Why is there such a disdain of foreigners

[Tagged]

The reason for the disrespect of disdain of foreigners is a good question. 

 

I think the answer and responsibillity lay among us, and there is only one way to improve that, but I know, that is impossible when you see what falang do and dont do every day in social media. So many who ruin the impression some of us trying to build up. 

 

Yesterday the clever american who did not wear a mask, trespassing in to the shop, treathning the staff with police, and post in social media, and try to involve national media. The video is still on youtube.  Those of you who do not know what video, can pm me, and I will send it to you!

Edited April 2, 2020 by Tagged

[Chrysaora]

I can sum it up in two words:

 

Resentment

 

Ignorance

[drbeach]

4 hours ago, DPKANKAN said:

What you did not mention was if Thailand was under British rule, then the cost of living here would be the same as back home!!!

Also my understanding is that at the end of WW2 this was going to be a UK colony. We stripped the railway line out and sold it back to the Thais. The only reason it is not a British colony is the US did not want us getting our hands on it and opened as Embassy in Bangkok thus stopping it happening. ????????????????

 

Wouldn't have lasted long since the colonial powers basically agreed to end colonialism after WW2. I still stand by my point that Thailand was effectively a Japanese colony during WW2 and a quasi US colony in the decades afterward...otherwise, it would have been sucked into a wider Indochinese war.

[Thongkorn]

46 minutes ago, Chrysaora said:

I can sum it up in two words:

 

Resentment

 

Ignorance

and Uneducated people , blame the Thai Government not the People,

[ukrules]

8 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

n some dark corner of Government House is a Minister of Complications

That pretty much sums it up, everything they do is designed to make things harder and obstruct, they don't have the balls to ban things outright so they do it the sneaky and underhand way.

[drbeach]

59 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

In the Portillo series, those he spoke to very much appreciated the advances that their 'colonial masters' introduced, believing they had laid excellent foundations and led to the countries being as prosperous as they are today. Of course, I have no idea whether they edited the programmes to fit their own agenda.

 

My response is as above.

 

Agreed. Some have gone backwards since their 'masters' left, especially if the military is involved (Thailand to follow?) So, colonial rule was good for them, and the country has gone backwards since it was left to rule itself.

 

Probably too difficult to change a billion people, but they do have a decent legal system and a very extensive, efficient and much used railway infrastructure as a result of British rule. I love the way you can order a meal while on the train and it's there for delivery at your seat when you arrive at a station en-route, by the way. Grab on steroids. There were dreadful atrocities during colonial rule which partly led to Gandhi's rise (I once spent an entire summer studying his life), but the positives surely outweighed the negatives.

 

Indeed it has, on foundations laid by colonialists. There are many, some on this forum, who condemn what is effectively a one-party system there, but it has led to great prosperity, I believe the second best for its people in Asia, and made the country one of the most successful and least corrupt in the world.

Anyway. Thank you for your interesting and informed comments.

Thanks also for replying to my comments.

 

I still stand by my view that your thesis that colonialism has influenced thinking/governance in this region is largely incorrect. The myriad of different political, economic and social systems that developed after the end of colonial rule determine the way things are now. We have to look at the individual countries to see how things developed after WW2, as opposed to making the simplistic claim that colonialism determined where they are today. Japan for example, has never been colonized and is one of the most peaceful, successful and prosperous countries in the world. Also, they have a strong legal system.

 

India may have a decent legal system (can't comment on that though...don't know enough about it) but like other poor countries I'm sure it's highly vulnerable to corruption. I doubt one could expect a fair trial if accused of a serious crime or of something that is considered a sensitive matter, especially as a foreigner, no matter that it could be legal in your home country.

 

As I've stated, Thailand is more used to foreigners than nearly every other neighboring country. Until 10-15 years ago, none of Thailand's neighbors, other than Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Bali/Jakarta were used to us farang.

 

SE Asian countries all have one thing in common: authoritarian rule. Those that used to be more free in the past, are moving toward authoritarianism. Singapore is equally in the same boat. One can't deny that the government has developed a modern and successful country, but it's come at a huge social cost. Of course the military have pushed back Myanmar and Thailand in ways that are too numerous to list here. But so has communism in Laos and Vietnam. Or strong man Hun Sen's sham democracy. You get the point.

 

To summarize...nowhere in SE Asia are you going to find a political or legal system that a westerner should trust. Singapore is about as good as it gets, but I'd rather deal with legal matters in the western world. Similarly, as a foreigner, you'll always get the short end of the stick anywhere in the region. These countries just aren't like our home countries.

 

Racism and discrimination are being used as tools in every Asian country right now - hotels are refusing foreign guests in Vietnam and China, even if you're an expat. Foreigners are not being served by street vendors in Vietnam and Cambodia. Burmese are retreating in fear when they see a westerner. Thais are discriminating too. When the SHTF here, it's best to consider heading home. If you can't, you ride it out but make plans to move back home in the future.

SE Asia will never be a place that warmly welcomes foreigners. There's always going to be an "us vs them" mentality.

[drbeach]

11 minutes ago, Thongkorn said:

and Uneducated people , blame the Thai Government not the People,

Actually it's the other way round. Governments are nearly always to blame for our problems. Uneducated people blame each other, foreigners, or whatever else is popular. Governments are happy when we fight amongst ourselves because it means they get off the hook.

[Kwasaki]

8 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Someone in another thread asked why Thailand has such a disdain of foreigners

[shy coconut]

7 hours ago, wotsdermatter said:

I had a Thai girl-friend who spoke very good English and one day during a conversation I told her that Thais wanted all of the 21st Century technology but had trouble working it with their 16th Century brains and the associated level of intelligence.  She refused to talk to me for a week.  Then I had to go to Hong Kong and took her along.  The day before we had to return to Thailand, she sheepishly told me that she finally understood what I meant by my remark.

'nuf sed

She may have had, in your opinion, a 16th century brain, but still snagged a free trip to

Hong Kong no doubt funded by your self and your planet sized intelligence.

 

It's probably people like you airing your infantile thoughts which lead to the perception

that there is a disdain towards foreigners.

[shy coconut]

There is a lot of merit in viewing the machinations and population of the country

diffently after living there for some time. If your initial thoughts were poor, you wouldn't

have moved in the 1st place. There's only one poster I can think of (kitten Kong)

who moved here for tax reasons and doesn't seem to have ever had any affection

for the country.

 

To say that the country may have been better had it been colonised by the UK is

often mooted. Singapore and Malaya are completely different to the colonial days.

India hasn't improved that much as far as education is concerned.

 

The wealth of these countries has increased as a result of the way the rest of the

world has changed in the last 50 years, not because the British rulers, they built the

railways to move soldiers around quickly to quell rebellion and extract minerals 

back home, not as an alturistic gift to the locals as the bade a fond farewell to 

The lucky folk we colonised for so long.

 

Maybe the perception of disdain is because some folk actually believe that they

are colonial masters rather than people merely living overseas in another country.

The lack of forelock tugging must really grate on these relics from another era.

[mauGR1]

2 hours ago, Tagged said:

The reason for the disrespect of disdain of foreigners is a good question. 

 

I think the answer and responsibillity lay among us, and there is only one way to improve that, but I know, that is impossible when you see what falang do and dont do every day in social media. So many who ruin the impression some of us trying to build up. 

 

Yesterday the clever american who did not wear a mask, trespassing in to the shop, treathning the staff with police, and post in social media, and try to involve national media. The video is still on youtube.  Those of you who do not know what video, can pm me, and I will send it to you!

The majority of Thais are intelligent enough to know that all foreigners are not the same, but surely that guy who was ranting yesterday is not a good advertisement for western civilisation.

[Toosetinmyways]

My wife's sister is a government officer. Her problem with foreigners is not disdain but the attitude from some, (mostly farang) that they seem to think laws and rules in Thailand do not apply to them. 

 

I personally lay the blame for the anti farang sentiment at the feet of the VLoggers. Especially the one that featured Pattaya Soi 6 in all his videos.

 

[Thongkorn]

1 hour ago, Toosetinmyways said:

My wife's sister is a government officer. Her problem with foreigners is not disdain but the attitude from some, (mostly farang) that they seem to think laws and rules in Thailand do not apply to them. 

 

I personally lay the blame for the anti farang sentiment at the feet of the VLoggers. Especially the one that featured Pattaya Soi 6 in all his videos.

 

You mean like trying to be good Thai people and integrate, Just ignore most laws then.

[geronimo]

On 4/2/2020 at 1:04 PM, Nyezhov said:

Nobody likes me and I dont care.

As it should be .....

[Isaan Alan]

6 hours ago, Toosetinmyways said:

My wife's sister is a government officer. Her problem with foreigners is not disdain but the attitude from some, (mostly farang) that they seem to think laws and rules in Thailand do not apply to them. 

 

I personally lay the blame for the anti farang sentiment at the feet of the VLoggers. Especially the one that featured Pattaya Soi 6 in all his videos.

 

I am very happy to follow rules, that's how a society works. But sometimes the rules are akin to launching an attempt to climb Mt Everest.

You know I always start with a positive attitude when I go to a government office for visa extension, driver's license, certificate of residence, yellow book (I could add opening a bank account which I know is non-governmental but many of the rules comes from the govt) and then it all hits the fan. I am always expecting for another copy to be needed, another document to be required, being forced to get something from the OZ embassy which means a trip to BKK from Isaan). I go along with a plethora, nay a filing cabinet of documents and copies and there is always something else despite my research and preparation. My Thai wife always goes with me to beat the language problem but it still ends up fruitless. There is always a second and third trip. It took four visits to get a yellow book, my wife was told to go away by the boss so I waited 6 months and he was gone and it was a breeze from a genuinely helpful acting female manager.

Is it any wonder that farangs lose it at Thai-Vogon bureaucracy? (look it up if you don't know what Vogon means). It's random, it's arbitrary, it's pedantic, it's painful, it's .... legendary

The latest lunacy is needing 10 items to get a 30 day extension due to the pandemic. While I write this they have probably added an 11th. Originally the extra item was to get a letter from your embassy but now that embassies are actually co-operating that hoop doesn't work anymore so lets add a copy of the title deed of the property, 3 or 4 pictures of you on the sofa or on the threshold. And now take along the owner for "interrogation". What if they live in Switzerland? Richard Barrow called it "madness" and he's a Thaiphile.

It's hard to smile sometimes while it's happening but I don't give up and I smile at the end of a victorious day with a drink. But then I think "it doesn't need to be a war".

 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 4/2/2020 at 12:33 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

The countries where the Brits were are light years ahead of 'free' Thailand.

seriously? the brits are the angels of light?

and you say that thais are being brainwashed to think they are the smartest race"?

noooo  hha ha ha 

exactly the other way around.

the brits were brainwashed that they are the superior race, and wherever

they will go and rule the light will shine from their behind, but 

thailand does not seem to agree with that, and i personally do not

wonder why.

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 4/2/2020 at 1:52 AM, NCC1701A said:

i have tried to make people on this forum understand this and how it affects you especially at immigration

in rome do as the romans do.

 

if those people with brown uniforms want to see respect, than give it to them, and

they will give it back to you.

acctually in thailand farang are considered high class, until they prove otherwise.

remember this rule and all should be fine : 

FARANG ARE CONSIDERED HIGH CLASS, UNTIL THEY PROVE OTHERWISE.

it is all up to you. respect the country and it's rules and you will be respected.

[Vigilante]

 

 

8 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

in rome do as the romans do.

 

if those people with brown uniforms want to see respect, than give it to them, and

they will give it back to you.

acctually in thailand farang are considered high class, until they prove otherwise.

remember this rule and all should be fine : 

FARANG ARE CONSIDERED HIGH CLASS, UNTIL THEY PROVE OTHERWISE.

it is all up to you. respect the country and it's rules and you will be respected.

Farangs are considered (mostly) kooks and mongers.

Sorry to spoil your fantasy

I tend to agree with the thais on that one ????

 

 

 

 

[soi3eddie]

On 4/2/2020 at 7:50 AM, RichardColeman said:

My useless so called father-in-law almost punched me when I first met him, so angry was he that his daughter had married a farang. 

Either you didn't ask him nicely for her hand in marriage or didn't supply enough Sin Sot. Or both...

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

seriously? the brits are the angels of light?

and you say that thais are being brainwashed to think they are the smartest race"?

noooo  hha ha ha 

exactly the other way around.

the brits were brainwashed that they are the superior race, and wherever

they will go and rule the light will shine from their behind, but 

thailand does not seem to agree with that, and i personally do not

wonder why.

Is the misspelling of your member name artistic or just careless?

 

I agree that the Brits had an inflated view of their own importance, and perhaps you missed the part where I wrote that on occasions colonialism had its faults. They sometimes. often, acted appallingly. But at that time the country was also a world leader in manufacturing, with much of the machinery still in use today. They were also world traders, and used their expertise of the time - which was light years ahead of the countries they occupied - to raise the standards of those countries. Of course it was all done for commercial gain, the same reason the French and Dutch were also in the region, for trade.

You also perhaps missed the part where I wrote that if Thailand had 'suffered' colonialism the country might have a decent education system, a good rail service, proper rule of law, none of which exist now. Or perhaps you think it's all fine as it is?

Edited April 3, 2020 by Bangkok Barry

[josephbloggs]

On 4/2/2020 at 11:08 AM, Liverpoolfan said:

WOW.

Can I buy you a pint Mate?

Please let us know where you two will be drinking.  Shame I will miss you.

[Elkski]

Ok I need a fashion lesson from NCC.  

Many scholarly replies here.  Some history bluffs and a few to proud  Brits.  

I think the dislike Is a combination of reasons,  the main  one being much more basic and a animalistic than the replies here.  It may even be in our DNA.   Farang  ideas threaten the leaders and  hiso society with our pointing out the large gap between haves and have nothing's.   Then there is this brainwashing respect for elders, and hierarchy ,  and uniforms.   An amazing  unquestionable pride in country and royalty force fed since early age. 

The main reason I think, 

Is what male race is happy to see an invading race come take their  women?    Make better looking babies.  Jusr look at the mees casters, IG stars, soap stars.  Most dont look thai.  Wh as t is the term? Leg kreg? Expand on this how you can imagine.   This was my first  thought  on my first visit.  Now granted many foreigners dont pick the beautiful ones in the thai males eyes.   I wont try to underwear what love life or relationships thai men enjoy or aspire to. 

I also  agree that many foreign people just do stupid disrespectful and  illegal stuff in Thailand.   Add in the 40 year younger  girl walking next to a nearly  dead man.  

In my 4 years of exploration and learning about Thailand I have seen the tide rise  against foreigners.   They want the money out of our pockets but dont want to see men living like kings in the village and not contributing to the wealth of Thailand.  

Spend 65,000/mo or be gone.  Jump through all the immigration hoops or be gone.  Currently there is a hotline to report and farang misdeeds.  Farang need to be suspect is the government's mantra.  Just look at the things Anutin got away with saying.  Those few comments were like oil to a thirsty gullible squeaky rusty axle. 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Elkski

[rabang]

On 4/2/2020 at 2:50 PM, drbeach said:

SE Asia will never be a place that warmly welcomes foreigners. There's always going to be an "us vs them" mentality.

I think this applies to almost all of Asia. You just have to accept that in many ways they are the polar opposite of the West. Eastern cultures are mostly hierarchical, traditionalist, conservative and exclusive. West is, or at least tries to portray an image of itself, as egalitarian, liberal, progressive and inclusive (open).

[rabang]

On 4/2/2020 at 7:52 AM, NCC1701A said:

great comment. i have tried to make people on this forum understand this and how it affects you especially at immigration. 

 

you are constantly being judged by the Thais. your personal appearance is extremely important.

 

where they place you on the status scale is up to you. 

 

 

In my experience Thais look at the individual first and don't generalize immediately. You are right about the appearance. A friend of my ex commented once how they had talked about how I had 'such a clean look'. I have often got compliments about my appearance from unknown Thais as well, much more frequently than in Europe for example. It doesn't mean wearing a three piece suit but just clean and fitting clothes, shaving or trimming a beard and getting a hair cut frequently enough. If you look at any middle class group of Thais for example in public transport you will notice that they dress fairly conservatively. Thailand as a fairly tolerant and cheap place has for a long time attracted Western misfits and lowlife. There is a weird degenerate, trashy element about modern Western culture that many tourists and expats in Thailand portray. While it might feel relaxing and fun to go out dressed in a wifebeater and flip flops and get trashed with bargirls, or go backpacking around the country, spending pennies and not showering or changing clothes for a week, your money might be welcomed but you are not going to earn any respect.

Edited April 3, 2020 by rabang

[rumak]

On 4/2/2020 at 11:26 AM, NanLaew said:

Today's farang lue-mahk post of the day award goes to...

thank you for not writing  ru mak .        ????????

