Road accidents in Thailand
I saw something extraordinary yesterday – even more so than the woman who poured her drink over the mixer and CDJ in a nightclub in Patong last night. I was in the car driving back from dragon-boat practice (we’ve entered a team at work) when we drove past the site of a motorcycle accident.
There was this poor kid, lying on the ground, clutching his leg I agony. Blood was gushing from a wound on his head. Meanwhile, there were about 20 people standing around looking useless.
Not a single person was attending to this kid who was sprawled out in the middle of the road. I’ve seen more road accidents in Thailand than I can remember, but have never seen so many people at the site of an accident seemingly without a care for the injured. Somebody usually shows at least a passing interest.
This kid was probably terrified and he likely had a broken leg. We stopped the car and watched in amazement, mulling the idea of getting out. In the end we didn’t, which perhaps makes us as bad as the others, but the whole situation was farcical.
Have you ever seen anything like this?
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:04 am
So why didn’t you get out? Did you call the ambulance? Get him out of the road? Do anything?
I think you’ve been in Thailand too long mate :0)
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 am
Not blaming you for anything, but it is a bit strange to write about people who are just standing there without doing anything and then tell that you stayed in the car yourself.
The last days, I saw many articles come by about HIV/AIDS in Thailand (Bangkok Post, Nation). You say there was a lot of blood. So maybe everybody was scared?
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Yep. We did absolutely nothing. I mean, we assumed that somebody there must have called an ambulance.
But, as I said, “In the end we didn’t, which perhaps makes us as bad as the others, but the whole situation as farcical.”
I doubt very much that the people were concerned about contracting HIV/AIDS.
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm
The reasons for this are complex and negate the delusuonal self-image that Thais have.
Firstly, Thais are relatively unintelligent (average IQ measured between 87 and 91 as opposed to UK and America measured between 100 and 104), So they probably couldn’t work out what to do and stood (as Thais often do), stunned and confused.
Secondly, Thais have a very low level of personal responsibility to society, including helping others with problems. This is manifested in so many ways, from the feudal society in Thailand to the way the Thais drive on the roads.
Thirdly, Thais have a real problem projecting consequences (playing the ‘what if’ game if you like). They are never taught to use reasoning ability in schools, they are only taught how to repeat by rote and do as they are told. In this case, there was evidently nobody there to tell them what to do, so… they didn’t do anything.
And fourthly Thais are culturally disinclined to give a shit about anyone they either don’t know or whom they are not related to (or indeed if they don’t think they can reap an advantage from helping as would be the case for example with someone rich - who wouldn’t be young and riding a motor cycle anyway). I would speculate that nobody in the crown of dolts at the scene actually knew the lad.
Sad but true. How do I know? Because the Thai is pretty easy to understand, another point of variance to their self-image. They are simple and largely stupid folk, which suits the feudal barons just nicely.
Interesting you mention the stupid sod had a head wound. Was there a crash hat? Didn’t think so. And he was probably riding like all Thais ride motor cycles - recklessly. Sorry, but in my book it serves him right and I wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep for not helping. A few less motorcyclists on the road wouldn’t hurt anyone - except the motorcyclists.
Beddie the Wyr
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Matt. I have seen many accidents and have seen only a few times where a Thai person has actually stepped in and helped.
Thai people are not trained in first aid and have no-idea where to start. They don’t know how to triage a situation when there are multiple victims which is often the case here in Thailand.
The EMS teams that arrive at a scene of crashes a lot of the time they do so many things that are wrong, as in how they handle the situation at hand. I have seen them turning patients over that are laying face down and not immobilising the neck. They could be making people become disabled by their actions.
One accident scene I scremed at 2 EMS people to leave a girl alone that I had treated from an accident. She couldn’t feel me touching her toes or feet so I was worried it was a spinal injury. They layed a spinal board beside her and wanted to pick her up and place her on it. Not happening. I braced her neck very carefuly and then we, three people rolled her on her side while I monitored her neck and the spinal board was placed under her and we gently rolled her back on the board.
People where just standing there open mouthed, thinking this farang is crazy.
I am a qualified first aid trainer and I used to teach members of our surf club and the general public courses from basic first aid to defiblirator courses. I had people as old a 60 plus learning because they wanted to know what to do in any situation that may arise.
Here people don’t seem to care or want to know what to do. It should be compulsory for all students from as early as Matayom 1 to take first aid courses in the school curriculum and I am hoping this will happen as I am trying to get this implemented.
Just getting the blood of someone on you doesn’t mean you will contract the HIV virus. Giving mouth to mouth the risk increases. people from all walks of life need to take a reality check and stop thinking about themselves.
