Are You Wary Of Other Farangs?

[Beetlejuice]

Farangs can easily come and live in Thailand, maybe those with dubious pasts or up to no good.

If you see another farang in a supermarket or out in a public place, do you look, judge and make assumptions about the character of that person?

I do this often that has made me wary of interaction or becoming too friendly with other farangs, except those I have known for a long time.

I am wondering if it`s only me?

Edited July 14, 2010 by Beetlejuice

[Livinginexile]

Who's the guy in the picture?

Looks to me a typical "expat looney" I would definately avoid!

[Griizley]

I might be wary of that guy for sure. People in general? Almost never. I tend to not judge people on first impressions because they are almost always misleading.

[Jingthing]

Not so wary myself but I have definitely noticed that trait (PARANOIA!!!!) from many other expats.

[daveh]

Just use common sense. Back in farangland, you wouldn't automatically be friends with everyone you meet. This is the same in Thailand.

So I guess the question is, are you finding the percentage of peopled you'd like to associate with lower in Thailand than back home?

[MB1]

Not so wary myself but I have definitely noticed that trait (PARANOIA!!!!) from many other expats.

It's sad that people prejudge people, a bit like the example when a farang male or female, see's an older man with a young girl and thinks "Dirty Old Bas*tard", with NO thought that it could be he's or his wifes/GF's daughter or both of their's.

As for paronoia, you know your really paranoid when you go to the rugby and you think their all talking about you in the scrum.

[Livinginexile]

Not so wary myself but I have definitely noticed that trait (PARANOIA!!!!) from many other expats.

It's sad that people prejudge people, a bit like the example when a farang male or female, see's an older man with a young girl and thinks "Dirty Old Bas*tard", with NO thought that it could be he's or his wifes/GF's daughter or both of their's.

As for paronoia, you know your really paranoid when you go to the rugby and you think their all talking about you in the scrum.

Talking from experience?

I rest my case

[MB1]

Not so wary myself but I have definitely noticed that trait (PARANOIA!!!!) from many other expats.

It's sad that people prejudge people, a bit like the example when a farang male or female, see's an older man with a young girl and thinks "Dirty Old Bas*tard", with NO thought that it could be he's or his wifes/GF's daughter or both of their's.

As for paronoia, you know your really paranoid when you go to the rugby and you think their all talking about you in the scrum.

Talking from experience?

I rest my case

Of course I am, or did you think I was really talking about you...

[andyg75]

Who's the guy in the picture?

Looks to me a typical "expat looney" I would definately avoid!

His name is Paul Gadd,AKA Gary Glitter a former pop singer from the UK. A well known peodaphile who has done time for it. He was deported from Vietnam a few years ago because they did'nt want him there.

[robblok]

I am not wary at all for other farangs but i keep to myself mainly. I did the same in Holland, i like to have a few close friends and that is it. But im easily approachable and will talk to almost anyone, im a friendly kind of guy.

Its not like i would be lending them money so why would i have to be wary of others. However if i don't like someone then i will not talk to them that much.

[yabaaaa]

I am wary of ALL people in ALL countries.

[BigPanda]

I always judge every farang i see. I have no other worries than thinking about the farang in the super market.

[Ulysses G.]

I find it fairly easy to figure out how much time I want to spend - or not spend - with other farangs. I am more wary of Thais because - for us - they are often much more difficult to figure out without getting to know them well.

[Loz]

I find it fairly easy to figure out how much time I want to spend - or not spend - with other farangs. I am more wary of Thais because - for us - they are often much more difficult to figure out without getting to know them well.

You speak and astounding amount of sense, sir!

I wrote off all falang contact for over two years after I first met "the community" since then I have learned they are not all as bad as the majority present themselves. But I seriously have but a handful that I socialise with with an regularity. Thais, I agree are harder to figure out, but when you do, I think they are generally far more rewarding friendships. But that is just my experience.

For example, I rode to a party with thai friends 200km away and at midnight I had had enough and wanted to go home. I was happy to ride off alone but they insisted on sending me home with a 4 man escort because I might get a puncture or something. Or the Ghosts might get me ( seriously suggested by a (well intentioned) grown man). I don't know many falang who would break off from what they were enjoying to make sure you got home safely...

The hardest part about other falang for me is the normal conversation like,"oh, where did you meet your lovely wife/gf/bf?" has to be avoided in case it causes embarrassment. That alone is reason enough not to hang out with people. If you can't be sincere and candid with your friends, they are not really your friends are they? I never have trouble asking thai friends where they met their partners. Have you noticed the same?

[robblok]

I find it fairly easy to figure out how much time I want to spend - or not spend - with other farangs. I am more wary of Thais because - for us - they are often much more difficult to figure out without getting to know them well.

You speak and astounding amount of sense, sir!

