Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing, This is Thailand, it is not England. Why am I making this video? Well, I thought of making this video after reading a recent post on Facebook, from Khao Sod English, under the title: ASEAN Drama: Filipina tourists blasts Thais over English skills. Quoting directly: “Thailand is renowned globally as the “Land of the Smile,” a welcoming hub for travellers from every corner of the world. However, a recent social media firestorm has sparked intense debate over cultural respect and the expectations placed on locals in non-English speaking nations.” Quoting further: “The Spark: “My English is F-ing Useless Here.” The controversy began when a Filipina tourist shared a video venting her frustrations regarding the language barrier in Thailand.” What language barrier? It’s called Thailand. I’ll get further into this. Quoting further: “In the clip, which quickly went viral, she expressed anger that her fluency in English did not facilitate easier communication with locals. “I’m Filipina. Of course, my English is good but when I arrive in Thailand f-ing useless,” she stated in the video. “Even if I speak good English,’ – good English? Good English huh! Speaking some good English, are we? – “Even if I speak good English, nobody can understand me. Especially the Grab driver and the local people here. They need a translator, what the f.” The tone of the video triggered a wave of backlash from Thai netizens and international observers alike, with many calling her comments “disrespectful” and “entitled,” noting that English is not the primary language of Thailand.”

Well no joke. It’s on the door. ThaiLAND. They speak Thai here. This ain’t EngLAND where they speak English and you can presume that. And by the way, it is not like Thailand is hiding; it’s not like Thailand is putting up signs or advertisements on CNN that say, “come to Thailand, we are fluent in English.” Okay? Anybody that doesn’t know that Thais speak Thai, I don’t know what to do for you. What do you expect out of these people? And it is not your country and by the way, do you want to know why they don’t speak English? Because they weren’t colonised, period, end of discussion. That is exactly why their proficiency isn’t as high as some other countries throughout South East Asia. Now I am not saying good, bad or indifferent on that particular score with respect to any country’s history, but let’s be real clear as to why the proficiency in any foreign language in Thailand is not as high as Thai. It is because they have held their own line when it counted, down the line. I am really just; this high season has just been crazy. I mean now people, Filipinos are showing up which by the way, is English the native language of the Philippines? It is my understanding you all have your own local dialects and things too. Why are you bagging on the Thais because they are not as proficient, especially when you know the history. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me and also, where does this entitlement mentality come from? That you come to someone else’s country and then you make a video ragging on them because they don’t speak your language well enough? This isn’t Thailand brought to you by Walt Disney. Although it is my understanding, we are about to get a Disney Land which that could be cool, but again, this isn’t the Magic Kingdom; this is the Kingdom of Thailand and in this country, the primary language spoken is common standard Thai. Sorry if you don’t like that, but it is what it is.