If you were laying on a road unable to speak or see but could hear, you would be screaming to the people standing their looking to just do something, anything. Hold my hand and tell me it will be okay even if it might not be.
People are becoming too heartless, it’s sad.
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Bedwyr: So when the same sort of thing happens in other countries, does that mean the bystanders are all Thais?
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Matt. You did exactly the right thing. DO NOT, under any circumstances, get involved! There is every chance of being unwittingly sucked in to a blame game with you - the foreigner - ending up carrying the can. How many times do we hear of a completely innocent, helpful farang with a heart getting screwed by the very people he’s trying to help? It’s a shocking thing to say…but unfortunately true. Where we see a “concerned helpful visitor”, the Thai see a walking ATM, another gullible foreign devil with a walletful of cash to exploit. If I had the time and space I’d be happy to write down an account - point by painful point - of exactly of what’s likely to happen one you stop and volunteer yourself as the “concerned samaritan”, particularly if the police and the victim’s family get involved. It’s an ugly and unbecoming part of Thailand that, thank god, only a small minority of tourists get to see.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:11 am
I believe long ago in some psych class I took to boost my GPA they had a name for this type of situation. The one in which no one helps because everyone else “assumes” or “believes” that someone must have already helped.
December 3rd, 2007 at 4:30 am
Hobby: that was in interesting if not very helpful comment. Which incidents? Which countries? Which people? Remember that we were discussing an actual event in an actual country (Thailand) with actual people (Thais), for which I offered a qualified actual explanation.
December 3rd, 2007 at 4:44 am
Perky, good point. some time ago while in Bangkok, I was driving in the usual slow-moving line of traffic when a motorcyclist, inevitably weaving his way between cars actually fell off his bike in front of my car. I continued to move forward slowly because I noticed the driver behind me using a mobile phone and I assumed he may not have seen me stopping - I didn’t want to get rear-ended even at low speed. The Thai person in the car with me advised me to stop well short of the motorcyclist on the ground because he would ‘probably say I knocked him off the bike if he saw I was a farang’. Nice.
Said a lot about Thai people I thought. Even Thai people think Thai people are lying, dishonest people.
I was interested in HMK address to Thais yesterday, he said “we should cling to honesty, reduce bias, enhance mercy and unity”, all of which are attributes relevant to the particular incident we are discussing, and I am sure these are uplifting and deeply-held sentiments. But then of course he probably hasn’t been ripped off, cheated or defrauded by one of his people.
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:11 am
Just tonight the motor of the bus on which i travelled from Udon to Bangkok broke down. And another car crashed into us. The driver was bleeding heavily but nobody helped him.
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Good job the souls of all Thais are one then, isn’t it? Otherwise us lowly farang might just gain the impression that Thais are a self-centred and self-absorbed lot who don’t actually give a shit for other people…
Beddie the Wyr
ps. That idiot SookSiam has been quiet lately. Progress of a sort I suppose…
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Right! Avoid to be involved in anything in Thailand, just be invisible, it’s a lot better. It was difficult to accept at first but now I never help anybody whatever happens (except if she is so cute… ;-) ).
Bedwyr, you are right when saying that Thai are not prepared to anything, but I wouldn’t say that they are stupid, it’s rather that they just don’t know or don’t care.
“They are never taught to use reasoning ability in schools, they are only taught how to repeat by rote and do as they are told.”
So true!
And about Thai driving, seems not possible to ask them to pass a REAL and SERIOUS test, as they all would prefer to buy the license !
http://www.bkkapt.com/find-apartment/walking-and-driving-thailand-why-it-so-dangerous-and-why-are-thai-people-so-stupid-and-bad-drivers.html
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Bedwyr: If you such a negative opinion of Thai’s, why do you spend your time there?
As a farang, surely you have other options, or are you a missionary?
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I read many negative things here, projected at the complete Thai community.
Sure, I believe your stories, but do you think it is better elsewhere? Here in Holland to start to see the same behavior. People are getting beaten in the subway and everybody looks another direction.
A month ago, a museum burned down. It took more then 15 minutes before the fire brigade was notified. All that time, people were making movies with their mobiles… to put on YouTube. And that is Holland.
