Insensitive Expat Community in Thailand

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Mike

OK I need to apologise in advance before I write this which I hope you won’t see as a rant, but there is something I need to get off my chest about the insensitive and cynical expat community that you find on a popular Internet forum in Thailand called Thai Visa.

Let me explain. I have just finished reading a tragic story about a young Englishman, James Edward Smith, who fell to his death from a hotel near Bangkok International Airport a couple of days ago. Reading the Thai press reports it would be easy to dismiss the story as yet another tragic event involving foreigners falling from hotel balconies here in Thailand, sadly an all too common event.

However if you dig a little deeper into the story(UK press) it seems that the victim was part of a new age cult(my words) often referred to as “urban explorers.” A group of intrepid folk who like to climb and photograph old buildings, landmarks and the like. You can read about the activities of urban explorers here on the aptly named 28 Days Later forum or about the tragic death of  James Edward Smith here.

But this post is not about James Edward Smith or indeed how he met his end since I have no desire to join the speculators,  but instead its about the way the reports of his death where dealt with by some members of the Thai Visa forum of which I am a member. I was both shocked and disgusted with some of the comments that appear on the thread relating to the original news report.

Given that Thai Visa has some 70,000 members many of whom live in Thailand I think it is fair to assume that at least some if not all of the cynical and insensitive comments originated from expatriate members of the forum who actually live here.

Of course I suppose I should not be shocked since every time I browse through the new posts on TV I find plenty of sarcastic, cynical and insensitive comments about anything  associated with Thailand. I think anyone who actually lives here would agree that our adopted home is not perfect. But knocking everything Thai makes me wonder why these folk continue to live here. Perhaps they don’t. But if that were the case why comment anyway?

The level of ignorance about issues that relate to Thailand and its culture is also amazing.  Although I have only lived in Thailand for three years I find myself streets ahead when it comes to exploding some of the myths that even time served TV members expound from time to time.

Personally, I don’t expect on line forums to be politically correct places and I would always welcome  constructive criticism, balanced views and objective debates. Thai Visa can be an excellent resource for those thinking of moving to Thailand but cynical and insensitive comments should surely be dealt with by the moderators?  Something that TV prides itself with when posts or conversations turn towards things that are not openly discussed in Thailand if you want to avoid jail.

I wonder where the said moderators or indeed editor where when the commenter’s let rip on the sensitive issue I mentioned above. Perhaps George or one of the Thai Visa moderation team might care to comment since many of my readers are also readers and members of the forum.

Recently the Thai Visa web site has undergone a face-lift, perhaps it is also time to look at the way sensitive issues like death are dealt with particularly regarding comments.

A final thought, imagine you were one of Mr Smith relatives and you read some of the comments highlighted above, then ask yourself,  how would you feel?

Related posts:

  1. Expat Support in Thailand
  2. Thailand Visa O or O-A for Long Stay
  3. Thailand Tourist Visa
  4. Thailand Visa Information Overview
  5. Thailand Visa Overstay
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  • http://paulgarrigan.com/ Paul Garrigan

    I left Thai Visa well over a couple of years ago. I had well over 3,000 posts on there by the time I’d removed myself. The reason I left was because of a hissy fit I had with some of the moderators – they complained about the fact that I was occasionally linking to my own articles :-) I wasn’t banned but after an a couple of explosive posts they suspended my ability to post and asked me to promise not to be bad anymore – I didn’t want to do that so my account remains in limbo.

    Despite the fact that I left over a silly reason I’m really glad that I did. To be honest I was actually looking for an excuse not to use it anymore. I was fed up with the constant bickering and putting people down. Many newcomers would come looking for advice and be treated with contempt. If you had a serious question people would ignore you, but if you posted something inane you would be flooded with replies. I certainly don’t miss it. I also disliked the way so many people would use a person’s death for titillation and to demonstrate how they knew more about Thailand and wouldn’t make the same type of mistake. Judge and jury.

  • http://paulgarrigan.com/ Paul Garrigan

    Errm – what I should have said in the first sentence was well over a year ago.

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    Paul thanks for that I wondered if you were a member. I find the same as you did(see your second paragraph).
    The site does have a mine of information which is not always easy to find. But any newbie certainly needs a thick skin.

  • http://paulgarrigan.com/ Paul Garrigan

    I do have some nice memories of Thai Visa too. Some of the people on there are really decent. My first book came about because of a blog I kept on there – so I’m obviously grateful for that. Still, there is a lot of things I don’t miss as well.

  • http://thailandlandofsmiles.com Talen

    Mike, I rarely visit Thai Visa for just the reasons you have mentioned. There are more than a few expats that are know it alls and the usual response to any question is to berate the person asking.

  • http://drwillajahn.blogspot.com Dr. Will

    Bravo! My sentiments exactly.

