Is Thai A Race Or A Nationality?

[barefoot1988]

I am alittle confused is thai a race or nationality?

[submaniac]

Race of nationalists.

[necronx99]

A nationality. And what Sub said.

But don't ever tell them that.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[Jingthing]

Thai ethnicity. (75 percent. Coincidentally about the percentage of Jewish ethnicity in Israel.) Thai nation. Not all Thai nationals are Thai ethnicity. Siam anyone? Not a race.

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Thailand-ETHNIC-GROUPS.html

Edited April 14, 2012 by Jingthing

[MediumPaceBowler]

Thai ethnicity. (75 percent.)

Where did you get that stat?

75% seems reasonable, but where are you getting your numbers from?

[Jingthing]

People misuse the word "race" all the time. Of course it gets more complicated that mainstream anthropology now rejects the entire concept of race. Even if there are no races, people can still be racist (because most people think there are).

[DP25]

It's both a nationality, and an ethnic group. Although it's a language group more than a 'race'

http://en.wikipedia....i/Tai_languages

[Jingthing]

It's not a race at all.

[sirineou]

I copied this from a "Yahoo Answers search

"In traditional anthropological studies there are actually 5 races.

These are

1) Mongoloid (Asian and American Indian)

2) Caucasoid (European)

3) Australoid (Australian and oceanic)

4) Negroid (east African black)

5) Capoid (south African black)

Thais are Asian

These Race classifications are divided in ethnic groups

This is a list of Thai ethnic Groups

Listed by language group

• Tai–Kadai – Lanna (Northern Thai), Lao, Lü (Tai Lü), Phu Thai, Saek, Shan, Southern Thai, Tai Dam (Black Tai), Tai Nüa, Thai
  
• Mon–Khmer – Bru, Khmer, Khmu, Kuy, Lawa, Lua, Mani, Mlabri, Mon, Nyahkur (Nyah Kur, Chao-bon), Palaung (De'ang), Phai, So
  
• Sino-Tibetan
  
  • Chinese – Chinese
    
  • Tibeto-Burman - Akha, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Lolo (Yi)
    

  [*]Malayo-Polynesian – Cham, Malay, Moken, Urak Lawoi

  [*]Hmong–Mien – Hmong, Yao/Iu Mien

[Ijustwannateach]

There are no human races except homo sapiens. 'Traditional' anthropology is bizarre and flawed in respect to the categories listed in the last message (did you know that 'Caucasians' were named after the 'Caucasus' area- which is where the most beautiful people were supposed to live?- feel Eastern European today?)

So Thais are human like the rest of us.

And the Thai 'nation' itself has tenuous historical reality- less than a hundred years old, isn't it? The groups which live in the current nation of Thailand would not all agree, possibly, that they are the same as each other ethnically.

[Shurup]

Thais are aliens from another planet, noting about them is human starting from their writing and logic.

[autan]

Thais belong to a Nation. That Nation is also a Country called Thailand,

Under English definitions Thais belong to race "Chinese". Although they can also elect to be "Asian" or "Other".

[ShanePashen]

Thai's are a race, as geekfreaklover pointed out, the only race which can point at things with their lips.

I love that!

[TomTao]

A nation is defined by ethnicity, a country is defined by borders, an ethnic group can span two or more borders.

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[KeyserSoze01]

I love this place. I am about to piss myself laughing after reading the last 4 responses.

[h90]

Race and country.

Before it was Siam that was a country name.

The usual Thai is sepperating between:

Thais

Chinese

Mountain people (Thai yai, etc)

Mon

Farangs (we are all the same)

Moslems

Which is rater bizarr

[exeter]

We have a county in England called Yorkshire, its also a way of life, Yorkshire is at least two things. So the answer to your question is probably the same , both.

[NanLaew]

Thai is a nationality, not a race.

And the Thai's are nationalistic, not racist*.

Please try and keep up.

* unless you are black or dark -skinned of course.

Edited April 15, 2012 by NanLaew

[besth]

There are no human races except homo sapiens. 'Traditional' anthropology is bizarre and flawed in respect to the categories listed in the last message (did you know that 'Caucasians' were named after the 'Caucasus' area- which is where the most beautiful people were supposed to live?- feel Eastern European today?)

