Why are westerners so offended over the word farang? Get over it.

[Neeranam]

 

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

This is the same for many people who are voicing their distaste at the use of the word farang in certain situations....  They don’t let it ruin their day, they probably don’t even raise an eyebrow. However, when asked for their opinion on the subject in a forum such as this they voice their opinion. 

The day my daughter was born in Bamrungrad 20 years ago, I went to the toilet and two guys walked in and called me 'farang kee nok'. I was shocked and left speechless; any other day, it might have ruined it. If we want to be part of society here, we simply can't be door mats and say nothing in situations like this. 

We need a Rosa Parks. 

[Sparktrader]

Farang kii nok is worse. Suggesting all foreigners are low life and tight with money.

 

I heard that said to me on KSR cause I wouldn't pay a high price. I didn't respond just thought that woman is a piece of trash. Abusing customers for choosing not to be ripped off.

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Been called names since I was 5yo. No big deal, just pointing out it's wrong. Gringo is also a racist word. You would know that one.

 

Racists everywhere yet "whites" always cop the blame. 

Gringo is an interesting word.

 

It's very rarely used in the US, whereas it is in Central and South America.

 

Funnily enough I've been called a Gringo when visiting family in Guadalajara.

 

I look like the natives, I'm speaking Spanish, but I can't help a thick American accent on top of my Spanish.

 

But not offended cos it's more in fun than anything else.

 

Maybe that's where you draw the line. Is something said in fun, or to be malicious?

[Sparktrader]

Just now, GinBoy2 said:

Gringo is an interesting word.

 

It's very rarely used in the US, whereas it is in Central and South America.

 

Funnily enough I've been called a Gringo when visiting family in Guadalajara.

 

I look like the natives, I'm speaking Spanish, but I can't help a thick American accent on top of my Spanish.

 

But not offended cos it's more in fun than anything else.

 

Maybe that's where you draw the line. Is something said in fun, or to be malicious?

If people are joking thats ok. Jokes and serious talk are different.

[Neeranam]

1 minute ago, Sparktrader said:

Farang kii nok is worse. Suggesting all foreigners are low life and tight with money.

 

I heard that said to me on KSR cause I wouldn't pay a high price. I didn't respond just thought that woman is a piece of trash. Abusing customers for choosing not to be ripped off.

That's actually 'farang kee NGok', which means cheapskate.

[richard_smith237]

10 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

The fact is that Australian and British universities charge foreign students much more than locals. If these countries stopped practices like this then maybe Thailand would reciprocate. 

Sure, the prospective student could go and live there for 3 years before studying, but likewise the expat in Thailand could get Citizenship is married and worked here for 3 years then get the local price for things. 

No... The fact is every one is treated exactly the same, no matter their race or nationality. 

 

This is not dual pricing in the same manner as the dual pricing we see in Thailand in national parks where we even present a Pink ID card, or a Work Permit etc, a Thai Driving licence but are not charged based on a residential status, but on our nationality alone. 

 

 

This is quite different... You are being deliberately obtuse if failing to recognise the different between being charged based on nationality vs residency. 

 

 

You have not been able to find an example whereby in the West (i.e Europe, Australia, NZ, North America) people are charged more solely on nationality. 

 

I would be interested to see such an example... But, even then... that does not make it agreeable and does not justify dual pricing in Thailand. 

 

You seem to think that ‘because you (miss understandingly) believe dual pricing exists elsewhere then its ok that it exists in Thailand’......   Your logic is broken - even IF it happens else where, that is no justification that makes it right or acceptable. 

 

Unfortunately....  this is an example where you could be accused of being a ’Thai Apologist’...  

 

And this is also an example where you may want to accuse me being a ’Thai basher’ - but I have simply pointed out facts.

- Dual pricing exists based on Nationality in Thailand, I dont have any examples of that happening in the North America, Australasia, Europe, where any preferential rates are awarded solely on residency basis regardless of natality or race. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sparktrader]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

That's actually 'farang kee NGok', which means cheapskate.

Bird poo is actually worse than being just tight. It's not just cheapskate it's like calling someone dog poo tourist.

 

Rather rude.

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

 

The day my daughter was born in Bamrungrad 20 years ago, I went to the toilet and two guys walked in and called me 'farang kee nok'. I was shocked and left speechless; any other day, it might have ruined it. If we want to be part of society here, we simply can't be door mats and say nothing in situations like this. 

We need a Rosa Parks. 

That I agree with....   Farang Kee-ngok (cheap foreign) is clearly a slur....  but one really needs to look at the class and socio-economic status of the person delivering such a slur.... 

 

To be honest, I’m very surprised to hear it in Bumrungrad where most Thais would be at least reasonably well educated.

 

But.. its not a term I can recall hearing... I guess i’d hear it more if I was doing some hard bargaining in an area which has a lot of tourism where tourism is taken for granted. 

 

 

[Sparktrader]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

That I agree with....   Farang Kee-ngok (cheap foreign) is clearly a slur....  but one really needs to look at the class and socio-economic status of the person delivering such a slur.... 

 

To be honest, I’m very surprised to hear it in Bumrungrad where most Thais would be at least reasonably well educated.

 

But.. its not a term I can recall hearing... I guess i’d hear it more if I was doing some hard bargaining in an area which has a lot of tourism where tourism is taken for granted. 

 

 

Only got called it once. KSR atttracts some trashy Thais.

 

Most country Thais very nice and polite. I took my  Thai gf to Phuket. She was shocked how rude and aggressive Thais were. She had no idea. Trying to overcharge on everything.

[EVENKEEL]

23 pages, good job Web....whatever.

[jayjay2001]

On 4/21/2022 at 9:46 AM, BritManToo said:

But calling a person 'khun farang', 'lung farang', 'pee farang', etc would be polite.

I had a bargirl once say to me,  'pee farang',  I didn't mind at all. She liked watersports. 

[Neeranam]

27 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

You seem to think that ‘because you (miss understandingly) believe dual pricing exists elsewhere then its ok that it exists in Thailand’......   Your logic is broken - even IF it happens else where, that is no justification that makes it right or acceptable. 

I've never said that. But I think dual pricing is OK, but expats that can show a residency card should get some discount, maybe not as much as Thai.  The pink ID is a farce - they have just lazily thrown expats along with migrant workers - they should give some kind of resident's card in order to get the discount, not this migrant's card which they didn't even change the 'need written document for leaving the province'.

 

I've only ever been refused the discounted price in one place, when showing Thai DL or speaking to them in Thai, they give it. 

Should they let retirees get the discount? The logistics are too difficult. Is it a retired guy living here for 2 years, for 6 months a year or 1 month. 

 

[Neeranam]

34 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

That I agree with....   Farang Kee-ngok (cheap foreign) is clearly a slur....  but one really needs to look at the class and socio-economic status of the person delivering such a slur.... 

 

To be honest, I’m very surprised to hear it in Bumrungrad where most Thais would be at least reasonably well educated.

 

But.. its not a term I can recall hearing... I guess i’d hear it more if I was doing some hard bargaining in an area which has a lot of tourism where tourism is taken for granted. 

 

 

I was shocked hearing it there too, esp as I had  just come from work, wearing smart clothes. Actually farang kee nok is used to refer to scruffy foreigners, for cheap ones it's farang kee NGOK. But many get these confused, even Thais. 

[zzaa09]

30 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

23 pages, good job Web....whatever.

Yet, most are easily deceived and manipulated into such things. 

Whatever.

[Berkshire]

42 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

- Dual pricing exists based on Nationality in Thailand, I dont have any examples of that happening in the North America, Australasia, Europe, where any preferential rates are awarded solely on residency basis regardless of natality or race. 

 

 

Fact:  A farang golfer in Chiang Mai with a valid Thailand Driver's License will pay the local price for green fees.  So in this and many other cases, it's based on residency, not nationality.

 

You are wrong.

[TropicalGuy]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Why would a pink card (really for migrant workers) that says "non-Thai" on the front allow you to get Thai discount? 

Because it’s a Thai National ID.

Interior Ministry issued it to me as Foreigner Housebook holder. It has proven a completely useless item.

[Speedhump]

This clickbait is a joke. I don't know a single farang who is upset by the term. Go back to sleep. 

[Speedhump]

On 4/21/2022 at 9:47 AM, Neeranam said:

No, it's Persian. 

 

A corruption of ferenghee (or similar), the terms has been in use for 500-odd years: Arabic and Persian: 

 

1500s firingi, 1600s fringe, frangee, 1700s feringy, firingy, 1800s faringee, ferenghi, feringhee; ferangi.(

Frequency (in current use):  Show frequency band information

Etymology: An eastern adoption of Frank n.¹, with Arabic ethnic suffix -i; in Arabic faranjī, in Persian farangī.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Speedhump
Speeling and grammer

[TropicalGuy]

44 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

Fact:  A farang golfer in Chiang Mai with a valid Thailand Driver's License will pay the local price for green fees.  So in this and many other cases, it's based on residency, not nationality.

 

You are wrong.

TDL nothing to do with Residency though. TDL can be obtained by foreigners of any visa status. TDL has widespread acceptance & respect from thai public & private sectors as Thai Govt. Photo ID. 

[TropicalGuy]

11 minutes ago, TropicalGuy said:

Because it’s a Thai National ID.

Interior Ministry issued it to me as Foreigner Housebook holder. It has proven a completely useless item.

Never experienced any serious  “ dual pricing” here. Different Govt. Medical Tariffs reflect different state entitlements. National Parks & Aquariums ? Seriously? That’s all ?  West has discounts for Old & Students.

Now when restaurants, airlines & stores start doing it THEN it’s Serious & for me Intolerable. 

[richard_smith237]

57 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

- Dual pricing exists based on Nationality in Thailand, I dont have any examples of that happening in the North America, Australasia, Europe, where any preferential rates are awarded solely on residency basis regardless of natality or race. 

 

 

Expand  

Fact:  A farang golfer in Chiang Mai with a valid Thailand Driver's License will pay the local price for green fees.  So in this and many other cases, it's based on residency, not nationality.

 

You are wrong.

You have really failed to grasp the discussion. 

 

You don’t think dual pricing exists because it doesn’t at a golf course in Chiang Mai ???

 

Thats a ridiculous argument, flawed at a basic level and highlights an inability to critically evaluate the issue. 

 

There are loads of examples in Thailand where fair pricing exists, but that is not a valid point to counter that dual pricing based on nationality alone does not exists. 

 

Dual pricing based on nationality alone exists in many places, thats why there are campaigns against it and so many news articles and threads about it. 

 

Meanwhile, extremely difficult to find an example where dual pricing on nationality alone exists in Western countries - prove me wrong, find one example. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

Should they let retirees get the discount? The logistics are too difficult. Is it a retired guy living here for 2 years, for 6 months a year or 1 month. 

Yes they should. 

 

Any foreigner who lives in Thailand could easily be issued a residency card to carry around with them.

It would also resolve the issue of the legal requirement to carry government issued photo ID (i.e. passports). 

 

 

As far as dual pricing is concerned - all the government needs to do is to set a legal precedent and put in place laws which makes dual pricing illegal - IF a foreign resident of Thailand can prove their resident status, i.e. Yellow house Book, driving licence etc then that should be sufficient. 

 

Instead, Thailand operates ’state sanctioned dual pricing’ in public hospitals and national parks etc. 

There is no excuse or justification for this, I find it despicable.

In every thread I read about dual pricing, there is not one single argument I have read which justifies this beyond greed - each argument in support of or justifying dual pricing is flawed can be easily countered.

 

This is why the ’word’ farang is unacceptable when used in certain circumstances - it sends the message that we are ’not equal’... I think it is this underlying connotation which some fined distasteful and it manifests itself in the attitudes which lead to dual pricing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Berkshire]

12 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

You have really failed to grasp the discussion. 

 

You don’t think dual pricing exists because it doesn’t at a golf course in Chiang Mai ???

 

Thats a ridiculous argument, flawed at a basic level and highlights an inability to critically evaluate the issue. 

 

There are loads of examples in Thailand where fair pricing exists, but that is not a valid point to counter that dual pricing based on nationality alone does not exists. 

 

Dual pricing based on nationality alone exists in many places, thats why there are campaigns against it and so many news articles and threads about it. 

 

Meanwhile, extremely difficult to find an example where dual pricing on nationality alone exists in Western countries - prove me wrong, find one example. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I never said dual-pricing didn't exist.  It surely does.  But you're constantly trying to play the race card, insisting it's based on race/nationality.  My point is that in most instances, if one can prove residency (i.e., TDL), one can get the local rate.  Not all the time, but most times.

[Doctor Tom]

I can't believe that this boring, over debated subject has attracted over 600 posts.  Time to move on.  I suggest a new forum rule.  This subject can't be raised again by anyone for the next 5 years, on pain of immediate banishment . 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Doctor Tom

[richard_smith237]

34 minutes ago, TropicalGuy said:

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

Fact:  A farang golfer in Chiang Mai with a valid Thailand Driver's License will pay the local price for green fees.  So in this and many other cases, it's based on residency, not nationality.

 

You are wrong.

TDL nothing to do with Residency though. TDL can be obtained by foreigners of any visa status. TDL has widespread acceptance & respect from thai public & private sectors as Thai Govt. Photo ID. 

It's difficult to get a Thai Drivers licence on a Tourist Visa or a Visa Exempt arrival.

 

The UK Embassy will not issue an Affirmation of Residence letter to those on Tourist Visa’s or Visa Exempt stamps (this may not be so for other Embassies who still issue the letter).

Immigration will *not issue a letter of Residence Unless one has submitted a 90 day report. 

 

*I think Chiang Mai is exception to this and will issue a letter of residence without a 90 day report, but will not to tourist visa or visa exempt stamp holders. 

 

Nevertheless - those who have a resident letter have taken measures to prove they are resident here. 

Regular tourists do not go to those lengths. 

 

Thus: In ‘most’ cases, to obtain a Thai Drivers licence a foreigner has already proven they are resident and living here on more than a visa exempt stamp. 

 

 

 

 

[olfu]

...offended?

Quite opposite--I like it.And in Latin America I am gringo and in US tax payer.

[richard_smith237]

13 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

I never said dual-pricing didn't exist.  It surely does.  But you're constantly trying to play the race card, insisting it's based on race/nationality. 

No.. I’m not playing the race card... but where dual pricing is concerned, it is often based on race (against white foreigners) - But that is not my argument, my argument is that dual pricing in Thailand is based on nationality, i.e. not being Thai. 

 

People have argued that ‘dual pricing exists elsewhere’... I am countering that dual pricing doesn’t exist elsewhere (western nations) based on nationality. And where there is dual pricing based on residency, anyone of any national can obtain residences and receive equal treatment as other residents regardless of nationality. 

 

That is the key difference between dual pricing in Thailand (and some other countries) and the examples some are trying to use from western countries. 

 

13 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

My point is that in most instances, if one can prove residency (i.e., TDL), one can get the local rate.  Not all the time, but most times.

I agree, in many cases the  local Thai ‘driving licence’ works and gets the local price, as a local driving licence should anywhere in the world.

 

But the government still sanction state sponsored dual pricing which to me highlights the same undertones as the use of the word ‘farang’.....    its normalising something potentially derogatory. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by richard_smith237

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

I can't believe that this boring, over debated subject has attracted over 600 posts.  Time to move on.  I suggest a new forum rule.  This subject can't be raised again by anyone for the next 5 years, on pain of immediate banishment . 

Yet you feel compelled to lengthen it by one more post.... 

 

You could simply just scroll over the thread and ignore it if you don’t want to read or participate... 

 

just sayin..... 

[Purdey]

8 hours ago, NanLaew said:

You are aware that wiki isn't the Encyclopedia Britannica and that statements, comments and facts stated therein can be personal opinions and hearsay that hasn't been moderated yet.

 

I would wager that a lot of contributors to wiki are farangs as well.

The answer is simply to search for a site you trust.

[richard_smith237]

43 minutes ago, TropicalGuy said:

Never experienced any serious  “ dual pricing” here. Different Govt. Medical Tariffs reflect different state entitlements. National Parks & Aquariums ? Seriously? That’s all ?  West has discounts for Old & Students.

Now when restaurants, airlines & stores start doing it THEN it’s Serious & for me Intolerable. 

Again... flawed argument.

 

The discounts for the old and students apply to the old and students of any nationality - all you have to do is prove your age / prove you are a student. 

 

IF The discounts for the old in the west (chose any) applied to the old of only the host nationality, that would be dual pricing and wholly disagreeable - but it doesn’t happen, it applies to the old of any nationality. 

 

IF The discounts for students in the west (chose any) applied to the students of only the host nationality, that again would be dual pricing and wholly disagreeable - but it doesn’t happen, they apply to students of any nationality. 

 

--------

 

And... ‘some’ hotels do exercise dual pricing - I just cancelled a Test&Go package with Grande Centre point T21 because they dual charge foreigners more. 

 

I’ve also walked out of restaurants and other hotels for their dual pricing policy. 

 

Recently I was on holiday with a group of Thai’s (other Thai parents from my Son’s school).

We took a trip to an Island which was part of a national park - I saw national park guys there but they seemed relaxed and didn’t bother me. 

 

I didn’t think anything of it, until that evening when my Wife told me that one of the other Thai guys paid for me, he was so embarrassed that the park officers wanted to charge me 400 Baht and the Thai’s 40 Baht.