This week is a dose of keeping it real: What are some common beliefs about Thailand that Greg and Ed just don’t buy? Ed starts off with a fairly nuanced point: many people think of Thailand as a very religious country because of so many outward signs of Buddhist culture, whether it’s temples, monks, or statues that Thais are very respectful of. However, Ed argues that in general Thais are not very pious: alcohol consumption, gambling, and infidelity are quite common throughout Thailand.
Greg walks equally risky territory by claiming that although Thais definitely smile a lot, the moniker ‘Land of Smiles’ has succeeded too much in that it has convinced many foreigners that all Thai people have nothing but hearts of gold. Unfortunately, scammers, as well as straight-up thieves, regularly target foreigners, and it is best to be as wary in Thailand as you would be in any country around the world.
Ed next contends that those who view Thailand (and more specifically the city of Pattaya) as sleazy places in general are very mistaken. Although prostitution does exist throughout Thailand, most of it is in isolated areas and not apparent in day to day life. Although Ed and Greg don’t see eye to eye on Pattaya, Greg concurs that most of Bangkok and Thailand are very family-friendly.
Last, Greg refutes those who think of Bangkok as a dirty, third-world city. Considering the unorganized, chaotic mess that Bangkok is, it’s surprisingly clean, with garbage showing up only temporarily before being swept away by the city’s ubiquitous street cleaners.
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Hi Guys,
Some comments on the Thai religion/religiousness issue. Compare with Ireland, France and other Catholic countries. Here there is strong outward show of Catholicism and strong Catholic influence on public/political life. As Thailand. But there is a big difference. Catholic countries have a long tradition of primary and secondary schooling by brothers/sisters for Catholic children, giving 5-10 years of induction into the expectations of the faith. Not so in Thailand, so far as I know. As a result, Catholics usually feel obliged to practise their beliefs. That means supporting charities at home and abroad, doing good works of all kinds including MFS and Refugee Rescues, and behaving in a considerate, moral way, as well as observing religious duties.. Is that the usual case in Thailand too? Perhaps Thailand is more comparable with Greece. Both have strong influence/presence of religion, no tradition of religious schooling and a hedonistic fun lifestyle., namely Sanuk in Thailand, and Kefi in Greece. See what you think.
Hey Peter, thanks. It used to be like that in Thailand too – temples used to be where everyone went for an education, taught by the monks, which reinforced Buddhism from a young age. But with the march of progress there’s been a bit of a separation, so now the temples are much less central to Thai life than they used to be. Although as we discussed, while most Thais are very “Buddhist” they don’t always follow all the rules…but most countries/religions are like this I think. Thanks for listening!