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#1
04-10-2006, 20:32
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sense of humor?
thais pleasant smile and sense of humor has been talked about on this forum and for ages before but we never really delve into where it comes from
i was watching the doc-"bangkok girl" again last night and had me thinking about this i am not naive and know that smile can be fake at times but how does one country have the capacity for joking so much and basically have the same type of personality? is it an economic issue? all they have is laughs? is it there way of dealing with tourists, foreigners? one thing i find amazing watching that doc last night about a bar girl in bkk is all her actions, emotions, personality were really generic. you could almost replace her with any other bar girl and get the same responses and reactions, emotions 
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#2
04-10-2006, 20:44
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Benn pondering the same for years Marc..At one time an old thai told me, that Thai's generally go about things in daily life, trying toget the most fun out of it......
But i have also meet thai's who has very, excuse my language "shitty" jobs, and still i could get a smile out of them, when aproching in a friendly manner. Maybe its just their way of dealing with things, instead of a frown and sour look, give a smile and recieve one back  Allthough i think there is more to it, religion, culture and so on.
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#3
04-10-2006, 20:46
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Actually this is a very good question..... I would have said to deal with foreigners... it seems to me that Thais maybe dont like confrontation with foreigners and maybe in some ways unsure on how to deal with us. By smiling and joking to them it might be a way of dealing with tense situations... Its just my thoughts but this is probably better answered by an expact rather than myself... i have very little dealings with Thais and this is just my theory.
__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates..... you go to Thailand and get greedy 
Last edited by cybernator_uk : 04-10-2006 at 20:51.
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#4
04-10-2006, 20:57
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A smile is the default gesture in all of Asia (except maybe North Korea). Not an expert, but my take on this is that the Thai smile has many facets but is not necessarily genuine. In fact, it can be somewhat pretentious at times. But again, it is certainly special to the rest of Asia.
I read somewhere that the "Thai smile" may have helped them from being colonized in the 19th century by the Brits/French. It certainly can be used to diffuse a situation. I thought this doc was only being shown in Canada/UK. What station in the US is showing? Would like to take a look if it is replayed again. The TanMan
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#5
04-10-2006, 21:03
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i actually live in vancouver. it was palyed alot last year but has been repeated recently the man who did it, Jordan Clarke, is from Vancouver Island and I sent him an e-mail with my thoughts and he promptly responded. i will ask him about getting dvd's for anyone interested.
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#6
04-10-2006, 21:05
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again, like i said, i know that the smile is not genuine all the time but i am more talking about the joking and personalities. i would liek to think i have spent a considerable amount of time with thai's and have seen the quick way they go into a joke or just get a general kick out of the smallest faux pas or joke Last edited by marc26 : 04-10-2006 at 21:22.
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#7
04-10-2006, 21:12
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Im intrested... i have a multi region dvd player so that is no problem... if you can let me know how much etc etc will sort out with you.
__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates..... you go to Thailand and get greedy
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#8
04-10-2006, 21:15
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i will wait and see the response, then get in touch with jordan clarke and see what i can do
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#9
04-10-2006, 21:15
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Thanks for the info Marc,
To address the sanook thing, it is a "Buddhist" thing. The soul has incarnated into "another" lifetime to evolve spiritually. Most of life is suffering, and the soul heals through that lifetime's experiences. If you're having fun, then you're not "suffering" or at least your mind is not focused on the "suffering". Just my two satangs on the issue. The TanMan
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#10
05-10-2006, 03:42
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Its a lot of joking shows on TV aswell, and if Ead rent a vcd movies it is always some joking shows (performed on stage somewhere) among them.
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#11
05-10-2006, 08:25
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A number of psychologists say smiling is a form of supplication and originated as a defence against being killed by rival groups/the alpha male. I can see some logic in that when it comes to Asia in general as they're big on status, showing deference, avoiding confrontation etc. In the west our culture generally regards that as weakness and might explain why smiling at strangers gets a totally different reaction over here. For example a guy who "offers" the smile at a hot (high status) falang woman first instantly gets thought of as an idiot/wussy. If you've also noticed when you lock them with a stare however and refuse to break eye contact first often you'll see them break out in a smile. Myself I think it's a whole combination of factors the above if true just being a small part. Human behaviour is a hugely complicated subject methinks.
