Nutbar ratio in Thailand

Before coming to SEA, the people I’d casually meet were engineers, doctors, programmers, dental hygienists, counsellors, etc. You could have thoughtful conversations with them, including those who didn’t go to university or hold high-paying jobs. You could talk about nothing and they wouldn’t suddenly announce that they were pro-Nazi.

Living in Thailand, I’ve met a consistent stream of nutbars: Antivaxxers, pro-Russia propagandists (who aren’t Russian), and on and on. One guy basically joined an Andrew-Tate-style cult after I met him. One guy believed he could live indefinitely from the investment interest from $8000 USD; another from $1000 USD. One girl intended to live on 40 baht per day.

The nutbar proportion in Thailand seems way *way* above the statistical norm, even accounting for the tendency for people with “fringe” beliefs to compulsively share those beliefs.

I’m getting to a point where I want to hand people a form to fill out before they start talking to me:

* Y / N Is the Earth flat?
* Y / N Is climate change a hoax?
* Y / N Do mRNA vaccines allow 5G tracking?
* Y / N Is your primary source of news a Russian propagandist website?
* Y / N Are you employed by that website?
* Y / N Do you have an investment plan that will allow your $1000 nest egg to exceed the world’s GDP within a decade?
* …

When I’m sitting at a cafe, minding my own business, I don’t put out a sign that says “Please share with me all your fucked-up theories”… but that’s what keeps happening. It’s exhausting.

So am I having a bad streak or are you experiencing the same thing, too?

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