Racism In Thailand. Does The Goverment See It As A Problem

[473geo]

an interesting fact is that 99 out of 100 who complain about racism in Thailand have no freaking idea what racism is

I'm lost on that. Can you expand on this?

Treating all foreigners the same.....regardless of sex,race, creed, colour,........is not racial discrimination it is elitism......

[greasergirl]

Racism is currently definitely not the biggest problem in Thailand.

The UK and USA had big Race problems a couple of decades ago. They have been successful in getting rid of most of it. Yes racism is still there but no where near as bad.

The UK still has them - the problem is too much immigrants. Many brits do not feel at home in their own neighborhood anymore.

Belgium and France have big problems.

The USA managed more or less to build a nation with common values, bridging the differences, which are mainly skin color.

In Europe, we are blessed with many immigrants who reject our way of life and will not share values with us.

Born in Berlin, grew up London and Lausanne, living in France 10 years +

Racism ok but the worst is arrogance, talking 3 languages, the French 99,5% only French,

the problem starts there....me in one of the biggest fashion stores..

she asks me, Hi I got someone of Germany on the phone, may I ask u ..,,,,me ok-----

a guy passes by, about 35 and asks my????? my grandfather was shot death in WWxx

his name was xyz,, do u know him ?????????? what is u'r meaning of WW1...

oh gush something like this can happen, really strange people, very strange ad dead arrogant

won WW1, WW2, Indochina ???? Algeria ????? and never had any slavery,,,,, France

[HerbalEd]

Sometimes, this racism is also colored by what people call Nationalism. The kind where people say, "My country is better than your country". If you count that as racism - just imagine how the locals treat their neighbors - the Burmese, Laos and Cambodians.

We Aussies aint racist mate.

That's not what the "abos" say.

[phetaroi]

Just laughing at white people complaining about racism in Thailand.

...

Try this: Thailand is the most racist country in the world that I've lived in because the other countries I've lived in are full of people who look like me or speak my language.

OP doesn't speak Thai well, understand what racism is, has ever experienced actual racism, take your pick. Want actual racism in Asia? Try Korea or China where people will attack you for walking hand in hand with a local woman.

I could just as easily start another thread called "The advantages foreigners receive in Thailand just for being foreigners."

Yeah it's a tough bid living here in Thailand. So much rampant racism how can we survive? We're all victims of Thai oppression!!!!

Perhaps its racial karma?

[eastbaybob]

I didn't bother to read the three pages of responses, so please forgive me. I just wanted to say this is my favorite type of Thai Visa post. A guy complaining about how bad Thais/Thailand is based upon the undisputed fact that Thailand is one of the most racist countries in the world. If ignorance was bliss Thai Visa would be the most blissful place on earth.

[shazedelic]

Being in Bangkok for over a year, I often come across situations where I get little or no treatment at shops especially the big lavish malls. It's even harder at bars or clubs, some bartenders just totally ignored me when I tried to place an order. Only after I flashed my Gold Amex or uttered some bombastic English words, I finally got their attention... sometimes together with a sudden friendly 'hi' from a nearby Thai patron. When I asked for the reason why I was having such a hard time getting 'visible', frequently I get "Oh, I thought you were a southern Thai..."

Now, can someone tell me if that is racism or not...

[ivowatson]

All Thai citizens have the same access to education and job opportunities- regardless of their religion.

to me that says the policies are not racist.

???????????

IMO the main reason, people in the South 'fight' Bkk, is that they don't have those opportunities.

[carmine]

Just laughing at white people complaining about racism in Thailand. The OP is funny.

Thailand is one of the most racist countries in the world, uh huh.

Try this: Thailand is the most racist country in the world that I've lived in because the other countries I've lived in are full of people who look like me or speak my language.

OP doesn't speak Thai well, understand what racism is, has ever experienced actual racism, take your pick. Want actual racism in Asia? Try Korea or China where people will attack you for walking hand in hand with a local woman.

I could just as easily start another thread called "The advantages foreigners receive in Thailand just for being foreigners."

Yeah it's a tough bid living here in Thailand. So much rampant racism how can we survive? We're all victims of Thai oppression!!!!

But hopefully you won't start that thread. Maybe take a day off

[hhgz]

"The bottom line is no matter how many excuses some farangs look for, 70 - 80 % of thai people are racist."

I'd bet that an equivalent percentage of farangs are racists too.

[carmine]

Racism is currently definitely not the biggest problem in Thailand.

The UK and USA had big Race problems a couple of decades ago. They have been successful in getting rid of most of it. Yes racism is still there but no where near as bad.

The UK still has them - the problem is too much immigrants. Many brits do not feel at home in their own neighborhood anymore.

Belgium and France have big problems.

The USA managed more or less to build a nation with common values, bridging the differences, which are mainly skin color.