So Thais are human like the rest of us.

And the Thai 'nation' itself has tenuous historical reality- less than a hundred years old, isn't it? The groups which live in the current nation of Thailand would not all agree, possibly, that they are the same as each other ethnically.

Very true. Not that many years ago, some countries still had a "Race" field in their immigration slips. I always put "Human" in there. Got a few stares and a couple of notes scribbled on the form, but never had a problem with it. I guess if the color of my skin had been darker it might not have gone down so well. I don't think this happens anywhere nowadays.

[besth]

Thai's are a race, as geekfreaklover pointed out, the only race which can point at things with their lips.

I love that!

LOL, sorry but you are wrong about this. Indonesians and Filipinos do exactly the same thing with their lips. Can be confusing at the beginning until you realize what they are doing

[Berkshire]

I love this place. I am about to piss myself laughing after reading the last 4 responses.

Actually, it was the title of this thread that was the most amusing. My first response: You can't be freakin serious!

[h90]

There are no human races except homo sapiens. 'Traditional' anthropology is bizarre and flawed in respect to the categories listed in the last message (did you know that 'Caucasians' were named after the 'Caucasus' area- which is where the most beautiful people were supposed to live?- feel Eastern European today?)

So Thais are human like the rest of us.

And the Thai 'nation' itself has tenuous historical reality- less than a hundred years old, isn't it? The groups which live in the current nation of Thailand would not all agree, possibly, that they are the same as each other ethnically.

That means there are no races of dogs or no races of horses as well?

[NewlyMintedThai]

Those are called "breeds".

[Payboy]

A race - sort of like Nascar.

[h90]

Those are called "breeds".

OK, sorry didn't know that....

I German they are called "Hunderassen" (=Dograces) and I thought it is the same in English....

[bendix]

Thai's are a race, as geekfreaklover pointed out, the only race which can point at things with their lips.

I love that!

The Filipinos do it too.

[doggie888888]

Thai's are a race, as geekfreaklover pointed out, the only race which can point at things with their lips.

I love that!

The Filipinos do it too.

Why point with lips when you've got a tongue?

[BigJohnnyBKK]

> I am alittle confused is thai a race or nationality?

The concept of race is subjective, sociologically defined, not scientifically. We are all one species, with an infinite variation of DNA inheritance patterns mixed going back to before we were homo sapiens.

The Thais would say they are a race, but they use queues like language, height and skin color to distinguish for example between "kon pak glang" and "kon isaan", where there is infinite variability in DNA between the two, no hard lines of black and white, just grey.

These two groups together are what are counted as "Thai ethnicity" in the statistics, along with I believe northern remnants of the "Lanna" people in the north.

Ethnic Malay in the south, Khmer-speakers along the Isaan/Cambodian border and recent (<4 generation) Chinese immigrant DNA is considered ethnically separate by most Thais as well as themselves.

But all these are completely arbitrary designations, again, have no scientifically verifiable physical basis for distinguishing individuals.

The hilltribes and Karen/Mon along the Burmese border areas are definitely considered completely alien, non-Thai, often not being given any rights of citizenship even after many generations of residence in Thai territory, effectively stateless and beyond the pale for most Thais.

[buhi]

All I know is that I am an alien; can someone enlighten me which race is this?

[RabC]

There are no human races except homo sapiens. 'Traditional' anthropology is bizarre and flawed in respect to the categories listed in the last message (did you know that 'Caucasians' were named after the 'Caucasus' area- which is where the most beautiful people were supposed to live?- feel Eastern European today?)

So Thais are human like the rest of us.

And the Thai 'nation' itself has tenuous historical reality- less than a hundred years old, isn't it? The groups which live in the current nation of Thailand would not all agree, possibly, that they are the same as each other ethnically.

Very true. Not that many years ago, some countries still had a "Race" field in their immigration slips. I always put "Human" in there. Got a few stares and a couple of notes scribbled on the form, but never had a problem with it. I guess if the color of my skin had been darker it might not have gone down so well. I don't think this happens anywhere nowadays.

Singapore doesn't ask on its immigration forms but it does on an awful lot of other official paperwork.