Strange Farang Phenomenon

[appropriate]

On arrival I was trying to get eye contact to just sort of say hello

Anyway, fuc_k him and his family because I'm not going to bother now. I'll just stick to my regular six front crawl, two back stroke, two butterfly and ignore them. That will show him.

You sound pitiful and possibly mental.

If you ever see me I hope you simply ignore me without trying to get eye contact just so you can say hello.

[Pacificperson]

Elevators are a great example. Some people will look at or acknowledge the others in the elevator, while others will feel a desperate need to inspect their shoe shines.

If someone makes eye contact, I will acknowledge them. If they ask a civil question, I will give them a civil answer. If they step out of bounds, I will inform them of it. It doesn't make a hill of beans to me who they are.

[wolf5370]

i was exercising in california fitness, doing stretches, when a cute Thai girl, probably a movie star or super model passing by looks at me and then says to her friend "Farang Chang Yai". I don't know the second two words. Can anyone help? Was it derogatory?

She was either calling you a big elephant (though her grammar could be better!) - or asking if you want a big beer.

[mario299]

On arrival I was trying to get eye contact to just sort of say hello

Anyway, fuc_k him and his family because I'm not going to bother now. I'll just stick to my regular six front crawl, two back stroke, two butterfly and ignore them. That will show him.

You sound pitiful and possibly mental.

If you ever see me I hope you simply ignore me without trying to get eye contact just so you can say hello.

Mr Appropriate, sir

You are the one who is possible mental, and I take objection to your comments, both to me and this gentlemen. You have suggested I seek mental help, and now this man too. Really! This was an interesting thread, but some of the "people" posting their vicious comments and opinions makes it rather sad.

Done with my opinion of you, please be sure to reply with your typical idiocy, I will be sure to ignore you...what an as@hol@ !!!

Quite sincerely,

mario299

[Moonrakers]

You're mental.

Oh no I'm not, you're mental.

No, you're mental.

Oh no, you're the one who's mental.

No, you're the mental one.

I see we have a classic battle of wits emerging here.

[appropriate]

On arrival I was trying to get eye contact to just sort of say hello

Anyway, fuc_k him and his family because I'm not going to bother now. I'll just stick to my regular six front crawl, two back stroke, two butterfly and ignore them. That will show him.

You sound pitiful and possibly mental.

If you ever see me I hope you simply ignore me without trying to get eye contact just so you can say hello.

Mr Appropriate, sir

You are the one who is possible mental, and I take objection to your comments, both to me and this gentlemen. You have suggested I seek mental help, and now this man too. Really! This was an interesting thread, but some of the "people" posting their vicious comments and opinions makes it rather sad.

Done with my opinion of you, please be sure to reply with your typical idiocy, I will be sure to ignore you...what an as@hol@ !!!

Quite sincerely,

mario299

I stand by the statement that adult men who consciously attempt to make eye contact with total strangers just so they can say hello to them have some sort of issues.

And then when the other party doesn't reciprocate with such neediness they decide to 'fuc_k him and his family'.

Sounds pitiful, and yes, quite mentalist.

Edited January 28, 2011 by appropriate

[stoneyboy]

While i agree that trying to make conversation with every farang one sees on a shopping trip may be over the top,there are actually good reasons some people want to strike up a conversation with a fellow European in a foreign country,this being the case for myself,on numerous occasions,also a lot of it depends on your location and number of fellow farang in and around ones area,naturally if you are in BKK,Pattaya or Phuket its likely that you see hundreds of foreigners every day,come out here in the middle of nowhere where i am and you may see 3 a week,the same 3 i may hasten to add,which does then make you wonder why one gets snubbed at the local market on a weekly basis,i feel some people fear others are treading on their toes somewhat at times.

Edited January 28, 2011 by stoneyboy

[StreetCowboy]

You're mental.

Oh no I'm not, you're mental.

No, you're mental.

Oh no, you're the one who's mental.

No, you're the mental one.

I see we have a classic battle of wits emerging here.

You're half right...

SC

[robblok]

It's quite funny after all the people saying stuff on this thread but it actually happened to me yesterday. I went swimming yesterday afternoon in a village quite near to where I live and work. I live right on the outskirts of Bangkok and there really aren't that many other foreigners around. There was another guy there with his wife and two children by the pool. On arrival I was trying to get eye contact to just sort of say hello / acknowledge each other and the guy totally blanked me and ignored me like I wasn't even there. I go to this pool all the time, at least three or four times a week so if this guy is going to be going there again the chances are I could well run into him again. I was just trying to be nice. I don't really give a fuc_k but like people have said it would have been good to show that you have noticed the other person. It's not like I'm some pissed up idiot, I'm just going to my regular swimming pool and we do have something in common. Anyway, fuc_k him and his family because I'm not going to bother now. I'll just stick to my regular six front crawl, two back stroke, two butterfly and ignore them. That will show him.

