Racism In Thailand

[BLUEEYEDTHAI]

You ever wonder why this harmless fun was deemed unacceptable in so many western countries? Possibly because it leads to Harmful fun? Like girls in high school being told they can't be in the cheer leading squad because of their ugly black skin. But why stop there?

How many thai teen idols can you show me with Dark skin?

How many thai news readers can you show me with Dark skin?

How many Air hostess?

How many Models?

Ever seen a 7 11 without skin whitening deodorant?

Loz,I understand these comments can be hurtful,but you will not change people with righteous anger.Smile,live your life to the fullest,adapt and overcome.Most people will see the real person behind the skin color.Cheers

So possibly this name calling leads on to less opportunity in later life? Or maybe all the dark skinned people are happier driving tuk tuks, farming and other endevours that will help keep them dark?

Funnily Racism in England never really troubled me, perhaps because anywhere that it mattered it had been demonised. Anywhere it didn't matter I rarely or never frequented. Football terraces, known NF pubs and the like.

Interesting that the first responses are very dismissive. It would be nice to think that this meant the respondants came to thailand with an open nonjudgemental mind and heart. "Everyone is my brother" enblazenend under their visa stamp.

Heres hoping.

I find it odd that I like it here so much with the strong under current of "white is right" running so strong and so near the surface. Sh_it, it is ON the surface, who am I kidding!

Any black folks care to offer their two penneth?

[dzocor55]

ur right,its a little better now, iremember being with a girl from congo about 15 years ago and they used to come up and say "sorry" and start feeling her hair and touching her skin,,,,they dont like it here in the uk if people stare at them,,the ones that do that are just ignorant little hill people

[cdnvic]

It's not racism here. Even if you thought it was.

no your right its not racism.... its ignorance!

I remember a few years back an underwear company in UK produced bras and knickers with a buddha logo, the outpouring of disgust from the Thais was amazing. But at the same time you could go to any market and buy a swastika tshirt or a f@@k bush tshirt. when 7/11 happened jj market did a roaring trade in tshirts depicting bush/bin laden.

So chill out and dont worry about it. its not their fault their ignorant.

Talking about ignorance... swastika had been representing the wheel of Dharma long before Nazi used it.

In a Buddhist text or artwork, yes, but on an imitation SS armband it's still a symbol of nazism.

[moetownblues]

agreed,

Racism was the wrong word. I stand corrected.

Racism is not even in the Thai Dictionary

[teatree]

I'd say there is a fair amount of racism here. Anyone remember the 'Darlie' (brown toothpaste) ad?

A child has a balloon but loses hold of it. A black man manages to rescue the balloon and hands it to her. At that point the child's mum rushes over with a terrified look on her face and pulls the child away. The black guy looks very sad and goes and lies down on a bed that is actually a giant toothbrush.

The closing slogan is "Darlie, black but good!'.

Pretty racist in my book.

[Dustybin]

Racism does exist, but its internal racism.

You only have to examine the yellow elements of the junta government.

Its getting worse now the guns are in play.

Its thai on thai.

Yellow on red.

[apetley]

Some Thais have lighter skin than other Thais have. It's not racism when they're all Thai to begin with. It's just skin colour.

Then it's just a shame that the people with dark skin are put down and made to feel inferior by their fellow countrymen for no other reason than the shade of brown they happen to be.

Edited January 19, 2010 by apetley

[Tejas]

Some Thais have lighter skin than other Thais have. It's not racism when they're all Thai to begin with. It's just skin colour.

Then it's just a shame that the people with dark skin are put down and made to feel inferior by their fellow countrymen for no other reason than the shade of brown they happen to be.

Thailand is the most racists country I have ever lived in.

And I grew up in the southern part of the USA when racism was greater than today.

A lot of it you will not be aware of unless you speak the language.

There is both internal (migrants, expats, and Thais with dark skin) and external racism (anyone not Thai).

[Loz]

I'd say there is a fair amount of racism here. Anyone remember the 'Darlie' (brown toothpaste) ad?

A child has a balloon but loses hold of it. A black man manages to rescue the balloon and hands it to her. At that point the child's mum rushes over with a terrified look on her face and pulls the child away. The black guy looks very sad and goes and lies down on a bed that is actually a giant toothbrush.