In Europe, we are blessed with many immigrants who reject our way of life and will not share values with us.

Born in Berlin, grew up London and Lausanne, living in France 10 years +

Racism ok but the worst is arrogance, talking 3 languages, the French 99,5% only French,

the problem starts there....me in one of the biggest fashion stores..

she asks me, Hi I got someone of Germany on the phone, may I ask u ..,,,,me ok-----

a guy passes by, about 35 and asks my????? my grandfather was shot death in WWxx

his name was xyz,, do u know him ?????????? what is u'r meaning of WW1...

oh gush something like this can happen, really strange people, very strange ad dead arrogant

won WW1, WW2, Indochina ???? Algeria ????? and never had any slavery,,,,, France

I'm sure this is a good post but i can't understand what you are talking about

[checazzo]

My advice to stop racism in Thailand would be for tourists to learn to behave themselves well, before complaining about the way they are treated. I hope the world never becomes so PC that Thai people are pressured not to be racist to white people standing in Nana Plaza or similar places.

How right you are. It sickens me me to see farangs of all countries coming her and behaving abominably just because they have a wallet stuffed full of baht.

It surprises me that people who have been in Thailand for so long think that Thais and other Asians don't frequent brothels. Of course they don't go to Nana because that's where all ugly women are. Try going to a massage parlor on Ratchada and tell me how many Caucasians (farang) you see or maybe venture out in the Lat Phrao Nawmin or Ramkamhang area.

Men are men regardless of race and we all want one thing. And Thais are very racist just like everyone else, there just aren't any laws in the 3rd World to keep them from expressing it. Prostitution has existed long before Westerners came here, the only thing we added was the gogo bars.

Edited April 15, 2010 by checazzo

[MiG16]

All Thai citizens have the same access to education and job opportunities- regardless of their religion.

to me that says the policies are not racist.

???????????

IMO the main reason, people in the South 'fight' Bkk, is that they don't have those opportunities.

you need to read my entire post

the OP questions if the government is doing something about racism.

my reply was - at a policy level I do not find racism engrained into thai laws or government policies (as opposed to say those of Malaysia)

in reality, whether or not everybody regardless of what part of the country they come from, have access to the same opportunities is a different question. (but then again, in reality, the same could be said of most places in the world.....)

[gigiman]

Thai culture is based on who is superior to who, I doubt they see it as a problem and highly doubt they are trying to change it. One of the reasons I like it here. I don't have a problem with a culture that finds light skin and being smarter and richer than the other guy a good thing. Most so called racism comes from some groups poor behavior, am I a racist because I don't respond to Nigerian emails ? No Am I am racist if I think everyone from Nigeria is an internet thief ? Yes .... But people make their beds and have to sleep in them. If tourists had a good reputation for behaving themselves well people would think accordingly, but they don't. I am not offended if a Thai person who deals with drunken sex tourists on a daily basis isn't so willing or interested to find out if I am another one or not, it's an understandable response to a long pattern of behavior from Farangs. I didn't cause it, I'm not part of it and maybe it's a little unfair, but it would be even more unfair to expect or demand people not to be a little guarded when someone fitting the profile of a less then exemplary citizen comes along. My advice to stop racism in Thailand would be for tourists to learn to behave themselves well, before complaining about the way they are treated. I hope the world never becomes so PC that Thai people are pressured not to be racist to white people standing in Nana Plaza or similar places.

Very good post ,, I agree with all you said except the part about having light skin being better, whats wrong with having dark skin and being smarter and richer than the other guy ?

[somchee]

usa not racists

darn i missed the memo. thsoe afrikeens are as racist as ever, jesse jackson, farrakhan, obamas preacher, nAAcp. need i go on.

[Soutpeel]

Observation....after 3 pages of comments....no has really answered/commented on the question posed :

"Racism In Thailand. Does The Goverment See It As A Problem, Are they trying to stop it ?"

My answer/opinion.......No the Goverment doesnt see it as a problem, and they will not try and do anything to stop it...

Why should they ??....it doesnt affect them....seeing as Thailand is not really a democracy, and votes dont really matter, what benefit does the goverment gain by stopping "racism" it will not gain anymore "votes" from minorities.

Does not being "racist" bring any more economic benefit to Thailand (please dont start on about double pricing)....No

Therefore there is actually no motivation for a Thai goverment to "stop racism"

[Jimmu]

Forget the red herring about drunken tourists and so forth (Which is a problem, just not in this context) The Thais are brought up to be superior. Ask a Burmese,a Cambodian,a Shan. Karen, Akka, Malay etc etc. I have been told by friends from all of these groups and more that Thais are, and I paraphrase, up themselves... I think they meant racist...

And by the way! The word does exist in real English!!

ra·cial·ism (rā'shə-lĭz'əm)

n.