  • http://www.jonathan-russell.com/ Jon

    Spot on agree, 100% – I used it to get information about life out here (naively not then knowing a better way, like blogs) before I left London. Can honestly say I haven’t gone back since, I don’t have any need for it, its reputation rightly precedes it.

    Best avoided.

  • Lloyd

    The website you mention pretty much shows what is wrong with forums, and more so what is wrong with a large slice of the expat community in Thailand. The figures published and bandied about 70,000 users and millions of pages view are as dishonest and misleading as the posts on the site, its just plane BS they dont have those sort of figure just take a look at the quality of the site, its advertsisers and the products sold through the site.

    I believe that there is far more damage done to Thailand and its reputation by the people on that forum than there is in the benefit in what little information is available. Like I have said about Pattaya, anything that needs people to defend it pretty much deserves the reputation that is causing the defensive attitude.

    As for anyone posting 3,000 posts, damn what can you say… “Get a Life” ;-)

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    Paul there is some useful stuff there and some decent people, sadly the other types seem to rule the roost.

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    Talen and Jon agreed but its a shame really since as i said to Paul there is some useful stuff there if you can be bothered to cut through the………

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    Lloyd great sentiment. I must admit I wondered about the high volume posters. Perhaps it fills a niche for the get a life brigade.

  • http://paulgarrigan.com/ Paul Garrigan

    I would just post a lot on there because I liked to write. Some people claim that it takes a writer about a million words before they find their voice. A forum can be as good a place as any to do this – in my opinion. There can also be marketing reasons why somebody would want to post on forums; some individuals are very succesful at it. I don’t regret 3,000 + posts on Thai Visa because at the time it served as an outlet for me. Of course, this is not something that I would want to do now.

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    Paul that’s an interesting point of view especially about being a writer. I wonder if blogging is a similar outlet that might eventually lead to a book?

    I must admit that i would like to write a book one day. My friend Lawrence who lives in Thailand half the year(rest in UK) has just published an ebook on Buddhism and I thought it was a good idea.

  • http://thailandlandofsmiles.com Talen

    Mike, I agree there is a lot of useful info to be found at Thai Visa and also some very kind and considerate people. I do occasionally find myself there through one search or another and it has been very helpful. But, the whole clique type feel of the place turns a lot of people off. The long term posters there are never taken to task by the admins or moderators and usually run roughshod over the forums.

    I never post there just lurk and even if I did post there I have very thick skin. But, because of Thai Visa’s long standing and many pages it ranks very high in Google for most Thailand searches and unfortunately many peoples first experience with Thailand info comes at the hand of some snobbish expat who thinks he/she knows it all.

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    “The long term posters there are never taken to task by the admins or moderators and usually run roughshod over the forums”
    Talen the only time they are is if they mention a certain person.

    Like you I rarely post, in fact one of the reasons I avoid a lot of expat contact here is because of some of the posters attitude on that forum.

    Anyone would think they had discovered Thailand!

  • http://paulgarrigan.com/ Paul Garrigan

    People have published books that have started out as blogs Mike- I’ve managed to do it. Apparently it is a lot harder to get a fiction published this way – but that has been done too. These days there are many who would argue that you need to have a blog well before trying for a book – publishers are very cautious but if you can already show that you have an audience that can be a great help. There are also those who believe that you have to start promoting a book at least a couple of years before it’s published.

    The reason why I feel that posting on forums can be useful is that it is just easier to write a lot this way without thinking of it as work. Some people would find it hard to blog a couple of thousand words a day, but would have no problem doing this on forums.

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    Paul interesting stuff. One day i will get round to it maybe with my Thai temples blog.

  • Lloyd

    Social media is a means to an end for a lot of people, that does not make it good or bad, what it does however is give people an excuse which in itself is not an answer.

    To denegrate and belittle people via a computer the way people do on the website in question takes something special from the ‘writer’, its more than anger its a part of their personality, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

    You pretty much sum it up by saying “this is not something that I would want to do now”!

  • http://villagefarang.blogspot.com/ Villagefarang

    For a different perspective, I am still an active poster on TV but have limited myself to my local sub-forum here in Chiang Rai. Additionally I started a Topic about Finished House Pictures which has done quite well.

    It is a continuing struggle but we are becoming more of a social networking site here in the Rai, where people are starting to hookup over shared interests, like coffee, food, motorcycles or helping the less fortunate. Some members are resisting this change but with little success.

    It is possible to take advantage of an existing pool of readers and massage it into something useful. Things become more real when you have a realistic chance of bumping into a fellow member in BigC or Makro. Chiang Rai is still small enough that you can know many of the local residents. Sometimes we can facilitate that process of getting to know your way around town and meeting new people.

    While I agree with most of the negative comments, I choose not to let emotion influence my decision making or limit my options.

  • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

    VF firstly welcome to my new blogging home. I do believe that what you describe with the small sub-forum can work well. Its a little like a group of bloggers who interact on a similar theme like Thailand. You enjoy their style, respect their views but feel able to make a balanced comment without fear of being ridiculed.