Foreigners Acting Badly: What Does it Take to Push Thais Over the Edge? [S7.E10]

Greg and Ed discuss the Thai temperament and what exactly causes
Thais to occasionally blow their collective lids. Greg uses the
recent example of a Swiss expat who kicked a Thai woman in the
back, allegedly because she was inappropriately sitting on the
steps of his condo and blocking his path. Somewhat surprisingly,
the incident went viral, much to the Swiss man's detriment. The
guys speculate as to what it was about THIS incident that caused
it to blow up. Was it the fact that he used his foot to assault
the Thai woman? Was it because she was a doctor, a person of high
status? Or was it some random quirk of social media that led to
the uproar?


Ed then runs through the classic no-go zones in Thai society,
such as insults to religion or the big M, and the guys try to
figure out if anything else is going on in the recent incidents.
Is there possibly some pent up frustration against foreigners in
Thailand? Could it be that Thais got used to fewer foreigners
during COVID? Greg speculates that possibly Thai nationalism is
on the rise and reminds listeners of the price paid by former
Ambassador Kristie Kenney when she suggested that Thailand should
be a real democracy. Ed then dusts off some of his political
science knowledge to try to determine what counts as expressions
of nationalism versus simple enforcement of social norms. 


While no deep certainties are uncovered, the guys give some
common sense advice: if you are a foreigner in Thailand, respect
local customs and don't be a jerk. Hopefully, you didn't hear it
here first. :) 


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