[QUOTE=Traveler1234]OTH
What you describe doesn't sound a lot different from a lot of corporate America (or many other mnc worldwide)...IMHO.
I don't think the Thais have a monopoly on this. And as far as the royals are concerned, this is certainly true about most royals worldwide, no?[/QUOTE]
I agree, very tiring hearing the bashing of thais... Not only MNC's are like this... it is the same for most third world countries. I live in a banana republic and I see first hand the long line of foreigners who come in all smiles and happy only wanting to abuse us dumb islanders. And I see first hand how many of us dumb island folks screw over the foreigners and I sit back and have to laugh as everyone deserved what they got. Now when an innocent gets screwed over we step up and take care of things, but almost all want to screw us over and they are not innocents and many folks in my home will do their best to screw them over. The tourists, the simple tourists who are here for visit are never touched or screwed over, it is when people are wanting things or abuse things is when they get into trouble in my homeland. I can see the same in Thai, foreigners coming in with money and why should they not try to get some of it. While you are screwing them they will screw you.
Now what I said is a major generalization. Not every person does it in every country, but it is very common place so it amazes me people are surprised when they get screwed over. However there is such a thing of lies by omission which is very common place. There is also the situation of when things go wrong no one knows anything when in reality everyone knows everything but no one says anything. When things go wrong here at my home, everyone knows what happens and we deal with it local style... if it happens to a foreigner who is an idiot then we don't know squat. When it happens to a foreigner who is a good person items get straightened out right away.
These are common, and happen in most countries in the pacific and asia from what I see and where I work and travel (and as many ISG's know I handle a large chunk of asia and the Pacific). I've been messed over by my TGF and she has many omissions of truth. Telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth is hard for many to do. Many will lie or not tell the entire story in fear of saying it will get them hurt or harmed.
When it comes to working girls, many have no father at home, and most have had a BF or husband screw them, leave them with a child and go off to another girl. So why should they trust any guy? Mongers all lie so it takes a long time of lies and partial truths for anything to come real. And when you find a real one, how can you be sure and how can you be sure it will last? Building up that trust stage for a TGF and a Farang takes a long time and takes a lot of hurt and lies to get to a point where there is trust and honesty.
And when it comes to non working girls... many see the movies and think American's eat steak for every meal and sit in air con and do nothing while the people in less developed countries do all the labor. (this comes from people in my own country) So they figure why not try to screw them, Bush and the US Govt. sit in their glass house and throw stones so why not try to mess them over. They feel and see first hand the foreign relations of the USA and how much crap it is. And anyone who is white skinned... is an American.. it makes no difference to them where you really are from.
I'm just looking at it from the POV of someone form a less then less developed country who see's fake NGO's and fake foreigners on a daily basis. And unfortunately, I have to work with the government officials in many countries :( And I am one of the foreigners who come into Thai and try to make deals and get things done and I have to fight this attitude at home and abroad.
It just gets a little tiring to hear so many people bash the thai's. If it is so friggin bad then move or don't go there. Find another place then complain about that country. The point of pride for many of the ISG's is how they got a girl for 1,000 baht or screwed her out of tip or etc... It's a wonder to me why TWG's don't do more drastic items to foreigners. Majority of the working girls in thai and thai people are safe and honest (won't steal your mobile etc..), you want danger, monger in other countries and they will roll you for everything you got. So they tell a few stories... give me a break...
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence....