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> Despite having dealt with dozens of road traffic accidents involving humans, Mana said the elephant was the only victim he had managed to revive while perform

> Despite having dealt with dozens of road traffic accidents involving humans, Mana said the elephant was the only victim he had managed to revive while performing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Sadly Thai roads are incredibly dangerous for all living creatures. The number of annual road deaths are second only to Liberia, a failed state. Beautiful country and people but a "sabai sabai" attitude mixed with drunken driving and a strand of fatalism makes for treacherous journeys. For a guide to Thai culture disguised as a guide to Thai driving, this is worth a read: https://www.chiangmailocator.com/wiki-traffic-rules-in-thailand-and-how-to-avoid-traffic-accidents-p169 https://www.chiangmailocator.com/wiki-traffic-rules-in-thail...

ianai 6y ago
“sabai sabai" attitude and fatalism sound like a truly dangerous combination.
saalaa 6y ago
How very ethnocentric of you.
- refurb 6y ago
  Oh piss off. If not intentionally ignoring the harm you cause to others is ethnocentric then, yeah, I’m proudly ethnocentric.
  - saalaa 6y ago
    You're suggesting Thai people loose their sabai-sabai "attitude" but doing so can not come without major cultural changes since it's rooted in philisophical traits. What you're suggesting is that, essentially, Thai people stop being Thai people.
    - bsaul 6y ago
      Every culture "improves" and moves on. Usually it's only after a huge trauma, once a civilisation is on the brinks of collapse. French used to believes kings were chosen by gods themselves. Then they realized they're just humans, and there's no reason for noblemen to own lands simply by being born. They didn't stop being "french", they just added another flavor.
      - saalaa 6y ago
        Precisely. So Thai culture, as we know it, would have to evolve into something else. And that's a job for the Thai people, not someone on an internet forum pointing at one aspect of it and saying that this is wrong and should be dropped.
        stephenr 6y ago
        Are you really suggesting that giving zero fucks about even the most basic safety/precautions is key to Thai culture?
      - derriz 6y ago
        I agree fully but the linked-to "driving guide" is a bit more problematic than that. I stopped at the sentence for example: "According to international traffic rules, you have to check your mirrors and do a shoulder check when you change lanes, make a turn or in other circumstances, but because Thai people are inherently lazy, most of them fail to do that consistently." I don't find accusing a group of people of being "inherently lazy" at all helpful. Firstly I don't believe it to be true - even if it could be measured - but worse it suggests that the failure is innate and incurable.
        stephenr 6y ago
        You're kind of right. I don't believe Thai's fail to check their blind spot because of laziness. It's ignorance. Not long after my then gf, now wife and I came to Thailand, we went somewhere with her mother. I had a Intl. drivers permit and she asked if I wanted to drive, so fuck it why not. Within a few minutes, she asked my gf "why is he turning his had, can't he see in the mirrors?". She is a retired school teacher, and she had zero clue about the concept of a blind spot in a car. I can count the number of times I've seen her wear a seat belt, on my fingers (in 8 years).
    - refurb 6y ago
      Thai people can keep being Thai. No issues with that. But the axiom of “I should avoid doing things that harm others” still stands. We should all (globally) work towards that goal.
    - stephenr 6y ago
      I'm pretty sure s/he's just suggesting that Thai people find at least a single fuck to give about road safety. I'd probably just say safety in general, but road safety is a good start.
    - kzrdude 6y ago
      You can reuse this argument for almost any large scale behaviour change, can't you, no matter which culture?
stephenr 6y ago
After ~8 years here, I tend to believe it's not so much "sabai sabai" as "mai pen rai" that is a contributing factor. A relaxed attitude doesn't mean you ignore pretty basic concepts like.. I dunno. Stop signs. Red lights. Driving on the correct side of the road. Using a car seat for an infant. Cooking food properly. Mai pen rai attitude is visible everywhere you look in Thai society. Should I turn off the breaker before futzing with this outlet? Mai pen rai. Should I use the tongs to grab some (raw) chicken out of a pile at the supermarket/cash-and-carry, or should I just stick my hands in there? Mai pen rai, who needs tongs? Should I wear a helmet when I ride my motor scooter? Mai pen rai. How about after I'm hit by someone, and end up in a coma in hospital? Mai pen rai.

