Is Thai A Race Or A Nationality?

[h90]

> 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.

And most bizarr: you are Thai or Moslem.

(Not Thai or Malay which would make at least a little sense).

A chinese ethnic from the south is Thai. Her neighbor in lets say Sura thani who is since ever there is "race muslim"

[NewlyMintedThai]

No, there is "satsana muslim". Muslim religion. Everyone with Thai citizenship is "sanchart Thai". Thai nationality. Even myself, a farang with Thai nationality, is "sanchart Thai".

[tutsiwarrior]

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.

hey...I learned 'lip pointing' down in Nicaragua, a million miles away from Asia...

'now there are thais and there are malays and they are both 'asian' but hardly alike...a naked malay woman don't look or smell nothin' like a thai or a chinese woman...and the chinese dames always smell delightfully and tantalizingly of garlic...'

- a loquacious Fred C Dobbs to his pardner Curtin when around the campfire in the classic film 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre'...

[NewlyMintedThai]

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.

'now there are thais and there are malays and they are both 'asian' but hardly alike...a naked malay woman don't look or smell nothin' like a thai or a chinese woman...and the chinese dames always smell delightfully and tantalizingly of garlic...'

Body smells are not characteristic of race/ethnicity/genes, though. They are purely a product of one's diet.

[Jingthing]

Body smells are not characteristic of race/ethnicity/genes, though. They are purely a product of one's diet.

Sorry you're wrong. But again, not about race. Genetics -- yes.

Body odor is largely influenced by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. These are genetically determined and play an important role in immunity of the organism. The vomeronasal organ contains cells sensitive to MHC molecules in a genotype-specific way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_odor

[NewlyMintedThai]

So Chinese chicks smell like garlic because of their genes, then? And Indian chicks smell like curry spices for the same reason? Interesting hypothesis you've got there.

[tutsiwarrior]

hey...don't look at me...it was Fred C Dobbs and falang mischief.....

[KhaoNiaw]

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.

There have been occasions when Thailand has claimed the Tai peoples as part of their own - I think that was the excuse for taking control of Shan areas of Burma in WW2. I believe the link between Tais is primarily linguistic but it has a certain fascination for the Thais who would sometimes like to see it as evidence of a history of something bigger than Thailand itself.

[Jingthing]

So Chinese chicks smell like garlic because of their genes, then? And Indian chicks smell like curry spices for the same reason? Interesting hypothesis you've got there.

No, sir. You asserted it was ALL about diet. That is incorrect. There are multiple factors. Diet is a factor but just correcting you about it being PURELY about diet. OK, Mr. NewThai? Edited April 15, 2012 by Jingthing

[NewlyMintedThai]

So Chinese chicks smell like garlic because of their genes, then? And Indian chicks smell like curry spices for the same reason? Interesting hypothesis you've got there.

No, sir. You asserted it was ALL about diet. That is incorrect. There are multiple factors. Diet is a factor but just correcting you about it being PURELY about diet. OK, Mr. NewThai?

We were discussing what makes different ETHNICITIES have different body smells, not what makes different INDIVIDUALS have their own unique scent profiles.

What makes different ETHNICITIES smell differently is all about DIET.

[KeyserSoze01]

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.

I would not want to be the person to tell a Thai person that they are the same race as Burmese or Cambodians. You might get walloped up side the head with a chunk of wood.

[Jingthing]

So Chinese chicks smell like garlic because of their genes, then? And Indian chicks smell like curry spices for the same reason? Interesting hypothesis you've got there.

No, sir. You asserted it was ALL about diet. That is incorrect. There are multiple factors. Diet is a factor but just correcting you about it being PURELY about diet. OK, Mr. NewThai?

We were discussing what makes different ETHNICITIES have different body smells, not what makes different INDIVIDUALS have their own unique scent profiles.

What makes different ETHNICITIES smell differently is all about DIET.

Funny, you also mentioned RACE and GENES not being factors. Now you are revising your absurdly broad assertion to be limited to ethnicity. Make up your mind, man, as to what you are talking about. Anyway, GENES are a factor.

