It's all relative and the 5 baht scam

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"again, how are tourists and presumed tourists a race?"

It is not a tourist / resident thing, as farang residents still pay the inflated price and non-resident Thais pay the cheaper price. It is therefore a skincolor thing and that makes it racial discrimination.

 

Sanuk!

[pattaya127]

as farang residents still pay the inflated price

--------------------------

Only because they are presumed tourists, or amlagamed as farangs, which many LT residents like Fly do not find a racist word.

Josh In said 50% of the time, he pays the thai price, making racism disappear in a second i guess, and Oran wrote it only happened once to him (dble pricing). If it's anything, it's thais towards any other western nations presumed wealthy enough to have citizens fork up the higher price, including asian ones.

 

BTW, Do chinese tourists, most in group, pay thai prices? Still, a lot of thais look as chinese as them.

 

PS: let's continue this discussion on racism in the new thread, it deserves one.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"Only because they are presumed tourists"

Ah, so if I show up at the Crocodile farm with my Thai wife and speaking Thai to the counter lady, she believes I am a tourist?

 

Sanuk!

[pattaya127]

regrettably, I think they can't care less. You are basically a farang to them.

 

Nevertheless, depending on her level of individualism and knowledge of the regulation plus her mood of the moment, she may or may not make no fuss on giving you the thai price. You know in Thailand it often comes down between you and the thai in front of you, not an overall application of set rules, that Thailand may have on the paper, but rarely in practice (talking daily life here, not dealing with zealous officialdom, though even there... :.

 

You'd unlikely take a bet on the outcome of your plea, knowing that nothing is dead set, especially when you know your rights and indeed speak thai. May work, may not... Thais have the same quandaries in many "indigenous" situations as well.

[Guest]

Hi KS,

 

I've spoken about this before, but we have something in Hawaii called a 'kamaaina' discount. It is not based on racial terms, but simply on residency. If you can prove you live here, then often will get a better price. Your particular race has nothing to do with it.

 

Unfortunately, this is not the way it works in LOS. It often does come down to the simple fact of what nationality you appear to be, and seemingly often indiscriminate, at that. Can flash a work permit in their face, speak Thai, and still not make a difference. ::

 

Too bad LOS cannot adopt the same thinking, and acknowledge foreign residents there, and afford them the same consideration. Would seem to make sense, and increase trade to those that do. Maybe some will wake up, one day. ::

 

HT

[Guest]

>>>>Only because they are presumed tourists, or amlagamed as farangs, which many LT residents like Fly do not find a racist word.<<<<

 

not so.

what i am saying is that this place here is considerably less racist on an individual level than most places i know of, including my place of birth.

on an institutional level this place is very racist as are most other countries in the region. some are a lot more than thailand, some less.

 

and the diffferent price scales for farang are part of institutionalised racism. if someone lets you through for the thai price, it is either because he/she is nice, or because he/she is simply tired of some complaining farang.

 

the rules on the assorted temples etc. are not made by the people who sell you the tickets, they are made by the governing bodies. it does in that case not really matter how the person selling you the ticket perceives you, but that some burocrats are plain racist.

 

if for example they would make a different pricescale for non residing foreigners on the base of the upkeep of those places comes from taxes, then that would be understandable. it would be then up to residing foreigners to show proof that they pay taxes here, which would be simple by either showing your taxcard or your workpermit.

 

but that is unfortunately not handled that way in most of these places, it is solely based on race.

 

 

my personal way of dealing with that is simply not going there. in my case those temples lose out on a lot more than just my entrance fee as i am generally walking away from temples i visit with one or the other amulett whose value far exceeds any entrance fee.

its a matter of principle for me. if i can avoid to be double charged on account of my race i will do so.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"regrettably, I think they can't care less. You are basically a farang to them. "

Which basically proofs my point.

 

Sanuk!

[Guest]

Thais seem to see falangs are different levels. Their is the falang in which it is his first time to Thailand and is willing to pay almost anything for anything. Then there is the falang that uses discernment, eats the local food, maybe reads the local paper. The falang that has adapted many of the customs and is not 'victimized' by the tourist traps.

[pattaya127]

Which basically proofs my point.

-----------------------------------------

or mine .

 

 

I disagree with MM about that farang on first visit. Maybe if it's a guy who rambles along NEP/SUK and Walking St. in Pattaya, then Patong in Phuket, but that does not cover all types of first experience. My own is that i see no differnce between my first and my last, over a decade and a half. Little scams are too few, and of course, dble pricing samesame .

 

It's when setting a business, that I would be extremely careful and wary of scams and swindling.