One of the most toxic aspects of Thainess — the obsequious behavioural norms that Thais are taught to follow — is กาลเทศะ.
The most accurate English translation is probably "knowing one's place".
Most Thais are brought up to believe that people are not equal and there is an invisible hierarchy of social status that divides everybody.
All social interactions require knowing who is inferior and who is superior in this hierarchy.
Superiors must be treated with great deference, while inferiors can be treated with contempt. This view of the world is a remnant of the days when most Thais were slaves. It has no place in the 21st century.
Andrew MacGregor Marshall
Andrew MacGregor Marshall
