Ya can't fix stupid...another example

[Jello]

Like I said...ya can't fix stupid! I probably wouldn't have been bothered by this if it were a one off thing, but I encounter this kind of stupidity every single day of the week and it just gets to be old hat!

And the common denominator in these situations is....?

Apparently ya can't fix a parochial mind either. :-"

[fatbob]

In Australia the general public is always moaning about migrants who immigrate and do not learn the language of there chosen country. Had SF asked what he wanted there would be no problem, so who is stupid, the guy who cannot speak the native lingo, or the teller who had no idea what the farang wanted.

[dkman]

Happy to see the last comments.

When I saw the now famous note, I thought: Easy to understand: 1 baht 500 pcs. and 5 bath 100 pcs., as the teller did. With his negative attitude Semperfiguy does a lot of cultural damage. This comes back to us all. Why not solve this little misunderstanding with a smile, but maybe too late for Semperfiguy to learn to smile to the world.

[Frankie 1]

When anyone wants to leave and go back to their home country, I'll take you to the airport for free.

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

[pienmash]

Tho sometimes head shakingly daft ,,, language and cultural issues are part n parcel of living here in Thailand ,, whether its driving , banking , religious or family it makes sense for the expat to adapt where ever / when ever possible ... as stated nobody is being forced to reside here ....... my policy when im confronted with some thing i would class as strange or stupid is a smile and or ignore it totally or my favourite ..... i go deaf .

[semperfiguy]

My step-son is a retail sales person at one of the big brand name computer stores in Landmark Plaza with branches all over Thailand. Just found out today that the company has a ceiling on the amount of product he can sell each month and still get a commission. For any sales over the ceiling he makes no commission, and he surpasses his ceiling target each month, generally by the third week. Now where's the logic in that? I've been in sales/sales management all of my life and I have never heard of a commission incentive program that in any way would discourage a sales person from making sales. From my experience the greater the sales output the larger the commission with no cap on commissionable volume.

Only in Thailand...now that's outrageously stupid!

[dkman]

Also in Denmark, and we do not find ourselves stupid. I have been sales director, boss of 150 people in the computer business. Like the thai company we also had a maximum commission per month. Why, because we did not only wanted
hard core sales, but better wanted the salesmen to take the time to find the real need of the customer and give him the best possible buying experience. Then a good chance for the customer to come back, and recommend the company..

As I know you from distance, you have been a car salesman. Do not call other companies stupid, because their sales strategy may differ from, what you think is best for them.

[WBU ALUM]

Agree, dkman. Besides, the strategy angle, It may also be an issue tied to supply. There may be some manufacturing limitations that provide only a certain number of each product each month to each location.

I think some throw this word "stupid" around way too much in situations where they don't have all the facts, rely only on their limited experiences, or lack a well-rounded view.

[semperfiguy]

Also in Denmark, and we do not find ourselves stupid. I have been sales director, boss of 150 people in the computer business. Like the thai company we also had a maximum commission per month. Why, because we did not only wanted
hard core sales, but better wanted the salesmen to take the time to find the real need of the customer and give him the best possible buying experience. Then a good chance for the customer to come back, and recommend the company..

As I know you from distance, you have been a car salesman. Do not call other companies stupid, because their sales strategy may differ from, what you think is best for them.

With all due respect Dkman, that is all sheer BS. And I have never been in the car business. For 10 years I traveled the world as a self-employed international commercial real estate broker, then latterly as a national sales leader for a fortune 500 company. The only logical explanation for putting ceilings on commissions is to limit the income of sales people in order to keep them under your thumb. Been there..done that...have heard all that crap before. You should apply for a job in the Obama White House. You would fit right in! You create a company narrative and then ask your sales department to buy into it, and you wind up with sales people that always feels like they're getting the shaft while the boys upstairs are making all the big bucks off the sweat of the sales crew. It's a known fact that the majority of sales are made by the minority of the sales staff, and these are your thoroughbreds. They are the heart and soul of your sales force and they must be allowed to perform with maximum exertion. A real thoroughbred will find the real need of the customer and give him the best possible buying experience each and every time because he understands the need to tap into opportunities for future commissions. I have hired and trained hundreds of sales people in my time, and most assuredly I can tell you that if you want to lose the driving force behind your sales department, then just go ahead and put blinders on them and bits in their mouths. Here's an "internal and not for public dissemination" mission statement for you..."I pledge to make a way for all of my sales people to make more money than I do"!

And by the way...customers don't have pleasant buying experiences unless they're purchasing pu**y, drugs or booze. Anything else is just a painful but necessary parting of one's money! Customers come back because the product is superior and they get good customer service after the sale. I highly recommend big-breasted women in mini-skirts who are willing to work for minimum wage. Use the big bucks to feed your thoroughbreds!!!!!!!! Cheers!

[JR]

When anyone wants to leave and go back to their home country, I'll take you to the airport for free.

I take it you are a stand up man who does not go back on his word. So I shall contact you when my flight ticket is confirmed to let you know when I need to be in Bangkok. This is very kind of you as it saves me a ticket for the domestic flight. Will you come to Suvarnabhumi and pick me up when I return too?

[jackspratt]

When anyone wants to leave and go back to their home country, I'll take you to the airport for free.

I take it you are a stand up man who does not go back on his word. So I shall contact you when my flight ticket is confirmed to let you know when I need to be in Bangkok. This is very kind of you as it saves me a ticket for the domestic flight. Will you come to Suvarnabhumi and pick me up when I return too?

A flash of originality.

Postby jai yen yen » May 20, 2013, 6:37 am

Tracechain wrote:When anyone wants to leave and go back to their home country, I'll take you to the airport for free.

That is very nice of you, Could you drive me to Bangkok next time I leave Thailand, that will save me paying for the flight from Udon. Thank you in advance.

[Frankie 1]

A real thoroughbred will find the real need of the customer and give him the best possible buying experience each and every time because he understands the need to tap into opportunities for future commissions.

Really? I think that when sales people get a high commission, those sales people don't give a %@&%#& about the need of the customer.

Then the sales people will only compete with each other about who will get the highest commission in a month. They will push the customer anything down their throats, because they want to get a higher commission for themselves. Then the sales person's motivation is their own wallet and the competition among each other, and not the customer. A complete lack of respect for your customers.

[WBU ALUM]

When anyone wants to leave and go back to their home country, I'll take you to the airport for free.

I take it you are a stand up man who does not go back on his word. So I shall contact you when my flight ticket is confirmed to let you know when I need to be in Bangkok. This is very kind of you as it saves me a ticket for the domestic flight. Will you come to Suvarnabhumi and pick me up when I return too?

I think you missed his point. If not mistaken, I think the offer was for the Grumps who are going home AND STAYING HOME.

[jai yen yen]

When anyone wants to leave and go back to their home country, I'll take you to the airport for free.

I take it you are a stand up man who does not go back on his word. So I shall contact you when my flight ticket is confirmed to let you know when I need to be in Bangkok. This is very kind of you as it saves me a ticket for the domestic flight. Will you come to Suvarnabhumi and pick me up when I return too?

I think you missed his point. If not mistaken, I think the offer was for the Grumps who are going home AND STAYING HOME.

I think you missed the point, JR and a few of us are teasing Tracechain, personally I think it is funny how some people defend Thailand so strongly. It is either a case of very thick rose colored glass's or their lives were very bad back where they came from. In truth life is what you make it wherever you are but Thailand is definately not without some major faults and discussing these things on a forum is a natural thing to do.

[Tracechain]

Well, it's like most things in life I reckon, you either like something or don't. I've run across a whole lot of head scratching things while traveling around in the Corps, but I fall short on calling them stupid. Enjoy life and if you don't like living here in Thailand and you want to leave and go someplace else, then my offer for free ride to airport is still open. I can carry one with two small bags on my motorbike.

As an aside, anyone know where I can get some grass seed? That was the only reason I was looking around on here in the first place!

[parrot]

I buy hemp seed for our birds (sterlized.....or say they say) next to Bangkok Hospital. Happy birds, they are. If you're in the market for the other kind of grass seed, as you're heading SE on Srisuk Rd (going toward the statue circle), turn left onto Makkaeng. There's a seed/feed store about 40 meters down the road on the right. They have grass seed. Be careful what you buy, though.....some people grow that johnson-style grass for their cows. I'd guess you don't want that in your yard. Bring a translator....the woman-owner doesn't speak English.

[pienmash]

I agree with most things said ,,, some look at life here in Thai rose tinted glasses others rip into everything here saying how bad it is ,,, there are obviously cultural differences ,,expats and Asians i general take different issues for granted based on importance something that is normal to an expat isnt to a Thai and vice versa .. i wouldnt use the word stupid for this .

Having said that yesterday i saw something that was really really annoyingly stupid ,,,,, Ban Huay market traffic lights a fella on a motor bike one handed with a very small baby/child on his free arm ,,,going thru on a red light just missing a truck oblivious to the dangers .....pathetic ... there aint no justifying that ...the **** in question should be checked out as must be a ****** .

[WBU ALUM]

personally I think it is funny how some people defend Thailand so strongly. It is either a case of very thick rose colored glass's or their lives were very bad back where they came from.

There's a third case. Realists retiring who just want more bang for their pension buck. They aren't running from anything, and they know what they have here.

No country is perfect. There are things in Thailand that make life a little bit cumbersome or irritating at times, but when I weigh the satisfaction I get from from living here against those incidents, I'm still better off here. Adapt, assimilate or be miserable.

Having said that yesterday i saw something that was really really annoyingly stupid ,,,,, Ban Huay market traffic lights a fella on a motor bike one handed with a very small baby/child on his free arm ,,,going thru on a red light just missing a truck oblivious to the dangers .....pathetic ... there aint no justifying that ...the **** in question should be checked out as must be a ****** .

Yes, that is stupid, pathetic, dangerous and life-threatening.

[semperfiguy]

The dictionary defines stupid as:

adjective: stu.pid, stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est
1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.
2. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes.
3. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake.
4. Dazed, stunned, or stupefied.

Discounting cultural differences and language barriers, I suppose that we have all run into our fair share of those who fit into this mold. If used in the proper context it can be a very fitting description. For all the left wing radical liberal tree-huggers who are caught up in being politically correct, I realize that it can be a real stretch to use the word. No offense intended!

[Frankie 1]

I think that all people did some stupid thing or things in their life. However, what bothers me is the way and the intention with which somebody calls another person stupid.

Quoting a dictionary (facts) doesn't make your opinion right. It's only the opinion of one person. If you like to believe that your opinion is fact per definition, you play for God.

You can look up a definition in a dictionary, but that doesn't give a complete explanation. In socio-linguistics they also involve the interaction/communication. Who calls the other person stupid and with what intention and what does that say about the person who calls the other stupid? Are you always right when you call an other person "stupid"? Or is it only your own perception of the world, which you want to impose on others?

What does it say about a person who has a tendency to call other people stupid? A lack of respect for other people? Anyway, I wouldn't call such a person a Christian.

No offense intended.