Farang Acknowledging Farang

[john b good]

I dont acknowledge or smile to people I dont know at home so why should I do it here?

If I was on the Skytrain and a lot of people suddenly started smiling at me I would get very paranoid.

Yes and if you looked down and saw that you had pi*sed yourself you would know why they were smiling

[Rascal]

I say hello to everyone, I'm just addicted to being polite in public, except to people who wear camoflage trousers, I'll normally walk up to them and kick them in the back of the leg and say "Sorry, I didn't see you there" I never saw the point of camoflage clothing, unless say, you were in an army.

LMAO! I love it! What is UP with those camouflage pants???

I wouldn't mind greeting or talking to most Farangs, but I generally just smile. Many Farangs smell soooooooo noxious and toxic in this climate that you can't even get within shouting distance of one without choking. If any 'strong-odoured' guys are reading this, PLEASE start using stronger deodorant!

[Englishman]

say you're on a skytrain or some other public place, will you acknowledge another solitary farang with a nod, hi, or smile ?

....... No.

(I spent 7 years in London)

[kat]

At last, some acknowledgement (Thanks Amyji)! That is what I mean. You see, I don't want to turn this into a negative encounter between farang men and women, but I get the distinct impression much of the time that most farang men here don't even want to acknowledge our existence. I'm not even talking about flirting, but just simple human acknowledgement of the sort that this thread was started about.

This has then influenced me to just not expect much comradere or even simple human acknowlegement from much of the male expat population here. But this is a forum of discussion between expats. Let me pose the question again: Is this presumption wrong, or is it just me? Is there a cold war here in LOS between expat men and women?

[PvtDick]

Most farang men don't acknowledge ANY other farang, whether male or female.

For myself, if someone smiles or nods at me, I will do so back. Otherwise, I do not initiate anything special. After all, we may not have anything in common other than the color of our skin; why make any acknowledgement of farangs over and above what one would do with people of other races?

Bangkok is too big and crowded a city to go around smiling and nodding your head at everyone who passes by. I will smile and maybe say "sawasdee khrap" or "good morning" if there is only one or two other people in the elevator with me at home or the office -- or in other similar close quarters. And, of course, if it is someone I know or see often (i.e., people who live or work in the same neighborhood as me, etc.). Otherwise, no special greeting dispensation based on similar-colored skin.

[Boon Mee]

I wouldn't mind greeting or talking to most Farangs, but I generally just smile.  Many Farangs smell soooooooo noxious and toxic in this climate that you can't even get within shouting distance of one without choking.  If any 'strong-odoured' guys are reading this, PLEASE start using stronger deodorant!

Generally it's the European ones that smell bad. Americans tend to take more baths!

[meemiathai]

I tend to nod and smile, especially at other women. Sometimes it elicits no response. I now practically ignore most farang men, because many of them seem to go out of their way to ignore farang women. Is it just me?

You can smile at me anytime and a smile back is guaranteed!

[meemiathai]

"Mexican"? Would that be "Spanish", to the rest of us?

BTW, how's my French after reading all my posts?

[meemiathai]

So i'm the only one that Wai's them

How much booze do you drink a day?

[The Gentleman Scamp]

I always try to smile and be friendly with everyone..... however some of the blank stares I get back from some farangs can be a bit annoying !  Maybe they're better than me !!

My sentiments exactly!

In fact, this is the same topic as the one I starte... ..this is the same topic as the one that (ahem) Ambassador started on expat snobbery - very similar anyway, only this one has had a better response.

[meemiathai]

I dont acknowledge or smile to people I dont know at home so why should I do it here?

If I was on the Skytrain and a lot of people suddenly started smiling at me I would get very paranoid.

I dont acknowledge or smile to people I dont know at home so why should I do it here when I'm in Antartica?

[meemiathai]

say you're on a skytrain or some other public place, will you acknowledge another solitary farang with a nod, hi, or smile ?

....... No.

(I spent 7 years in London)

Kau jai maaaaaaaaaaaaaaak kup!!!!

[meemiathai]

I'm not even talking about flirting, but just simple human acknowledgement of the sort that this thread was started about.

Strange but this is exactly the petty things I'm looking for everywhere.

[Dickie]

Dunno about a war between the sexes but it's a fact that having a woman with you in BKK for most men is a bit limiting unless you came together.

It's not even about shagging. I was knocking about with this German woman one day, doing sightseeing stuff. After all that I fancied a beer and a game of pool. Most pool tables come complete with bar and girls. The German woman didn't want to go in there, though she played pool. She went back to the guesthouse and I had my beer and played pool with the girls. If she'd stayed I'd have played pool with her.

I didn't pull.

[Davidcharles]

Hey! I thought I was the only one who avoided eye contact with other Farangs.....

(Don't like the look of most of them in Pattaya)

Thanks guys, this post has made me feel a whole lot better.

[cathyy]

kat, amyii, you aren't imagining things. I have been to LoS with my husband and also alone. I was quite literally invisible to farang men other than my husband. A good number of the farang men in LoS are there for the Thai women. While I would greatly appreciate ordinary civility from these men, their radar is set for sexual targets only, it seems, and all else is filtered out. I don't take offense at it.

[sick buffalo]

At last, some acknowledgement (Thanks Amyji)! That is what I mean. You see, I don't want to turn this into a negative encounter between farang men and women, but I get the distinct impression much of the time that most farang men here don't even want to acknowledge our existence. I'm not even talking about flirting, but just simple human acknowledgement of the sort that this thread was started about.

This has then influenced me to just not expect much comradere or even simple human acknowlegement from much of the male expat population here. But this is a forum of discussion between expats. Let me pose the question again: Is this presumption wrong, or is it just me? Is there a cold war here in LOS between expat men and women?

If there is a war, someone forgot to tell me. I can see why you would think that.

I don't think it is intentional. But most guys can see farang women in their own country any time and probably got their eye's peeled looking for that hot looking Thai chick walking down the soi.

[bkkbound04]

Hey! I thought I was the only one who avoided eye contact with other Farangs.....

(Don't like the look of most of them in Pattaya)

Thanks guys, this post has made me feel a whole lot better.

pattaya that bad then?

[PvtDick]

In a word: YES!