Farang Feet And Thai Culture

[LooseCannon]

What about "Never kick a policeman" and "No running on the expressway"?

Yes the feet issue is something to be mindful off, along with a the other things (touching people on the head, symbolically ducking your head, position and ordering of wais, wearing shoes in houses etc) but generally speaking western (and other) expats and especially tourists are cut a lot of slack, and very few people would take even mild offense at anything but blatent deliberate violation of these customs by a non-Thai. The younger the person, the less concerned they will be.

The likelihood of physical violence resulting from an accidental cultural faux pas or complete ignorance is extremely low. A polite request not to do it, or a laugh behind your back when you wai a bar girl, would be about as extreme a reaction as you'd possibly get. Stomping on a coin - it's not cool, but probably much less likely to get you beaten to death than farting in a lift. Licking a stamp on the other hand - that's an on-the-spot capital offence!

Some people really need to pull their heads out of their Lonely Planet guides. I'm hoping at least some of the posts above were very well disguised sarcasm or complex humour that went over my head.

One noteable exception - if the national anthem is playing and can be heard clearly, and you are somewhere where the vast majority of people have come to a stop, stop walking until it finishes. Slow reaction time when your off in dreamland plugged into your ipod is one thing, continuing to walk on when it becomes obvious is another. I've seen this numerous times and whilst I've never seen it come to serious conflict, arrest, or violence, it very evident that this is not tolerated well at all.

In stark contrast to your puerile contribution where the sarcasm is plainly evident & the humour non-existent.

"What about "Never kick a policeman" and "No running on the expressway"? - Irrelevant & pointless , but sets the tone for the rest of your post perfectly.

"Stomping on a coin - it's not cool, but probably much less likely to get you beaten to death than farting in a lift." - You may consider it "not cool" but I can assure that Thais treat this issue very seriously & suggesting that it is of less concern than 'farting in a lift' shows you to be disrespectful & ignorant.

"...get you beaten to death..." - Nothing like a bit of exaggeration & misrepresentation to reinforce a fallacious argument.

"...your personal health will probably suffer if you do it in the wrong place." - No, it's not going to cause much of a problem for a farang in most situations, but in an environment where alcohol & aggressive males are involved you would want to be very careful. I am sure you know that if a Thai were to place their foot on a coin or banknote the repercussions would be far more serious. With respect to the question in the OP, the inadvertent pointing of feet is of much less a concern than placing your foot on a coin or banknote.

"Licking a stamp on the other hand - that's an on-the-spot capital offence!" - Fatuous & contributes nothing constructive, possibly an attempt at 'non-complex' humour.

You are of course correct in what you say about farangs being 'cut a lot of slack' in regard to the pointing of feet. This point has been made abundantly clear over previous posts, but thank you for confirming it.

"Some people really need to pull their heads out of their Lonely Planet guides."- Some people really need to pull their head out of their ar*e.

[elkangorito]

I work in a Thai college. For nearly 2 years, I have been taking off my shoes (in class) etc as part of a demonstration. Occasionally, I will remove my socks & smell them, purely to demonstrate that my feet don't stink. This elicits uproarious laughter from my students. I also inform them that I love my feet as they are a part of "me". How could I possibly hate or dislike any part of me just because "somebody" has decided that all feet are bad in one way or another? You can almost here the wheels turning in their heads after I say this.

One Thai teacher has indicated to me that "the feet" are considered as "lowly or dirty" parts of the body, by Thai Culture...but this same teacher tends to agree that this is a draconian belief. She is smart enough (like most Thais whom I know) to realise that this superstition is currently a worthless contribution to Thai Culture.

In keeping with my opposition to cultures that are forced upon people, "superstitious" people make perfect puppets. Clearly, a "ministry of any culture" can play a big part to help any dictatorship/hegemony control a country. Keep people under any sort of fear & they are easily controlled.

For those people who insist upon blindly following cultural/moral rules to "appear" to maintain respect, "appearing" to do something is a lie if you disagree with or are not understanding, what you are doing. On the other hand, "genuine" human respect does not require any cultural rules to be followed. I am testimony to this as I do not follow Thailands' cultural rules. 100% of my Thai friends can recognise "genuine" human respect...& it has absolutely nothing to do with pointing feet or stomping on coins. It has everything to do with why you are pointing your feet or stomping on coins.

[Heng]

Plenty of locals are really lax about the whole feet thing nowadays, unless it's in their own homes among their own elders and family. I don't even think twice about stepping over people, stepping on someone by accident, but still do refrain from pointing at something with my foot. If I'm on one of our construction sites, and something covered with wet cement, paint, acid, etc. I most certainly am not going to use my hands to move it.

[JetsetBkk]

I work in a Thai college. For nearly 2 years, I have been taking off my shoes (in class) etc as part of a demonstration. Occasionally, I will remove my socks & smell them, purely to demonstrate that my feet don't stink. This elicits uproarious laughter from my students...

Thais often laugh at other people's misfortune and to cover up their own embarrassment at witnessing it.

[balo]

So feet sex is out of the question then......?

[Huey]

Point your feet at me and I will destroy you

Sorry Don I just couldn't resist, plus I can't sit cross legged

[medegen]

Most educated Thai's dont follow that anymore. Stop hanging around uneducated idiots(Isaan).