Blackfish64

Yes, racism is in fact quite natural here. There is racism even among the same races in Asia.

After 13 years of marriage, my sister in law still refers to me as "farang" and does not consider me a part of the family. I don't think she even knows my name. I live within a few feet of her, and we have not spoken a single word to each other in well over a year. This sort of thing is normal in Asia. So much for Buddhism and the enlightened state here in Thailand. Just because it's a Buddhist country doesn't mean that everybody in the country has reaching the enlightened state, of course. Very few ever do. Like most religion, Buddhism isn't practiced as it should be, as spiritual awakening and enlightenment, but is instead reduced to Dogma, useless prayer and worshipping idols, and sheer nonsense.

This rest room fiasco at the White Temple does not surprise me in the least.

I'm Thai. I think most educated people in Thai are not racism. You might misunderstood for the word "farang". It is not racism. "farang" is the same to the word "foreigner" but specific to white people. As you can say Asian is mean Asia people(yellow skin) or European is mean people who living in Europe, etc. Nothing to rude in the word "farang". Why don't you ask your wife?

My older sister married to Aussie. So, I'm brother in law of my sister husband. I'm not living with my sister or her husband, but I know his name, his parent name, his brother name, their job, their origin, and lot of things. It is common, isn't it? I'm so wonder why you've got that experience.

I'm atheist. So, generally I don't mind what Temple do, but in this case(news). I agree with them. We are(Thai) not anti Chinese people(and also all people around the world). We can talk, walk, sit or having meal witht Chinese, but some Chinese hygiene are terrible, especially using toilet. So, instead of reject Chinese prople, just build toilet for them. why it so bad?

Imagine if you were company owner and your partner(who've never listened to you) always mess up office toilet everyday. what would you do? You can't retire them. You can't just tell them. Build new toilet just for them is alternate way to solve the problem, isn't it?

I have no aversion to the Thai building the Chinese separate facilities. The Thai can do what they like in their own country. I am more curious to learn how they plan to enforce this. I mean, are they going to have rest room police checking passports at the entrance, or what? It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

You're obviously a very thoughtful and reasonable fellow, I understand you perfectly. The word "farang" does in fact mean foreigner in Thai. But like any other word and like any other language the connotations with which the word is delivered make all the difference in the world.

Now, sister in law is in fact racist, as she has clearly stated so on many occasion. She does not like foreigners. She does not like Americans. She does not like Europeans. She does not like the Chinese. She pretty much likes Thai people and that's it, near as I can tell. Like I said, she refuses to speak to me, so it is difficult for me to know her mind in the usual manner. I am stuck with knowing her mind only by the dirty looks she gives me, her actions, and when she goes into a tirade about what that "filthy farang" is doing here. I suppose I'd feel terrible about her treatment of me were it not for the fact that she does it to so many other people, too. Sister has issues. It would be wrong of me too judge all Thai people by the way sister behaves. Sister has constipation problems, eating disorders, a bad attitude. She is very beautiful and has pointed her finger all her life and told other people what to do instead of the other way around. So any challenge to her authority will be met with either incredible anger, or with her collapsing into a fetal position in her room and bawling her eyes out. Sister is very very spoiled. Sister always has things her way. And when sister growls the word, "farang! " from deep in her throat, drawing the vowels out long and hard, snarling and showing her teeth, suffice to say it is not a friendly greeting.

I am antitheist (and, yes, there are plenty of atheist and antitheist Buddhists), but I love meditation and would love to find or build a temple wherein the focus was meditation and enlightenment, and not so much focus on prayer and dogma. The Chinese would be invited. I would charge a fee for lavatories (one of the ways the temple could pay for itself), and I would have a lavatory attendant keep it spic-and-span at all times.

May you be happy, may you be free from suffering.

Yes, racism is in fact quite natural here. There is racism even among the same races in Asia.

After 13 years of marriage, my sister in law still refers to me as "farang" and does not consider me a part of the family. I don't think she even knows my name. I live within a few feet of her, and we have not spoken a single word to each other in well over a year. This sort of thing is normal in Asia. So much for Buddhism and the enlightened state here in Thailand. Just because it's a Buddhist country doesn't mean that everybody in the country has reaching the enlightened state, of course. Very few ever do. Like most religion, Buddhism isn't practiced as it should be, as spiritual awakening and enlightenment, but is instead reduced to Dogma, useless prayer and worshipping idols, and sheer nonsense.