Again, I believe all your stories, but when I had an accident in Thailand last time, I found the Thai people very helpful. It was Isaan, maybe that’s the difference
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Coincidentally, I recently did a first aid course in Australia. The instructor said the number 1 reason why passersby in Oz choose not to help the victim is FEAR OF BEING SUED. There have been several cases where a samaritan has been taken to court by the victim for not following some technical procedure or other while trying to help! Fortunately, we now have a “Samaritan” law preventing these cases from being tried successfuly. No such law exists in Thailand to my knowledge, and their response is even more predicatable. If you, the visitor, attempt to help a Thai..and their family and the police get a whiff of it….they will probably conspire to get it. Every Thai in the vicinity will quickly jump in on the act and point the finger at YOU. “He did it, officer…the farang is guilty”. Remember that Thai’s have no respect for visitors, and we have no rights here. We are tolerated by Thais only insofar as they are able to extract money from us. Offering to help gifts them an opportunity.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:27 am
That’s a point — where is Sooksiam?
December 4th, 2007 at 4:04 am
Kay my brother! Good comments all. Hobby, try not to adopt the rather petulant ‘if you don’t like Thais go home’ nonsense, you are surely better class than this typically Thai approach, if you don’t like something, run away to somewhere else, which is why Thais and Thailand never improves. Much better to stay and influence - be the catalyst for change, even on a small scale. Of course that means hard work so I can understand why it wouldn’t appeal to a Thai, but I will continue to visit Thailand from time to time and try to improve the intellectual development of Thais. Goodness knows there is lots of scope.
Dont forget that the term ’stupid’ is not in this case a wholly perjorative term, it is a demonstrable fact, with successive national IQ tests showing the mean IQ in Thailand is between 12 and 16 points behind UK and USA, and a huge 17 - 19 points behind Japan, S Korea and Hong Kong. So me saying that Thais are relatively stupid can be scientifically supported whilst outrage such as you express is simply an emotional reaction against something that isn’t how you would like to see yourselves. Very typically Thai of course…
PeterS, yes I fully agree, but the fact that things are not ideal elsewhere should not be a justification for accepting the crass stupidities of Thais. I do believe you are right though, people in the Isaan are a quantum leap better in honesty and integrity than the ‘hi-so’ Thai shit in Bangkok. I know of people in the Isaan who actually don’t call themselves Thais but Khon Isaan such is their own disdain for Thais. So it appears that even other Thais can see how stupid and uncultured Thais are.
Sorry if you don’t like it Hobby, but then you are Thai so you ought to be used to people sneering at you.
December 4th, 2007 at 4:18 am
Perky, astute comments, we are indeed not welcome in Thailand and their whole bureaucratic and legislative system as it applies to johnny foreigner amply demosntrates that. But our money is welcome so they need us. Sort of makes you proud to be non-Thai don’t it? To think that Thais hate us and resent us but actually need us more than we need them is deeply satisfying.
Remember the comment of a former prominent Thai person: ‘take everything from the west and don’t give anything back’.
I was vastly amused at the typically Thai tale regarding the introduction of zebra crossings to Thailand. Evidently a former dignitary saw them being used in Europe while on a trip there. On his return he immediately instructed that dozens of them be created in Bangkok, and of course they they duly. Nobody however thought to tell people driving cars that they are supposed to stop. Typical half-assed Thai approach to things, never waste energy thinking when it can be used for feeding your face.
I have seen numerous minor accidents with cars and motorcycles colliding with pedestrian on crossings. it is hugely and invariably entertaining to see the stupid Thais blaming the pedestrians. You couldn’t buy this kind of slapstick.
December 4th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Good stuff–love to see such cynical banter. I’m no fan of much of what is Thailand, and find myself agreeing with much of what has been said. That being said, however, I can’t help but wish to distance myself from such bitter comments. It would seem most on here have gotten burned at some point during their time in Thailand, hence the bitterness? I’m told my own bitterness is a classic symptom of culture shock, though one would think that after 4 years, I’d be ready to move on. But unlike Bedwyr (who I sincerely hope is not a missionary), I have no desire to improve Thai morality; I’m out of here as soon as I get a chance.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Not a missionary no, but my own bleak opinion of Thais probably does have its roots in a culture shock. I am not bitter either, there is nothing to be bitter about since my own integrity is untarnished even by occasional immersion in the midden that is Thailand (that’s a shit-heap to you Hobby).
Similar to the biblical personage who had “scales fall from his eyes” I believe I see Thais for what they are rather than what they would like outsiders to believe they are, and certainly what they pretend to be. Many of them (especially the Bangkok Thais) are deeply unpleasant people who have learned to put on a semblance of civilisation when it suits them. If you engage them (conscious mind mode) you will see this disguise - they appear to be pleasant, charming and smiling. If you allow them to sink back into natural (unconscious mind) mode they are cheating, boastful and conceited. Their own psychologists acknowledge that they are so insecure as to have confected an ego based on self-image (what they would like to think is true about themselves) which is so thin and fragile that to break it (by for example causing them to lose face) often results in uncontrolled violence. Either that or they sulk and simply parrot the mantra - farang go home. Like Hobby did.
