I struck a Thai. Your thoughts?

[El_Tel]

oneyejacks said:

Totally agree with JJ sushi. When you are on your turf, you could have fucked him up and not had to worry about it. In the west people would have EXPECTED you to do that. In Thailand you must definitely understand your environment and that confrontation can mean problems that you are not prepared to deal with. I assume you moved there to escape some sort of western bullshit. Why not smooth it over and make it a paradise again? I walk around my neighborhood everyday wondering if some young punk is going to try me. That is one reason why I want out of there. Don't you want to not worry about those things??? My suggestion of a beer and a talk will not reinforce the gay thing, to the poster that mentioned that. I don't think it was a gay situation. Thai people are still very curious of farangs and I have seen them touch folks passing by out of sheer curiousity. However there is an undertone of disrespect, especially when they touch your privates so I understand your reaction but that was 1 minute tops in the lift compared to everyday bullshit in the west, so maybe a compromise with a beer? Make it paradise again man!

 

To those who met my "beer" post with such disdain, I am sure you will be there to back the orig. poster up if the deal goes down... Yeah, you will meet him over there right??? Everyone wants to pound their chest like a gorilla, been there done that, finished with that. But you know everyone has to be their own man...

 

Oneye

I don't believe what I'm f*cking reading here!

"However there is an undertone of disrespect, especially when they touch your privates"

No shit, Sherlock! You don't say!

It's the willingness of some farangs to accept this kind of insulting bullshit that makes some Thais lose any respect for Westerners. Stand up for yourself. Most Thai men are cowards and only fight mob-handed. (Admittedly, he may be capable of gathering such a mob and then you're fucked... :

Though if he's a poof, I think it's unlikely.

 

That tossser would never have dreamed of doing that to a Thai man. Why? Because he was aware of what the consequences would be. His lack of respect for farangs had a lot to do with it and your opinions OEJ, reflect just the type of things Thais expect of us. OK, we're in their country and we'll abide by their rules and customs but getting your dick groped in an elevator isn't one of them as far as I'm aware.

 

"so maybe a compromise with a beer?" Buy the f*cker a beer? Are you totally off your head or do you just need to grow a pair, OEJ? From what I gathered, the offender received a clout around the head for his actions. Don't you think he got off lightly when more drastic action would have been warranted?

 

"To those who met my "beer" post with such disdain, I am sure you will be there to back the orig. poster up if the deal goes down... Yeah, you will meet him over there right??? Everyone wants to pound their chest like a gorilla, been there done that, finished with that." That's a total cop-out OEJ and you know it. The original poster regained some dignity and self-respect by letting the offender know in no uncertain terms that his action was insulting. Any self-respecting straight grown man would have done the same and probably more. Except you, obviously. Sad!

 

"Make it paradise again man!' Oh do please shut up! You are starting to irritate.

[Guest]

>>>Most Thai men are cowards and only fight mob-handed.

 

Though if he's a poof, I think it's unlikely.<<<

 

 

now, that are two of the most assinine statements i have read so far on the boards here.

if you think that "poofs" are not able to beat the fuck out of you i would suggest you hang out in soi twilight here for an evening and have a good look at some of the thai blokes hanging out there. you might change your opinion a slight bit then.

and thai men being "cowards"...well, that basically shows that you have never hung out with thai blokes. i do nowadays actually spend more time hanging with my thai mates, and they are everything else than cowards. you might consider making some thai friends and see reality instead of listening to farang blathering.

[JJsushi]

Actually I would love to hear El qualify his statement that "most Thai men are cowards".

 

I have seen too many Thai guys with knife scars and street/bar fights between Thai men where one had a knife and the other didn't. Takes a pretty brave man or fool to fight a guy with a knife. Do you have any idea the damage a knife can do to the human body? I have trained with knives and let me tell you I would prefer to take a bullet wound(depends on the ammo used of course) than a knife wound. Knives are wicked business.

[pattaya127]

I am just wondering if uncowardice should actually be described as a knife-less thai guy not fleeing the site of a fight with someone with a knife, rather than the contrary?

[Pom_Jao_Choo]

Whith respect to El Tel's , FlyOnZewal and Mr.Sushi's posts.

I was going to post something to this effect the other night. Was far too drunk as I am again and abandoned it.

But one thing that my experiences of this last year and the elevator incident have me pondering is how the "average" ferang is being percieved/acepted in Thai society.

You can look at long term factors of history and lack of respect for cultural norms, invasion of western values as well as media. I think you could see a lot of ways that Thai's have become disapointed with westerners.

No matter what the west has brought in recent genrations to the east. Be it economic investment, market reform, political/?. A lot of this is taken for granted in the daily lives of people moving forward.

And I think about it, having known this intellectualy and even intimately to some degree on earlier visists. And I can't help but think how western tourists disrespect for Thai's hierarchial structuring of society may have contributed a loss of place for the "average" ferang.

Ferang who continue to throw money after women who would otherwise (often) ocupy a low place in their society. Often not accepting reverance bestowed upon them, in the name of equality or good relations. Even not dressing the part as would be befiting someone of asumed background (in spite of the weather, or our native habits/preferances). And certainly the repeated stupidity of acepting overcharges, and failures of subordinates to give proper respect, whether the consequeces were too menial, or our time to precious or our vacation too fun.

