DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Signs the economy's hitting the "unofficial" heart of Thailand...

**Rqvtwlfk** · 09-22-2012, 05:33 AM

....So my point was that the anger seems to now be against the wealthy thais as well, and this could be serious bad news if any populist numbskull tries to corral that anger into a movement that turns violent. Thailand has been very peaceful compared to its neighbors for the last 50 years, but the signs are troubling that this may not last for long. Since I am planning to retire to Thailand in the next year or so, I will definitely be watching and hoping that the mood doesn't continue to sour.

Just remember one thing - the catalyst for most of the social unrest that unleashed a lot of the devastating violence of the 20th century was economic - poor people + envy of the rich + someone telling you that you need to rise up = sticky situations in too many countries to name in the last 50 - 60 years.

I agree. This has been on my mind since coming here again last November with the intention of my wife and me living long-term in Thailand rather than in my own country, New Zealand. I realise that it is dicey to talk in generalities, but so many parts of the world seem to have become so used to seeing material growth as the natural order of things, although much more recently in Asia than in many Western countries. Since I began making connection with Thailand in 2007, I have been surprised to see the extent to which Western commercialism and life-styles have become embedded over here, not just amongst the richer Thais, but as icons of success and status among poorer people. The classical schism between rich and poor is always a potential flashpoint, but when there are surpluses governments usually have skills in sharing these around so that poorer people, who often seem to get less than a fair share, remain ‘in their place’, albeit agitated and disgruntled with their size of their piece of the cake, but not in open revolt. The big problem arises when a government has to share out deficits. The systems for distributing less are very different from those for sharing more. My concern is how the rich and well-heeled middle class Thais, who seem always to be the elite in charge of this country, will react when they see their wealth disappearing and can longer afford live up to their images of a material success. Thailand’s unstable and corrupt political system will have difficulty in defending the country against their sheer greed. A further factor which worries me is the apparent undercurrent of violence in Thai society and how far this relates to the cultural need to save face, avoid conflict and never show anger. The possible consequence of this is that if you always try to avoid controversy, you have little opportunity to learn to manage your anger in acceptable ways when it does emerge, and the result is that unpredictable violence often takes the stage. I am keeping a very close watch on events as Thailand’s economy deteriorates.
Well, now that’s off my chest, I’ll shut up and get back to work.

09-22-2012, 05:33 AM	#12
Rqvtwlfk Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 453 Senior Member	....So my point was that the anger seems to now be against the wealthy thais as well, and this could be serious bad news if any populist numbskull tries to corral that anger into a movement that turns violent. Thailand has been very peaceful compared to its neighbors for the last 50 years, but the signs are troubling that this may not last for long. Since I am planning to retire to Thailand in the next year or so, I will definitely be watching and hoping that the mood doesn't continue to sour. Just remember one thing - the catalyst for most of the social unrest that unleashed a lot of the devastating violence of the 20th century was economic - poor people + envy of the rich + someone telling you that you need to rise up = sticky situations in too many countries to name in the last 50 - 60 years. I agree. This has been on my mind since coming here again last November with the intention of my wife and me living long-term in Thailand rather than in my own country, New Zealand. I realise that it is dicey to talk in generalities, but so many parts of the world seem to have become so used to seeing material growth as the natural order of things, although much more recently in Asia than in many Western countries. Since I began making connection with Thailand in 2007, I have been surprised to see the extent to which Western commercialism and life-styles have become embedded over here, not just amongst the richer Thais, but as icons of success and status among poorer people. The classical schism between rich and poor is always a potential flashpoint, but when there are surpluses governments usually have skills in sharing these around so that poorer people, who often seem to get less than a fair share, remain ‘in their place’, albeit agitated and disgruntled with their size of their piece of the cake, but not in open revolt. The big problem arises when a government has to share out deficits. The systems for distributing less are very different from those for sharing more. My concern is how the rich and well-heeled middle class Thais, who seem always to be the elite in charge of this country, will react when they see their wealth disappearing and can longer afford live up to their images of a material success. Thailand’s unstable and corrupt political system will have difficulty in defending the country against their sheer greed. A further factor which worries me is the apparent undercurrent of violence in Thai society and how far this relates to the cultural need to save face, avoid conflict and never show anger. The possible consequence of this is that if you always try to avoid controversy, you have little opportunity to learn to manage your anger in acceptable ways when it does emerge, and the result is that unpredictable violence often takes the stage. I am keeping a very close watch on events as Thailand’s economy deteriorates. Well, now that’s off my chest, I’ll shut up and get back to work.
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