I believe it is possible to tell a lot about the natural behaviour of people by watching them driving on the roads. Watch Thais. They are rude, arrogant and have no manners. Worse, their whole culture has taught them to be lawless. Much of the road congestion and carnage is the result of them simply choosing to disregard the law. Thus they drive on the wrong side of the road, go through red lights, fail to stop at crossings etc etc. Typical child-like behaviour which ought to be reined in by the police, who are sadly so corrupt and incompetent that they are almost completely ineffectual. The Thai has no integrity and no principles. Their view of the law is that if you get away with something, or if there is no consequence to you from doing something, then it is OK and the law doesn’t matter. As I said, like children who haven’t yet learned that society has rules that all members are required to conform with in order that society an be a cohesive identity rather than simply a group of individuals that happen to live close to each other.
To illustrate the Thai problem, look at their political hopefuls. Even setting aside the occurrence of political assassinations which would make Sicilians blush, lets have a look at some of the prominent figures in Thai politics: Thaksin, the ex-PM was legendarily corrupt and has had to flee the country to avoid the consequences of his crimes. 101 of his political cronies have been banned from politics for electoral fraud, including Sudarat who is reckoned to have been the most hungry (corrupt) politician in living memory. PM hopeful Prachai has just been convicted of fraud on the stock market. Ex-PM Chuan was head of a legendarily corrupt and incompetent government. Another hopeful is a former brothel owner and gangster. Samak is being prosecuted for epic and blatant corruption while he was Governor of Bangkok. Chavalit has got to be the most senile old fart you could possibly imagine. And current PM Surayud sits his incompetent Privy Council ass on his incompetent Privy Council thumb and looks forward to the day when he can retire back to the Privy Council and his country home on illegally acquired national forest reserve. I have Thai friends who look in wonder at these people, shaking their heads and laughing. yet the Thai is too intellectually lazy to actually do something about the state of their pathetic country. A people always gets the politicians they are prepared to accept but somehow it is never their fault.
How am I doing? Always bearing in mind that this is not bitterness, far from it. I actually enjoy them, and often have a real belly laugh at the expense of these comics. The really amazing thing is that they take themselves so seriously. All goes to show - you can dress a monkey in a dinner suit, but it’s still a monkey.
Beddie the Wyr
December 4th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Yes, drivers in Thailand suck, but so do the drivers in my western civilized nation. I have had it explained as such: in our western societies, anyone that enters our sphere of influence becomes someone we must care about; thus, we try to be polite to the little old lady we meet in the grocery store. The Thai’s sphere of influence, however, is different: as was said previously, it is only family, friends, etc that fall into this realm, and if you don’t fall into this sphere then you can forget much more than just a semblance of civility. If this is generally true, then it is understandable the road rage incidents so common even in western nations, since you usually can’t see the whites of the eyes of the person you just cut off. There are some decent books on culture shock, some particular to Thailand and others more of a general nature; you might enjoy being able to self-diagnose. Not trying to disagree with you entirely, but I do enjoy playing devil’s advocate.
On another note, I’d be interested to know where you got your statistics from regarding Thai intelligence. Not that I don’t believe you, but it’d be nice to be able to throw these stats around when I’m cursing this country!
December 5th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Bedwyr: Sorry if I gave you the impression I was Thai - I’m not!
Where did I say ‘farang go home’ ?
This is what I said:
“If you such a negative opinion of Thai’s, why do you spend your time there?
As a farang, surely you have other options, or are you a missionary?”
Your comments smack of those all too familiar farang who have been burned by a certain section of the Thai female population, and I suspect that far from being a missionary, you go to Thailand solely to engage in the missionary position.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Only stupid people think that you cannot say the truth about your friends and people you like when they suck. I love Thai and Thailand but will always tell them when they are stupid, as I tell my close friends, and as I like my friends to tell me.
Drivers in the west are not better than Thai, they just fear the police more, that’s all, but it’s a fact, roads are safer in Europe and US than in Thailand and Thai still haven’t understood that cars kill, even when somebody from their family died on the road. Sad.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Do I have to add that I’ve never been burned by any slut ?
December 5th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
:: Bedwyr: Sorry if I gave you the impression I was Thai - I’m not!
No? Oh. I wonder where I got that impression. Perhaps it was the intellect shining through.
:: Where did I say ‘farang go home’ ?
Well you didnt say the precise words. What you did was remind me of my option nt to live here. Not the same thing huh?
