Farang is NOT impolite word.

[emptypockets]

6 minutes ago, amykat said:

No, I don’t often drink ...sorry, this Thaivisa.  She is a guest here.  She was very rude to someone moments before, stalked them for personal information to try to insult them.  He was nice about it.  She did that for no apparent reason other than insecurity.  I am bothered to some extent by her constant reminders in the TM30 thread and elsewhere, how we are accepted here only if we are polite, which she stated many times.  Of course based on her standards.  

Guest?...she is a forum member the same as you and me. I wasn't aware membership was only available to the white skinned people. My apologies, I wonder how she snuck in.

Of course her comments are based on her standards as are yours and mine.

Give the girl a break. What she posts has to be filtered to a certain extent in terms of ethnicity. Some of us have that ability, many do not. The written word in particular can be hard to interpret/understand compared to a face to face conversation which includes facial expressions and body language, and easily misunderstood.

I don't think her motives are sinister in any way. 

[tgw]

14 hours ago, cmsally said:

Or "Was God a Farang?"  !!

does the discussion extend to imaginary friends?

[Scott]

I find the term to be mildly offensive, but not quite up to the standard of getting all wound up about it.   The application of a racial term is offensive if the person it's being used on finds it offensive.   

 

It's a handy shorthand term for describing people.   My employer often asked if an applicant was a farang or not.   If the answer was yes, then it was OK to hire them....until she figured out that some farang are black!  

 

[amykat]

11 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Guest?...she is a forum member the same as you and me. I wasn't aware membership was only available to the white skinned people. My apologies, I wonder how she snuck in.

Of course her comments are based on her standards as are yours and mine.

Give the girl a break. What she posts has to be filtered to a certain extent in terms of ethnicity. Some of us have that ability, many do not. The written word in particular can be hard to interpret/understand compared to a face to face conversation which includes facial expressions and body language, and easily misunderstood.

I don't think her motives are sinister in any way. 

I’m pretty sure we are all guests here, in the same sense that certain people like to say we are guests in Thailand!!  I don’t personally say that.  I hate to hear that, it is somewhat offensive.  That offended you apparently getting called a guest on this forum?  When you can get suspended at any moment?

 

Don’t start any <deleted> with me about her skin color.  I guess it was not apparent to you that I meant ALL of us are guests???  That is maybe your own racism ...why would I think that just about her?  Do I know what color other people are here, we have black Americans and Brits I am pretty sure too??  For example, this isn’t just a white persons’ forum.

 

I think her motives are not good, that is my conclusion after several days of reading.  I am giving her back some of her own medicine.  She should try it.  I would offer her a trip to the US so she could see how much better she would be treated here, how people would call her by her name and not ASIAN, but she can’t qualify for the visa.

 

if she can say these things to us and it is fine, than it should be fine for me to say the same thing back to her, correct or not?

 

Oh, but I don’t have any white knights, only she does .....oh no!!

[Enki]

15 hours ago, sirineou said:

It is not pejorative it is simply a universally accepted  term  for a  westerner in Thailand.

A _white_ westerner.

[Enki]

14 hours ago, Berkshire said:

The most accurate translation for the word farang is Caucasian.

No, the translation is "french man". Except you refer to the "modern interpretation", then you are right.

[emptypockets]

15 minutes ago, amykat said:

I’m pretty sure we are all guests here, in the same sense that certain people like to say we are guests in Thailand!!  I don’t personally say that.  I hate to hear that, it is somewhat offensive.  That offended you apparently getting called a guest on this forum?  When you can get suspended at any moment?

 

Don’t start any <deleted> with me about her skin color.  I guess it was not apparent to you that I meant ALL of us are guests???  That is maybe your own racism ...why would I think that just about her?  Do I know what color other people are here, we have black Americans and Brits I am pretty sure too??  For example, this isn’t just a white persons’ forum.

 

I think her motives are not good, that is my conclusion after several days of reading.  I am giving her back some of her own medicine.  She should try it.  I would offer her a trip to the US so she could see how much better she would be treated here, how people would call her by her name and not ASIAN, but she can’t qualify for the visa.

 

if she can say these things to us and it is fine, than it should be fine for me to say the same thing back to her, correct or not?

 

Oh, but I don’t have any white knights, only she does .....oh no!!

Just confirms my belief and principle to have no contact/interaction with western women.

[tgw]

53 minutes ago, Scott said:

It's a handy shorthand term for describing people.   My employer often asked if an applicant was a farang or not.   If the answer was yes, then it was OK to hire them....until she figured out that some farang are black!  

 

doesn't that suggest that you got the wrong idea about the meaning of the Thai word "farang"?

from my experience so far, it's pretty clear Thais don't mean to include black people when using the word "farang".

[shy coconut]

13 hours ago, Yinn said:

Sorry Uncle I not be home that day.

 

But my brothers and dad said come and meet them. 

 

 

Brothers? Dad? .... OK I believe you!!! ☺️☺️

[amykat]

20 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Just confirms my belief and principle to have no contact/interaction with western women.

Well I guess that means that you have very rigid thinking and it might be one of the reasons you are living in Thailand.

 

I suppose if a Western man said this it would be okay?  Or you would cut off all contact with them also??

[shy coconut]

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

The origin story (which BTW is not really fully settled) has ZILCH to do with current usage. 

 

Another case of extreme literalism. 

 

What's relevant is how it's used today and what meanings it conveys today. I'm standing by sometimes not offensive and sometimes a slur. You need the context to know.

Like when one is paying for the baht bus with assorted satang coins and

the driver is muttering "blah blah, fellang , blah etc"?

 

I can see how that could be construed as impolite!

[emptypockets]

12 minutes ago, amykat said:

Well I guess that means that you have very rigid thinking and it might be one of the reasons you are living in Thailand.

 

I suppose if a Western man said this it would be okay?  Or you would cut off all contact with them also??

Never heard a Western man say that.

Actually I spend my time between Myanmar and Thailand.

My thinking, as an engineer, is always flexible. Has to by the very nature of me, always questioning, always challenging. And finding solutions. That's what an engineer does.

You however......

[Scott]

25 minutes ago, tgw said:

doesn't that suggest that you got the wrong idea about the meaning of the Thai word "farang"?

from my experience so far, it's pretty clear Thais don't mean to include black people when using the word "farang".

And there in lies the problem.   It's not always easy to know what they are talking about.   We hired people from all over the world.  What she wanted to know was the color of their skin.   As one of Thai employees told her about an applicant "He's not Black like Mike Tyson; he's black like Obama."  

 

I shy away from using the word farang when applying to a particular individual.   I really shy away from trying to figure out how dark is too dark and thus I don't use the 'farang dam' term.  

 

[shy coconut]

7 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

My moneys on the Persian traders who came here and were members of the tribe "Ferangi". Certainly been around a lot longer than the French. Interesting in Cambodia we're known as "Berang" and in Laos, "Baxi Da" or more accurately "Maxi Da".

"Back Da" is the Isaan/Laos name for a guava fruit, in central Thai the word is Ferang.

 

Not sure about Cambodia.

[balo]

I have no problems with the word Farang. Because it means White people. 

I am white, but sometimes I feel like I am living in a remote jungle where they have never seen a white man.  When Thai kids stare at me and say: look falang falang! When all I do is shopping in a local Big C. 
I feel like I am an exotic creature. I find that funny, but I am not the only farang in town, they must have seen 1000's of us before. So why even call me farang. They never get tired of it. 
 

So farang it is, that's me. 

 

  

 

[shy coconut]

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

A very useful tool when used judiciously. 

How else would you use it?

[luckyluke]

Yinn express an opinion she is entitled to have. 

 

However she seems to claim that her opinion is representative of all the Thai's. 

 

She may know some people, found a video on Internet, I doubt she is aware of what all Thai's in Thailand think about the matter. 

 

So are we, as it shows in this topic, some of us pretend it is offensive, some don't. 

 

Yinn pick that the ones who claim it isnt'offensive up, to claim that these are the only one who are right as they confirm what she pretend, the others being wrong in her eyes. 

 

If someone hard starting the topic :

 

"Farang is an impolite word" 

 

we would read here the same reactions, and the o.p. could also claim he is right. 

 

I am 19 years with my Thai wife, one reason of this "success" is, that we both don't say and do things which may offend the other. In other words avoiding things which may be misinterpreted or/and the other one don't like. 

 

Many Thai's may use the word "Farang" in a non offensive way.

 

However once a Thai know it may offend the ones he speaks to, he should stop to use it in their presence. 

 

If he continues to do it, the word is definitely used to deliberately hurt. 

 

[amykat]

4 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Never heard a Western man say that.

Actually I spend my time between Myanmar and Thailand.

My thinking, as an engineer, is always flexible. Has to by the very nature of me, always questioning, always challenging. And finding solutions. That's what an engineer does.

You however......

Never heard a Western man say what?  Do they have to say exactly the same thing I have said?  If you like questioning and challenging ...I believe that is what I am doing.  You are the one who assumed I was being racist and called this an all white forum.  What?  I don’t even think of Thais as another color, I do think in terms of cultures but rarely colors.

 

Maybe you just didn’t understand that I was trying to give her a dose of her own medicine, and it felt harsh coming from me to her.  But you are used to hearing it coming from Thais to us??  Now you are making me the enemy when I was arguing for us as a group.  I don’t like to be told over and over, I am a guest and can be here if I am polite, then Yinn attacks people quite rudely according to Thai culture.  So I simply told her the same thing.  Then you and someone else attacked me on her behalf ...okay.   Because you are nice white people who try to understand other cultures ....but when we try to explain to Yinn and other Thais our culture and certain feelings we have, what do they tell us?  To stick it, more or less.

[faraday]

1 hour ago, amykat said:

I’m pretty sure we are all guests here, in the same sense that certain people like to say we are guests in Thailand!!  I don’t personally say that.  I hate to hear that, it is somewhat offensive.  That offended you apparently getting called a guest on this forum?  When you can get suspended at any moment?

 

Don’t start any <deleted> with me about her skin color.  I guess it was not apparent to you that I meant ALL of us are guests???  That is maybe your own racism ...why would I think that just about her?  Do I know what color other people are here, we have black Americans and Brits I am pretty sure too??  For example, this isn’t just a white persons’ forum.

 

I think her motives are not good, that is my conclusion after several days of reading.  I am giving her back some of her own medicine.  She should try it.  I would offer her a trip to the US so she could see how much better she would be treated here, how people would call her by her name and not ASIAN, but she can’t qualify for the visa.

 

if she can say these things to us and it is fine, than it should be fine for me to say the same thing back to her, correct or not?

 

Oh, but I don’t have any white knights, only she does .....oh no!!

I think she's quite a lot younger than most of us on here, judging by some of her comments. This is also tied in with a cultural & social knowledge. Neither of these observations are a criticism.????

 

I can & am be, much more direct, if someone gets snotty with me on here, because we are farang. ????

 

Your comment about white knights, is a bit daft. Still at least you didn't suggest some people are being whipped - you know what I mean.

 

I do wonder though, about some of her topics; it's as if she is information gathering.....

 

Enjoy your Saturday. ????☕

[sirineou]

6 minutes ago, balo said:

I have no problems with the word Farang. Because it means White people. 

I am white, but sometimes I feel like I am living in a remote jungle where they have never seen a white man.  When Thai kids stare at me and say: look falang falang! When all I do is shopping in a local Big C. 
I feel like I am an exotic creature. I find that funny, but I am not the only farang in town, they must have seen 1000's of us before. So why even call me farang. They never get tired of it. 
 

So farang it is, that's me. 

 

  

 

They call you farang?

They walk u and say "hey farang do you want some som tom?"

Part of the year I live in Khon Kaen for the past 10 years. no one has ever called me Farang,

 If they known me they would use my name,  if they did not know my name but know who I was they might ask my wife " does your husband want....." If they did not know me ,know my name or who I was They might ask my wife "does the farang want....."

This is a very important point.

They don't call me Farang. They describe me as farang,  If there were more than one farang there they will have to explain which farang they are talking about. In my case they would  say "the handsome  farang"

 

[balo]

I could call Yinn yellow or dark skinned woman if I wanted to. But I would feel it is improper to comment on the skin color. 

 

[473geo]

OK

My whole extended family are referred to by description rather than name

 

Example - sister mama over there, brother mama Satuk

son brother mama Satuk, wife son brother mama Satuk

Then we have - My friend sell shoes, my friend you see in coffee shop.

Thus - Papa and Mama my friend you see in coffee shop

Teacher you go to wedding before, wife teacher you go to wedding before

Friend live in Germany, mama friend live in Germany

 

Descriptive because I do not know their names and probably could not even pronounce them

 

Farang offensive? following on from above just a description for people who are listening, and will not recognise a person by name, nothing more nothing less

[Chazar]

6 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

The most annoying posters are the ones who think that they know more about Thailand than Thais do

Do you mean like the ones who have  written  books  about it and are  unable to return?

[Chazar]

17 minutes ago, amykat said:

Well I’m sorry if that comment offended anyone.  I did not mean it to most of you.  I think we know that some men suffer from White Knight syndrome with Thai ladies ...is that not true?  They become little puppy dogs instantly and can be quite protective ....much unlike the way they feel about their Western counterparts who post here ...Never, ever, under any circumstances could a western woman get away with a thread like any of these, I doubt many men could get away with that first post about hating Thai people.

