The 5 Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing Up Poor

[Stramash]

Typically, the night after writing the above, I get a party of Thais in - one general, one CEO, one senior policeman and some assorted hangers on. And upon getting their bill they asked for a discount...

Sheesh!

But did you give it?

[Admin_2]

REAAAHEEALLYYY???

Suggest you look at the work involved in rice farming... There are two periods of intense activity - planting and picking. And then there's the waiting around for several months getting smashed on Lao Khao.

The discussion wasn't about the elite, it was about the rich. Elite is the ammart... Those born into a family with prestige. The majority of the rich Thais any of us know are not ammart. I seriously doubt Rob has dealings with real ammart.... Wealthy Thais, no doubt.

What happens in Bangkok is that 2/3 of the country's GDP is generated here. What happens in the agricultural sector is that 11% of the GDP is generated by 41% of the workforce. It's a shit system, that has been subsidised for decades by every Thai government in return for votes. It's about time Thailand started focussing on industry instead.

The 'poor Thais' that we have dealings with are motorbike taxi guys, taxi drivers, restaurant/bar staff and hookers... oh and Red Shirts... And it's difficult to feel sympathy for any of these groups. We've all be scammed, robbed or murdered to death by one of the above.

(Rob doesn't read what I write anymore because I use long words and it hurts his brain)

"Murdered to death?" That sounds like it hurts...

My dealings with Thais range from royal advisory boards, government ministers, heads of large/small companies, go go bar dancers, fisherman, farmers, etc.. I'm not going name drop here, but I was working directly under people who met with The Man himself on a quarterly basis. I'd vacation at their Chiang Mai estate, and even got to pee in their showers. The people that they sent me on projects for were even more elite. Yes, I'm bragging even though that wasn't my intention.

My wife was a poor Isarn farmer, so I've spent loads of time up in Isarn. Farmers are not just farmers. They are incredibly resourceful, and you'll see them turn into carpenters, plumbers, seamstresses, etc. when they are not farming. Some of them head to the factories during the off-season to work on car lines. Of course there are lazy bums, but you'll find those everywhere.

I can agree that Thailand's system needs an overhaul. Farming for rice is not going to boost Thailand and the region beyond where it is today. I'm not even sure where I was going with this, or why I wanted to get on your case.

Oh yeah...The Thai elite expect shit to be handed to them for sure. They are no different than the poor farmers. They just expect the shit handed to them to contain gold pellets. We can agree that the system sucks, so stop using that to make your case as that doesn't prove that the elite and/or rich Thais don't expect handouts.

[FarangFarang]

"Murdered to death?" That sounds like it hurts...

I murdered him but he just wouldn't die so I murdered him again until I murdered him to death. :-)

My dealings with Thais range from royal advisory boards, government ministers, heads of large/small companies, go go bar dancers, fisherman, farmers, etc.. I'm not going name drop here, but I was working directly under people who met with The Man himself on a quarterly basis. I'd vacation at their Chiang Mai estate, and even got to pee in their showers. The people that they sent me on projects for were even more elite. Yes, I'm bragging even though that wasn't my intention.

You're bragging about knowing go go bar dancers? :-) You're so elite.

My wife was a poor Isarn farmer, so I've spent loads of time up in Isarn. Farmers are not just farmers. They are incredibly resourceful, and you'll see them turn into carpenters, plumbers, seamstresses, etc. when they are not farming. Some of them head to the factories during the off-season to work on car lines. Of course there are lazy bums, but you'll find those everywhere.

Okay, but I've been up to Isarn more than a few times myself and I gotta say, the ratio of people working to people who sit around eating, gossiping, and seemingly not having a care in the world is pretty high.

I can agree that Thailand's system needs an overhaul. Farming for rice is not going to boost Thailand and the region beyond where it is today. I'm not even sure where I was going with this, or why I wanted to get on your case.

Oh yeah...The Thai elite expect shit to be handed to them for sure. They are no different than the poor farmers. They just expect the shit handed to them to contain gold pellets. We can agree that the system sucks, so stop using that to make your case as that doesn't prove that the elite and/or rich Thais don't expect handouts.

[Admin_2]

Okay, but I've been up to Isarn more than a few times myself and I gotta say, the ratio of people working to people who sit around eating, gossiping, and seemingly not having a care in the world is pretty high.

So stick them in suits, put them around a meeting table, give them a fat paycheck, and let them gossip. They still will want shit handed to them just like the real elite. I know a lot of people that sit around eating and gossiping while they are supposedly working (not me of course...never).