An emphasis on race or racial considerations, as in determining policy or interpreting events.

Policy or practice based on racial considerations.

Chiefly British Variant of racism.

ra'cial·ist adj. & n., ra'cial·is'tic adj.

[TAWP]

Personally, having been subjected to racism in the States, and having my family been subjected to SERIOUS racism for centuries (my Grandfather's Uncle was a Slave in the US), living in Thailand is great.

Yeah yeah I know about the "Black Man" Mops and the old Herbal Tooth paste commercial and what not. But as far as how I am treated on a individual level, it's great. I love it and, in 9 years of being here, I have never been subjected to any racism here in Thailand for being black other than what has come from White tourists or expats here.

Now that being said, I do get the same double pricking racism bit that everyone that can't pass as Thai gets when they come here. And that shit has to stop, I really wish them all the ill and malice they can receive for ripping off people based on the color of their passports.

But that stuff I have work arounds for and I can deal with that.

But at least I don't have to deal with the, "I wanna lynch you because your black and your sub human" type racism that was really prevalent in the States back in the day.

I have seen typical treatment of colored [guys] that I can only put down to the perceived look. Ofcourse it might be racial profiling (as we read in another topic that many from Nigeria is involved in scams etc here too), but one thing I have noticed that while some girls say they don't like black guys, and some seem to like them 'extra', most seem to have a higher dislike for 'kaek', aka Indians, Pakistani's etc, than black guys. I cannot really tell why, must be a cultural thing aka something in their culture clashes harder with Thais than for example guys from middle-Africa. Hence culture/behavior might in some cases trump the color of the skin.

[WOOHOO]

Thai culture is based on who is superior to who, I doubt they see it as a problem and highly doubt they are trying to change it. One of the reasons I like it here. I don't have a problem with a culture that finds light skin and being smarter and richer than the other guy a good thing. Most so called racism comes from some groups poor behavior, am I a racist because I don't respond to Nigerian emails ? No Am I am racist if I think everyone from Nigeria is an internet thief ? Yes .... But people make their beds and have to sleep in them. If tourists had a good reputation for behaving themselves well people would think accordingly, but they don't. I am not offended if a Thai person who deals with drunken sex tourists on a daily basis isn't so willing or interested to find out if I am another one or not, it's an understandable response to a long pattern of behavior from Farangs. I didn't cause it, I'm not part of it and maybe it's a little unfair, but it would be even more unfair to expect or demand people not to be a little guarded when someone fitting the profile of a less then exemplary citizen comes along. My advice to stop racism in Thailand would be for tourists to learn to behave themselves well, before complaining about the way they are treated. I hope the world never becomes so PC that Thai people are pressured not to be racist to white people standing in Nana Plaza or similar places.

The best post I have read for a long time.

The OP once claimed in a post, that it was immposible for a Farang to have a Thai friend. He claimed the Thai person would always only be looking to make a buck from that relationship, and nothing else.

He quite clearly was trolling with this thread, and hoped to whip up a frenzy of anti Thai sentiment. Very refreshing to see that he failed misserably, and the vast majority of posters didn't jump on his band wagon.

[Pakboong]

Being in Bangkok for over a year, I often come across situations where I get little or no treatment at shops especially the big lavish malls. It's even harder at bars or clubs, some bartenders just totally ignored me when I tried to place an order. Only after I flashed my Gold Amex or uttered some bombastic English words, I finally got their attention... sometimes together with a sudden friendly 'hi' from a nearby Thai patron. When I asked for the reason why I was having such a hard time getting 'visible', frequently I get "Oh, I thought you were a southern Thai..."

Now, can someone tell me if that is racism or not...

Are southern Thais of a different race than say, northern Thais? If not, the answer is, not racism.

[connel707]

Sometimes, this racism is also colored by what people call Nationalism. The kind where people say, "My country is better than your country". If you count that as racism - just imagine how the locals treat their neighbors - the Burmese, Laos and Cambodians.

We Aussies aint racist mate.

very true, Just ask the Lebbos in Sydney..... unless you already saw the Crunela riots... and read about the murdered and bashed Indian students...Ahem..!!!!

[sarahsbloke]

My advice to stop racism in Thailand would be for tourists to learn to behave themselves well, before complaining about the way they are treated.

You need to learn more about Thai culture if you think they are only having a problem with White people.

My Thai wife turned her back on my friends Thai gf when we went out together one night, "skin too dark, girl no good, I not talk"

How many times have I heard,

person no good, skin dark, shape of nose no good (speaking about Issan people)

no good, not proper Thai (speaking about hill tribe people)

What about the road blocks and army inspection points to stop tribal peole moving around Thailand, these people born in Thailand are not entitled to ID cards, rarely have birth certificates and pretty much are non-persons in their own country.

Edited April 16, 2010 by sarahsbloke