Thai exceptionalism
Thai exceptionalism is the belief that Thailand is an exceptional country and culture. ISBN 081087525X
This is the view that Thailand is a special country with unique characteristics that cannot be found in other countries. This view is held by many Thais, particularly the elite...Among unique ideas held are that Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to be colonized; its elaborate, refined, and esteemed system of monarchy...it's a country minimally dependent on imported food...— Historical Dictionary of Thailand, authors Gerald W. Fry, Gayla S. Nieminen, Harold E. Smith, p405-406, ISBN 081087525X
Other exceptional claims relate to complexity of naming systems and Thai language and to the assumption that violence is rare despite 12 coups d'état and a long list of massacres.
Not all claims of Thai exceptionalism are necessarily good things — among other claims is that Thailand is a nation of lawbreakers, by Mechai Viravaidya, the renowned condom crusader.[1]
Criticism
Furthermore, criticisms of the Thai exceptionalism mentality include barriers to ASEAN integration,[1] as well as impediments to prosperity and stability by way of justifying the grossly inequal social structure of the nation.[2]