Why ‘My Mate Nate’ Is The Most Hated Farang At The Moment

[Flashermac]

My Mate Nate, an American expat and internet personality, has recently caused an uproar on social media for his latest prank video targeting Thai millennials — he’s been accused of staging a scene in the video to make the point that most Thai people don’t understand English.

 

The meant to be lighthearted prank video, titled “Farang tests Thailand’s English language education,†was supposed to help Nate Bartling, an American missionary-turned-YouTuber emphasize the well-known and often-reported fact that the English education in Thailand serious needs improvement.

 

However, it backfired terribly after some people criticized Bartling for intentionally “humiliating†Thai people to make a point — just to end the video with a pitch to sell an online English course.

 

In the video, Bartling approached a couple of Thai male teens and said “You look terrible today!†with a cheerful voice. He then asked three Thai men: “Are you on your period?†before going up to a Thai girl and inquiring where he could get “sanitary tissue,†which is a bizarre term that we can only assume refers to tampons or sanitary pads.

 

He was trying to make the point that the Thai people in the video didn’t understand English, but he seemed to be purposely misleading them.

 

Even between people who speak the same language, having someone saying you look terrible while smiling and giving you a hug is rather confusing. The video was heavily discussed on social media over the weekend, with famous blogs and internet personalities posting their opinions on it.

 

One popular post by Drama Addict, however, linked to a Twitter account of a woman, who said her friend was asked to say “Thank you†and give Bartling a high-five for the video in response to him saying “You look terrible.†This was in an exchange for a photo with the famous internet star.

 

Jack Brown, a Thai-speaking foreigner famous for his recent rant on expensive Phuket transport, also gave his two cents on the controversy.

 

“It’s not necessary to intentionally humiliate people. If you wish to inspire change, then do it by educating people, not by making mockery of them.â€

 

 

The Matter, a local media site founded by a group of Thai columnists and journalists, said that the video is creative and interesting, but the execution could be interpreted as a mockery.

 

Bartling released another video after the controversy, but it did not address the claim. However, he admitted that he edited out the scenes of Thai people who could understand his weird questions.

 

"Everything in the media has been edited. That editing helps the media to express their point," Bartling said.

 

“I admit that I didn't show the people who could answer me [in English], but there were only one or two persons.â€

 

He said he only wanted to make the point that English language education in Thailand is “terrible†— and it is designed for the students to pass the exam, not to communicate.

 

Every Thai knows perfectly how their peers struggle with English, but does this give someone the right to fabricate the truth to spark a controversy?

 

#MyMateNate has made it to the top ten hashtags on Twitter today with both Thais and expats expressed their opinions on Bartling’s channel, which is filled with pranks and social experiment videos on the Thai people.

 

Local media slammed Bartling for his past video, in which he tried to shop at 7-Eleven with all satang coins, an action that is actually illegal.

 

 

http://bangkok.cocon...d-farang-moment

[Coss]

Missionary you say....

[bust]

KNOB

[My Penis is hungry]

Walking into a 7/11 or similar I often say to Thai's in the morning "Good Afternoon":

 

The number who immediately look at me oddly is quite high, if they laugh, which most do, I follow up with "I am tomorrow, how are you yesterday", and often I get someone trying to do the joke back at me "I was fine tomorrow too, Yesterday I am not here"

 

Not bad given quality of English teaching

[Flashermac]

Thailand several decades ago decided that all students should study English from nursery school through the 12th grade. Only one problem ... there are nowhere near enough qualified English teachers to fill the many positions. More than half of the English teachers in public schools cannot speak the language even on a basic survival level, so how can anyone seriously expect them to teach it? A common practice is assigning the newest teachers to the English classes, regardless of their major. The logic is that they studied English more recently than the rest, so it should be better. (Plus no one else wants to teach it!) Until Thailand starts training sufficient English teachers, the situation in the schools is not going to change.

 

p.s. Here's Nat the Prat.

 

 

[My Penis is hungry]

When my fluent English speaking and writing daughter was in a Thai school, she never got a perfect exam result, even though her answer was 100%, and often the exam written in poor English!

 

I wanted to complain but her and her mother typical Thai response was

 

"But this is Thai English, of course you don't know the answers, you only know English English"

 

Serious! The school tried to pretend that the English I "knew" wasn't the same as that taught at school therefor they was right and I was wrong

 

FARK ME

[Mekong]

But you speak Aussie English not proper English like wot I duz

 

http://www.nma.gov.au/play_aussie_english/portal/portal.html

[panadolsandwich]

This type of millennial twat scares the shit out of me. It was a prank, no real harm done. I fully understand that.

 

But the prank involved insulting Thai people whom had every right to if they choose to never speak a word of English. And worse still, with disrespect, illiterate and even lacking a rudimentary framework of morals which would have thwarted any design to make a video such as this - wwweeeeeeellllllllll - lo and behold the chap's a missionary. So what is his mission? So far it appears to be quite worrying for the elderly expat community. They have already enacted a cruel left hook on the plaza, now while you're reeling they're searching for the knockout punch.

 

He is out to get you make no bloody mistake about it.

And please tell me why should we tolerate some ignorant prick, funded by church money, making church vids, to make some petty fame, whilst riding roughshod over us?

[Vintage_Kwai]

There are many more Thais who do speak decent English, but they are in polarized markets such as bank or phone service provider help lines. DTAC comes to mind.

The other thing that needs to happen is for them to resolve the uni entrance examination criteria - it is, I believe, still in Thai and though there have been half-hearted mumblings as to change I do not see this as a real agenda. This is a major stumbling block for those who have enrolled in and paid a much higher premium for the English Program.

I speak from experience and wrote a short article for Stickman's website voicing an opinion on the eduaction system and the worries of a concerned parent.

 

Wonder what it would be like if a Thai tried a similar stunt in the Bible Belt?

[ALHOLK]

I have travelled to Thailand fon abut 35 years and my impression is that the Thai peoples skills in the English language have improved immensly. During my first trip in 1982 it was difficult to find people outside the core tourist industry that spoke even basic English.