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#12
05-10-2006, 12:57
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think we also have to consider their religious beliefs being predominantly Buddhism, teaching them to be happy and content with what they have. Hence man with poor job still being able to be happy with his life. Yes i also do believe that they use the smile to help them cope with us (falang). But sometimes the smile gets to me, as you can sometimes feel its not a "real" smile. For example, the girls in the office, when they have no idea what i'm asking for, they have a habit of just nodding and smiling (really gets to me this). No matter how much i say, "if you don't understand, PLEASE just say i don't understand" Do you think they have ever told me, "I don't understand"... Never... so might be their way of avoiding "confrontation" or embarrassment of some sort as well. But no matter what the a smile does go a lot further than a frown.
__________________
Sleep is for the weak
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#13
05-10-2006, 14:26
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I totally agree.... Although i havent had much dealings with Thai people so i cant really comment to much.... But i would agre in saying that there are many reasons and religion is one that has been mentioned that i would also lean towards.
__________________
Life is like a box of chocolates..... you go to Thailand and get greedy
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#14
05-10-2006, 18:17
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I agree with most of the things said on this thread(Good thread, Paul!)
 There isn't one simple answer, except to say it is part of their culture.But I think about it in two ways. 1)It is like a social agreement that walking around with a frown is negative and offensive to other people. The way they think is like you owe it to other people to make an effort to be bright, and not bring others down. By walking around with a frown, you are invading other people's space with you bad vibes. In Asian countries, the population density is pretty high, so it is important that you are not "attacking" other people with your bad thoughts and feelings. When you are joking, then it is the opposite, then you are spreading good feelings, giving people a laugh, if you can, which is a nice gift. You are contributing to society by being a happy person, and spreading cheer. 2) The second way is that if you are glum, that shows you are vulnerable. It lets other people know that they have an advantage on you. If you are frowning, people see you as weak. It doesn't reflect well on your status or mental health. So a smile is like a shield. It protects you. It guards your personal space, and hides your vulnerabilities. So the LOS smile really works 2 ways. One to spread good vibes and make the world one iota better, instead of spreading bad, offensive vibes, and making the world one iota worse. The other way is as a shield, to protect against others seeing your weakness or invading your headspace.
__________________
LOS is warm, soft, smooth, and brown. 
Last edited by JayBee : 05-10-2006 at 18:19.
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#15
05-10-2006, 18:39
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Not sure I really side with those JB.. And the pop density is a lot higher in holland and other western countries.. I also dont think not being happy is read as weakness, in fact normal westerner ranting can freak them out not make them see advantage..
The smile is (IMHO) very often a mask and a way of hiding emotions and reaction.. Jai yen yen keep a cool heart, mask your anger, mask your embarrassment, smile etc.. Thats not to say Thais dont love Sanook and are in general a very playful and fun people.. But I dont personally read a Thai smile as simply a happy smile anymore.. So 2 distinct things being mentioned IMHO.. The love of fun and sanook and the 'inscrutable asian' aspect who reacts with different mannerisms than we do.
__________________
Men have only 2 emotional states, hungry and horny.. So ladies, if you see me without an erection, make me a sandwich.
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#16
05-10-2006, 19:41
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I quote, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, This debt we owe to human guile, With torn and broken hearts, we still smile" Now i forget which poet said that but its part of a poem i'll never forget. The writer is a westerner if i'm not mistaken. JB makes some interesting points but i don't think what you're saying applies to all asians... maybe the thai's but not the rest of asia. Take Singapore for example, it was many years back, the government came up with a "smile" campaign because Singaporeans looked unfriendly. I have to agree with Livin in that just because you frown doesn't mean you're showing weakness or vulnerability. It just gives off an unfriendly vibe which is not in the nature of the thai's to begin with. IMHO Brit summed it up nicely in saying its a combination of many things that make Thailand the land of smiles.