The closing slogan is "Darlie, black but good!'.

Pretty racist in my book.

Speaks Volumes! Thanks for this illuminating post.

To all the posters saying "get over it". I know its hard for some, but please try to read the posts. Nobody is trying to change anything, merely discuss it, intelligently in the hope of further understanding. If i posted a question about why Thais like toyota more than Ford would you be telling me to "get over it"?

In the words of Q (Desmond Lewellyn) "Pay attention, 007!"

Edited January 19, 2010 by Loz

[GuestHouse]

As westerners we regard references to Colour as being absolutely racist because 'Colour' has been a distinctive characteristic of race difference in the west - Particularly in the US where the Colour issue is also tied up with the history of slavery and the slave trade.

We westerners are therefore very sensitive to references to colour.

Thailand has not had that same history added to which race difference is less distinguished by colour.

That's not to say there is not racism in Thailand, there is of course - Racism towards Burmese, Indians, Cambodians, Malays and increasingly towards Westerners.

A year or so back I overheard a conversation in a Bangkok Restaurant that revealed I would not repeat here on TV on the grounds that it was extremely offensive towards Western Thai mix people and would undoubtedly start a flame fest.

Thailand is now dealing with a period of western immigration, like periods of immigration elsewhere in the world/history - The new comers challenge the indiginous people and conflicts/tensions arise - The result is inevitable racism until the newcomers are accepted.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

agreed,

Racism was the wrong word. I stand corrected.

Racism is not even in the Thai Dictionary

http://translate.google.com/#en|th|racist

[Pakboong]

Many years ago there was a brand of toothpaste called Darkie. The logo on the box was a black man with white teeth. The toothpaste is still for sale in Thailand but it is no longer called "Darkie". Same box and logo, different name.

[slapout]

The term racism may be a little harsh in reference to any minority group and the treatment they receive here in the LOS. Prejudiced may be a more apt term although it may not sound so harsh to some. I have not noticed a attitude of superiority but rather one of jealousy where non Thai are concerned. This observation is based only on personal interaction and comments made about, wealth, ease of travel (visa,etc), past travel/experience, education, job/education opportunities, etc, real or imagined of foreigners in Thailand by the Thai who interact with them on a regular basis.

Granted, Burmese, hill tribe, and Lao slander is heard quite often, but its possible a lot of this is based on Thai nationalism reinforced by the Thai depiction of history in the schools.

[KKK]

Many years ago there was a brand of toothpaste called Darkie. The logo on the box was a black man with white teeth. The toothpaste is still for sale in Thailand but it is no longer called "Darkie". Same box and logo, different name.

It's now called "Darlie"

On a similar note in the UK we used to have "The Black & White Minstrel Show" and "Robinson Jam Golliwog badges" and both are now gone. So the Thais can be as sensitive to political correctness (racism) as anybody else.

[mizzi39]

Quote:

A year or so back I overheard a conversation in a Bangkok Restaurant that revealed I would not repeat here on TV on the grounds that it was extremely offensive towards Western Thai mix people and would undoubtedly start a flame fest.

Yep! Many Thais especially the so called hyper national elitists are very racists towards mixed Thais. To think that anyone other than themselves could have oportunities is just too overwhelming for them to comprehend!

[Samuian]

There is no racism in this country, it's the people who detect it as such!

Those who aren't obviously Asian - are Farang NOT Asian - pretty obvious.

The only Asian of exception are the Indian and are called "Kaek".

Those who are blessed with a highly pigmented skin, are "dam", "Nico" (Negro aka Nero, Negra)

How can anyone tell if they are from the Caribbean, Africa or born in France etc.?

Don't worry - keep on going, nobody takes this really serious or wastes a single thought on this, have an ice cream!

[mizzi39]

There is no racism in this country, it's the people who detect it as such!

Those who aren't obviously Asian - are Farang NOT Asian - pretty obvious.

The only Asian of exception are the Indian and are called "Kaek".

Those who are blessed with a highly pigmented skin, are "dam", "Nico" (Negro aka Nero, Negra)

How can anyone tell if they are from the Caribbean, Africa or born in France etc.?

Don't worry - keep on going, nobody takes this really serious or wastes a single thought on this, have an ice cream!