This rest room fiasco at the White Temple does not surprise me in the least.

I was going to say I feel sorry for you having a sister-in-law like that but then I read your line - "This sort of thing is normal in Asia" and thought maybe it is your attitude that is to blame.

Your comments about Buddhism confirmed it.

I would not mind betting the posters making all the comments about racism and apartheid have never been to China and experienced their toilet habits first hand. It is nothing short of disgusting and if I owned a tourist attraction anywhere in the world I would not let them in the gate.

They spit all over the floor even in restaurants, can you imagine what they do in toilets ?

Actually, sister-in-law does that to all the farang who come here. She admits her racism openly. We have to keep her away from many customers.

I wasn't making any comments about Buddhism, but about some of the practitioners. You may feel the need to brush up on your reading skills.

I am no Buddhist, but I do use many of the teachings therein. I have meditated for many years and find it incredibly powerful medicine and more. Good stuff. All religions have their good points. I take the goods and discard the trash. More often than not, the bad stuff that comes from religion is a misinterpretation on behalf of the practitioner; that would include the dogma, useless prayer, worshipping idols, and useless, stupid nonsense.

For the most part, all religion is monkeyshine, nonsense, and foolery; a good way to lead people to ruin and control them. And now I have made a comment about Buddhism AND practitioners.

It's going to be interesting to see how they enforce this.

I am amused by all of the westerners who find amusement in the Thai's belief in Ghosts.

Most westerners have their own invisible friend they are willing to die and kill for.

How many millions have Christians, Muslims and Jews killed in the past 2000 years alone for the love of their invisible friend?

Thai ghosts are harmless compared to western spirits!

You make your point extremely well. I find the western ghosts every bit as silly and dangerous as the eastern ghosts.

Agreed. I don't get on with or without God, God's, ghosts, goblins, apparitions, spirits, Devils, reincarnation, heaven, hell, and so on. The entire discussion is useless any way one looks at it.

But, of course we all know there is life after death. And how we know this to be true is that when you're gone the world goes on living without you. Lol.

I also have no need for religion of any type whatsoever.

However, the next time you are in real danger, for example in a little boat in a very big storm, then please tell me just who it is that you call out to for help.

Lol. Been there. Done that. Thanks for making mention of this and reminding me of that day out on the lake, at age nine, when a squall kicked up and threatened to capsize me in my tiny rubber raft while out in the middle of the lake.

I called for no one and nothing to come to my aid as the white-capped waves came up over myself and my little boat. I used my brains. I simply lie back in the raft, shifting my body weight to and fro as needed, and stayed afloat until the wind blew me back to shore. But the dang wind came up short when I got near the shore, and I had to paddle the last fifty yards or so to the sand.

Also the time I was attacked by a huge, crazed nut-job who was whacked out of his mind on PCP and crack cocaine and could feel no pain. He came at me with a half a brick-in-a-sock, meaning to kill little ol' me with it. It's times like these when you don't waste any time looking for or asking for any help, but help yourself instead. I gave the man what he came to me to get: a broken left arm, the back of his head split open against the concrete, and some smashed ribs. Then, after his medical attention, he got: jail time and mandatory attendance of some anger management classes.

For those of you who do believe in god, no offense, but, he gave you a brain. Use it.

I'm American, too. I wear no amulets, believe in nothing. I take my driving advice for Thailand from an American band, the Doors: "Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel! Uh, keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel!"

Aha... this piece explains a few things about the Thai, to be sure. Thank you, AFP!

Below is an example of how some are so galactically dumb they are simply unable to project ahead and predict tragic consequences...

As I understand it, fortunately this little 18 month old infant survived his injuries... But what on earth were his parents thinking placing him alone in the flat bed of a pickup?

http://youtu.be/kEiQ-__UpPU

I just drove from Koh Lanta to Krabi - Driving down there took on new dangers as people overtook in the silliest of situations - blind corners, with oncoming lorries, oncoming bikes etc... ... I'm now back in Bangkok which while more aggressive / assertive with people not letting you out of a side soi etc, driving here does seem a lot safer...

A while back, on the way to Kanchanaburi, we were heading up the highway at full speed, and as we approached a tiny hut that was built at the very edge of the blacktop, an infant suddenly came crawling in his diaper out onto the road from the edge of some bushes. We were unable to see him until he was already on the road. The little one was in a hurry and moving forward rapidly. I suppose he was just being playful. My friend jerked the wheel to avoid splattering the child's head with his left front truck tire, and just as he did a man appeared reaching for the baby. With lightning speed, he caught him by the rib cage in both hands and yanked him back into the house. I am certain that if that man had not been there to grab that baby we would have killed him.

