THE WEEK THAT WAS On racism and stereotyping in Thailand

[rooster59]

 

Rooster was brought up in a very different world to the one he now finds himself in - both geographically and in terms of society. 

 

Over the years we have all had to become adjusted to changing social mores especially when it comes to issues of racism and racial stereotypes even if we are stuck in one place all our lives.

 

Yes, 1970’s Britain was a world away from 2021 Thailand. 

 

Despite going to secondary school in relatively inner London there were only three people who didn’t look very like me in my year group after an “all white” upbringing at primary school in the outer suburbs. 

 

At Alleyn’s there was Patel from Pakistan plus Abby (with an impossibly long name) from somewhere that I’d never heard of called Sri Lanka (a country that I later came to love); my mum said she thought it was Ceylon and they grew tea.

 

And there was a West Indian boy called Bosun, presumably from somewhere in western India. They all seemed friendly and we got on fine playing football but I never went to their houses. 

 

My dad was an immigrant himself but he was from Le Mans so was white; half French and bilingual he passed off as English easily. I never thought that if French people were all black then I would be too.  

 

Our household seemed to be welcoming to all races. A relative's girlfriend from St Vincent arrived and my father was all over her like a rash. It was weird but then growing up was weird. Lots of contradictions to get a young head around.

 

On the telly was Love Thy Neighbour, Alf Garnett and at Christmas my parents enjoyed the Black and White Minstrels. I preferred the Harlem Globetrotters and one bald hoopster who was called Curly. As the decade unfolded we shrieked with laughter as John Cleese did his funny walk after abusing some Germans - they deserved it, of course. And he mentioned the war once but got away with it. (More later about Mr Cleese who is visiting Bangkok in January).

 

The latter, unbelievably from 1990, can be seen on YouTube and I would recommend it. It’s excuse was that it was a spoof on US sitcoms. It featured Adolf and his loving wife Eva and the downtrodden neighbors the Goldensteins, Arny and Rosa.

 

Both shows shocked and appalled me. What had happened in the intervening decades to make this so?

 

Travel and a broadening of the mind as well as societal shifts unimagined in the 1970s. I left troubled Thatcherite Britain in the early eighties and found myself sticking out like a sore thumb on the streets of Bangkok.

 

I rather liked being different and didn’t mind at all when people called me ‘farang’ or made fun of being a pink “dried shrimp” if I spent too long in the sun. It appeared to me that white people were afforded a lot of respect that I was grateful for. The same did not seem to be true of the darker skinned visitor, or even the darker local. This troubled me but I still put it down to what Brits call “banter”.

 

Racism and stereotypes were still far from my mind. I heard that I was a “Phudee Angrit” (English Gentlemen), that French people came from the “Land of Perfume”, Germans “Beer” and Dutch “Tulips”. Indians were just “khaek” that Thais told me meant “guest” with a snigger (a word that I learnt not to play in word games without the initial “S” for fear of outraging Americans. As kids we’d used it innocently in an “Eeny Meeny Miny Mo” rhyme).

 

I pointed out to Thais that these terms they bandied about were all stereotypes; one student asked if that was some kind of “hi-fi”.

 

I brushed my teeth with Darkie toothpaste that had a picture of a black man on the front. Oh for teeth like him! It was some years before they changed the name to Darlie and ditched the image. 

 

In the mid eighties I started going back to England not to live but as a holidaymaker. I was now a tad educated about racial issues and therefore aghast that a close relative should use a word for a man walking peacefully along the street that was the same as a processed cheese commonly sold in Australia. (My Aussie flatmate was no better, referring to anyone who wasn’t white as “passport Australians.”)

 

I caught up with a pal who I’d met in Bangkok who was the first person I knew who had a kid with a Thai. He shook his head after his daughter was called “a chocolate drop”.

 

Thank goodness the world has moved on but as the Premier League advert reminds us - racism never went away and we all need to do more no matter if we consider ourselves enlightened. Many white people, in particular, need to take a long hard look at themselves for speaking from a privileged position in denying racism exists. 

 

The same goes for some foreigners in Thailand who moan about Thai xenophobia in one breath then make appalling comments about Indians and Chinese in the next. 

 

We should all wince when hearing people say there is not a racist bone in my body or “some of my best friends are…”. 

 

We need to question ourselves. A few years back I innocently wrote in a translation from Thai on ASEAN NOW the word “Chinaman” and was roundly criticized. I had no idea people found it offensive. I haven’t repeated that. 

 

This week Thai immigration and the press writing about a raid in Ramkhamhaeng used the term “khon phiw see” - Rooster translated this as “colored” with posters saying it should be “people of color”. Still others said there was no difference. 

 

It’s a learning curve. 

 

I particularly like how many British comedians have addressed the subject through irony and our favorite sarcasm. Ricky Gervais’s “Racism Test” in Extras is one of the finest segments in ‘comedy’ history. Check that out, too, if you’ve never seen it.

 

John Cleese, now 82, - oh so famous the world over for Monty Python and his masterpiece creation of Basil in Fawlty Towers -  will be visiting, Bangkok for an Asian leg of his “Why There Is No Hope” tour (on January 11th at Muang Thong Thani, tickets start 1,500 baht).

 

The Guardian has called it “less comedy” and more about society’s issues. Mr Cleese has become more crabby in recent years but it should still be worth a visit. 

 

This week he complained about a BBC interview that turned into a “cancel culture” fest. Last year he called the Beeb “cowardly and gutless” for taking “The Germans” off one of their streaming sites. He even blacklisted himself from speaking at Cambridge University as he was bound to break their rules!

 

My final word on the subject comes after seeing Susie Dent on Sky this week. Susie is the lexicographer famous on one of the UK’s longest running word and maths game shows, Countdown. 

 

She told Kay Burley that she absolutely loves slurs. With 400 slurs recently removed from my favorite dictionary to satisfy games maker Mattel, I have to say I agree with her. 

 

And there isn’t a racist bone in my body and some of my best friends are…...

 

As usual ASEAN NOW published a huge array of interesting stories this week the following catching my beady eye:

 

Daily News were in Loei when they caught A-NUT-IN the health minister ranting and bigging up Thailand over Covid.

 

He called the dreaded lurgy “grajork” or inferior when it comes to Thailand’s abilities to give it a sound thrashing! Then he banged on about “government” vaccines being available up to the 5th dose next year...blah blah effing blah.

 

Earlier Anutin and the CCSA’s Dr Opas confirmed that New Year officially ends for drinkers at 1 am on the 1st of January. The third “Grinch that Stole Pee Mai” - Bangkok governor Aswin - agreed and said you’d need to be double vaxxed and ATK’d even to attend the “countdown” - not a word game in Thailand of course! 

 

No thanks, I’ll enjoy the fireworks from my balcony if they are allowed.

 

Apropos, this week as the mercury plummeted I nipped out to a “famous Bangkok road” to see how the other half lived, doubting a Thai doctor’s view that booze couldn’t keep you warm. Dozens of bars were serving drinks without an SHA+ accreditation or a plate of food in sight. Methinks the local constabulary will have enough money to live it up at New Year, possibly even after 1 am.  

 

I only spoke to one woman - Mrs R’s sister who has fallen on hard times - had a 12 inch Subway, made my excuses and left. 

 

Two Thai banks - SCB and Krung Sri - told tourism minister Pipat and TAT chief Yutthasak that their rose tinted view of tourism recovery next year was optimistic. And some.

 

Rather than 20 million foreigners spending 1.8 trillion baht they predicted it could be as low as two or three million visitors being frugal with a capital F.

 

Yutthasak had previously said that he favored high spending tourists. Yes, no riff-raff are welcome these days as it’s “Value over Volume”.

 

I propose these are now to be called VoV tourists for short. 

 

Another report suggested that “Same Sex Marriage” in Thailand remained years off. If it’s any consolation the sex in my marriage has been the same for decades. 

 

In Thonglor an old lady went to what passes for the local police to complain about “light pollution” from an LED sign. “Air and noise” pollution thus amusingly took a back seat though soon all and sundry were harping on about PM2.5. One official said this year’s coughing would be worse than ever. 

 

In Phetchabun, Thais went into irony overdrive to suggest that the kingdom’s famous hanging wires were now a tourist attraction for “farang selfies”.

