Difference Between North And South Thailand

[junglist]

Racism has a large role in Hindu culture. Thai culture is deeply rooted in Hindu culture. It has been like this for thousands of years and has become transparent to the Thais.

[MaiDong]

I've not heard that word for lazy before.

Kee-ge-et ขี้เกียจ in town

Jack-a-doo in the mountains (no idea of spelling)

Perhaps you could spell it in Thai for me.

Looks like he was trying to say 'stingy' or 'tight arsed'(I'm not sure why though...) - kee-nee-aow, or how ever you want to write it

Edited September 29, 2009 by MaiDong

[slapout]

It would appear that Thailand does not fit the stereotype nationalist profile of the western world when observed by the non Thai/analogically. Look at Thailand on a Province level vs Asia, Europe, Russia, North and South America, Australia, etc. The racism; economic, language, skin color, dress, age, health, etc perceived seem very similar to the rest of the civilized world, maybe just just not as subdued as we were brought up to be.

[bina]

my korat husband's ethnic slur for anyone in israel that is 'scummy minority type' is 'khmen'... when we would say 'kurdistani' or 'xxxxfill in the blanks for ethnic slur type'. among all the 'russians' here, between themselves they are amazingly racist based on skin, hair colour, language (uzbakestan vx. latvia vx ukraine )

the northeasterners are not keen on the southerners, and laugh at the hill tribe types; husband also doesnt like city slickers from anywhere, but also laughs at the issan (men baw!) speakers. as far as he is concerned, korat is the center of the universe )

bina

israel

forgot to add that here in israel, all thai are 'thailandi' therefore eat dogs and drink and smell like garlic. and we are all ethinic minorities, just some are more minority or more ethnic then others....)

[sbk]

Northerners like to throw the jaidum epithet at southerners. Southerners think Northerners are sneaky and manipulative. Most of the country thinks Isaan are country bumpkins and Bangkok people greedy.

How the regional divisions in Thialand are any different than any other country, I don't know. I hear Southern English people go on about Northern cave men, Northern US A going on about Southern hillbillies, Northern Germans claiming Bavarians aren't real Germans. Etc etc.

[samran]

Every region here has its stereotypes about the others.

Southerners tend to be more upfront about things, which pisses off many 'greng jai' types in the central and northern region. At best they are rude, at worst, terrorists.

I know it is controversial to say this, but I reckon most westerners who struggle in Thailand and its cultural sensitivities about issues of 'face' should move down south if they want to survive. People there tend to call a spade a spade a bit more frequently.

[bonobo]

I knew a woman who was from northeastern Bangkok.  When her small community decided to split off from Bangkok (to somehow benefit more from the new airport), she was absolutely devastated because she would then be a "country girl," not a Bangkok woman.  She was seriously upset as to how it would affect her status.

Of course, as others have pointed out, in this regard, Thailand is no different than just about any other country.  "We" are better than "you," whomever "we" and "you" are, is a natural part of the human condition.

[samran]

I knew a woman who was from northeastern Bangkok.  When her small community decided to split off from Bangkok (to somehow benefit more from the new airport), she was absolutely devastated because she would then be a "country girl," not a Bangkok woman.  She was seriously upset as to how it would affect her status.

Of course, as others have pointed out, in this regard, Thailand is no different than just about any other country.  "We" are better than "you," whomever "we" and "you" are, is a natural part of the human condition.

Springfield vs Shelbyville.

Monorail....!!!

[IssanCalling]

We do not send our siblings to work in brothels knowing full well the stories of "Office work" are false.

Piss off to Sakhon Nakon and eat dogs if you do not like it here.

Just for the record not all areas of Sakon Nakhon eat dog, furthermore my wife is from Sakon Nakhon we have property there as well as Hua Hin and the UK and NO she does not eat dog and her parents did not sell her to the sex (Ooops Office Industry)

I personally find people from the south & central and people from the north to have some fundamentally different issues and attitudes towards the hole life thing but then I think we could say the same for people from the south of England to people from the north of Scotland.

[vagabond48]

In regards to comparisons being made here, between southern people and others, where does the southern region of Thailand start? There was mention of southern Muslim people but they reside primarily in 3 small provinces in the farthest southern part of Thailand.

According to a wiki web page the south consists of 9 provinces

1. Chumphon (ชุมพร)

2. Krabi (กระบี่)

3. Nakhon Si Thammarat (นครศรีธรรมราช)

4. Narathiwat (นราธิวาส)

5. Pattani (ปัตตานี)

6. Phang Nga (พังงา)

7. Phatthalung (พัทลุง)

8. Phuket (ภูเก็ต)

9. Ranong (ระนอง)

10. Satun (สตูล)

11. Songkhla (สงขลา)

12. Surat Thani (สุราษฎร์ธานี)

13. Trang (ตรัง)

14. Yala (ยะลา)

I love spicy hot food. The food in CM where I currently live generally isn't very spicy. If I ever get down to the South, where can I find the very spicy dishes?

[Geekfreaklover]

my korat husband's ethnic slur for anyone in israel that is 'scummy minority type' is 'khmen'... when we would say 'kurdistani' or 'xxxxfill in the blanks for ethnic slur type'. among all the 'russians' here, between themselves they are amazingly racist based on skin, hair colour, language (uzbakestan vx. latvia vx ukraine )

the northeasterners are not keen on the southerners, and laugh at the hill tribe types; husband also doesnt like city slickers from anywhere, but also laughs at the issan (men baw!) speakers. as far as he is concerned, korat is the center of the universe )

bina

israel

forgot to add that here in israel, all thai are 'thailandi' therefore eat dogs and drink and smell like garlic. and we are all ethinic minorities, just some are more minority or more ethnic then others.... )

Bina, you do know that Korat is in Isaan right?