All those things with a history of bad press, the ferang who give no notice of cultural differences

and the preasures (which few of you understand) of working in the tourism industry.(an industry serving people of the most selfish vaiety/ people who are focused on rewarding themselves in a foreign land where they are flustered)OOps one more, and the growing prosperity of Thai's.

All these things have contribute to an increasing number of Thai's who view us as stupid, dirty muts.

Who do not know better.

Now posibly I am embitered from my own personal experience. Posibly it is more the cause of my own failures to these things in my own environment. But how much of increasing amounts of tourist violations can we contribute to lack of law enforcement or economic factors. I think there is a growing change in the way Thai's percieve ferang.

 

I will always remind myself of jai yen and mai bpen rai, I always try to deepen my appreciation of kreng jai.

And don't dwell on it that much (i dont felel asaulted lol but rather insulted). But now when I think about it, (and re-read my post) this guy did not move away from the door to make room for me. He spoke with the others Thai's like I wasn't there, and then when he had his little grab he was making a joke at my expense with the Thai couple. He was then simply shocked that a mere ferang would swat him. Honestly. He was taken aback, he took it for granted that he could take such a libery with a ferang.

I harbour no ill. Thailand continues to be a fun/exciting learning experience with too many friends to let a weirdo tarnish it.

And although I will still choose short pants and ratty old t-shirts for my day off, be excesively generous with friends. I am thinking that my habit is going to become very expective of deference where it is apropriate (with a generouse margin) to most Thai's.

(P.S. I reserve to delte this post when I'm sober again so don't quote me thanks).

 

Concisely your's

Pom_Jao_Choo

[chuckwoww]

Going back to your original post...I do understand why you are pissed off. But you are blowing the action of one idiot up into something bigger. Sure Thailand is not what it used to be and attitudes towards falang have changed but there are still a lot of decent, respectful Thais out there. Don't let one stupid incident ruin your life.

[Guest lazyphil]

I wonder how many Thai men--moneyed guys/ poor guys (hypothetically speaking) would travel alone (like many falang do) and play around red light zones in New York, London and other big citys. I'm not saying guys who go alone are really brave heros but I think it shows that falangs are far more independent and confident outside their worlds, Thai men are not that good outside the LOS box I would imagine--a Thai man up against a falang in LOS has huge advantages with having fellow gang members to kick the crap out of who they like with inpunity from the law--all things considored their not cowards but they're pretty pack oriented and mummy boys!

[Guest]

>>>I'm not saying guys who go alone are really brave heros but I think it shows that falangs are far more independent and confident outside their worlds, Thai men are not that good outside the LOS box I would imagine<<<

 

lots of thais would really like to go for a holiday somewhere else, but obtaining visas and having enough money is for the vast majority almost impossible.

lots of thais work though in foreign countries. it takes a whole lot of balls to go on a contract where you have no idea what might expect you, and with the full knowledge that you won't be able to see your wife, children and parents for the next couple of years no matter what happens. even if someone dies you will not have the money to go back home on such a contract.

would you be able to do that? that in my book takes a whole lot of balls.

 

 

 

>>>pretty pack oriented and mummy boys! <<<

 

mummy boys?

well, have a look at some of the gangfights here. those kids are not mummy boys. can you imagine running at your opponents with machetes, baseball bats and guns, your opponents equally armed, with the full knowledge that chances are that you are gonna get hurt badly?

that may be crazy stupid, bad, or whatever - but one thing is sure - those are not cowards.

 

 

 

>>>--a Thai man up against a falang in LOS has huge advantages with having fellow gang members to kick the crap out of who they like with inpunity from the law--<<<

 

that is very wrong. no impunity from the law whatsoever. the opposite is the rule - even much harder fines than the usually seriously hard fines for beating up some farang (unless it is a pure underworld conflict).

and, very rarely farang get into the sort of shit which is now endemic in thai society. the tourist areas are heavily policed day and night by plainclothes cops, and most important, much more has to happen before thais beat up some farang than what happens in thai-thai conflicts.

i am surviving because of that. i can do things most thais would for good reasons never dare to do, could simply not do. i can go almost anywhere, mix with people as a stranger who unknown thais would not be able to mix with.

 

yes, there is a lot of more or less supressed animosity towards farang, but lets not forget the fact that there is far more animosities between thais themselves. and those animosities are far more extreme in their level of violence than the relatively little problems between farang and thai.

 

for the vast majority of thais we play an insignificant role in their lives, they have a lot more problems than disliking farang.

we might see an increased "disrespect" towards us, but that is partly also based on our own disrespectful behaviour here in this country, and to a larger part based on a general trend of increasing violence in thailand.

 

why do we think that just because we are farang we should not be affected by what happens in thai society?

[JJsushi]

lazyphil said: Thai man up against a falang in LOS has huge advantages with having fellow gang members to kick the crap out of who they like with inpunity from the law--all things considored their not cowards but they're pretty pack oriented and mummy boys!

 

Sounds like all my friends in the Italian neighborhood I lived in as a kid.

[Pom_Jao_Choo]

Thanks ChuckWoww, and I won't.

And another belated thought, after regarding my personal neighborhood here being surprisingly removed from the Sukumvit scene. Maybe the people or for sure their friends are not.

I know the difference between here and my school on the opposite side of the river from Mo Chit, and I know the difference from Isaarn.

I chose this neighborhood as much for the proximity to music venues as the BG's (which didn't pan out as much as I'd hoped). But I will definetley be upcountry or at least at the edges on BKK on my next tour.

So those who have made references to "ferang gheto" I give you 6 points of 10.