__________________
Sleep is for the weak
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#17
05-10-2006, 22:32
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I thought this web site did a good job of explaining the Thai nature.
Thailand - Culture and this one... Thailand National Characteristics, Thai Personality Traits The last one lists nine, what they call value clusters. Number 3 explains the smile. 1. Ego Orientation 2. Grateful Relationship Orientation 3. Smooth Interpersonal Relationship Orientation 4. Flexibility and Adjustment Orientation 5. Religio-Psychical Orientation 6. Education and Competence Orientation 7. Interdependence Orientation 8. Fun-Pleasure Orientation 9. Achievement-Task Orientation 3. Smooth Interpersonal Relationship Orientation Unlike some Western cultures whose top values tend to focus on Self-actualization, Ambition and achievement, down-playing such values of Self-control and Politeness, the Thai, after pricing "ego" and "a grateful relationship", place high value on a group of 'other-directed' social interaction values - all added up to project a picture of smooth, kind, pleasant, no-conflict interpersonal interactions. This orientation is characterized by the preference for a non-assertive, polite and humble type of personality (expressed through appearance, manners, and interpersonal approach), as well as the preference for a relaxed, and pleasant interaction which accounts for the "smiling" and "friendly" aspects of the Thai people, fascinating most foreign visitors.
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#18
06-10-2006, 07:47
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Personally, I couldn't care less about why the Thais smile and love Sanook; just the fact that they do will bring me back to LOS again and again.
I was at Bangkok airport during Songkran this year and watching the professionally turned out flight attendants having water pistol fights with the kids waitng for the flight brought a smile to my dial, and I hope that I passed it on as the chaos that ensued at Phuket airport did not make for big Sanook!!!
__________________
Here for a good time, not a long time!!!
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#19
06-10-2006, 14:09
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I think that freaking out is seen as weakness. It is a lack of personal control. A person who lacks the inner strength to control himself is demonstrating that he is simply unable to maintain his composure. Sure a Westerner ranting can freak them out, but it will not win their respect. Westerners freaking out is one of the reasons that the pronoun for Thais is he/she and for farangs, the pronoun is "it." Because they have seen so many farangs freak out,that they seem uncivilized, like animals in their behavior. It is the reason that many Thais consider themselves to be superior to farangs. Jai yen shows real strength, not freaking out. Freaking out shows inner weakness. But when people are weak in their ability to control themselves, of course, they can be dangerous, so there is good reason to be freaked out by that sort of behavior. When two people freak out at each other, then violence may be the result sometimes, so caution in such situations is wise. Strength comes from the inside. The person who is in control of himself does have an advantage. That is the basis of most Eastern martial arts. That is how I see it. Just my opinion, of course!
__________________
LOS is warm, soft, smooth, and brown.
Last edited by JayBee : 06-10-2006 at 14:19.
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#20
06-10-2006, 15:15
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thais sense of humour is what I would call 'undeveloped'. That sounds arrogant but thai TV is anything but subtle and they laugh long and hard at slapstick and pratfalls accompanied by a guy tch-booming on a drum or comical keyboard sounds, something that used to be funny to 'westerners' 40 or 50 years ago (cue flames about Benny Hill still being the funniest thing ever).
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#21
06-10-2006, 19:01
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Hobbsy hinted at something that I was gonna mention. Mainly, what is the "level" of Thai humor. I've seen the comedies on TV and they are fairly Vaudeville-ian in style. Some sit-coms are just setups and pratfalls and people making exaggerated and funny faces. But....My Thai lady friend laughs at many styles of humor, including irony, situational, and even some of the practical jokes I've played on her got a laugh (and near violence I might add). So, even though this a little off topic, I would say that Thai's range of humor is probably as broad as the West's but all we see on TV is pandering to the lowest common denominator (like many countries--anybody ever watch UPN or WB in the U.S.?)
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#22
07-10-2006, 01:08
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