Thank you for adding so much light to this relatively dark thread! Please just speak for yourself as you are not EVERYBODY.

[lazygourmet]

I'd say there is a fair amount of racism here. Anyone remember the 'Darlie' (brown toothpaste) ad?

A child has a balloon but loses hold of it. A black man manages to rescue the balloon and hands it to her. At that point the child's mum rushes over with a terrified look on her face and pulls the child away. The black guy looks very sad and goes and lies down on a bed that is actually a giant toothbrush.

The closing slogan is "Darlie, black but good!'.

Pretty racist in my book.

Oh... come on!

You must be one of those who said that "Tintin in Congo" is a racist cartoon...

P.C. in my young ages was meaning "parti communiste"... not "politically correct"

[Bagwan]

On another board some years ago I was taken to task by a poster for referring to Japanese people as Japs. I was told that it was considered by them to be insulting. Although I protested that there was no malicious intent on my part, this over sensitive guy ( an American strangely enough) would not be placated. How about Nips then I eventually mischievously countered as I was losing patience with him. Wow! It was as if the sky had fallen in. I said that I had been called Limey, Anglo, Brit, Cockney, Whitey, Honky over the years and never thought much of it and maybe he was being OTT. Were his feathers ruffled if anybody referred to him as a Yank? Still no dice. Not willing to give ground I then pointed out that given events in Japan's rampage through Asia in the period 1930-45 being referred to as a Jap was very little to complain about. I have no idea of his response to that was as it was promptly deleted and he was banned.

Strange that the word Kaffir went out of usage in RSA because the black peoples objected. The word come from the Swahili and means non-believer and was used extensively by the Arab slavers who were of course Muslim. The modern day equivalent would be infidel which nobody really gets their knickers in a twist about. One of the major problems of Africa is rampant tribalism, a close relative of racism. It seems that the acceptability of innocent descriptive terms is selective.

[IanForbes]

I think some of it has to do with just blurting out what is obvious to them, but not intended as a form of slander. To me there are two kinds of racism. One is nasty and the other isn't. The nasty form of racism is when the person actually thinks they are better because of skin colour, or so called "breeding". The innocent form of racism is like children who are truly amazed when they see someone obviously much different to themselves. I've seen African children who haven't seen many whites run up and touch blonde, blue eyed children.

Lack of a world wide education is quite common in Thailand, other than the crap they see on TV.

[lazygourmet]

agreed,

Racism was the wrong word. I stand corrected.

Racism is not even in the Thai Dictionary

Xenophobia is... and it is more appropriate!

[dttk0009]

Americans were the moral victors of WW2 and continued to lynch African Americans for decades. Even today you will find that racism runs deep within US veins, though things have changed for the better. The difference is that now a lot of hatred has shifted towards Mexicans and Muslims. It is not related to any major event on earth, but rather a cultural trait which is hard to change.

There is no incentive to remove racism from Thailand's culture and no government programs that I have ever heard of to help prevent it. To me, this says it all.

Edit - To clarify, I didn't mean that I find it better that Muslims and Mexicans are getting more flak now, but rather that racism as a whole is receding.

Edited January 19, 2010 by dttk0009

[ManilaLover]

Using a slang term to secribe someones skin colour is hardly to second coming of the slave trade. Accept it for what it probably is - harmless fun.

Think it's more or less harmless but no fun when it never ends.

Imagine, all Thai girls looking disappointed at their beautiful tan skin saying 'me no beautiful, me black' you can imagine a negro is really 'not done' because it confronts them with a superlative form of their own frustration so not just really fun, you serously scare the sh*t out of them, so more harmful to them then to you, hehehe...

Guess often don't value them too high and don't take them too serious here anyway (like both they don't do to themselves ) you know their backgrounds.

Guess you will feel more relaxed in Vientiane, Laos, many blacks there and the more colors the more fun if you ask me. (and it's nicer there then any thai city)

[bonobo]

I was at a family dinner Sunday night.  One of the sons was getting ready to go to Australia to attend a university there, and we were discussing racism in Australia and in the US.  The father asked me if I thought there was any racism in Thailand as well, and when I responded that I thought there was, the father looked askance and said there wasn't, that Thais just like to make demeaning jokes about other groups, and that other groups just didn't try hard to be successful in life.