As you said:

Body smells are not characteristic of race/ethnicity/genes, though. They are purely a product of one's diet

.

Again, incorrect.

BTW, I don't have an opinion on ethnic differences of smell being based on more than just diet. I don't accept there is any science behind different races, we are one race, even though that sounds like a PC dogma it also happens to be true.

Edited April 15, 2012 by Jingthing

[NewlyMintedThai]

So Chinese chicks smell like garlic because of their genes, then? And Indian chicks smell like curry spices for the same reason? Interesting hypothesis you've got there.

No, sir. You asserted it was ALL about diet. That is incorrect. There are multiple factors. Diet is a factor but just correcting you about it being PURELY about diet. OK, Mr. NewThai?

We were discussing what makes different ETHNICITIES have different body smells, not what makes different INDIVIDUALS have their own unique scent profiles.

What makes different ETHNICITIES smell differently is all about DIET.

Funny, you also mentioned RACE and GENES not being factors. Now you are revising your absurdly broad assertion to be limited to ethnicity. Make up your mind, man, as to what you are talking about. Anyway, GENES are a factor and it sounds like you agree with that now, but for some ego reason don't want to admit it. Cheers.

Sigh. Let me guess, former dramatician?

[Kananga]

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.

You've obviously havent filled out any forms in Singapore recently. The race question appears on everything from video club membership formes to credit card applications. Like you I always put human. Occasionally I would mix it up with 'marathon' or 100 metre dash, but mostly I would put human or not applicable.

[Jingthing]

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.

I would not want to be the person to tell a Thai person that they are the same race as Burmese or Cambodians. You might get walloped up side the head with a chunk of wood.

Make it more fun. Tell them they are the same race as f-rang and watch some heads explode.

[Jingthing]

Sigh. Let me guess, former dramatician?

That's not a thing, mate.

[thunder30101]

If you look at a job application here there are boxes for race and nationality, in the english spelling on the form there is race and nationality two very distinct categories but when you look at the thai translation above the english spelling they are exactly the same words in thai. So as far as thais are concerned their race is thai and their nationality is thai. Just another case of blatent xenophobia in the land of smiles.

[Jingthing]

If you look at a job application here there are boxes for race and nationality, in the english spelling on the form there is race and nationality two very distinct categories but when you look at the thai translation above the english spelling they are exactly the same words in thai. So as far as thais are concerned their race is thai and their nationality is thai. Just another case of blatent xenophobia in the land of smiles.

Yes they are brainwashed a certain way. But in that sense they have a lot in common with most (perhaps all) other countries that are home to our funny race. Edited April 15, 2012 by Jingthing

[NewlyMintedThai]

Sigh. Let me guess, former dramatician?

That's not a thing, mate.

Former junior high debate team president?

[Payboy]

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.

You've obviously havent filled out any forms in Singapore recently. The race question appears on everything from video club membership formes to credit card applications. Like you I always put human. Occasionally I would mix it up with 'marathon' or 100 metre dash, but mostly I would put human or not applicable.

Like writing "often" in the sex column.

[jacnl2000]

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

Yeah, here at home the others and I feel all free to call the father in the house whatever comes to mind, but everytime I step outside and enter public space others let me feel I'm one with a group of others who are called falangs. That's me, a group at large of many nationalities probably also including aliens. Reminds me of one of my family members in Big C who intially called every falang he saw "pappaah". Lucky me it was only a snow thing : - )

[BigJohnnyBKK]

There have been occasions when Thailand has claimed the Tai peoples as part of their own - I think that was the excuse for taking control of Shan areas of Burma in WW2. I believe the link between Tais is primarily linguistic but it has a certain fascination for the Thais who would sometimes like to see it as evidence of a history of something bigger than Thailand itself.

Actually the "Tai" is the older, broader group, while ethnically "Thai" is used to refer to the subset of those that migrated here.

Found a good wiki article

[phomsanuk]

Nationality, Remember the Khmer Empire ? I think they're all Malay.