:: This is what I said:
:: “If you such a negative opinion of Thai’s, why do you spend your time there?
:: As a farang, surely you have other options, or are you a missionary?”
Yep. not the same thing at all.
:: Your comments smack of those all too familiar farang who have been burned by a :: certain section of the Thai female population, and I suspect that far from being a :: missionary, you go to Thailand solely to engage in the missionary position.
Really? and how precisely did you reach this remarkable conclusion? Force of intellect? One wonders where you actually keep the thing you think with.
Do you know very many farang who have been stung by bargirls? It seems so. Which sort of implies that in your own dealings with bargirls, you haven’t been burned.
Been careful huh?
Beddie the Wyr
December 5th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Kay, do a search on national IQ levels, there are a number of reputable sites to choose from.
The Bangkok Post ‘Learning Post’ 16th May 2006 reports the Department of Health/Mental Health report that states youths in Thailand have a mean IQ less than 80. The BP also reported in 2006 (I am afraid I have lost this link) that the average IQ of kids between 7 and 12 in Thailand is 87.8. The mental health Dept hated that so, on November 29th 2006 (Nation) they slagged off their own survey (pretty impressive huh?) and went on to say the IQ levels would be tested more widely and all tests would be delivered by psychologists rather than being evaluated by psychologists as everyone else does.
Of course that report has never been published so we could reasonably conclude that the results don’t exactly support the mental Health Dept fantasy.
The People’s Daily Online reports on Dec 8th 2004, that Thai kids IQ are ACTUALLY FALLING, and that 65% of Thai youths between the ages of 13 and 18 are exhibiting regression in their learning development (Doctor Nichara Ruangdarakanont from Ramathibodi Hospital). He goes on to say that: “They showed limited cognitive ability and the environment in which they were brought up was not conducive to learning development.
The setback in the children’s IQ levels were blamed on their parents’ income levels, professions and educational backgrounds.
In the same article, Dr Nittaya Kotchapakdi, Director of the National Institute for Children and Family Development says: “Many children scored below the average IQ level because they were not sufficiently exposed to the environment that stimulated learning.”
There are others if you need them. Pretty catastrophic in its implications for the Thai Nation, but of course nothing will be done because to do something would be to accept there is a problem and that Thais are not superior at all. And that just isn’t the Thai way.
Beddie the Wyr
December 5th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Best thread since “Why I removed…” of a few weeks ago. Probably only reason why the debate on this was one-sided and didn’t generate as many comments was the absence of Sooksiam’s exquisite verbal repartees, most notable for being rather entertaining.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Yes, I keep waiting for Sooksiam to throw something into the mix. Perhaps she’s on holiday?
December 5th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Perhaps, however I suspect differently. It is possible we shall not hear from her again.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Kay: IMO, there is a consistent theme in Bedwyr’s posts here and at some other blog sites I also visit.
I accept there are stupid people in Thailand (and everywhere), but I take offense at Bedwyr’s consistent belittling generalizations about the Thai people.
Why would someone choose to live in, or repeatedly visit, a ‘midden’ ?
Hence my comments about ‘missionary’ or ‘missionary position’.
December 6th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Awww Hobby…
Consistency is usually regarded as a virtue isn’t it? I mean, you are consistent in your obsequious and fawning defence of Thais and their multitudinus stupidities, is that wrong too? harrumph, methinks it resembles a weasel…
As for stupid… what level of IQ do you think might constitute stupidity in your estimation Hobby? 90? 85? 80? 20? In my book it is significantly less than I am used to… after all everything is relative, I am even sure you look quite smart to some folk…
Get real son, you are just sore because I gave you a slap when you slagged me off. Grow up.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Bedwyr: What slap????
In some things, it seems high IQ can still equate with stupidity.
As for being consistent, I will try to consistently call out your belittling generalizations of Thai’s as a form of bitterness (if not bigotry?).
December 7th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Didn’t understand it huh? Okay. Onwards and upwards son, so much grovelling to do, so little time…
I suppose you could always try and show me where I am wrong…
Nah, sorry. Silly of me. better to just insult me and hope nobody notices…
December 7th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
What is going on here? I have not visited this blog for a while; apparently there has been such a hilarious and futile argument here. Where is this all bitterness from? It may be the fact that the whole world does not revolve around a certain gentleman (or lady) on this blog, that’s why he vigorously keeps throwing such a hateful tantrum here. Bless him!
Before having a chat about road accidents in this country, I would like to share some interesting news that occurred somewhere else too. The following extracts are:
“An unconscious and bleeding woman was left in a road as several drivers swerved to miss her in south-east London.”
