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Do Thais think about T-shirts with English on them?

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6 minutes ago, rwill said:

For the most part they have no idea what they say or who is on the shirt.  The ones that get me are the ones that make no sense. 

 

because they buy the product for its aesthetic value not the meaning or grammatical accuracy. in the same way many people get tattoos in languages they dont understand, they just like the way it looks.

 

to be honest people from the west like to buy t shirts with non native script writing/design, i'm pretty sure they dont understand or care what it says , they just like how it looks, nothing wrong with that.

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  • A friend of my missus is called Porn, recently she took to wearing a black T shirt with the words Porn Hub across the front.  I asked her if she knew what Pornhub was and she replied “don’t know”

  • Nothing like all the farangs with Chines characters tattooed on their arms who know exactly what they mean.   

  • timendres
    timendres

    Have asked at least a dozen over the years, and not one understood the English.

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4 hours ago, rak sa_ngop said:

One of my favourites seen in Thailand a few years ago:

 

"Duck my Sick"

 

(think about it!)

 

 

Cupid Stunt........ Kenny Everett all is the best possible taste

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Thus far here in Thailand, I've seen a ton of shirts from America. Ah, there's no place like home.

 

Mike's Fencing and Roofing, Meza, AZ. Pete's Concrete Pumping, Kansas City, KS. 5th Annual Susan Komen Run For The Cure, Chicago. LinuxNerds Tech Conference 2016. Rat Rod's Performance Engines. And so on.

 

People wear the shirts a few times, get tired of them, and they get donated. Or sometimes too many were printed and they get donated. Or the companies go out of business, etc. All the thrift shops in America can't move em all. The overflow gets packed into pallets and shipped overseas. It's a good business, buy a few pallets, and sell shirts for a few baht each, to many poor Thais who need some t-shirts. Unfortunately this does quite a number on developing their own textile industry, as I learned it did to Africa's in a documentary.

 

The Thais certainly do make many of their own t-shirts, however. Popular among my students are famous corporate logos, either as is or with slight, humorous modifications. Sometimes I've seen recent Internet memes. And I've noticed The PornHub logo is extremely popular on the BTS and in the markets. They certainly know what it is, as the once mighty government Internet porn blocker no longer seems to be functioning.

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Do Thais think about T-shirts with English on them?

 

Same question can be asked about farangs wearing T-shirts with Thai on them, I think.

 

...and tattoos.. I met a young lady in Australia who had a rather nice looking tattoo on her ankle that she got in Thailand.. she didn't know what it said and asked me to see if I could find out.. I took a photo and asked around here. A couple of people would't tell me.. I finally found someone who would... He said to start they were not Thai words.. although in Thai scrip.. but English words written in Thai... roughly translate to 'bush cow'  !  I didn't tell her...

39 minutes ago, poohy said:

Cupid Stunt........ Kenny Everett all is the best possible taste

...definitely a cunning stunt... 

My TG's sister was wearing a t-shirt that said "PORNHUB", I don't think she will be wearing again anytime soon after I told her what it was.

Once I saw a young girl wearing at a food stall in the night market in Buriram a shirt with a massive swastika on front. Not just any - the proper nazi one with red/white background. I really doubt though the she or any of the locals knew what the nazi swastika represents. 

One 7 year old wearing a T-shirt that said, ' You can all get F@#*ed.'

 

Found it hilarious and just let the family with the kid crack on. ????

39 minutes ago, Bigz said:

Once I saw a young girl wearing at a food stall in the night market in Buriram a shirt with a massive swastika on front. Not just any - the proper nazi one with red/white background. I really doubt though the she or any of the locals knew what the nazi swastika represents. 

...not all symbols mean the same thing to all people..  

https://www.tripsavvy.com/why-are-there-swastikas-all-over-asia-3498922

 

 

I have seen them wearing all sorts of farang swear words beginning with f, c, p etc and don't forget the Nazi stuff they have no clue about.

 

 

 

 

I was at a gas station in Laos and the attendant had a shirt on that said "F--- off <deleted>" in large letters. I asked him in Lao if he knew what it meant, and he said "no" so I translated it for him. He got a super embarrassed look on his face and took off behind the gas station and someone else had to come and finish filling our car.

        Ever since that time, I have had more compassion for locals who wear English print shirts that are questionable..

Ha, ha, NO, for sure they don't know.

Recently I ask my GF, after she bought a new shirt with some nonsens on it, "do you know what there stay? I ask her, she answer no, I don't know.

So I tell her, "on your shirt there stay I don't like any falang"

And you know? She don't believe me, but you'll understand it explains enough.

In answer to your query...NO. But have to admit that I do rather enjoy them! :vampire:

The problem with peoples perception of the "Swastica"  as used in Asia is not always related to the  Nazi use.It is  a very ancient historical symbol that was adopted  by the Nazis'.

In Asia there are variants of the "running feet of good fortune" .

That it is considered offensive in western perceptions  has no validity  in eastern perceptions  until  a element  discovers  a marketable  use. Then the problems  begin. 

Why is it that the " Christian Cross " is  considered a sacred  symbol? Think about it  as  in true origin ! 

If symbolism has power then we should all worship the sun because without it any further philosophy is  pointless!

 

 

Fascinating stuff.

 

Anyway, so I'm going for a walk here. This very average looking Thai woman, about 38, comes down the road, dressed in jeans, handbag. Now on her torso she was wearing a T-Shirt with a painting of a cleavage with very plump and big breasts. Fleshy juicy teats. What an odd choice of attire.

 

She looked so strange. Of course I couldn't help doing a double take and stare at her "cleavage". Only in Thailand.

19 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

The problem with peoples perception of the "Swastica"  as used in Asia is not always related to the  Nazi use.It is  a very ancient historical symbol that was adopted  by the Nazis'.

In Asia there are variants of the "running feet of good fortune" .

That it is considered offensive in western perceptions  has no validity  in eastern perceptions  until  a element  discovers  a marketable  use. Then the problems  begin. 

Why is it that the " Christian Cross " is  considered a sacred  symbol? Think about it  as  in true origin ! 

If symbolism has power then we should all worship the sun because without it any further philosophy is  pointless!

Yes but the Nazi symbol is turned around. You could mirror it to turning a cross upside down. 

When I first met my wife, some 11 years back, she had a great T-shirt, which fitted her well.  When she wore it, and the first time I gazed upon it. I cracked up. It was great. There were a couple of little monkeys on it and underneath the words :  "I love to spank the monkey!". I had to explain what the expression meant as while she speaks and understands good English, the meaning was lost on her. It was never seen again.. 

10 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

Yes but the Nazi symbol is turned around. You could mirror it to turning a cross upside down. 

Historically not  exclusively. Both were  used  and  in opposite meanings. The  Nazi use was  of the negative  but intentional I do  not  know.

What symbolism has an upside  down  cross have attributed to it?

A horse shoe one way  or the other? Symbolism ! Buy into  or  discard.

Same as a red  cap !

49 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

Ha, ha, NO, for sure they don't know.

Recently I ask my GF, after she bought a new shirt with some nonsens on it, "do you know what there stay? I ask her, she answer no, I don't know.

So I tell her, "on your shirt there stay I don't like any falang"

And you know? She don't believe me, but you'll understand it explains enough.

I would rest assured that she believes you just as much as she would undertstand what you just said here ????

1 hour ago, salsajapan said:

The only real question is...

 

Do Thais think

 

 

yes. But  not about  your issues. they have their own.

2 hours ago, Bigz said:

I am perfectly aware of that especially in Asia. The girl was wearing a proper German nazi swastika flag on her shirt as I sad in my post. Although I don't think she knew who the nazis are.

Like this? I bought this tshirt at On Nut market in 2015, I saw a Thai guy walking around with one in black on and no I've never worn it 555.

20200618_143307.jpg

On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2020 at 6:52 PM, timendres said:

Have asked at least a dozen over the years, and not one understood the English.

Try to hang out with more intelligent people

On 6/17/2020 at 6:52 PM, timendres said:

Have asked at least a dozen over the years, and not one understood the English.

No surprises there. Nobody understands a word. I asked at Nong Nooch Gardens in Ptya recently about "shop for tree / flower / plant". Three words. No understand. Meanwhile, the Garden Center was just around the corner. Btw, this was the information counter. Not a word of English. It is a disgrace.

PornHub t-shirts seem popular.  Not sure if they know what it really is or maybe they just don't care because of the different meaning in Thai.

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2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Try to hang out with more intelligent people

Then I will need to stop reading TVF...

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