I was fun watching you swim with the kids.. Did you like my i ignore you looks

Serious wasnt me we got a swimming pool in the village and i do acknowledge other ppl.

[rott]

To the OP 61guitarman61, as regards nastiness etc., from posters I think that TV is no worse than most forums in this respect. When I was previously in a distributive business I found that people who could be bad tempered and offensive on the phone were invariably pussycats face to face. If it is easy to be mouthy over the phone, how much easier on an anonymous internet forum.

Re your original point, I agree that people (farang) who in small town and suburban Thailand go to some lengths to avoid acknowledging others are a bit odd. And to those who have disparaged this viewpoint I would say see this in context, we are not saying about people who are busy or otherwise engaged or have genuinely not seen you, but people who really can not help seeing you but will look anywhere and everywhere to avoid that eye contact. As I said before I find it pretty funny, doesn't offend me, I just think ''cock''.

[StreetCowboy]

...That will show him.

Oh no! What have you done with all the urine sample bottles?

SC

[fletchsmile]

I definitely agree with you. I am in the Surin area, the northeast, and when shopping at someplace like BigC or Tesco I get the same response from farang that you get.

Glad I'm not going around a supermarket looking at and attempting to talk to strangers because we're the same race.

Sounds like you have some psychological issues that you could do with addressing.

it has always felt strange to me to be snubbed or ignored like this. Doesn't make me comfortable,

Why wouldn't they ignore you? I certainly would. An adult western man staring at me as I shop.

makes me think to myself "hey! so what's so wrong you can't even look at me?"

Why would they look at you? I'm sure they've seen one before, every time they look in the mirror even.

I don't normally post on this type of thread. I was laughing at this response though a few moments ago, and Mrs.(Thai)Smile asked why. I explained. She smiled. Then said she doesn't talk to people she doesn't know either

[61guitarman61]

To the OP 61guitarman61, as regards nastiness etc., from posters I think that TV is no worse than most forums in this respect. When I was previously in a distributive business I found that people who could be bad tempered and offensive on the phone were invariably pussycats face to face. If it is easy to be mouthy over the phone, how much easier on an anonymous internet forum.

Re your original point, I agree that people (farang) who in small town and suburban Thailand go to some lengths to avoid acknowledging others are a bit odd. And to those who have disparaged this viewpoint I would say see this in context, we are not saying about people who are busy or otherwise engaged or have genuinely not seen you, but people who really can not help seeing you but will look anywhere and everywhere to avoid that eye contact. As I said before I find it pretty funny, doesn't offend me, I just think ''cock''.

Thanks for the great post. Some of the posters here have also misconstrued what I meant by taking it to the level of my wanting to strike up conversations or otherwise more involved contact. I only meant simple acknowledgment seeing as how I am physically standing a meter or two away. The majority of those who do actually respond with a nod or whatever do not speak nor do I. I do not expect that we would for any of a hundred varied reasons.

Still getting some interesting viewpoints on this. The poster who made reference to elevators was right on.

[61guitarman61]

While i agree that trying to make conversation with every farang one sees on a shopping trip may be over the top,there are actually good reasons some people want to strike up a conversation with a fellow European in a foreign country,this being the case for myself,on numerous occasions,also a lot of it depends on your location and number of fellow farang in and around ones area,naturally if you are in BKK,Pattaya or Phuket its likely that you see hundreds of foreigners every day,come out here in the middle of nowhere where i am and you may see 3 a week,the same 3 i may hasten to add,which does then make you wonder why one gets snubbed at the local market on a weekly basis,i feel some people fear others are treading on their toes somewhat at times.

Thanks for your great thoughts. Much appreciated.

I have one such western lady who I have seen at least 6 or 7 times, with my wife and child and without, in varied locations including Tesco, fruit market, Yamaha shop, passing her on her bike, walking at the same street corner to name ones I can remember readily. The one time we did connect glances, I nodded and put on as benign a face as I could muster and she still literally turned 180 and looked up at the 7-11 sign. This after already having seen me about 4 times. THAT, my friends, is what I am talking about. I do not want to talk to her. I am not in the market for a woman, happily hitched thank you. She has seen that I am a family man doing normal everyday family things. I do not subscribe to the grooming habits of some of the half man half ape types I have seen - I wear deodorant, shave, keep a good haircut, wear non touristy normal clothes, and brush my teeth once a week whether they need it or not. And still a cold response. Whatever.

[Berkshire]

I stand by the statement that adult men who consciously attempt to make eye contact with total strangers just so they can say hello to them have some sort of issues.

And then when the other party doesn't reciprocate with such neediness they decide to 'fuc_k him and his family'.

Sounds pitiful, and yes, quite mentalist.

I agree with you, Mr. appropriate. Trying to be overly friendly with complete strangers is one thing. Getting all upset and bent out of shape when said strangers don't reciprocate is just incredibly childish.

[carmine]

I don't really care one way or the other...

It's obvious that you do care, otherwise you wouldn't even bring this up. We had a thread about this awhile back and it perplexed me a great deal. Why would a farang have an obligation to acknowledge every other farang they walk by? It's asinine to think that just because we share the same....what exactly (skin color?)....that we'd have to treat one another differently than we would any random Thai (or Japanese or Korean). Let's try this: treat everyone the same. Can you do that? And if any farang (or Thai) were to ignore your incredibly humane efforts at friendliness (or creepiness), don't get so bent-out-of-shape about it. Everyone has their own comfort zone and it doesn't mean that people are "(attempting) to lose their western identities." Where do people come up with this stuff?

You are correct in what you say. however, i would add that i have noticed that their are a number of ex pats who like to get in their little cliques and treat the length of time one has lived here as a sort of social status. they either blank or openly spoke down to the newbies. This was on samui, and i also noticed this on Phuket. its the attitude of "us early pioneers are the ones that made this island what it is today." Total losers. Certainly, when i arrived on Samui some years ago this was very much the case but i have to say, it does'nt appear to be so now to quite the same degree.

[StreetCowboy]

I was out in the local shopping centre today, casting smiles to all and sundry, with never a cheery response, which I attribute to being two days' unshaven.

Sure enough, this evening, a much better response. I got a bit of a ticking-off for it though... its just unconscious for me now.

SC

[Theoutsider]

Do you just say hello to foreigner’s? Because sound that a bit racist. I try to avoid people like that.

[Petesear]

Would you say hello to every Farang that you saw on the street back home?

Have you never been to the UK?

It's salutations all round on the streets of London...

[waza]

Elevators are a great example. Some people will look at or acknowledge the others in the elevator, while others will feel a desperate need to inspect their shoe shines.

If someone makes eye contact, I will acknowledge them. If they ask a civil question, I will give them a civil answer. If they step out of bounds, I will inform them of it. It doesn't make a hill of beans to me who they are.

I like to stand at the front of the elevator/lift facing the back, really freaks people out, they dont know where to look.

[Moonrakers]

Elevators are a great example. Some people will look at or acknowledge the others in the elevator, while others will feel a desperate need to inspect their shoe shines.

If someone makes eye contact, I will acknowledge them. If they ask a civil question, I will give them a civil answer. If they step out of bounds, I will inform them of it. It doesn't make a hill of beans to me who they are.

I like to stand at the front of the elevator/lift facing the back, really freaks people out, they dont know where to look.

Must try that sometime.

[Nawtier]

Try humming elevator music....girl from ipanema works really well.

[Thaddeus]

Try humming elevator music....girl from ipanema works really well.

Arguing with imaginary people works better.

[harrypatterson]

If someone says hello to me, I always say hello back. However, I believe the percentage of mentally disturbed and morally defective people is higher among the expat population than among the general population in the west. So I do not go out of my way to meet farangs, I have to admit.

[XXpate48USA]

Would you say hello to every Farang that you saw on the street back home?

Hmm, I can understand this somewhat, but I usually nod hello or vise versa if I see another falang. In bangkok, now, I may not acknoledge everyone and usually it is in the northern smaller towns that we don't see too many that I notice more and say hello as we pass.

My thai wife seems to not understand why I don't talk to every falang we see. I tried to expxlain" I don't know them"....she seems to think I should strike up a conversation with all I see. I do as i do at my home country, and that is if someone looks like a nice person, then I will say hello and if I don't feel comfortable doing that then I don't. It all depends on who it is and how they apear to me and if I have doubts as to thier person!!....same as anywhere.

I wonder, are you with a much much younger lady? do you dress clean and look like an upstanding person?..../.there could be many reason's people won't acknowedge you. I don't seem to get that feeling. Maybe you should ask yourself these questions as to why they are ignoring you!!........are you paranoid??....hehe.....just kidding!!

[XXpate48USA]

This little nugget again is it. For the newbies; not all farang here are sound of mind, in fact there are some real screwballs knocking around and it may be in your interest to avoid being buddy-buddy with everyone.

Yes, I try to avoid those trying to be buddy buddy with me, for starters.

Very wise, as I do the same! something is up and usually has to do with YOUR money!

[carmine]

i was exercising in california fitness, doing stretches, when a cute Thai girl, probably a movie star or super model passing by looks at me and then says to her friend "Farang Chang Yai". I don't know the second two words. Can anyone help? Was it derogatory?

She was calling you a fat elephant, chunks.

[Nawtier]

I dont want to say more than hello to weirdo's....so sometimes just saying hi leads to more unfortunately.

I usually say hi or a nod to all.......unless I have been perving on his wife or girlfriend first and he has caught me...then I cannot look at him cos I know what he is thinking.

2 farang and their 2 girls were walking alongside my wife one day heading into tesco where we live....in the curntry....and 1 farang was lagging behind hoping my wife would walk in front, but still off to the side, she did.

I was sitting in the car in the carpark watching....the farang was staring at her rather nice backside and not watching where he was walking and he walked gonad height into the stainless steel bollards out the front of the entrance that are about gonad height........made I larf n larf n larf.....

Edited February 4, 2011 by Nawtier

[nocturn]

Having asked a simple question, and watching the three ring circus assemble as the result, has been quite enjoyable. All manner of responses, from constructive and insightful to mean spirited to ridiculous to plain old asinine. The most anti social coming from long timers who I would have thought to have shown how living in this utopian environment, (thats why you all came in the first place, right?), calmed your raw western nerves, smoothed away all your jackarse edges, and turned you more like those around you in the land of smiles. But dam_n... If this is your happy place, some of you must have been the most miserable cusses on whatever continent you came from. Remarks made in jes ?t are cool as hell. Remarks that are never constructive but rather cynical and abusive and derisive and just plain negative, perpetually flowing from the same individuals as their common mantras in response to all topics, all the while telling everyone to chill out cuz it's all in fun, are most likely the same dill weeds who do all the snubbery discussed here. Your unsavory attitudes about EVERYTHING are just a freakin bummer. I would suggest steering away from the alcohol for a while and maybe check out something in the opiate family. God help us all if you were nice guys before you came here and it is this place that does this to people.....

What was I then? Contructive? Insightful? Mean Spirited? Ridiculous? Asinine? Anti-Social? Cynical? Abusive? Cool as hell (please say this one)? Unsavory? Derisive? Negative?

<deleted> 61 you certainly know your adjectives.

I'm really not a stick-up-the-tucas humorless stiff, and your response was of course taken in the spirit intended. I can laugh at myself just fine also but some members here are more like the school yard bullies at a primary school with the same taunts and mean-spirited quips they were using umpteen years ago when they were all of 10 years of age. Not humor, not good advice, just worthless blatherings better never to have been conceived, written, and certainly better to have never been read. In answer to you, sure, cool as hell.

I'm practicing my use of as many words as possible to bolster my English skills as I have started tutoring as a TEFL teacher. So sorry if I sometimes put in a few too many words. And no, I do not type with the thesaurus open.............

If you had mentioned this earlier i would have easily been able to explain why you were being blanked.

[JimsKnight]

Having asked a simple question, and watching the three ring circus assemble as the result, has been quite enjoyable. All manner of responses, from constructive and insightful to mean spirited to ridiculous to plain old asinine. The most anti social coming from long timers who I would have thought to have shown how living in this utopian environment, (thats why you all came in the first place, right?), calmed your raw western nerves, smoothed away all your jackarse edges, and turned you more like those around you in the land of smiles. But dam_n... If this is your happy place, some of you must have been the most miserable cusses on whatever continent you came from. Remarks made in jes ?t are cool as hell. Remarks that are never constructive but rather cynical and abusive and derisive and just plain negative, perpetually flowing from the same individuals as their common mantras in response to all topics, all the while telling everyone to chill out cuz it's all in fun, are most likely the same dill weeds who do all the snubbery discussed here. Your unsavory attitudes about EVERYTHING are just a freakin bummer. I would suggest steering away from the alcohol for a while and maybe check out something in the opiate family. God help us all if you were nice guys before you came here and it is this place that does this to people.....

What was I then? Contructive? Insightful? Mean Spirited? Ridiculous? Asinine? Anti-Social? Cynical? Abusive? Cool as hell (please say this one)? Unsavory? Derisive? Negative?

<deleted> 61 you certainly know your adjectives.

This 61 dude knows his groove!

He tells it like it is and shoots the misery machines down like the dross of farang they are...