Here's a post I've been procrastinating on since last year. As part of my teaching English stint, I worked in three seventh grade classrooms last fall. On the last day, we discussed the differences between Thai culture and American culture. The students wrote something up in groups, and I finally looked at them this July as I unpacked my stuff in the US. The quotes are in italics, and I'll respond briefly to each one.
Americans have little respect of older people. But in Thailand we have to be respectful of older people.
This is sort of a stock answer that people throw out there when asked to compare Thailand and the US. I initially resisted this line of thought, perhaps out of defensiveness for my own culture. My mind would scan over my students in NYC public schools, and I felt that the media's depiction hyperbolizes their behavior. Really, its not that bad. And I've witnessed plenty of Thai children acting cheekily. But returning to NYC this summer sort of shocked me. Numerous people I encountered (a security guard, cashiers) were outright rude for no reason. Subway cars are a perfect microcosm to display the vacuum of social structure. Teenagers and young adults play terrible music at an obnoxious volume and curse and shove around the train. Older, disapproving riders shoot furtive tut-tuts to each other, and then put their heads down to avoid repercussions from the unruly young'ens. I just can't imagine this happening in Bangkok. I now reassess my first thought, 'its not that bad." Well, "its not that bad" is not very good. OK, point expressed, now I can get back to shaking my fist and telling kids to get off my lawn.
On birthday, in Thailand we usually have small party and eat small cake but in America, people usually have big party, big cake, and many people come to party.
Hmm. Thai people eat a lot of cake. Not sure about this one.
Thai people dressed politely but American people dressed sexy.
There are some Americans who wear ridiculously revealing clothing that would probably never fly in public in Bangkok. But on the whole, I don't think the scandal factor of the clothing between these two countries is too different. This comment was probably influenced by media portrayals of Americans.
People in America are fatter and taller than Thai.
Check and checkmate.
Girls and ladies shouldn't wear shorts out of their homes.
OK...boo.
Americans are expressive and brave to do everything.
I think expressive is really the right word to characterize Americans (and other westerners) in comparison to Thais. So much of my experience in America has been the search to describe more candidly, truthfully and vividly. I didn't get a comparably strong sense of this in Thailand, and I don't think it was only because of my lack of ability in Thai language.
Americans have little respect of older people. But in Thailand we have to be respectful of older people.
This is sort of a stock answer that people throw out there when asked to compare Thailand and the US. I initially resisted this line of thought, perhaps out of defensiveness for my own culture. My mind would scan over my students in NYC public schools, and I felt that the media's depiction hyperbolizes their behavior. Really, its not that bad. And I've witnessed plenty of Thai children acting cheekily. But returning to NYC this summer sort of shocked me. Numerous people I encountered (a security guard, cashiers) were outright rude for no reason. Subway cars are a perfect microcosm to display the vacuum of social structure. Teenagers and young adults play terrible music at an obnoxious volume and curse and shove around the train. Older, disapproving riders shoot furtive tut-tuts to each other, and then put their heads down to avoid repercussions from the unruly young'ens. I just can't imagine this happening in Bangkok. I now reassess my first thought, 'its not that bad." Well, "its not that bad" is not very good. OK, point expressed, now I can get back to shaking my fist and telling kids to get off my lawn.
On birthday, in Thailand we usually have small party and eat small cake but in America, people usually have big party, big cake, and many people come to party.
Hmm. Thai people eat a lot of cake. Not sure about this one.
Thai people dressed politely but American people dressed sexy.
There are some Americans who wear ridiculously revealing clothing that would probably never fly in public in Bangkok. But on the whole, I don't think the scandal factor of the clothing between these two countries is too different. This comment was probably influenced by media portrayals of Americans.
People in America are fatter and taller than Thai.
Check and checkmate.
Girls and ladies shouldn't wear shorts out of their homes.
OK...boo.
Americans are expressive and brave to do everything.
I think expressive is really the right word to characterize Americans (and other westerners) in comparison to Thais. So much of my experience in America has been the search to describe more candidly, truthfully and vividly. I didn't get a comparably strong sense of this in Thailand, and I don't think it was only because of my lack of ability in Thai language.
Alright, this was super-oversimplified and off-the-cuff, but thats about all your gonna get.
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