“The footage shows none of the drivers stopped after avoiding the 25-year-old woman who was face down with her head in a gutter in Cray Road, Sidcup.”
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3700446.stm
And
“A suspected hit-and-run driver has been arrested after an eight-year-old girl was left lying in the middle of a road with a broken leg, police said today.
To officers’ amazement, Cait Atkins was ignored by passing motorists as she crawled in agony to the pavement after the incident in Aylesbury, Bucks.”
Taken from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=389417&in_page_id=1770&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=NEWS&ct=5
So, after all, this ignoring injured human beings does not only happen in this country, the trend seemed to be in place long before by some other so-called civilised nation. That’s quite remarkable!
Back to the topic of this discussion, road accidents frequently happen in this country. As a matter of fact, it is the second cause of death in Thailand. Farangs who use motorbikes on a regular basis, therefore, please take extra care on the road and watch out for other vehicles since Thai drivers normally drive according to their mood.
From time to time, I have seen people severely hurt on the road. Whenever I come across such a terrible accident, I always call the experts who know how to attend to the injured since I do not want to worsen the condition of the dying. If passers-by who have not much knowledge about medical care, like me, try to move the injured carelessly, the good intention of trying to help could turn into a counterproductive result as they don’t know whether the wounded is suffering from an internal injury or not.
Anyway, I have noticed that”one particular gentleman” who always regards himself as a civilised and intelligent person explicitly demonstrates his unsympathetic remarks towards the wounded by saying that the poor kid deserves to be in that terrible condition. Personally, I think the comment is a tad over the top. Any sane human being will not express such a bilious thing like that whenever they know about other people’s sufferings regardless of what the tragic circumstances are, but then again, some people just happen to be a little bit “mentally special”. Having a high IQ, after all, is not the depiction of being a caring and virtuous person. It is a great shame that this so-called deferential, astute being does not attain a high level of emotional intelligence too. In a way, I truly realise that the society where the gent comes from does not encourage good rapport and behaviour; neither do the parents know how to bring up their kids properly. That’s why the level of respect and good behaviour towards other people is a little bit below par. As far as I am concerned, I’d rather have a child who is respectful and well-behaved than a kid who is donnish, but has no clue how to be a mild-mannered person. I am not making a judgemental statement like somebody has been doing here. What I am saying is based on the fact, as following:
“A teenager who shot dead eight people in a US shopping centre before killing himself wrote in a suicide note that he wanted to be famous, reports say.”
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7130504.stm
A society which produces many great brainy people, after all, also generates a lot of callous and heartless beings. Such an incidence is not a rare thing.
“THE British are more likely to be the victims of serious crime than the citizens of any of the industrialised nations. We face the highest level of assaults in Europe. There is more risk of being robbed on our streets than in the United States. Faced with such yobbery, is it any wonder that we are so unwilling to have a go at criminals?”
Taken from: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2284384.ece
In this case, freedom of expression has gone wide; I suppose.
“Britain’s teenagers are among the most badly behaved in Europe, a study by a think-tank has suggested.
On every indicator of bad behaviour - drugs, drink, violence, promiscuity - the UK was at or near the top, said the Institute for Public Policy Research.”
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6108302.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6100000/newsid_6108300/6108324.stm?
Now, please explain to me how come a country which considers its people as intellectual beings shamelessly failed to sort out the behaviour of its citizens in a certain aspect.
It is not only the adolescents who frequently misbehave; fellow adults from the same home, excluding “the Lost Boy”, seem to be doing spectacularly well in promoting “yob culture” around the globe.
“A report released today suggests that the reputation of British tourists has barely improved in the last five years. The survey, conducted by Expedia.co.uk, claims that while Brits may no longer be considered ‘the worst tourists in the world’, they remain in the league’s top five, thanks to their noisy and untidy holiday habits, bad behaviour and miserly tipping.”
Source: http://travel.uk.msn.com/TravelResources/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4997322
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/23/ntourism23.xml
http://www.expedia.co.uk/daily/press/pressreleases/2007/july/british_tourists_remain_amongst_worst_in_world.aspx
Well, I have nothing much to say about this factual story, aside from sending a note of congratulations on their success in retaining their usual standard, with a big round of applause. “Keeping it up matey”.
In spite of all this unsavoury argument, it is good to mention that, in reality, I mostly associate myself with most foreign people, who are truly gentlemanly and ladylike, who also know how to get message across in a tactful and gracious way. It is deeply regrettable to say that one particular gent on this blog, who lays the foundations of being a good person on high IQ, so little values empathy and grace. In the end, being a normal person who has just some common sense is not that bad after all.
