Sick To Be Called "Farang"

[krisb]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

[krisb]

Being called farang is a compliment.

Farang means guava. Same Buk si dah means Mr guava in Issan. Its a joke at you not compliment. some think it sounds like foreign but it means guava.

That is not what my Thai dictionary tells me

Your dictionary is wrong.

[krisb]

This topics dumb dumb dumb

Edited March 5, 2012 by krisb

[Payboy]

With a name like dirty old man.....hmmmm

It's a public service - makes everyone else feel superior.

[cardholder]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

No they didn't

[krisb]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

No they didn't

Yes they did

[cardholder]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

No they didn't

Yes they did

Are you sure ?

[krisb]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

No they didn't

Yes they did

Are you sure ?

very very very possible. Im sure of that.

[cardholder]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

No they didn't

Yes they did

Are you sure ?

very very very possible. Im sure of that.

I think you are wrong

[ravip]

...have been racist in the past? How is it at present?

Give me break too, will ya?

[ayayay]

i used to think that farang is not a racist term, its just a thai word for white foreigner.

after staying in thailand for years, ive come to conclusion that it is actually a racist term and i dont like to be called that.

Yes, exactly my experience as well. In the beginning, the first few years, no problem, I did not bother, but now days, I always tell them, "oh you mean foreigner"?, when they say farang.

[krisb]

Picture this..... About 300 years ago (thereabouts) a boat full of pastey white Poms looking like sunburned poms you see on the beaches in Thailand today, step off the boat and the Thais look at them and laugh and call them guavas. 55555555

No they didn't

Yes they did

Are you sure ?

very very very possible. Im sure of that.

I think you are wrong

well next time your on a beach in Thailand have a look at the sunburned poms on it. Im very very sure. Heads like guavas 555

[krisb]

It just means "foreigner" dude. And like other posters have said, I've never had anyone call me "farang" to my face. But it does come up in conversations. Sometimes I'm being talked about, sometimes someone else. It just means pasty white, foreigner.

Yeah, Thais are xenophobic, but don't take the "tag" too personal. At least when I'm in my wife's village and someone says, "farang" I know who they are talking about - being the only "farang" in the village.

Being indignant won't change a thing. Accept it and move on -- Farang.

Whats xenophobic mean? anything to do with xylophones?

[granuaile]

Well as I am actually a woman, I think it is better then being called Mister..which is quite often. Or Kwai and Kee Nok which is what men are often called.

Sometimes I can get a bit tired of it and retort with KON THAI! KON THAI! back at the KON Thai who is making a point of identifying me as a foreigner. If you are a man and were always called Miss you might find Falang a better alternative.

I agree though mostly people call me madam (not sure that sounds good either). It never bothers me being called a farang, most Thai mean nothing more than a westerner when they say it. I refer to westerners as farang also....

[Jingthing]

Westerners calling themselves "f-rang" in Thailand is like Asian people calling themselves "Orientals" in the U.S.A. I'm much more offended by that than Thais using the word. Westerners should know better. Racist/derogatory or not (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) ... it's backwards and there is no reason that WE should support it.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Jingthing

[villagefarang]

Westerners calling themselves "f-rang" in Thailand is like Asian people calling themselves "Orientals" in the U.S.A. I'm much more offended by that than Thais using the word. Westerners should know better. Racist/derogatory or not (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) ... it's backwards and there is no reason that WE should support it.

I’m with you JT. I hate it when people call me Village Farang. I mean really, who do they think they are? (But I think I am repeating myself here.)

[pgs]

Turn it back on them & make a joke out of it. If they think they are losing face or you don't react how they want, they will stop.

[ayayay]

Westerners calling themselves "f-rang" in Thailand is like Asian people calling themselves "Orientals" in the U.S.A. I'm much more offended by that than Thais using the word. Westerners should know better. Racist/derogatory or not (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) ... it's backwards and there is no reason that WE should support it.

I agree, and by actively also let others (for example thais) know that we do not like it, we at least try to do something about it.

The worst thing is, as you pointed out, other westerners who sees themselves as farangs.

I think it comes with experience, once you have been here for a few years, you realize how stupid it is to be called farang farang farang.

[Ulysses G.]

Westerners calling themselves "f-rang" in Thailand is like Asian people calling themselves "Orientals" in the U.S.A. I'm much more offended by that than Thais using the word. Westerners should know better. Racist/derogatory or not (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) ... it's backwards and there is no reason that WE should support it.

What is deregatory about "Orientals"? Why is "Asians" any better? Just because some people choose to consider some terms as insults does not mean that they are.

[villagefarang]

Clearly I haven't been living here long enough.

[Naam]

i suggest a poll "Is it derogatory if Asian people call themselves Orientals in the U.S.A.?"

multiple choice allowed!

O no

O yes

O for sure

O perhaps

O depends

O up to you

O sometimes

O only on sundays

O how would i know?

O why don't they call themselves Farang, Farung, Fallong, Farlung, Furlong, Farong, Forang or Falang?

[Jingthing]

Westerners calling themselves "f-rang" in Thailand is like Asian people calling themselves "Orientals" in the U.S.A. I'm much more offended by that than Thais using the word. Westerners should know better. Racist/derogatory or not (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) ... it's backwards and there is no reason that WE should support it.

What is deregatory about "Orientals"? Why is "Asians" any better? Just because some people choose to consider some terms as insults does not mean that they are.

You'll have to ask Asian people in the U.S. They don't like it and do not use it to describe themselves. If they encounter non-Asian people using it, most will see those people as clueless or worse. I see there is a difference here with the f-rang word. Some of us think it is OK and some of us don't, and many of use even use the word ourselves. I think that is a bit Stockholm Syndrome (not literally of course).

BTW, don't be disingenuous. I am sure you know perfectly well that these days in the U.S. people still using the word Oriental are likely to be the same kind of people telling "Ching Chong" jokes.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Jingthing

[metisdead]

A profanity post has been removed.

Edit: Some muslim bashing posts and replies have been removed as well:

7) Not to post slurs or degrading comments directed towards any group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Edited March 5, 2012 by metisdead

[cardholder]

This topics dumb dumb dumb

Yet you feel the need to post.........................

[Jingthing]

i suggest a poll "Is it derogatory if Asian people call themselves Orientals in the U.S.A.?"

multiple choice allowed!

O no

O yes

O for sure

O perhaps

O depends

O up to you

O sometimes

O only on sundays

O how would i know?

O why don't they call themselves Farang, Farung, Fallong, Farlung, Furlong, Farong, Forang or Falang?

It's a silly poll because they DON'T call themselves that.

[Ulysses G.]

BTW, don't be disingenuous. I am sure you know perfectly well that these days in the U.S. people still using the word Oriental are likely to be the same kind of people telling "Ching Chong" jokes.

I have not visited the US in more than two decades and it was a perfectly acceptable word when I left. Political correctness has gotten more and more ridiculous since I left, but from what I understand, the term "African American" is on its way out and black is back in.

[ayayay]

Westerners calling themselves "f-rang" in Thailand is like Asian people calling themselves "Orientals" in the U.S.A. I'm much more offended by that than Thais using the word. Westerners should know better. Racist/derogatory or not (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't) ... it's backwards and there is no reason that WE should support it.

What is deregatory about "Orientals"? Why is "Asians" any better? Just because some people choose to consider some terms as insults does not mean that they are.

They would not call themselves that, and if they really had to identify themselves other than the person that they are, they should probably choose to prefer to be called by their nationality.

If I was a Japanese business man from Tokyo, who decided to stay in New York for 6 years, I would be kinda pissed off, if my closest friends, after 6 years, would still not be able to tell the difference between me, and a farmer from Burma.

Yes, we could both be called asians, but I would think of my friends as being very ignorant.

Edited March 5, 2012 by ayayay

[Ulysses G.]

In general, we are not talking about friends calling people Farang or Asian or whatever. We are talking about strangers who do not know what country you are from.

[ayayay]

In general, we are not talking about friends calling people Farang or Asian or whatever. We are talking about strangers who do not know what country you are from.

But if you were living in New York City, and you constantly came in contact with "asian" people, not only on the streets, but your friends started to date some, maybe you got interested in asian cultures, watch Japanese Manga, or Korean movies, you would, even though you were not close friends to them, realize that describing them simply as asians, would not´, for the mots part, be satisfying enough. You would HAVE to soon ask about the nationality, instead of just saying asians, as your knowledge had become much more deep. Thais, especially in the tourist areas have been familiar with white skinned people for at least 20 years, but still they just call as farangs.

[p_brownstone]

i suggest a poll "Is it derogatory if Asian people call themselves Orientals in the U.S.A.?"

multiple choice allowed!

<snip>

O Furlong

<snip>

OK, now you're going too far!

Patrick