Guest Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 SSman1940 said: flyonzewall said:so as a fitting punishment i will write on the blackboard a thousand times: be nice to retards post deleted because of sick joke. I suspect you are a troll, if not, remember people may have family members who have suffered from the holocaust. P127 P127...i'm glad u took it as a joke as that is what is was meant to be. But it should be remembered that people may have family members who are retarded...and that ain't no joke. And i dont think our resident premiere troll meant it to be a joke. Might considered deleting that message also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted May 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Ignorance is a better word to use in my sample. -------------------------- Indifference is even better. But I think you are one of the people who have rarely any problem to get the thai price by stating you are a resident. At least you said so, happened to you only once. Other than that, it is very difficult to say about a stranger, be it a booth cashier, that he/she is racist on a 1 minute encounter, unless they show total disrespect and insult you. TTM amd Its'MD mentionned the annoying use of the word farang in matters where thais could say Sir, Mister, you or he/she. Can someone here, really go thru the genesis of the use of the word that would explain why thais are so taken by it, that they forget easier pronouns. Is it just a most convenient way to call all white persons the same way, in any situation? I do believe it's a loaded word, with many cultural connotations to it, not all favorable, and can be used in a xenophobic way as well. Does anyone know also, any other political party anywhere that calls itself "thais love thais"? (well, of course not "thais" in another country : This, IMO, is definitely pandering to a false idea of all thais being one and a childish xenophobia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Hi, "Street vendors would ask my gf "what does your foreigner want?", "will your foreigner eat this?"... it's disrespect that comes from the depths of their hearts." Could this be related to not being able to speak the language? Can honestly say that I have never encountered this. Even when people talk to my wife asking things they could have asked me directly, they have always used 'he' rather than 'foreigner'. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Dave, I think you wrote a great post there, and I agree with you fully. However, this is Thailand, so I just go with it, don't like it, wish they wouldn't do it, but it happens. Ironically, I managed once to really piss my wife off by telling some one I;d rather he call me the "Walking ATM" than "Farang" To be honest, the word doesn't actually annoy me that much, but I can and do hear it mentioned with unfriendly undertones, and then it does a bit annoy me, but as mst people know I am a very calm person. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Hi, I however did not see it as a joke and took serious offence to it, which is why this account to is banned, as is your main one. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think_too_mut Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 >Could this be related to not being able to speak the language? Can honestly say that I have never encountered this. Among friends and family, I rarely hear the "farang" word. From people ouside the circle, regularly. That's why IMD's post struck me so hard. About 8 months ago I posted "What's taxi driver talking to your gf" and translated several conversations that my gf told me about. Identical source of disrespect that IMD described. Japanese are known for their toughness on any non-Japanese. They speak even less English than Thais. However, I have never heard them saying "gaijin (same meaning as "farang")" in front of me. Especially if they know my name. It's always "X-san". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted May 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 In my GF's village, people often use the word farang about me, and i have no problem with it. But i had to tell one guy whom i often relate to, to stop calling me "you". i made the point in a very kind and smiling manner, and now he calls me by my first name. Just another 87 to go..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lembeh Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 I do have to say, I also dislike the use of "Farang", and it certainly can be used disrespectfully. On those occasions when it does nark me, I tend to go with a "Mai Farang, Khun Angrit Khrap"...probably with little effect though...LOL. However, I *do* wonder if there is something more to it all. In my village, I am universally known as "Ajarn", and am so addressed by pretty much everyone. Never by name, always by title. But Thai's *never* really do seem to use names. Invariably "Nong" or "Pee", coupled with the nick name if known. Even between Thai's, from what I can observe, the more formal "Khun" does not get so much of an airing except formally when the name is known. Is it that Thai's cannot place us in their heirachy, and so *have* to resort to a correct, but often unwelcome "Farang"? Coupled with this, is the curious use of (not sure *really* what it is as I am not an English teacher), what I will call the "third person". So quite often if you ask "Nok" where she is going, she will reply "Nok is going to the market"....(i.e. not I am going). Is this habit related to the use of "Farang" when asking us questions? "Farang go where" etc...is it just that they really do not know what "third person" to use for us. Maybe. -j- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Most excellent post Dave! I kind of ignore it now, so I cannot say if it is more/less prevalent than before. I do know that my family never uses "farang" when discussing m, at least in my presence. Always my name, either the American one or the Thai one. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 If I disliked the word "farang," I'd be one pissed-off puppy now after all these years. I know, though, that it is not meant derogatorily, and I think other farangs should understand this. Now, there IS a word that is used for farangs and sounds similar to "farang," but is the Thai equivalent of "nigger." seriously. I do not remember what the word is. I knew a farang years ago who had a Thai coworker, this really mean bitch who took constant delight in calling my farang friend this, knowing that she thought she was being called "farang," since the word is so similar. The other Thais in the office did not think this was funny, and finally one took her aside and told her what was what. I do not remember the exact word, though; has an extra syllable if I recall, and if you're not paying attention or don't know Thai very well, it sounds like "farang." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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