Even though I disagree with most of this rampant government-driven censorship, recent news has brought to my attention once again the way countless Westerners misunderstand Thailand and its people.

For the past couple of weeks the Internet has been flooded with Westerners (many of whom have never been to Thailand) dictating to Thais how they ought to live their lives, that they should stand up and fight for their rights following the grand example of the Western world. Though their intentions may be grand, they haven't come to the realisation that their notion of a perfect society comes from their own Western conditioning. Before you begin blatantly criticising something, it is wise to gain a little insight about your target first.

The Internet is the largest source of information there is, but unfortunately it is also the source of some of the most misleading information imaginable. Let's start with the most classic Western misunderstanding of Thailand - and that relates to the country's female population. The Internet is full of completely ludicrous one-sided reports about Thai women by Westerners who haven't the foggiest, and anyone who cares to search for some info on the country before arriving is going to be in for one nauseating surprise!

Let's start with the popular Web myth that "all Thai women would love to immigrate to the West". Sure, that may be true for a lot of folks, and good luck to them, but to put all Thai women in the same boat is absolute baloney. Beyond a doubt the majority of Thai women are as happy to live their lives here as they would be anywhere else and do not feel the need to be whisked off their feet by some hunky Western hero. Of course it doesn't take a degree in Thai Studies to understand the source and origins of such a misunderstanding.

Next myth to be exploded: "All Thai women are after a Western husband as the local guys are useless." Now what kind of crackpot generalisation is that? After living in Thailand for over a decade, I can confirm that much of the single male Westerner population coming here is not composed of four-star Romeos.

Then we have another popular myth bandied about by so-called expat experts that "all Thai women are after your money". Again, an absurd generalisation started by some bitter and vocal folks who were ripped off at some time in the past; whether they were partly to blame is a story for another day.

I hate to say it, but much of these gross negative misunderstandings about Thailand come from Western expats, who even though they have been living here for donkey's years, stay completely uninterested in their environs.

Competing only with barstools for the most common source of Mickey-Mouse presumptions about Thai women are Internet forums. Start a thread on most expat websites along the lines of "How come all Thai women love Western men so much?", and you are sure to be bombarded with comments from men with massive egos boasting to the truth of the myths above.

One of my favourite hobbies is to visit a popular drinking gaff and play myself off as a fresh-off-the-plane newbie who doesn't speak a word of Thai and is in search of some information on this new land. Of course, I usually meet loads of fair-minded foreigners who are somewhat knowledgeable about all things Thai, but it's also a certainty that I'll meet guys who sit there supping away on drinks all day, every day, spreading myths about Thailand to every tourist fresh off the boat.

This is devastating in a way, as most new visitors to any strange land are bound to suck up anything they are told by some foreigner who has been in their new country for a relatively longer period of time. Sure, some of what they are being told may be true, but much of it is pure generalisation and ego-comforting myth.

A retirement-aged teacher I worked with a few years ago and I were having a couple of drinks when a Grade 12 female student of his walked by. The teacher, a perpetually sweating man who likely had a few years on the girl's grandpa, said: "Steve, I'm going to tell you something you never knew about Thai girls before. When she looks at me, she sees hope, she sees a future." Of course, I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from replying, "Excuse me for breathing, but I think she just can't get over your resemblance to the Colonel Sanders statue outside the KFC!"

Sadly, many Westerners coming to Thailand fail to search out any decent information on the Thai mindset, system and culture, yet they constantly criticise everything around them. Many, including me, have grown tired of Westerners who come here and endlessly compare everything to the Great Civilisation of the West. They often believe the myth that "Thais love everything Western and particularly American". Well, if you take a careful look you will find that the new generation prefers everything Japanese and Korean these days. And while some complaints about double-pricing and visa difficulties are perfectly justified, when people spend their days complaining day in, day out, non-stop about absolutely everything, it makes a person wonder why they just don't pack their bags and go back to the glories of their heavenly hometowns.

In the Internet age and with a new generation of Thais becoming capable in the English language, a backlash is happening against some of the portrayals of Thailand coming from the West. Unlike in the past when it was only Thais living or studying abroad who interacted with Westerners and came to know some of the stereotypes out there, now a new generation of young locals are beginning to realise what many Westerners here and abroad are saying about them. As a Western blogger in Thailand, I know that due to a lot of pent-up anger over some of the above-mentioned myths flooding the Internet that I am going to be deluged by angry e-mails by some teens every time I dare to criticise their country in the slightest.

However, it is down to all of us on hearing or reading negative reports to sit back and ponder the truth of them before simply jumping on the bandwagon, wearing blinkers and believing every darned word somebody took a minute to type. Let us all hope that through time, insight and analysis, a bridge of understanding between people - Westerners and Thais and other cultures - will evolve. I would also like to see the Western world become more sensitive to foreign cultures before suddenly dictating the importance of their supposed values to the rest of the world.

Stephen Cleary

The Nation

SUPHAN BURI

Stephen Cleary is the co-founder of www.thai-blogs.com.