding of cultural differences and other misunderstandings connected with them.
I don’t want to try and suggest that the some of the wives come from the red light district and are therefore unsuitable for a serious marriage. Some moralistic people may come to this conclusion and it may apply to some women. Lots of Farang husbands with their blunt behaviour, like an elephant in a china shop, may experience a number of shaky relationships.
When you remember that every second marriage in Germany between two Germans fails it is not difficult to understand why a couple, which often has a large age gap, from two different cultures and societies which has different mother tongues is not the ideal basis for a permanent marriage. This can only be balanced out by showing understanding, by trying to comprehend the other culture and by abolishing any prejudices.
Provisions
As an opulent, tropical country, Thailand has never felt the need to make provisions for bad times such as the coming winter. Long-term life planning with provisions for old age was never necessary in Thailand. Functioning family groups replace our insurance system. However, more and more western traditions are being used in Thailand and are even becoming common in family life so that long-term planning is slowly becoming necessary in this culture too. Lots of young Thai families have already recognised the necessity and are therefore attaching more importance to a good school education for their children. Despite this, you can still see that the main focus is the present day. Forward thinking and consideration of the consequences which could happen due to individual actions play a lesser role in everyday life. “Living for the day” is given a higher priority than pondering over the future. Many people believe that your own destiny is already set. The consequence of this attitude towards life is the casual and carefree handling of money. Spending the wages on a celebration today without having school fees for tomorrow is not an exceptional situation in Thailand. Lots of pawnbrokers throughout the country live from this basic attitude to life.
Friendliness
When I visit my homeland I always notice the cool, abrupt and sometimes impolite behaviour which I come across in comparison to Thailand. If you smile at a stranger it can sometimes be perceived as you making a move and in the worst case, can even be understood as sexual harassment.
There is a reason why Thailand is known as the land of smiles. Smiling is an important expression of cooperation. In almost any possible situation, a friendly smile is regarded as polite and is not necessarily understood as affection. A smile can also be used in an embarrassing situation to cover your own self-consciousness. A smile can be used to graciously make up for your own misconduct. A friendly smiling person simply has to be forgiven.