[astral]

Southerners think Northerners are sneaky and manipulative.

Thaksin came from the North............

Does that have anything to do with it??

[SpoliaOpima]

With Col T it was the double whammy for sneaky and manipulative, 'jeen neua', ie Chinese from the north. Bangkok Thais also talk about jeen isaan, Chinese from the northeast, similarly.

By the way northern Thais often refer to everyone south of the northern region, including Bangkokians, as khon tai - southerners. Central Thais in general have much more affinity with southern Thais than with northern or northeastern Thais. Bangkok is a different case because well over a third of the population is of Chinese descent and if you're talking about middle class and above it's probably 80%. The first time my Minburi wife rode the BTS with me, she commented about how nearly all the faces were Chinese.

As far as Lanna being distinguishable from Isan, of course it is but the similarities are much greater than the differences, starting with the language. Of course the northerners hate to concede that because they need someone to look down upon. Meanwhile in Isan they laugh at the Lao across the border.

When it comes to ethnic diversity, Thailand is a lot more varied than most Westerners think when they first arrive here. I have lived in all four regions of Thailand. I used to love northerners but once I learned Thai well enough to really understand what people were saying I came to like Bangkokians most. They're more likely to be educated and have a more open world view than the folks in the provinces. I was the same way in my country, preferred city people to country people. YMMV ...

[MRnell]

Just woundering, not to offend any person on here. But from what i have seen in the past 6 to 7 years here is there is a thing that the people from the south say from Cha Am south think they are better than the people from the north,,because I hang out with people from both areas and listen to thais from the south talk about the people from the north like they are less than, they are. They tell me most of the girls in the gogo bars are from the issan area and say things that I find not to pleasant.

can anyone else shed some more light on this for me because I see it but have a hard time relating to what they are saying and doing

To say that most of the girls in a gogo bar are from issan is not fair , what I know is that many girls who work in bars in Pattaya are from Issan , many girls that work in bars in Phuket from the south ......

[mca]

my korat husband's ethnic slur for anyone in israel that is 'scummy minority type' is 'khmen'... when we would say 'kurdistani' or 'xxxxfill in the blanks for ethnic slur type'. among all the 'russians' here, between themselves they are amazingly racist based on skin, hair colour, language (uzbakestan vx. latvia vx ukraine )

the northeasterners are not keen on the southerners, and laugh at the hill tribe types; husband also doesnt like city slickers from anywhere, but also laughs at the issan (men baw!) speakers. as far as he is concerned, korat is the center of the universe )

bina

israel

forgot to add that here in israel, all thai are 'thailandi' therefore eat dogs and drink and smell like garlic. and we are all ethinic minorities, just some are more minority or more ethnic then others.... )

Bina, you do know that Korat is in Isaan right?

One of my wife's staff is from Korat and gets quite arsey with me when I tell her that central Thailand starts in Saraburi.

[mca]

Meanwhile in Isan they laugh at the Lao across the border.

I've found the opposite to be true. The Isaan folks seem to have an affinity with their Laotian cousins. Proud to be baanok basically.

Same as where I came from in the UK. Small rural city. Londoners used to call us inbred bumpkins but our general opinion was "London? Who wants to live in that shithole?"

[KarenBravo]

In terms of people from the South, I really do see two distinct personalities based on religious affiliation. My last visit down there was quite a while ago, before the current troubles. Yala, Narithawat, and Pattani. What struck me was that if I went into a shop or restaurant that was owned by Muslims, they tended to not be very friendly or downright unfriendly...to the point that I would simply leave and go to another shop or restaurant. If a shop or restaurant was owned by Buddhists, I would find a much friendlier attitude.

Yet, I, who live in Phuket have found the local Muslims hard-working, honest and the only Thais here who understand the word "honour".

[maahuanao]

I stay in the very up North and can say people here are khi nijau , they really are , lazy but easy going

Isn't that khi kiat?

[SpoliaOpima]

Meanwhile in Isan they laugh at the Lao across the border.

I've found the opposite to be true. The Isaan folks seem to have an affinity with their Laotian cousins. Proud to be baanok basically.

Same as where I came from in the UK. Small rural city. Londoners used to call us inbred bumpkins but our general opinion was "London? Who wants to live in that shithole?"

Do you speak Isan? I do, and have often heard Thai Isan in the border provinces (Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan and Ubon) speaking about the Lao across the border in less than flattering terms. I'm sure it depends to some degree on who you hang with.

[SpoliaOpima]

I stay in the very up North and can say people here are khi nijau , they really are , lazy but easy going

Isn't that khi kiat?

Yep.

[tijnebijn]

I stay in the very up North and can say people here are khi nijau , they really are , lazy but easy going

Isn't that khi kiat?

Yep.

Ah no I ment people are khi nijau ( stingy ) what they really are , lazy ( khi kiat indeed ) but are

also very easy going . My wording wasn't very great but ment they were all three .

Sorry for that .

Edited October 4, 2009 by tijnebijn

[Joints]

The issue is about 'belonging' to a group. I grew up in a small town. 30 miles away was a similar sized town. Ours was better, our inhabitants were smarter, nicer, richer, etc. Our football team was better and if they won it was the referee's fault.

When I went to University our entire state--including the bafoons from that other small town were smarter, nicer, richer than the next state.

Now I am in Thailand and people from my country are smarter, nicer and richer than all you other folks.

Any reason why Thais should be any different?

No, no reason at all. I think you nailed it pretty good. I find it difficult to understand why it is not so obviouse to most people who replay in this thread.