Dealing with Thai Culture; The Importance of Respecting Differences

If you intend to live in Thailand then it is important to respect the local culture. Most people are prejudiced by the world view they grew up with and this can cause problems.

Living among people with a different worldview is not always so easy. We have all been raised within our own culture all have been at least partially blinkered by this. For want of a better word, we have been brainwashed into seeing one worldview as right. Even those of us who have believe we have seen through the narrowness of our own culture can still be blinded by it. People come to a country like Thailand with preconceived ideas about what is right and what is wrong. This can make living here uncomfortable.

Most expats are attracted to Thailand's culture when they first arrive; this can change after a few years as culture shock hits. A minority of westerners already arrive with the idea of saving the poor lost heathen souls and had already decided that something was lacking in the culture even before getting off the plane in Bangkok. We can all suffer in a foreign country unless we fully recognise that other world views are just as legitimate as our own. Failure to do this will make people bitter and hard to be around.

People who have come to live in a foreign country will usually go through a period of culture shock. It is then that our cultural prejudices really make an appearance. It can get so bad that people can only see what is wrong in the host country. They want their new country to be more like their old country - even though it was the fact that the new place was so different that attracted them in the first place. This type of reaction can easily destroy dreams about living the rest of your life in a tropical paradise like Thailand.

Recognising that we have all been somewhat brainwashed into thinking a certain way needs to be recognised when living in a different country. This doesn't mean that you should adapt the host culture; only that you respect it. The reality is that every culture is as equally valid as our own and it is just prejudice that stops us seeing this. Of course we all have our ethical principles and some of these are not for compromise, but generally we can all approach cultures with an open mind.