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, rabang said:

There is a weird degenerate, trashy element about modern Western culture that many tourists and expats in Thailand portray. While it might feel relaxing and fun to go out dressed in a wifebeater and flip flops and get trashed with bargirls, or go backpacking around the country, spending pennies and not showering or changing clothes for a week, your money might be welcomed but you are not going to earn any respect.

The respect for appearance is obviously a positive, but to instantly sum up a person by the way they dress is extremely naive. I'm from the East End of London not very far from where the Kray brothers ruled at one time. Now, a Thai would look at their smart suits and ties and well-groomed appearance and respect them. When in fact they were gangsters who murdered anyone who got in their way. But they dressed nice so they must be respected and would be acceptable in Thai society.

 

Plenty of crooks, con men etc dress smartly, but that doesn't mean they should be respected. Come to that, many in Thai uniform dress smartly, and I'm sure that lawyers do, but it's no secret that some indulge in various questionable activities too. But they look smart so must command respect. I suppose it was like that too in western society until the 60s brought in a more flexible attitude via the 'new generation'.

As for the stereotypes in the quote above, that is what they are. They are not typical and very much a minority and would be shunned wherever they are. Please don't lump those few together with the majority who simply dress casually, especially in a tropical climate. Smart casual is far more prevalent than the wifebeating drunks you write of.

[GalaxyMan]

3 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The respect for appearance is obviously a positive, but to instantly sum up a person by the way they dress is extremely naive. I'm from the East End of London not very far from where the Kray brothers ruled at one time. Now, a Thai would look at their smart suits and ties and well-groomed appearance and respect them. When in fact they were gangsters who murdered anyone who got in their way. But they dressed nice so they must be respected and would be acceptable in Thai society.

 

Plenty of crooks, con men etc dress smartly, but that doesn't mean they should be respected. Come to that, many in Thai uniform dress smartly, and I'm sure that lawyers do, but it's no secret that some indulge in various questionable activities too. But they look smart so must command respect. I suppose it was like that too in western society until the 60s brought in a more flexible attitude via the 'new generation'.

As for the stereotypes in the quote above, that is what they are. They are not typical and very much a minority and would be shunned wherever they are. Please don't lump those few together with the majority who simply dress casually, especially in a tropical climate. Smart casual is far more prevalent than the wifebeating drunks you write of.

Amen!!! My favorite adage is don't judge a book by its cover.

[Bangkok Barry]

12 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

in rome do as the romans do.

 

if those people with brown uniforms want to see respect, than give it to them, and

they will give it back to you.

acctually in thailand farang are considered high class, until they prove otherwise.

remember this rule and all should be fine : 

FARANG ARE CONSIDERED HIGH CLASS, UNTIL THEY PROVE OTHERWISE.

it is all up to you. respect the country and it's rules and you will be respected.

It is difficult to respect people and a country in the form of its government who look for every way they can to make life difficult for you by making up rules as they go along, while also discriminating against non-Thais. Just one example - why do certain foreigners have to have 400,000 or 800,000 in the bank, but Thais do not? We all live in the same country.

 

Respect isn't a right. It has to be earned. RESPECT ISN'T A RIGHT. IT HAS TO BE EARNED.

[josephbloggs]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 Just one example - why do certain foreigners have to have 400,000 or 800,000 in the bank, but Thais do not? We all live in the same country.

Come on that is a ridiculous comparison.   Why do Thais have to show proof of funds to visit the UK but UK Nationals don't?

Or here's another one for you, why can you retire here once you are over 50 (and have sufficient funds to support yourself) yet the UK does not offer any non-EU national a retirement visa?   But yeah, you have it so hard and everyone and everything is against you....(whilst letting you retire here).

I'm wondering how you manage to get around with such a huge chip on your shoulder.

[Bangkok Barry]

17 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Come on that is a ridiculous comparison.   Why do Thais have to show proof of funds to visit the UK but UK Nationals don't?

Or here's another one for you, why can you retire here once you are over 50 (and have sufficient funds to support yourself) yet the UK does not offer any non-EU national a retirement visa?   But yeah, you have it so hard and everyone and everything is against you....(whilst letting you retire here).

I'm wondering how you manage to get around with such a huge chip on your shoulder.

You didn't answer the question, only by asking other questions. A classic ploy when someone doesn't have an answer.