Guest lazyphil Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 When Thais use the word farang, is it a racist insulting word? this bloke thinks so! http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader2006/reader2432.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaimaisabai Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hi phil, Dunno really, but it can sound unpleasant on the ear. Maybe because it is pronounced with the low tone, so it is just the sound of the word to a native English speaker. Khwai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAT_AUSSIE Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I don't feel insulted when I am referred to as Farang, what does make me think is when people around me use the term MaPoaw instead thinking they can talk about me without myself knowing. The chap who wrote that submission does have some very good points and I myself feel the same way on many of those points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hi, Farang in itself is not an insult I think. However, it certainly can be made into one. It's all in the context. If for instance in a restaurant the waiter refers to me as the farang then I do not take offence. Likely he is just using farang as that is the easiest term to identify me; a bit like that guy with the white shirt or the girl with the glasses. Being refered to as 'man' or 'khwai' is obviously an entirely different matter. As for the guy complaining about Thais gossipping, they do that about everybody and everything. Hardly worth getting worked up about. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 IMO, ferang has three identifiable contexts... harmlessly discriptive, derogatory or completley offensive. Since i go out of may way not to insult or offend Thai's, the term does not bother me much in most contexts. The only time it does bother me is when i here the term used, directed at me, in a public place for no reason. Like, walking into a shop....... one Thai looks at me, turns to friend as says 'blah blah blah ferang'. In this situation, i cant help buy wonder why the hell they would want to chat loudly about me for no apparent reason. I dont smell, i dress well, and I am not loud, so what the heck is the interest in me in a BKK shop! Having said this, if i spoke Thai fluently, it probably wouldnt bother me. For all i know, they are probably just making idle chat like 'lots of westerners like this shop, dont they?'. Still, one of my irational hatreds. One time however left me bloody fuming. My ex GF's sister lived with us for a couple of months. She spoke zero English, and my Thai is crap, so we never communicated apart from simple smiles. After about one month of her living with us, she came home from work, didnt see me in the bedroom and said to her sister in Thai "where is ferang", my ex said "in bed". From this point on, i made a note to look out for the term and when it was used. Sure enough, whenever she spoke to her sister about me, it would always be 'ferang'. I got pissed off and asked my GF and she said yes, she calls you ferang to me. She dosent even know your name. Cheeky fuck! Lives in my small cramped appartment free of charge, free food, free phone, and cant even be bothered to call me by my name! From that point on, my ex obviously had a word with her as i was allways called 'pee yai' from that point on, which i later found out to be 'big brother' or something simmilar (i actualy posted in language section to find out what it meant, just to be sure it was cool!) Oops, sorry for the ramble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalenoi Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Batty, you make a good point here. Next week I will return to LOS and visit the gf's family on a weekly basis. I better learn how call papa, mama, brothers and sisters by their names or whatever suited to distinguish amongst the bunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Ha, just smile and wai, smile and wai, smile and wai.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 From this point on, i made a note to look out for the term and when it was used. Sure enough, whenever she spoke to her sister about me, it would always be 'ferang'. I got pissed off and asked my GF and she said yes, she calls you ferang to me. Batty, My first trip to the village, I got the same treatment from my wife's whole family. Everyone referred to me as Farang and I told my wife that it bothered me as I do have a name and it's not "Farang". My wife had a talk with everyone and from that point on I was "Ranger". I don't think there is any malicious intent, it's just they didn't know any better. Ranger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderlust Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Isn't it the case that Thais often refer to people according to their position/status? So they would call their boss boss, their sister sister, their husband husband and so on. If the only thing you are is a farang what does that say about how they perceive you? Personally if I'm in a shop I see myself as a customer, not a farang and if I'm with a girl I see myself as her man, not her farang, but to many Thais we're not customers or men we're just farangs. That's disrespectful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 whats the insulting equal a thai would use to gook, slope or dink, surely farang isn't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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