[DANNO]

I know a lot of people that sit around eating and gossiping while they are supposedly working (not me of course...never).

yeah like much of TF! :twisted:

[FarangFarang]

So stick them in suits, put them around a meeting table, give them a fat paycheck, and let them gossip. They still will want shit handed to them just like the real elite. I know a lot of people that sit around eating and gossiping while they are supposedly working (not me of course...never).

Yes, but I think the elite in Thailand are like the elite in any country. You can't say that the American elite are any better. I think it's less about expecting stuff handed down to them as much as it's a feeling of entitlement due to their wealth.

However the poor are different in various countries. In some country they're the hardest working, pull themselves up by the bootstraps, type of people. In Thailand, because the social-economic system is built around patronage, poor people have been conditioned to expect those better off then them to buy they're loyalty by taking care of them.

The biggest difference though is that the rich have rigged the system so they always come out on top. Their lethargic approach to business is less damaging because they always make sure the eliminate any real competition. They'll always be on top.

Laziness on the part of the poor is dangerous because they become conditioned to believe that there is no way out of poverty. I don't think you talk to too many poor farmers who think that their sons or daughters will have a substantially better life than they have (minus marrying a rich farang). The system is set up so that working harder or smarter doesn't produce enough benefit to ditch the patronage system.

[Chatty]

You are talking like none of poor Thai never wanna develop themselves to be in the upper class...

I wanna remind you someone work their ass off just escape from that shitty level and I'm the one of them. It wasn't easy for a poor kid who was born in slumb got educated, have a good job, can by a house, own cars... I don't care to tell people about this, honesty, I'm proud of myself.

Actually, more than studying hard and working hard you just need chances to go. I just was the lucky one that this world give me a chance to grow... and I do believe many other poor kids Thai still need their chances to grow to shine. If they are lucky enough they will prove to you guys that some poor kid can make it.

[FarangFarang]

You are talking like none of poor Thai never wanna develop themselves to be in the upper class...

I wanna remind you someone work their ass off just escape from that shitty level and I'm the one of them. It wasn't easy for a poor kid who was born in slumb got educated, have a good job, can by a house, own cars... I don't care to tell people about this, honesty, I'm proud of myself.

Actually, more than studying hard and working hard you just need chances to go. I just was the lucky one that this world give me a chance to grow... and I do believe many other poor kids Thai still need their chances to grow to shine. If they are lucky enough they will prove to you guys that some poor kid can make it.

That is sort of my point, Neung. If you know you don't have the chance, who will try?

Poor people can want many things. The question is, will they do what it takes if the opportunity is given to them? Right now, there are not a lot of opportunities if you grow up poor. You are the exception. Not everyone is as lucky as you.

But more importantly, not everyone would work as hard as you if they did have the chance.

There's a guy I know who is involved in online work and is very successful. A few years ago he told me he was moving to Thailand because he had met a girl. His big plan was to move to Issan and do his business from there. He said he wanted to buy several computers and hire some local kids and teach them how to make money like he does. He said he wanted to help people buy teaching them how to make money.

I have to confess that I told him he was wasting his time. First, I said he would not find that many kids who had enough computer experience. Second, I told him that they would get bored and quit before they learned how his business works.

About two years after I had that conversation with him, he announced that he was moving back to the US with his new wife. I asked what about his plans for teaching all of these young children how to support themselves setting up websites. He said it had been a total failure. Even though he was paying them a salary of about 300 baht per day and giving them a nice air conditioned office to work in, most got bored and left.

Making money online is boring. It involves a lot of attention to detail. It requires a lot of creative thinking. All of which seem boring unless you keep doing it and see the results. It might take six months of doing the same exact thing every day and then all of a sudden you see a bunch of people coming to your website and you're suddenly making money.

It's sort of like hitting a wall with a hammer. The first hit might not make a hole. The second hit might not make a hole. The third hit might not make a hole. But if you add up all of the hits, sooner or later you're going to make a hole in the wall.

But none of his students/employees wanted to wait that long. If the hit the wall one or two times and they didn't make a hole they got frustrated and quit.

Some were too lazy to hit the wall. Others couldn't understand why they were hitting the wall. Some just didn't think hitting the wall was interesting.

I'm sure if you ask any of those kids if they want money, a nice house, a car, etc, they'll say that they do. But the question is will they do what it takes to get those things.

I've had similar experiences. I don't know how many times I've tried to outsource work in Thailand. I can go to a website and find someone in India, Pakistan, The Philippines, or Vietnam who will do the job for $50 but I offer to pay someone in Thailand $60. They agree but never do the work. Out of 10 or 11 jobs I've tried to get done in Thailand, every single one I've had to send to another country because people just never did the work.