Something most guidebooks to Southeast Asian destinations don’t mention is rudeness. While many countries in Southeast Asia rely heavily on tourism, sometimes their ideas of what’s polite and what’s not is at odds with many Western ideas. Some are even at odds with common sense

This occurred to me as I was having a stroll through Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I couldn’t help noticing that cyclo and motorcycle drivers were much less obnoxious that they were the first time I visited the city some three years ago. Back then, you couldn’t walk the tree-lined boulevards without the constant accompaniment of a motorcycle or cyclo trying to sell you their tour. They could be quite aggressive, to the point that one guy even got off his ride and stood right in front of me as I tried to take a picture of some sight. Did the man really think blocking my shot would make me more likely to utilize his services?

This time around, the motorcycle taxis are still around, but they’re much less aggressive. I think that it’s down to the fact that metered car taxis are now so common. A tourist would have to be a little nuts to use a motorcycle, so the drivers are just going through the motions on the off chance that you might be a crazy Westerner that could easily be relieved of a lot of cash

It’s not like Vietnam has any corner on the rude route, either. From Bali to Bangkok, I often hear the same refrain should I be careless enough to walk by a t-shirt stall: “Hey mister, we have big size for fat guy like you.” Such comments are common throughout Southeast Asia, and they really make you wonder if people think before they open their mouths

Big Budget Rudeness

In the case of Thailand, the answer to the question, “What were they thinking?” Is often “They didn’t think.” It’s taken me many years to understand this, but it just isn’t part of Thai culture to consider someone’s feelings or reaction before opening your mouth. This results in a lot of behavior that at best can be described as politically incorrect, at worst it would be outright sexual harassment anywhere in the West. In Thailand, it’s quite common for the boss to poke fun at his staff, to their face, even if it often involves demeaning comments about where they came from.

Such comments are made without any thought about how it might make the other person feel. This cavalier attitude extends right through society. In my work with Thai companies, I’ve had to help clean up some major faux pas by my Thai masters.  But rather than air any dirty laundry in public, there are a couple of other major boo-boos in the news lately. Both involve movies made in Thailand by Thai companies.

The first film to hit the headlines was a horror flick with a plot line involving a reality show where contestants had to stay in a ‘haunted’ prison where some atrocities had taken place. The trouble was, the prison and the atrocities bore a strong resemblance to a particularly well known place in Phenom Penh during the Pol Pot genocide era. The makers of the filmed were shocked to learn that many Cambodians objected to a particularly painful episode in their past being used as the theme for popular entertainment.

The second movie was a comedy featuring an unlikely Laotian football (’soccer’ to Americans) team that beats the odds to get to the World Cup. I’ve seen trailers for this film, which in themselves were quite funny, but I can just imagine the jokes that the full picture may have made. For most Thais, Laos is synonymous with poor and backward. If someone doesn’t speak Thai properly, they’re accused of speaking Laotian. If they’re unfamiliar with the trappings of the big city, they must be from Laos. Such jokes generally aren’t at all mean-spirited, but there’s never any thought given to how they may make the person on the receiving end feel, and the makers of this movie apparently never thought about how the Laotians may react to their jokes.

Both movies have had their release dates postponed indefinitely, while the producers no doubt try to figure out how to salvage their investment. I’m sure that there are those who are arguing that Laos and Cambodia “just don’t understand” the movie, or perhaps they’re just thinking that these countries don’t have a sense of humor. That’s often the accusation made at individuals who take offense at Thai attempts to be funny, and why, at the end of the day, I don’t think anything will change. It’s much easier to blame the other guy than it is to take responsibility for your actions.

Posted by michael under Life in Thailand