December 8th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Just want to add that everybody knows that British are as retarded as Japanese because of living on an island and having s@x with their cousins, but this is not the topic. sorry.
December 8th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Wow. Thanks for that, Drone.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Ah, the droning resumes. Hello Sicksiam, really wonderful to see you back, well, really average anyway. And thanks for the clips, it took you a long time to compile the proof that in UK (a civilised country), these things are so out of character as to be newsworthy. In Thailand nobody bothers to report it because a lack of care for others is normal and who reports on normal things? Not sure that is what you really wanted to show but hey, it did give us all a timely reminder that there are some thick foreigners as well as thick Thais in Thailand.
Yep, British teenagers are a problem. Still, they don’t crawl on their bellies in front of people they pretend to respect and love so at least they have dignity if not good behaviour. By the way… the people that do the contract hit killings in Thailand… look a bit like youths don’t they? Ah…
Now, what was the third fatuous point you raised. Oh yes. Roadkill is the second largest cause of death in Thailand. Not cancer, roadkill. Hmmm.
Here is a great opportunity to exercise your research skills and actually come up with something useful. Also, it will divert you from habitually looking up abnormal sexual behaviour on the internet which makes it even more useful. Healthier. And it will get us back on topic too - yes? Lets you forget all *those* memories for a while too of course.
Why not present us with a comparison between the per annum roadkill in UK and Thailand? About comparable populations, so the results should be interesting. Then tell us all about IQ and good behaviour again. You could even throw in a bit about responsible government and how the population typically learns how to drive. Can’t buy a drivers license in UK you know. Perhaps another bit about how many of the deaths in UK and Thailand are due to drivers being drunk or high on crystal meth. The possibilities are endless if not very complimentary to Thais.
Might as well get you to slag off the Thais as well - could be entertaining.
Beddie the Wyr.
“Grow your own dope, plant a Thai”.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Here is one for Drone… check out: IQ and the wealth of Nations at Wiki. Check that the average IQ in Japan is 4th highest out of 81, UK is 15th. USA (contrary to what the average septic tank thinks), is 23rd (yay! - lets hear it for the yanks - even behind Spain and Poland ).
Thailand is 39th, just pipping such developed countries as Croatia and Peru at the post.
Oops. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Which country are you from Drone?
Now what was that about the retarded Japanese and British again?
December 9th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Hopefully, the remark of Khun Drone is being addressed to a certain gent as well since he seems to be doing fabulously well to steer towards a selective topic which he really wants to chat about. Be that as it may, everybody here is a little bit picky on what he or she wants to hold forth about, including me.
Talking about the difference between Farangs and the Japanese, many Thais seem to be getting on pretty well with the latter. The reason for this is that Japanese people tend to be more tolerant, polite, tactful and respectful towards other people. In my experience, I have lots of Japanese friends who always are good critics and advisers without being disdainful, but quite methodical. They are not only clear-sighted, they are also well-mannered. I always give them a lot of respect and look up to them.
Khun Bedwyr, it is really good to know that a person like you has been so preoccupied by me. I am so touched by that. In a way, I feel a little bit spooky about being stalked by a secret admirer. Still, it is better to have a bad enemy than have nobody to grapple with.
Again, you, Khun Bedwyr, have been making an assumption without having any evidence to support your claims. You say “In Thailand nobody bothers to report it because a lack of care for others is normal and who reports on normal things” So, you could at least find something to verify your accusation; otherwise your words are just mindless nonsense.
“The people that do the contract hit killings in Thailand… look a bit like youths don’t they? “ That’s what you say. I hope you can find the information to prove your statement. To me, the comment seems to show signs of your desperation. Do you know it is a bit pointless when you have nothing to support what you say?
I am so delighted to know that at least, for once, you are acting like a proper man by bravely confirming the current behavioural problem of British teenagers. Having said that, there are some good things about these adolescents that kids from other nations should look up to. For example, their independence, and their custom of always keeping on trying and never giving up on things. Though I am astounded to hear that you find it is acceptable that these kids misbehave. There is no problem of having little respect for other people, but at least everybody should have courtesy towards one another whenever he or she has to interact or communicate with other human beings; but then again, it may be too much to ask some people to lower their dignity by ending their crass remarks.
Whether road accidents in this country are the second cause of death or not, the factual statistics could have been different by now, in my opinion the statistics should not have changed so much in the few years since I last stumbled across the information. To me, it is better to warn foreigners of the danger of driving in this country. Whether it is cancer or road kill, I think you should at least have the decency to give me the gen to establish your statement. I would appreciate it.