ianai 6y ago

“sabai sabai" attitude and fatalism sound like a truly dangerous combination.

saalaa 6y ago

How very ethnocentric of you.

refurb 6y ago
Oh piss off. If not intentionally ignoring the harm you cause to others is ethnocentric then, yeah, I’m proudly ethnocentric.
- saalaa 6y ago
  You're suggesting Thai people loose their sabai-sabai "attitude" but doing so can not come without major cultural changes since it's rooted in philisophical traits. What you're suggesting is that, essentially, Thai people stop being Thai people.
  - bsaul 6y ago
    Every culture "improves" and moves on. Usually it's only after a huge trauma, once a civilisation is on the brinks of collapse. French used to believes kings were chosen by gods themselves. Then they realized they're just humans, and there's no reason for noblemen to own lands simply by being born. They didn't stop being "french", they just added another flavor.
    - saalaa 6y ago
      Precisely. So Thai culture, as we know it, would have to evolve into something else. And that's a job for the Thai people, not someone on an internet forum pointing at one aspect of it and saying that this is wrong and should be dropped.
      - stephenr 6y ago
        Are you really suggesting that giving zero fucks about even the most basic safety/precautions is key to Thai culture?
    - derriz 6y ago
      I agree fully but the linked-to "driving guide" is a bit more problematic than that. I stopped at the sentence for example: "According to international traffic rules, you have to check your mirrors and do a shoulder check when you change lanes, make a turn or in other circumstances, but because Thai people are inherently lazy, most of them fail to do that consistently." I don't find accusing a group of people of being "inherently lazy" at all helpful. Firstly I don't believe it to be true - even if it could be measured - but worse it suggests that the failure is innate and incurable.
      - stephenr 6y ago
        You're kind of right. I don't believe Thai's fail to check their blind spot because of laziness. It's ignorance. Not long after my then gf, now wife and I came to Thailand, we went somewhere with her mother. I had a Intl. drivers permit and she asked if I wanted to drive, so fuck it why not. Within a few minutes, she asked my gf "why is he turning his had, can't he see in the mirrors?". She is a retired school teacher, and she had zero clue about the concept of a blind spot in a car. I can count the number of times I've seen her wear a seat belt, on my fingers (in 8 years).
  - refurb 6y ago
    Thai people can keep being Thai. No issues with that. But the axiom of “I should avoid doing things that harm others” still stands. We should all (globally) work towards that goal.
  - stephenr 6y ago
    I'm pretty sure s/he's just suggesting that Thai people find at least a single fuck to give about road safety. I'd probably just say safety in general, but road safety is a good start.
  - kzrdude 6y ago
    You can reuse this argument for almost any large scale behaviour change, can't you, no matter which culture?

stephenr 6y ago

After ~8 years here, I tend to believe it's not so much "sabai sabai" as "mai pen rai" that is a contributing factor. A relaxed attitude doesn't mean you ignore pretty basic concepts like.. I dunno. Stop signs. Red lights. Driving on the correct side of the road. Using a car seat for an infant. Cooking food properly. Mai pen rai attitude is visible everywhere you look in Thai society. Should I turn off the breaker before futzing with this outlet? Mai pen rai. Should I use the tongs to grab some (raw) chicken out of a pile at the supermarket/cash-and-carry, or should I just stick my hands in there? Mai pen rai, who needs tongs? Should I wear a helmet when I ride my motor scooter? Mai pen rai. How about after I'm hit by someone, and end up in a coma in hospital? Mai pen rai.