Bangkok's Seven Deadly Sins: Greed [S4.E67]

This week Greg and Ed return to the Seven Deadly Sins
series with a discussion of GREED in Thai culture. As an opening
caveat, Greg makes clear that greed exists in all cultures, and
the guys aren't saying it's worse in Thailand than anywhere else,
but every country and culture deals with it in different ways,
and the guys want to talk their way through its different facets
to try and understand it better.


Ed begins with the claim that there is something in
Thai-Chinese culture about the pursuit of wealth that is more
open and less modest than in the American Midwest where he grew
up. He speculates that it might be the northern European
influence on the area, built on the Protestant Work Ethic which
values labor but tends to be low key and not ostentatious when it
comes to money.


The guys continue their discussion, touching on data about
the high consumer debt in Thailand, how expensive things like
cars and bags give you status (even if you can't afford it), and
some choice words from previously published studies on Thais and
greed that ponder if the country's endemic corruption is
something that can ever be solved.


It's a big, deep, messy, and complicated topic, and Greg
and Ed just scratch the surface. What are your thoughts on how
greed presents itself in Thai culture? 


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