I wrote off all falang contact for over two years after I first met "the community" since then I have learned they are not all as bad as the majority present themselves. But I seriously have but a handful that I socialise with with an regularity. Thais, I agree are harder to figure out, but when you do, I think they are generally far more rewarding friendships. But that is just my experience.

For example, I rode to a party with thai friends 200km away and at midnight I had had enough and wanted to go home. I was happy to ride off alone but they insisted on sending me home with a 4 man escort because I might get a puncture or something. Or the Ghosts might get me ( seriously suggested by a (well intentioned) grown man). I don't know many falang who would break off from what they were enjoying to make sure you got home safely...

The hardest part about other falang for me is the normal conversation like,"oh, where did you meet your lovely wife/gf/bf?" has to be avoided in case it causes embarrassment. That alone is reason enough not to hang out with people. If you can't be sincere and candid with your friends, they are not really your friends are they? I never have trouble asking thai friends where they met their partners. Have you noticed the same?

I never have a problem asking that to the guys i meet. But come on you can spot those kind of guys a mile away.

[cshort64]

Very interesting discussion, Loz shares a good story on the difference between Thai's and us Farang. I am here a long time, on and off since 1992 and now perminately here. I do my level best to judge people on first impressions and on the merit of their own character. However, I will admit that I have met some farang that have made my skin crawl within the first 5 minutes of meeting them where most Thai's I meet have never given me that same feeling...

Regards

C

[geriatrickid]

I am never wary of a beautiful farang woman, especially if she is one of the smiling Scandanavian ladies, except that they seem to be wary of me. Perhaps my drool scares them off? I am wary of the Australian ladies because they can drink more than me and if I get lippy, they have superhuman strength sufficient to administer a beating.

I am always leery of the foreigner that looks like we will either be seeing his picture in the PDN after he is arrested for drunk driving or a bar brawl or a mugging by a swarm of kathoey, or the foreigner that sometimes graces the Phuket Rag promoting the latest in modern luxury living, only to either abscond with the deposits or to die in a hail of bullets at some cheap internet cafe.

I am extremely creeped out by the type of male that hangs around the seediest of entertainment venues. I am also wary of those foreign women that chase after the beach boy scum in Patong. Something about crabs, and really bad hairdos along with B.O. that turns me off.

Foreigners with multiple cheap tattoos and body piercings are a waste of time. People like to say, don't judge blah blah blah, but I have yet to talk to one that was interesting (and no, having smoked a giant reefer and then scorfed down 2 large pizzas isn't interesting).

I've stopped to talk to foreigners that had bike problems (MTBs) not motorcycle, because you can usually size up a person's character by the type of shox and gear he has on the bike. e.g. Manitou shox say the guy's old skool classic. Foreigners that walk around in the lycra/spandex shorts with the penis profiled are to be avoided as are the ugly women that wear those really low cut blouses so that their fat boobs are very visible. I am wary of any salesman that chases after me trying to sell me a timeshare. I specifically avoid unemployed males with no trade aged 35-55, because they are almost always up to no good. My experience has been that the older males and the younger males are more likely to be normal. Never had a problem with a foreign woman in that respect. Maybe it's just me, but skilled tradespeople, like carpenters, and professionals, like brilliant scientists, never end up on the front page of the PDN in a pose of shame with an accusatory finger pointed at them. However, my most reliable indicator is the critter test. If the foreigner is mean to animals and won't slow down on a soi to avoid running over a cat or dog, then the guy is scum in my books.

[dumball]

What a condescending bunch on here , I am happy to say that none of the other forums I contribute to are this socialy dissarranged , looking at the photo given as an example , how would you know what he is if he had not been convicted ? How can you possibly size up a person merely by thier looks ? I could relate stories of people I have know in my life who were looked down upon for thier looks , but it would be a waste of time , like one older man who lived in a home without electricity and collected newspapers on a childs 'Red-Wagon' . when he died he left a small fortune to charity and his block of apartment to be used by the homeless .

You are indeed , a very sad represention of humanity .

Edited July 15, 2010 by dumball

[Tod Daniels]

Most foreigners I’ve me here I wouldn’t piss on if they were on fire, unless I really had to piss badly . In other words I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them. Given the morbidly obese condition of so many foreigners, I doubt I could even pick them up, let alone throw them any distance . I’ve rarely met more miscreants, misfits, and undesirables of the foreign persuasion than here in the glorious “Land ‘O Thais” .

What do I really think about them (foreigners here)? Truth be told; I don’t even give ‘em a thought, walk past them without a glance and unless I am compelled to interact with them for something I need, I ignore them totally.

The fact that we share the extremely tenuous bond of being foreigners in thailand is not strong enough for me to go out of my way for anyone.

I suggest following the old US television show X-Files take on things; Trust NO one.