We'd had our excitement for the day and stopped quickly thereafter to empty our bowels and bladders and get refreshments before pressing on.

Everyone is assuming the driver is Thai.

Anyone actually see the driver?

Could have been an impatient geriatric Brit retiree for all we know.

Let's say the driver is Thai. Now what?

Now, let's say the driver is a decrepit old Brit. Now what?

For all we know it's a 11 year old girl behind the steering wheel with her dad proudly filming her from the back seat..

Parental Thainess

I saw that today at market. Dad driving motorcycle with full face helmet and jacket, long pants, gloves, and was actually wearing a whole pair of shoes! Mom on the back in flip-flops, shorts, T-shirt, holding two and a half year old daughter as she's standing up on the seat between mom and dad naked save for her diaper.

They whizzed through the parking lot at a high rate of speed, then dad gunned it and jumped out onto the highway and into traffic at a high rate of speed before the oncoming traffic could cut them off from doing so.

Just think how empty the roads would be if they required every "licensed" driver here to be retested and had a mandatory 100k fine and 10 days in jail for driving without a new, real, drivers license.

Remember, here nobody cares about shit, anything.......Stuff will go on, folk will be wasted cos nobody in authority cares...............

because life is cheap in this part of the world...

but if the dam'n truck had been on its lane those crap wouldn't be necessary sometimes people are in a rush and if i have one of those trucks in front of me on the fast lane with 60 km/h i also get mad...

It's because it seems nobody has the brains ti READ whats happening in front of them on the road, BUT, I have the same problem at Tesco check out too...

It's not just the roads and Tesco checkouts... Also watch getting on and off elevators. That's a nightmare and fiasco, too. Riding the elevator packed in there like sweaty sardines is a real treat. Every available space filled with a sweaty body and more bad breath.

Van Halen Mean Street:

Pics?

Sounds good, but leaving town in the morning, can't do anything until at least the weekend. I have short legs, need medium or large frame. Sound like if your bike fits can do it all. I'm heavy (200+ lb.). And can get pretty rugged with things.

Thanks. I know right where that is.

I live in the country, lots of dirt and village roads, so I need something hybrid that can handle a little of everything, and something that don't need a lot of repair. No reliable service out here.

Speaking of bikes, I live in Nakhon Pathom and can't find a good one anywhere in this town. Maybe I'll have to go to Bangkok to get a good bike

"Do not visit Thailand" isn't a bad idea. But I live in the country, don't have to work unless I want to, so it's not bad for me. I simply need to remember to be oh so careful when I go out on the road. Barring that, chom nok chom mai.

The truth about walking in Thailand, biking in Thailand, motorbiking in Thailand, motor carring in Thailand, is that there are no rules. It's that simple. They do whatever they want, when they want. Expect anything. ANYTHING. That being said, here's a couple of tips you must follow in order to survive travel in Thailand: First, you drive defensively. You walk defensively, bike defensively, motorbike defensively, drive your car defensively, do everything defensively. Protect yourself first, all the time, every time. They do not care about themselves, nor do they care about you. The end.

This is the land of narcissists, egotists, and abusers. Get it through your head. The sooner you get it through your head the better off you're going to be.

For pedestrians, as I've already mentioned, forget about the rules. Walk at your own risk. And when you do, whether you obey the rules or not, you must obey or disobey defensively. A little trick to help you get through a crosswalk... Simply make sure the drivers see you, and when they do, before you pass by them wai to them. They respect that. once you wai to them, and have their full attention, you are less likely to have any problems.

But for the most part they don't follow any rules, so you should never expect them to. Expect them to do something really stupid, and they usually do.

That's just the problem. Learning is not part of the narcissistic utopia that is Thailand. Thru think they know everything already.

The record, no matter how accurate or inaccurate, speaks for itself once more...

The Thai, and not just the Thai, but certainly the Thai, once again demonstrate their grossly over exaggerated, over inflated, highly narcissistic opinion of their collective and individual selves.

Happy Narcissistic Utopia New Year Everyone!

The thing to remember here is that while whether Jesus Christ existed or not is yet to be proved or disproved, the Romans did in fact exist and did in fact crucify enemies of the State. Even children. so, religion, the State, it's all the same to me... Cruel, oppressive nonsense.