One thing I have noticed since being in Thailand, is how nice it is to be in a country which is pretty advanced, but still isn't obsessed by political correctness or rules and regulations going mad.

Example one
On Friday, I was in school, and the afternoon saw us having to sit through a presentation in the hall, where all teh new teachers had to take it in turns to go up on the stage and introduce ourselves to the rest of the staff.  Now as this was all in Thai, apart from one very brave new English teacher who did her's in both English and Thai, I was rapidly losing the will to live, understanding nothing that was being said.  I was trying to keep my eyes open, when suddenly the whole room is in absolute hystrerics, including the headmistress sat at the front.

Now until my colleague explained what had been said, I had no idea, but if I'd had a year to guess, being from a PC western society, I would NEVER have guessed given the situation.

But basically the new male teacher at the front of the hall had listed a few reason why he was excited to be a the school, and then his final one was to find out whether a certain teacher was actually a man or a woman, becuse he looks a lot like a man, but acts and talks like a woman!  Now, I have to admit that that is not a bad description of the teacher in question at all, but come on, you just wouldn't say so in an offical setting back home, if at all!

The best thing about it was, that as the guy speaking finished and walked back to his place, the other teacher stands up, and does the most over the top gay strut up to the other guy and gives him a playful slap and then a bear hug.  Everyone else was loving it.

At first, it seemed shocking to me.  But here, it is just accepted that you are what you are, and whatever that is is open to comment and piss taking, but all done in the most honest and harmless way, so no one gets hurt.

Example two
Yesterday, I was coming home on the bus and we stop at traffic lights.  A pick up truck pulls up alongside the bus, and stops at the lights too.  I look into the back of the pick up and there are five people.  Four men and a boy of maybe ten years.  Two of the men have what appears to be a leg from a pair of tights stretched over their faces, without any holes cut at all, obviously the type of material allows enough air/light through for breathing and seeing.  The other two men wore balaclavas.  And the boy had his face uncovered, but was occupying himself enthusiastically waving around a handgun (which i am presuming was fake!!)

As I sat looking at these people, I thought about what the reaction would be if they were to drive down a street back in the UK.  Not only would they be breaking the law by travelling in the back of the pick up.  But the sight of them would bring large amounts of unrest and perhaps even fear.  I'm not even sure it would be legal to do so.

However, I looked at the people on the bus, and none of them had even batted an eyelid.  Why?  Because they saw a little boy playing with a toy and four men protecting their skin from the sun.  Nothing wrong with that.


Its things like these that make me happy to live away from the UK.  Happy to live in a country where people can say what they think, where people aren't paranoid, where there is a big feeling of live and let live.  I like that.