[IanForbes]

Mark me down as ambivilant. I'm neither interested in them or wary of them. I just don't care, but I'm friendly to everyone without trying to become their friend. If we happen to meet where we can talk then maybe it will go further. Once I get to know someone's interests then maybe we might have something in common. I don't have anything anybody wants (other than information) and I have no interest in investing in something or selling anything... so I have nothing to lose but time.

[Soutpeel]

Most foreigners I've me here I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire, unless I really had to piss badly . In other words I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them. Given the morbidly obese condition of so many foreigners, I doubt I could even pick them up, let alone throw them any distance

[DP25]

Somewhat wary. Mainly because there are so few foreigners here, and the nutcases often tend to think they have a connection with you just because you're both foreign, where as back home the nutcases generally ignore you

[robblok]

What a condescending bunch on here , I am happy to say that none of the other forums I contribute to are this socialy dissarranged , looking at the photo given as an example , how would you know what he is if he had not been convicted ? How can you possibly size up a person merely by thier looks ? I could relate stories of people I have know in my life who were looked down upon for thier looks , but it would be a waste of time , like one older man who lived in a home without electricity and collected newspapers on a childs 'Red-Wagon' . when he died he left a small fortune to charity and his block of apartment to be used by the homeless .

You are indeed , a very sad represention of humanity .

I have some fun stories about that.. my dad always looked bad in old clothes on his work covered in phosphate as he was in a technical position real close to the director of the company. But he liked getting his hands dirty and was real knowledgeable. His assistant on the other hand was always sharp dressed and did not get his clothes dirty. They had a lot of fun like this when sales persons came by and started to hold their sales pitch to the assistant who then later told that they were barking up the wrong tree. Looks can be real deceiving.

Also there are a lot of misconceptions about muscle heads (though many are true too). But there are guys who love working out and are highly educated and smart. There are of course also a lot of dumb muscle heads but a lot are smart, because it does take discipline to go to a gym all the time and look after your food. If you have that kind of discipline you can also go far in other fields of work or education.

However i have to admit that i also that i often judge a book by his cover so im no saint either. Fat old guy with a young Thai girl is for me the type i don't like to socialize with. I am talk big age difference and couples who cant even underhand each other. I think we all pre judge people one way or an other, the one does it more then the other.

[dsprtliving]

Somewhat wary. Mainly because there are so few foreigners here, and the nutcases often tend to think they have a connection with you just because you're both foreign, where as back home the nutcases generally ignore you

Exactly! For me, it's not just cause I"m living here in Thailand but it is because I grew up being slightly wary of others from the onset. Also, Thailand seems to draw the "I know more about the Thais than you" set and I've just really got no time for these characters at all. Maybe you do and maybe you don't ,however they fail to realize just how little it matters to me.

[xen]

I think other falungs are more wary of me than i of them .and i am ,or so i am repeatly told, are a tad eccentric. Always been happy to be a bit of a loner and am a natural outsider. Not many understand my humour,for example . Plus there is no status to be seen with me. So it works out fine. Not that i am not happy to chat with people but i would rather spend most of my time with my Thai friends and family anyway .

[ChangMaiSausage]

Not me I dont judge anyone based on how they look, actions yes, after talking with them for a while (while not defined) maybe.

The man in his sixties with a young girl on his arm... not really she knows what she is doing and he's happy.

The guy/lady with the tatooes across the whole of their bodies, NO I just think they will regret it when older.

Each to their own.

[Thongkorn]

I am not a Farang/falang i am a person

[timekeeper]

Who's the guy in the picture?

Looks to me a typical "expat looney" I would definately avoid!

His name is Paul Gadd,AKA Gary Glitter a former pop singer from the UK. A well known peodaphile who has done time for it. He was deported from Vietnam a few years ago because they did'nt want him there.

[Atmos]

We met a couple recently in the nearest shopping centre - 44km away; joined them for coffee and a nice chat, they explained that they were selective in which westerners they spoke to. We were ok on basis we are similar ages, they were quite open in saying they would not acknowledge the older man/young woman couples. They're entitled to chose, aren't they, just as they could in their home country.

I've seen other couples shopping there where the (older) man has actively avoided us - changing aisles. Shy? Ashamed? We'll never know.

[canuckamuck]

I always hold on to hope that each person I meet, as I meet them, might turn out to be interesting or someone I would like to know. But I am rarely rewarded for my optimism. But yes there are wonderful people here.

I find mostly that there are a lot of broken people here who have put on the costume of a regenerated person with an answer to everything worldview. But when you spend a little time you see everything is forced and unnatural, and the glints of shattered humanity keep showing from under the veil.

Funny that people think they can find the answers here, like Asia has some hidden wisdom and secret to life. Where is the evidence of it?