 

On the expressway a Road Rage man claimed self-defence with a tire iron while a cosmetic executive drove his Benz into three innocents killing them all in the latest “Thailand Road Carnage” that saw 74 others dead on Monday. 

 

In happier news a factory worker in Prachinburi called Jamlong scooped 6 million on the lottery. He couldn’t decide what number to choose when purchasing the lucky ticket so plumped for the year of birth of his ex-girlfriend - 35. 

 

The number 639235 came up. I was at the Railway Park on Thursday afternoon with Mrs R and the chicks recovering from cycling when conversation turned to the just completed the draw. 

 

Motorcycle taxi drivers, passers-by, the shop owner, everyone was giving their hard luck stories about missing 235. All I could muster was that I was 23 once and my daughter is 5 so I really should have got it.

 

Bemused looks as Brit sarcasm triumphs. 

 

Finally thanks for reading this far. It’s a very long column and every week I’m both criticized and praised for that. Don’t expect any change and stay tuned for next week’s 300th edition of The Week That Was.

 

Oh, and….

 

Merry Christmas to all my readers in Thailand and around the world.  

 

Rooster

 

 

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[pedro01]

We should not whince when someone claims they are not racist, as if everyone is racist or that racist is the default state of mind.

 

Thats leftist, divisive claptrap.

[Card]

29 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

We should not whince when someone claims they are not racist, as if everyone is racist or that racist is the default state of mind.

 

Thats leftist, divisive claptrap.

The only valid judges that someone is not racist is not yourself. They are those who are the victims of racism because, unless you are subjected to racism, you will hardly notice that it is going on in front of your eyes and ears.

[G Rex]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

The same goes for some foreigners in Thailand who moan about Thai xenophobia in one breath then make appalling comments about Indians and Chinese in the next. 

Great read , and summation of the week.

I especially like the above comment.

 

As a white Australian I never thought too much about 'minor' racist slights or stereotypes ( & yes, I did have a privileged upbringing) - but after living in LOS for a few years, and regularly hearing locals speak about 'farang' - both positively & negatively - I understand the effect it can have on a person. Some days it can really needle me. I think that Thailands education system has held them back from truly accepting multiculturalism. However. I am confident that there will be change. 

 

I feel that the 'woke' movement has gone too far - let's learn from the past, rather than erase it & pretend it never happened.

[The Cipher]

The number of overtly racist comments on this board is mind blowingly high. "The Russians" "The Indians "The Chinese", it's nuts.

 

But at the same time I don't think it's racism born of malice so much as it is an expression of frustration by older people who have seen people of other cultures advance in the world and feel that said advancement has come at their own expense.

 

Many older farang don't feel as important as they used to, and that loss in status has made them bitter. ????‍♂️

[wombat]

Racism and stereotypes.....Golly gosh, do you mean racism as in 'you' are round eye farang and stereotypes as in sponsor me send money me?

I am not racist I am Australian,

I abuse everyone equally including myself 

[stephenterry]

33 minutes ago, The Cipher said:

The number of overtly racist comments on this board is mind blowingly high. "The Russians" "The Indians "The Chinese", it's nuts.

 

But at the same time I don't think it's racism born of malice so much as it is an expression of frustration by older people who have seen people of other cultures advance in the world and feel that said advancement has come at their own expense.

 

Many older farang don't feel as important as they used to, and that loss in status has made them bitter. ????‍♂️

Many older farang think you're talking rubbish. Well I do, anyway.  

[Stargeezr]

Well I read somewhere that we are all born sinners, so I guess some of us who are seniors now

may also be racist.  When I was young there were many racist songs, and I knew the words to

a lot of them. 10 little *ndians.  Sq*as along the Yukon.  and lots more mostly bar songs. Over the years

I stopped singing them, and took them out of my song book. Thanks Rooster for another weekly update.

  Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I hope that you get to drink the good stuff until 2 AM  if 

you are up that late on New Years Eve into New Years Day.

[thaibook]

1 hour ago, Card said:

The only valid judges that someone is not racist is not yourself. They are those who are the victims of racism because, unless you are subjected to racism, you will hardly notice that it is going on in front of your eyes and ears.

Rubbish.  Racism is a systematic approach to colour/race.  One individual feeling hurt because another has said or done something does not indicate racism.  Hence that person cannot conclude the perpetrator is racist.  

[Enzian]

May I rant? IMO every single person in the world is racist in some way or other, much of it unconscious or simply not admitted. The difference is in what actions in response one would support if one were totally honest, and I think there's a wide range. For example I would not deny that I am racist in some ways but at the same time I'm 100% for Affirmative Action and find any form of discrimination simply stupid. End of rant.

[chang1]

2 hours ago, pedro01 said:

We should not whince when someone claims they are not racist, as if everyone is racist or that racist is the default state of mind.

 

Thats leftist, divisive claptrap.

Don't whince just call them a lier as we are all racist - nothing to do with politics. 

[toofarnorth]

How things have changed. Remember ' Love thy neighbour ' was it the '70s ?   He talked about the Nig Nog next door.

I tried a couple of weeks ago to watch an episode , Too embarrasing. Didn't last more than 5 mins. OFF !

[dundas]

I'm a white Australian and had never knowingly experienced racism as the recipient of it until I was checking in for a Qantas flight to Australia. This was in SGN and the Vietnamese woman behind the counter obviously had It in for white men: she spent a long time going  through every seat she could find until she managed to find a middle seat down the back. It didn't matter to her that I had a pre-assigned aisle seat at the front of the economy cabin. So I went from the best seat in economy to one of the worst. Once on the plane I realised what she'd done, then found 'my' pre-assigned seat at the front of economy hadn't been re-allocated to anyone else, and so I claimed it back.  Truly small beer, and nothing compared to what people of different races experience every day.

[Havenstreet1940]

Great column again MrRooster but I must take you to task for not mentioning the passing of my dear old pal 'Jethro' ,who succumbed' tohis fight with the dreaded Covid, one of the funniest Non PC comedians the UK has ever produced. His popularity amongst the UK public was immense and the packed Theatres, consisting of the 'silent majority' was always evidence of this.

 

RIP mate, Denzil and I and many others mourn your passing

[KhunLA]

Racism ... invented by racist for their personal agenda.

 

2 adjectives is more than enough for fellow humans ... nice & A-hole.  Don't need to tell anyone or know anything else about you.  

[Tropposurfer]

2 hours ago, The Cipher said:

The number of overtly racist comments on this board is mind blowingly high. "The Russians" "The Indians "The Chinese", it's nuts.

 

But at the same time I don't think it's racism born of malice so much as it is an expression of frustration by older people who have seen people of other cultures advance in the world and feel that said advancement has come at their own expense.

 

Many older farang don't feel as important as they used to, and that loss in status has made them bitter. ????‍♂️

My stature hasn't changed much ... my excuse is I am just getting old and therefore a cranky old bar steward

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Racism ... invented by racist for their personal agenda.

 

2 adjectives is more than enough for fellow humans ... nice & A-hole.  Don't need to tell anyone or know anything else about you.  

Invented by people to describe a scourge afflicting society.

[Tropposurfer]

As a student of the human psyche for 30 years I would refer ALL READERS HERE to Jane Elliott's work around racism. Google her and watch her 'blue eyed blonde hair' and other videos.

If you didn't/don't think you were or are till either tacitly or actively racist I guarantee, if you are open minded and self-reflective enough, you'll change your opinion of yourselves and your upbringing after you do.

[Jingthing]

Could someone post links to the videos alluded to in the article? Thank you.

[Mac Mickmanus]

24 minutes ago, dundas said:

I'm a white Australian and had never knowingly experienced racism as the recipient of it until I was checking in for a Qantas flight to Australia. This was in SGN and the Vietnamese woman behind the counter obviously had It in for white men: she spent a long time going  through every seat she could find until she managed to find a middle seat down the back. It didn't matter to her that I had a pre-assigned aisle seat at the front of the economy cabin. So I went from the best seat in economy to one of the worst. Once on the plane I realised what she'd done, then found 'my' pre-assigned seat at the front of economy hadn't been re-allocated to anyone else, and so I claimed it back.  Truly small beer, and nothing compared to what people of different races experience every day.

 

are you sure that was because of racism ?

Airlines need to spread the passengers out because of weight issues and the aircraft needing  being balanced when taking off and landing 

[mtls2005]

On the plus side, there haven't been any "blackface" faux pas for quite a while.

 

And Nazi cosplay seems to have ebbed, although that might be down to COVID-related school closures?

 

 

[ozimoron]

8 minutes ago, Tropposurfer said:

As a student of the human psyche for 30 years I would refer ALL READERS HERE to Jane Elliott's work around racism. Google her and watch her 'blue eyed blonde hair' and other videos.

If you didn't/don't think you were or are till either tacitly or actively racist I guarantee, if you are open minded and self-reflective enough, you'll change your opinion of yourselves and your upbringing after you do.

Nothing in her work supports your contention that all people are inherently racist. All she did was incite tribalism (nationalism) in a group of children. It's obvious that humans have visibly different physical traits but her propaganda did not establish that racism was inherent in the human condition.

[Chris.B]

" I left troubled Thatcherite Britain in the early eighties "

 

Op clearly has a far leftist agenda and 'Woke' with it. ☹️

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

4 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

On the plus side, there haven't been any "blackface" faux pas for quite a while.

 

And Nazi cosplay seems to have ebbed, although that might be down to COVID-related school closures?

 

 

Cosplay is costume play , people just dress up in various uniforms , it doesn't signify any political beliefs  

[ozimoron]

Just now, Mac Mickmanus said:

Cosplay is costume play , people just dress up in various uniforms , it doesn't signify any political beliefs  

That doesn't preclude it from being offensive whether intentional or not which is why black face, golliwogs and wearing of nazi uniforms is either illegal or frowned upon by society, not just the "woke" leftist fringe.

[chang1]

2 hours ago, Card said:

The only valid judges that someone is not racist is not yourself. They are those who are the victims of racism because, unless you are subjected to racism, you will hardly notice that it is going on in front of your eyes and ears.

First we need to define racism.  We all make judgments about people based on how they look, sound and act to decide how to interact with them. I see absolutely nothing wrong with this as we can then adjust our behaviour and be more empathetic with their culture. 

Racism has been mixed up with the totally different act of being prejudiced in a negative way. Although racism is pre judging people, it doesn't have to be in a bad way or xenophobic. Positive racism is also a thing which can be counter productive. People being given an unfair advantage is resented either way. Education, equality and respect are the way forward and progress is being made around the world but Thailand has a long way to go.

Then there is the question that no western politician would ever be able to ask - would  Thais (or insert country of your choice) be happier if there where a minimal amount of foreigners in the country or should the borders be relaxed? 

How someone answers that question is more of an indicator of racism - I, like most people, am racist. 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Humans are hard wired for all kinds of harmful things. Including murder. Ideally socialization mitigates rather than inflames such impulses.

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, chang1 said:

First we need to define racism.  We all make judgments about people based on how they look, sound and act to decide how to interact with them. I see absolutely nothing wrong with this as we can then adjust our behaviour and be more empathetic with their culture. 

Racism has been mixed up with the totally different act of being prejudiced in a negative way. Although racism is pre judging people, it doesn't have to be in a bad way or xenophobic. Positive racism is also a thing which can be counter productive. People being given an unfair advantage is resented either way. Education, equality and respect are the way forward and progress is being made around the world but Thailand has a long way to go.

Then there is the question that no western politician would ever be able to ask - would  Thais (or insert country of your choice) be happier if there where a minimal amount of foreigners in the country or should the borders be relaxed? 

How someone answers that question is more of an indicator of racism - I, like most people, am racist. 

 

 

Your proposition that every politician would respond to that question in the negative is flawed. Only racists would, Ask that question of a Singapore politician or any politician of a minority ethnic origin in any country.

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Finally thanks for reading this far. It’s a very long column and every week I’m both criticized and praised for that. Don’t expect any change and stay tuned for next week’s 300th edition of The Week That Was.

Sorry, I didn't read that far, I hoped for a summary at the end of the long long text.

You could do what the professionals do: Use some formatting, sub headlines, etc.. Then maybe more of us would be motivated to actually read it - if that is what you want.

[KhunLA]

28 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Invented by people to describe a scourge afflicting society.

Only because they (racist) say it is so.  I avoid those circles.