Thais Racist?

[Guest]

TIT in the purest form, that's where this discussion stands and ends as far as i am concerned.

[Ashman]

Someone I know ( falang) is going out with a Thai-Chinese girl whose family have told her never to marry a " Thai " guy as they think Thais are lazy. Also, aparently in China town 100% Thais have little chance of getting the same price as Chinese- Thais.

[Flashermac]

<< Falange that can speak Thai get in for the Thai price. >>

 

 

 

 

 

You were lucky! I carry an ID card as an employee of the Thai government. It doesn't work more than 50% of the time though. Some buttholes will just figure "screw the Farang" no matter what.

[pattaya127]

Thai, farangs... everybody screwing someone in Thailand

[Guest]

"I think you just put your finger on it. It might be easier to frame a discussion based upon the finding that Thais are ethno-centric, and then proceed to talk about in what manner and to what degree."

 

 

 

This is an excellent point. A friend of mine puts it this way: "Thais are very race conscious."

 

 

 

But as to "As far as discrimination writ in law, I am with the folks that says its behaviour that is most important," I agree and disagree. It is true that behavior is most important, but there is something very unsettling about about laws that expressly bless and sanction race conscious policies. Many of the laws containing restrictions on 'alien' business activity and employmnet expressly use the the Thai term for race rather than nationality. The word 'chon chat' (which I would translate as race) rather than san chat (nationality or citizenship) shows up frequently in many of these laws. (I can provide the Thai spelling if anyone is interested.)

 

 

 

I agree that behaviour is most important, but it is troubling to see racial distinctions expressly sanctioned in, for example, laws on restricting employment. It is doubling troubling that people who should know otherwise consider such laws perfectly legitimate and that there is little or no serious debate in Thailand as to whether such restrictions are racist. Imagine the reaction if the U.S. now, in the year 2002, had a law providing that only whites are allowed to work as policeman or lawyers. It is this difference between Thailand and the U.S. on race issues that I find most unsettling.

[pattaya127]

there is little or no serious debate in Thailand as to whether such restrictions are racist.

 

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maybe off-topic, but are there any serious debate about anything in Thailand? And if so, what have they been?what areas of social, judicial and legal life has provoked a national debate discussed in other places than the parliament, senate or newsrooms? thanks

[Guest]

flyonzewall: "refugees in germany for example have to fear neonazi mobs attacking asylants homes for example, i can't recall an incident like that in thailand."

 

 

 

Hmmm, what about Burmese refugees? A Cambo guy I talked to told me Cambos were quite upset about Cambo refugee women back in the Pol Pot days being raped on a regular basis by Thai police/administrators/thugs etc.

[Guest]

i don't think i would classifie that as racially motivated attacks, more like abuse of power towards the weakest who have no way of defending themselves.

 

even today rapes in police holding cells by the cops are very common, thai women, burmese women, hilltribe women, doesn't matter.

 

and governement policies towards issues like the hilltribes are definately smelling of racism.

 

just one has to make the difference between government policies and the actual behavior of normal people. and there i have found thais in general a lot less racist than people of most other countries i know.

 

just yesterday down in the slums i had some great discussion about exactly that topic with some youngsters there. some of the stuff we discussed were why so many farangs just come here for sex only and look down on all the thai men. just some really open straightforward talks between human beings. no pretensions, no bullshit.