I don’t think I need to resort to talking about “that particular subject” again since everybody truly knows the facts and if I really wanted to mention the topic, it would be a piece of cake for me to obtain the specific information to corroborate my dissemination. On top of that, I am quite aware that if I bring it up again, you will find it quite hard to handle the factual story; so, I will spare you that. Neither do I think I am qualified to give you people advice on how to tackle the issue of “those mentally special people” in your country. It is none of my business; your government could deal with them effectively even though I still think it would be best to get rid of their “weapons of mass destruction” completely so as to prevent them from committing such acts.
I thought I had touched upon the case of the death of many people as a consequence of road accidents in this country before. I also disapprove of the way people drive. It is a bad habit, surely we are not the worst drivers in Asia, but what has it got to do with having a high or low IQ? As I mentioned in the previous post, being a bright person does not mean that you are a good person, if you do not know how to behave. We have our bad habits about certain things, just as you people have your own behavioural difficulties which need to be sorted out, but that does not mean it is ok for an outsider to stick his or her snoot into other people’s business, particularly with such graceless comments. Nobody is going to listen to a person who has no tact before opening his or her mouth, with little validation accompanying his or her comment.
I don’t think I have been denouncing anyone here; I just stated my view with a piece of information to verify my words. On the other hand, you seem to be slagging people off remarkably well, despite having so little evidence.
It would be a real gift, if a person had both intelligence and good manners. I have not got a clue about the level of my IQ, it could even be zero; but this does not really matter to me anyway since I know very well what kind of a person I want to be.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Anyone else finding it hard getting past sooksiam’s first couple of paragraphs? I find reading the first, and then skipping to the last, usually suffices…not unlike a typical Thai soap opera.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:06 am
Sooksiam. Saying that you provide details does not suffice, you actually have to do it, and you haven’t provided any at all for your more nonsensical statements, and your frankly illogical comments about IQ are - well, illogical.
As for the hit-men of Thailand, I assume you don’t read the newspapers Sooksiam, because if you did you would see a slow but regular procession of arrests of suspects for political and other murders in Thailand. All of whom appear to be youths and young adults. That is all I was saying, it wasn’t a big thing, just an observation about the relative behaviour of youths in UK and Thailand; a subject that was bought up by you to start with.
Let me see if I can give you an easier one though. If you drive a car, then you will be familiar with the blizzard of young motorcycle riders, that seem to descend on and around you like flies around dog shit. Have a look at the way they drive. red lights, no U-turns, no signals, no lights, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, underage driving, weaving around of and in front of moving vehicles, driving while drunk or high, a whole family on a bike (the most I have seen is 5 - on a single moped!) etc etc. You will not see disregard for the law on this scale anywhere in Europe or USA, that I can guarantee, and it is the single explanatory factor for the roadkill rate in Thailand. A pity that the Government isn’t bright enough to see the problem and do something about it, but people lways get the governments they deserve. Will that example suffice? End of discussion on the behaviour of youth I think.
I suspect you would do well to engage people more at your intellectual and conversational level.
Stalking? Not really. Secret admirer? You might wish, and in your own looking-glass world it may appear to be so, but not in the real world. Frankly, I prefer my ladies (and friends) to be undamaged. But thanks for the veiled invitation.
Beddie the Wyr
December 11th, 2007 at 9:23 am
Bedwyr, I ask that in future you should refrain from intoxicants whilst posting on blogs. Wait, maybe you should start your own and do it as a theme!
“Bedwyr: waking up and realising you’ve wet the bed”.. would be your slogan for insane politically incorrect suppositions reflecting fear and neo-colonial end of the empire retroness. At the end of each entry you would always comfort yourself by reflecting on your enormous IQ which readers will always assume you mean to be a humorous metaphor for your tiny todger called Todd. You would of course not mean for your pretend friend Todd, the Scottish coal mining dwarf, to be a laughing matter at all; cue more readers who all think you’re using dry wit in response to their comments. You’d be a blogosphere sensation!
December 11th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Grasshopper. Remain calm son and don’t forget the lithium. It will all be OK. Really. Don’t fret so.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I wonder where all the trolls live in the daytime…
December 17th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Holy smackers Bedwyr, you’re like the living embodiment of the early colonialists. Tell us more about the sneaky Asians and their tricksy ways … and please do so by throwing out long and convoluted sentences filled with multisyllabic vocabulary in a futile attempt to mask the bigoted message.
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:09 am
you know, my friend dad had accident out side of bangkok.(the thing seem to happen a lot out side of bangkok)
the local came at the site, but not for help. the came to take a look if my friend’s dad were dead or injure. and it happened that he was injured unable to move, so they just took his money. that was it!