Thai Culture

[donnnnnny]

(stogie bear @ Feb. 03 2007,12:23) Thais (especially girls and ladyboys) are very melodramatic and will say absolutely anything, true or not, to spice up a conversation. Thais are almost never challenged on anything they say, so they can get away with it. It's harmless fun for the most part. But knowing this, I lie on everything I say to a Thai person... including my name and where I'm from. I have zero respect for Thai culture and it's shallow cowardice and don't give a fuck what they think about me.

Stogie feel free to say what you think don't holdback mate

[Guest]

crazy

[kaos]

(Looker @ Feb. 03 2007,16:11) Telling lies, big or small, it's not a characteristic of Thai people alone. You will find the same problem in S.America, Southern Europe (S.Italy, Greece, etc..) and of course most Asian countries plus the subcontinent.
Several the motivations. Typically Asian is of course the "face" thing, but as well the fact of wanting to appear smart(er) by saying that things can be done when not true, and similar other behaviors that escape logic.
Agree with Stogie in saying that are kind of culture/es not impressing at all.

well Im from south italy and i couldnt agree more with what you said.
there are many similarities between asiatic culture and mediteranean...and due to the fact that i was raised in both western and asiatic I can see where they both come from.
IMO thais are not liers more than any one else, but this is true when they relate among them.
when a thai relates with a "farang" well there are language barriers and cultural barriers... those barriers put the thai in a corner and the only way they know to exit from that (because none wants to stay in a corner) is a lie which "softly" makes their safe escape out of the situation.
if you are pissed off of this behaviour they probably pissed off of your behaviour as well.
i understand it can be frustrating but this because we dont make any effort to understand their culture.

[Guest]

Supposedly if the girl said "Ziggy, you are a very sweet guy, but at this stage of my life ...blah blah blah" she would not be lying? I don't think know if Thai culture really has a more relaxed attitude toward lying, but I do think the methodology you used to conclude the judgment is not so scientific.
You may think she really speak English. Well, all of us who can count Neung to Si might be considered fluent in Thai too. Just put yourself in her shoes - while you can not easily come up "Ziggy, you are a very sweet guy..." kind of lie, you jump to "no have mobile phone" kind of lie. Maybe in Thai culture, not-so-eloquent lies are OK ....
I think it's important we refrain from generalizations. We also tend to exaggerate how Thai have higher tolerance toward LB ....

[dummy_plug]

(ziggystardust @ Feb. 02 2007,20:24) I've come to realize through very painful experience, that in Thailand, to do small lies is considered very much ok.

Generally, us westerners think, "If she does a small lie, she'll do a big lie later.".

However, the Thais don't think that way.

I had one girl, whom I really, really trusted, reveal something she swore she would never, ever tell. When I found out she'd told someone, I confronted her, and she, very seriously said, "Yes, but that's ok. It didn't cause any trouble with the guy I told." Meaning, she judged the "trouble" it would cause, and because she thought it ok, the lie was ok, and why was I complaining.

This has happened maybe 3 times, and the first 2 I thought "Lying bitch", but now I'm thinking, "That's Thai", and maybe everyone is like that.

Annoyed.

Sounds like you're just trying to justify what this girl did in your head.

I don't think we can see lying in terms of being ok for Thais and not for Westerners...I'm sure there are honest Thais and untrustworthy Americans. You just have to have your own personal standard of the people you associate with and hold them to it - if they can't pass the muster then you know you can't trust them and that's the end of that.

[moe666]

Is it lying when they tell you what they think you want to hear.

[kahuna]

Perhaps the problem is, they really don't know what we want to hear...

[moe666]

Watching old clip from Johnny Carson Show and it was of Roseann Barr. In her clip she says women lie to men all of the time, because they can.