 

I have never once had a man jump to my defense here no matter how badly I was getting slaughtered and I have had men post me privately to offer support but embarrassed to do it publicly!!  Why is that, peer pressure still works.

 

Anyway, I agree, I have been thinking also that she might be information gathering for nefarious purposes.  She does not really have a reason to be here as other posters have in the past.  And other posters were not so confrontational and ...well not like this.  She has never been an expat anywhere, she does not claim any romantic life or involvement with foreigners other than a short term job which is finished.  She doesn’t seem to like us and is not trying to learn anything from us.  Like she is about to go to school in England and has questions.  She is not answering our questions about some topic.  What is her purpose here??

 

She picked the absolute most extreme quotes from somewhere to represent what she wanted ...not exactly good journalism.  Did she have no good experiences with the foreigners she met in real life, did they all have paranoid personality disorder and were working on a manifesto against Thailand?

 

The whole deal is just not making sense.

 

 

 

 

Oi, get  back in the kitchen with the dishes, then start the dustin.......woman know your  place

 

 

[473geo]

21 minutes ago, amykat said:

Well I’m sorry if that comment offended anyone.  I did not mean it to most of you.  I think we know that some men suffer from White Knight syndrome with Thai ladies ...is that not true?  They become little puppy dogs instantly and can be quite protective ....much unlike the way they feel about their Western counterparts who post here ...Never, ever, under any circumstances could a western woman get away with a thread like any of these, I doubt many men could get away with that first post about hating Thai people.

 

I have never once had a man jump to my defense here no matter how badly I was getting slaughtered and I have had men post me privately to offer support but embarrassed to do it publicly!!  Why is that, peer pressure still works.

 

Anyway, I agree, I have been thinking also that she might be information gathering for nefarious purposes.  She does not really have a reason to be here as other posters have in the past.  And other posters were not so confrontational and ...well not like this.  She has never been an expat anywhere, she does not claim any romantic life or involvement with foreigners other than a short term job which is finished.  She doesn’t seem to like us and is not trying to learn anything from us.  Like she is about to go to school in England and has questions.  She is not answering our questions about some topic.  What is her purpose here??

 

She picked the absolute most extreme quotes from somewhere to represent what she wanted ...not exactly good journalism.  Did she have no good experiences with the foreigners she met in real life, did they all have paranoid personality disorder and were working on a manifesto against Thailand?

 

The whole deal is just not making sense.

 

 

 

 

Actually you have to read to get your questions answered not write

 

Yinn  has commented favourably on foreigners she met as a receptionist

Yinn has mentioned she uses the forum to practice her English and broaden her knowledge

 

Personally I think Thai people benefit from encouragement rather than criticism, although to her credit Yinn has shown solid resilience to those who attempt to belittle her input to Tvisa

 

Yours faithfully

White knight geo

 

[Why Me]

I'll take Yinn and the Youtube guy vouching that farang is benign. They're Thai, it's their culture, their language so I trust they know what they're talking about.

 

From my own experience, sample of one true, I've never felt that the way farang was said to me was to insult, except a couple of farang kee noks when there was a mild dispute, but then the emphasis was on kee nok.

 

Heck, I saw a lot more "you don't belong here" racism toward colored people, especially those with an accent, in the States than I see toward foreigners here.

[RJRS1301]

17 hours ago, BobbyL said:

I don't care about the word, but it certainly isn't a polite way to refer to someone and is obviously stemmed by Thailand's lack of cultural diversity and awareness. 

 

I hate using this term 'in the western world', however it would be pretty rude and narrow minded to have a widely used phrase that targets anyone, that for example, wasn't white. 

There have been plenty of nasty terms for non white people in predominantly countries, and countries colonised by Europeans, thankfully they are no longer used (mostly) 

[DannyCarlton]

3 hours ago, emptypockets said:

How about calling farang by their real names? Not that hard is it? All of the Thai people that I know call me by my first name.

My wife never calls me by my name. Always "Khun Phaw" (ผัว), husband. I always call her "Khun Meiy" (เมีย), wife. We even refer to each other to third parties by these names.

 

I have never been called farang in the first person, sometimes Papa, Phaw (พ่อ) and lately Ta (thanks for that!).

[DannyCarlton]

1 hour ago, shy coconut said:

"Back Da" is the Isaan/Laos name for a guava fruit, in central Thai the word is Ferang.

 

Not sure about Cambodia.

Baxi da is the Issan name for the fruit and ferang. Sometimes ferang is referred to as Maxi Da.

[Chazar]

31 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

My wife never calls me by my name.

maybe  your  easy  to  forget?????