I didn't have to point out anything.  The son going to Australia and a daughter looked at him before laughing and telling him that his comments in and of themselves were racist.

[phetaroi]

Xenophobia is... and it is more appropriate!

You're so right! And I see so much xenophobia on the part of the western posters in this forum when it comes to their descriptions of Thai people.

Oh...you meant the other way around?

Oops. Sorry.

[phetaroi]

I think it's very easy to jump to a conclusion that a particular statement or question means a person is racist. Or, that we can understand their motives based on a word or phrase or sentence.

I'm a retired school principal whose school was in the D.C. suburbs. What you make of the following situations?:

1. After the Back To School Night talk in the cafeteria, a parent comes up and asks you, "How many Black teachers do you have here?"

2. A teacher is called a racist because he only wants to teach gifted classes, it is noted that he has different views on race relations than is normal in the community, and in the gifted class the students are predominantly White and Asian.

3. One year the administration is called racist because they didn't hire a single Black teacher out of 18 teachers hired.

[Tejas]

agreed,

Racism was the wrong word. I stand corrected.

Racism is not even in the Thai Dictionary

Xenophobia is... and it is more appropriate!

Xenophobia, racism, prejudice, and discrimination are similar concepts.

Xenophobia and racism (both culturally and biologically based) often come in the form of ideas and thoughts.

Prejudice and discrimination often come in the form of a specific action.

(Not to bee too academic, but at the basis of all of this is ethnocentrism, a we-they or in-group/out-group distinction.)

Basically, all are universal and not peculiar to Thai culture. So there really is no need to take a high horse here. Being human with an evolutionary past, we are all part of the problem.

Having said that, the OPs question is about Thailand. I think the level of racism in Thailand is cuurently extremely high. And so is xenophobia and prejudice/discrimination.

One example: The new attack--via visa rules--on expats who are married to Thai women is clearly an example of prejudice/discrimination based on xenophobia/racism.

[tigerfish]

interested to know if in thai schools the "black board" is actually called a black board or chalk board.

sadly in the u.k. you are not allowed to call it a black board anymore. it is seen as being racist, even though it is board and is black in colour.

also on the subject of hiring people to do a certain kind of job. i always thought that the point of the exercise was to employ someone on how well they can do the job. not based on the colour or tone of their skin.

look at the state that the u.k. is in now. good old tony blair and his lefty chums.

[dttk0009]

That blackboard thing sounds completely idiotic to me.

[kikoman]

If there is racism in Thailand , it can not compare to racism in the U.S.!

Ist the subduing of 20 million Native American, The reduction by death from 20 million when the Europeans landed, to the 2.5 million descendants the total population, that survives today, 120 years after the "Red Skins" wars.

The enslaving of the blacks in the US, and denying Civil Rights to most of the non white population. Then came the Civil Rights Act of 1964 giving Civil and Equal Right ,to all in the U.S., The right to vote,

The Southern US states begin reinforcing the "Felony Desenfranchisement laws (a convict loses his civil rights) in the US ,soon that practise was followed by 46 other states ,Following passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s:

Source

Losing the Vote:The impact of Felony Disenfrachisement Law in...

www.law.harvard.edu/students/.../booknotes-Losing.shtml

The US has the largest Prison population than ,any other country,in the world, 2.4 million prisoners.

Source:

The US Gulag Prison System http://www.globalresearch.ca/PrintArticle.php?articleId=2113

Incarcerated America, http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/incarceration/

Or just type the titles into google search.

As of today 4 million US convicts have lost the right to vote, ever over minor crimes, The Violent crime rate has fallen since the 1980s Yet more people at being sentence to prison terms for minor infractions of the law. I.4 million black males have lost their right to vote in the U.S.!

The US has hired Corporation to run "For Profit Prisons" in the U.S.!

Source:

Corpwatch:US: America's Private Gulag- www.corpwatch.org>issues>privatization-

If the source will not show, just type the title into Google Search.

Racism in Thailand ,I think not, you only perceive that because of the treatment you feel Thais are doing to you. It is not fun when you are the target (Real or Perceived) of the Discriminatory practices.

Welcome to the Real World!

Cheers: