Jek Or Kak Or Negro Or Yew Or Farang Or Lets Stop Racism..

[krisb]

Everyone has a different opnion on this, I just asked my Thai gf what her thoughts were on this.

It's a Yahoo conversation ... no edits ... just how it went.

Me: HEY ... why do you (Thai people) call us Farang?

Me: is it a rude or bad name?

Me: Honest answer pls!

Miss M: I don't know too ...I know this word since I was born....

Miss M: If let me guess....I think

Miss M: seriouse not joke na ka

Me: Chai ... not joke serious question jing jing

Miss M: Farang is not bad name.

Miss M: Thai has fruit...this fruit is guava (English name)

Miss M: Guava name in Thai is Farang.

Miss M: inside guava will white color and some guava pink color....then

Miss M: when foreigner come to Thailand ...they look like guava ...so we call them is "Farang"

Miss M: This is why we call foreigner "Farang"

Miss M: understand mai ka?

Me: understand

Miss M: I just guess na ka

Me: is it a rude or bad name?

Miss M: no

Miss M: it good name

Me: sure?

Miss M: 100%

Me: why is it good name?

Miss M: we have more name for foreigner but it long word..."Chaaw Taang Chaat"

Miss M: it same meaning but difficult for older to say this....

Me: I understand

Me: If you wanted to a white person in Thailand a 'bad name' ... what name you use?

Miss M: don't know

Me: cheap charlie ?

Miss M: maybe have but I don't know

Miss M: Khee Neaww

Me: 555

Me: OK, thanks for your answer

Me: If you think of a name please tell me ... OK?

Miss M: think of a name?...for my name????

Me: no ... bad name for Farang

Pause of maybe 5 minutes ... maybe she ask many people in the office?

Miss M: maybe they will call farang man is " I rang" Strong and short sound "I"

Miss M: I' rang

Miss M: this is bad and not polite

Me: Thanks again

Miss M: example " black man...Nigeria man" we will call them " I dum"...Dum it mean Black color.

Miss M: this is bad name and rude.

Me: OIC

A lot of this stuff we get in heads is just plain wrong ... sometimes politicial correctness gone made.

Thais think nothing of this word and use sometimes in an endearing fashion.

As we have been told many time by or Thai partners ... Farang worry too much and think too much!

Conversation update 20 mins later ...

Miss M: no more gossip me?

Me: sorry ... I writing on Thai Visa about what you tell me

Me: Falang worry soooooooooooo much about make sure everything correct

Me: no Racism

Me: they think 'Farang' / Falang' is bad word

Me: I make our conversation easy for them to read and try and understand

Me: I will send you this link later little bit.

Miss M: You can tell them we have another name for foreigner is "Chaaw Taang Chaat" but most time we will call "Farang" because easy more than.

Me: I write this already ... thanks

..

Miss M: we never racism with Farang because almost Thai girl want to have white skin like farang..

... so please ... it's not Racism ... it's just a name!

David48

.

YES!!! Its a joke. Its not like us calling them banana cause they have yellow skin. Its not racist its a joke.

[BookMan]

Typical posting by a Farang. Done to death.

[pnustedt]

I don't quite get it...

To call a jew a jew is offensive?

To call a black a black is offensive? (Negro is Latin for "black")

To call a Thai a Thai, is that offensive?

To call a Thai "Thai" is not offensive. However, in the UK in the '60s Asians would be called, by the less well educated, Packies - that is offensive.

To call a British person "British" or an American "American" is not offensive, but to call all of them "Farang" is.

[Mirth]

OP, welcome to Thailand. Racism and nationalism exists everywhere, not only here.

[Berkshire]

To call a British person "British" or an American "American" is not offensive, but to call all of them "Farang" is.

You are wrong. Farang is not an offensive term.

[mrtoad]

How unusual. A thread about 'farang'

Second one in the last 48 hours I think

I think we should have a poll..........."Should people that bring up the farang topic be beaten to death?"

I think you should run that poll

[pnustedt]

You are wrong. Farang is not an offensive term.

As can be witnissed by the number of times this topic comes up on the forum, being called a "Farang" is offensive to many people. Therefore it is offensive to them. Just because you may not find it offensive does not mean that it is not offensive.

[FrankensteinSpy]

You are wrong. Farang is not an offensive term.

As can be witnissed by the number of times this topic comes up on the forum, being called a "Farang" is offensive to many people. Therefore it is offensive to them. Just because you may not find it offensive does not mean that it is not offensive.

I agree It is often not WHAT is said BUT HOW it is said, I just posted this forum topic to resolve conflicts between thai's and westerners not intensify the already pre existing tensions amongst us.

Kaek or KAK as mentioned above have two different meaning based on the tone and 1 meaning is a guest! Another meaning of KAK is when said about someone who fits the stereotype of being a muslim by his/her outsided appearance which I find extremely offensive and my friend who is a Thai muslim said its a racist way Buddhist thai's look down on others of the islamic faith.

Jek= is also a racist term to call chinese people or "Kon Chin" said properly.

I'm not offended by the word farang but more so when its mentioned along with 'Farang Kee Nok" which means bird shi*

Jew is ok as itself most are not offended BUT if stereotyped as a jew only based on your appearance it can be inflammatory to many, but when its become a word in Thai like' Jewgee 'which means "picky" in thai, it has racist undertones...

Negro or Ai Dam or Dam Pee are all racist ways to call black people in Thailand and not only africans but dark skinned Thai people are always being looked down upon by the upper class bankokians who spend there nights and days behind corporate desks of lies to preserve there bleached white skin...Its great to be a vampire in Thailand I guess....

Have a great day everyone, I agree this topic HAS been done to death, but I guess I would need to type in Thai so some of these people here could understand specific thai terms and I don't have time for that or any more posts on this topic, hope u all enjoy debating this amongst yourselves, I just suggest we TRY to get along and accept cultural diffferences and not get so offended if someone makes a slight racial slur because most of the time its NOT racism, its just a lack of education in Thailand and this occurs in many countries around the world!

Cheers!

[Cornichon88]

my friend who is a Thai muslim said its a racist way Buddhist thai's look down on others of the islamic faith.

You should ask your friend if he is proud of the words used in his holly book for calling people of other faiths or the discrimination towards women they are proud of.

A muslim calling others racists just make me laugh.

[Johnniey]

Man, with time the word farang will, like Jek, be used less - take it easy and accept it.

Jeks were here first and the word went first.

Kaek is nearly there.

Farang is next.

It doesn't help with all the whitey idiots running around using the word 'farang'

Edited March 4, 2012 by Johnniey

[BookMan]

Man, with time the word farang will, like Jek, be used less - take it easy and accept it.

Jeks were here first and the word went first.

Kaek is nearly there.

Farang is next.

It doesn't help with all the whitey idiots running around using the word 'farang'

Maybe the word 'whitey' could replace 'farang'?

[Jingthing]

...

It doesn't help with all the whitey idiots running around using the word 'farang'

Not sure it will go away, but in the meantime I do suggest avoiding it in speech. My idea of writing f-rang when needed to mention in writing has been a huge failure, but it won't stop me!

[PattayaParent]

I'm sorry to say that all of my Thai girlfriends in California have been very racist and openly disdainful of my black friends. They referred to them as "dumdum". These were girls from all over Thailand so I figured that it was prevalent in the culture. An unattractive trait.

Do you mean dumbdumb as in not intelligent? or damdam, which is the Thai word for black which is not being racist.

[pxlgirl]

Jeez, what's wrong with you people these days? Sunstroke? Too much time? Get a life folks, or a nice cold beer!

Things are never as bad as they seem. Cheers!

[NaMah]

I'm sorry to say that all of my Thai girlfriends in California have been very racist and openly disdainful of my black friends. They referred to them as "dumdum". These were girls from all over Thailand so I figured that it was prevalent in the culture. An unattractive trait.

Do you mean dumbdumb as in not intelligent? or damdam, which is the Thai word for black which is not being racist.

Sorry for the phonetics but it sounded like "dumdum" but could very well have been "damdam". The behavior I saw was that when a black friend came over to the house my girlfriends would not speak and would leave the room and slam doors etc. They wouldn't offer to prepare food as they would when other people came over and they would give me a hard time about bringing them to the house. It was more passive-aggression than it was overt racism.

I didn't let it affect me, its just an observation of thai girlfriends here in the States, not in Thailand. I had a few black friends from school that would come over and play backgammon and have a couple of beers etc.

I certainly mean no offense towards any Thais. I love Thai women and have some Thai male friends as well. I never saw anything even remotely racist from my male Thai friends, just the girls.

[PattayaParent]

I don't quite get it...

To call a jew a jew is offensive?

To call a black a black is offensive? (Negro is Latin for "black")

To call a Thai a Thai, is that offensive?

To call a Thai "Thai" is not offensive. However, in the UK in the '60s Asians would be called, by the less well educated, Packies - that is offensive.

To call a British person "British" or an American "American" is not offensive, but to call all of them "Farang" is.

I thought it was more likely because they were from Pakistan, it was just an abbreviation of the word.

A Japanese Asian wouldn't be called a Pakkie for instance, they'd be called a Jap, short for Japanese.

Whether it is racist or insulting would depend on other words used with it, such as <deleted>, stinking, dirty etc.

Edited March 4, 2012 by PattayaParent

[nocturn]

while i think it is pathetic enough that you converse with your woman in such a bastardized form of the english language, it is yet more tragic that you did not take the chance while typing to correct yourself.

thanks for sharing a scintillating conversation.

Humm ... how to respond?

My gf doesn’t need defending.

Her English is fine ... language is a form of communication, and you seemed to understand what she wrote, so that doesn’t need defending.

Having a Thai opinion on what the Thais think about us in terms of the use of language doesn’t need defending. Indeed, isn't that the point of the article?

Maybe you would like to share the last conversation that you had with a Thai person?

Oh ... one that wasn't conducted in a bar?

Better still ... reply in Thai and regale us with your superior whit and intellect, because I am sure that you must be fluent and faultless in at least two languages to have the balls to criticise like this in a public forum.

When you are in Thailand you must be a very lonely man apart from the company you pay to keep.

This is my only comment to you here, so I eagerly await your reply.

Either you cant read too well either, or I was unclear.

I was talking about you mate, the fact that you talk down to your girlfriend with pidgin is quite sad. English as a second language is her excuse, whats yours?

To answer your questions, the last conversation I had with a Thai, was in Thai, unless of course you count my daughter and her mother though they are essentially fluent and i can speak to them as i would to any native speaker though even if they werent fluent i would still avoid using pidgin out of respect for both them and myself.

I must admit i have been lonely upon occasion over the last 16 years I have lived here, and you can make assumptions about who I pay to spend time with me and how much time i spend in a bar, but i suspect you are projecting.

[Ulysses G.]

You are wrong. Farang is not an offensive term.

As can be witnissed by the number of times this topic comes up on the forum, being called a "Farang" is offensive to many people. Therefore it is offensive to them. Just because you may not find it offensive does not mean that it is not offensive.

They find it offensive because some idiot told them it is an offensive term when it is not.

[Moonrakers]

How unusual. A thread about 'farang'

Second one in the last 48 hours I think

I think we should have a poll..........."Should people that bring up the farang topic be beaten to death?"

I think I'll lean more toward water-boarding to be honest

[Heimdallr]

I've been called a Farang, a Jew and kee nok but knowing who used them made it not all that offensive.

[IanForbes]

As I've said so many times on these very similar topics... Why should I care what an idiot calls me? Or, why should I care what a self righteous bigot even thinks of me. I don't lie, cheat or steal from anyone, and I haven't since I was 18 years old and made a pack with myself to be always honest. Anyone else either earns my respect or they get ignored. You should hear all the twits who are currently debating the upcoming American election. It they had a collective brain it would be lonely. If I must generalize I will ask... Who is that Asian man or woman? Or, who is that black man or woman? Or, who is that ... whatever identifying features the person has. Farang can be used in a derogatory fashion or a pleasant one. It just identifies me as someone different than a Thai. I've had school kids in small Thai villages call out to me... Farang! Farang! Farang! I'm quite certain they are NOT being negative. They have no reason to be and children are usually very open in their feelings.

[nocturn]

you made a pack?

having seen pictures of you, i would have to guess it was a fanny pack.

[IanForbes]

you made a pack?

having seen pictures of you, i would have to guess it was a fanny pack.

Good catch, Nocturn. I was right in the middle of typing when I got a phone call and didn't pick up on my typing mistake. The correct word is "pact" as in a "deal" with myself. Now, about those fanny packs... A fanny in Canada is an entirely different thing than a fanny in Australia. We've had a few laughs over that in the past.

[4.real]

In every country I have been to the natives consider themselves superior beings to any visitors.

I have no problem with that.

It can only be a problem if there is some truth in it.

I wonder why 'racist' is such a derogatory term in western countries.

Read from page 17 first in a booklet banned from sale in Britain.

...google...internet archive free download the longest hatred ...

look for the link that mentions Jane Birdwell.

You mean the Jane Birdwell who wrote an anti-semitic rant that when distributed by Kevin Quinn, a member of Combat 18, caused him to be convicted of distributing racist material in the British Courts?

Probably, although I do not know Kevin Quinn.

Perhaps you could explain why he was convicted and for what reason?

Read from page 17 ..the chapter on the real reason for coloured immigration to Britain..perhaps then you will understand why successive british governments since Macmillan have made racism into almost a capitol offense.

Churchill stated in parliament around 1954,'The biggest threat to Britain ,at this time, is the prospect of mass coloured immigration'.

[toysupra80]

I am a Black person from the US living in Thailand for 4 months now. I didn't know there was a word for Blacks in Thailand. Is dam dam derogatory or is it used to describe black skin color?

[arthurwait]

I am a Black person from the US living in Thailand for 4 months now. I didn't know there was a word for Blacks in Thailand. Is dam dam derogatory or is it used to describe black skin color?

Dahm means the colour black. As in anything that's black. Thais either say mak after the word or repeat it to emphasise it and it seems just because they like to. As in : jing jing very true or jing mak very true as well. Dahm dahm means dark basically. Kon see dahm (person colour black) isn't meant to be derogatory just the phrase that's used. Chocolate man is one I've heard to describe a friend of mine, it didn't seem to be anything other than just a name with no malice.

Some sayings may come across as offensive, but when people don't have a decent education and no contact with people of other races how do they know people find it offensive.

Many people look down on people poorer than them here and kiss arse of those richer (to their face anyway) if you were a Cambodian here you'd soon find this out.

Indian tourists or tourists of Indian decent, lots of gold digging bar girls won't go with them because they think they are all poor indians from india. The fact they can afford to travel here, pay 100-150 baht a drink , bar fines and girls fee doesn't seem to click with them.

People are more likely to judge you on the money they percieve you to have or the money Thais you know (wife/girlfriends family) have. although from the above this can be based on race.

Clothes along with humbleness can certainly maketh the man here. Back packer farang in braids, scruffy clothes etc or farang in a chang or red bull etc vest will be the people getting derogatory comments behind their backs.

[rijb]

I think the op is being insensitive by excluding all these other 'people'

[Johnniey]

I think the op is being insensitive by excluding all these other 'people'

Some of these are very funny.

If I get called farang by an old person, I don't mind as they are almost always ignorant of any racism.

We're going to visit my grandmother next week in the UK, who is 100. She calls black people 'golliwogs' and some may be offended if they met her and some, like me with older Thai people, would realize it's ignorance of any racism and actually quite funny,

[Johnniey]

Indian tourists or tourists of Indian decent, lots of gold digging bar girls won't go with them because they think they are all poor indians from india. The fact they can afford to travel here, pay 100-150 baht a drink , bar fines and girls fee doesn't seem to click with them.

That's not the reason. Simply, they don't LIKE Indians, Arabs, Africans.

[richard_smith237]

Some of the funny comments I've heard...

Me: "where shall I see you?"

Him: "On top of the Marmalade Jar !!"

Another..

In the outdoor beer garden of a pub in Brixton.

Girl: Excuse me, are you my Taxi driver?.

Man: What the F#$K, just because I'm a black man you think I'm a taxi driver.

Girl: No, because you are stood next to that taxi you stupid tw@t...

(the pub erupted with laughter.... )

Racism is when people intend offence or negativity, some people simply cannot be pleased and choose to take offence at anything they can and look for racism when its not there.

I hope never to become one of those people who chose to become offended at innocence…