Why Do Falang Ignore Falang?

[skippybangkok]

Just ignore him guys !

[Ijustwannateach]

Problem is, there are just too many foreigners here with too much baggage. I'm not saying I should expect potential acquaintances/friends to be perfect, but all too often that baggage comes with very poor understanding of boundaries and mutual consideration. I just don't need any more 'friends' who have dysfunctional energy-sapping levels of drinking, whoring, sex addiction, Munchausen's syndrome by chronic bad choice of partner proxy, financial self mismanagement, employment 'issues', or bipolar borderline dramatic disorders. That's leaving aside minor but seriously annoying tendencies among many expats here towards stoneage conservativism, Thailand love/hate flipflop Tourettes', and chronic disagreeability compulsions....

So unless I meet someone THROUGH a member of a network I consider relatively sane and reliable, I'm not really eager to give them much of a chance. Most of my preferred new friends and companions are those who've been here at least as long and preferably longer than I have, who've ironed out all the newbie wrinkles and have something that works going on (at least mostly), or at least have something more substantial to offer in terms of a longer term investment of friendship.

[Ijustwannateach]

(but when someone smiles or nods, I usually do smile or nod back)

[samsiam]

I have found potential suicide victims to be nice short term friends.

[edwinclapham]

Problem is, there are just too many foreigners here with too much baggage. I'm not saying I should expect potential acquaintances/friends to be perfect, but all too often that baggage comes with very poor understanding of boundaries and mutual consideration. I just don't need any more 'friends' who have dysfunctional energy-sapping levels of drinking, whoring, sex addiction, Munchausen's syndrome by chronic bad choice of partner proxy, financial self mismanagement, employment 'issues', or bipolar borderline dramatic disorders. That's leaving aside minor but seriously annoying tendencies among many expats here towards stoneage conservativism, Thailand love/hate flipflop Tourettes', and chronic disagreeability compulsions....

So unless I meet someone THROUGH a member of a network I consider relatively sane and reliable, I'm not really eager to give them much of a chance. Most of my preferred new friends and companions are those who've been here at least as long and preferably longer than I have, who've ironed out all the newbie wrinkles and have something that works going on (at least mostly), or at least have something more substantial to offer in terms of a longer term investment of friendship.

The highlighted says it all for me!

[StreetCowboy]

...

Problem is, there are just too many foreigners here with too much baggage. I'm not saying I should expect potential acquaintances/friends to be perfect, but all too often that baggage comes with very poor understanding of boundaries and mutual consideration. I just don't need any more 'friends' who have dysfunctional energy-sapping levels of drinking, whoring, sex addiction, Munchausen's syndrome by chronic bad choice of partner proxy, financial self mismanagement, employment 'issues', or bipolar borderline dramatic disorders. That's leaving aside minor but seriously annoying tendencies among many expats here towards stoneage conservativism, Thailand love/hate flipflop Tourettes', and chronic disagreeability compulsions....

...

I'm flattered. I can't say I remember him at all

[Gonsalviz]

I ignore westerners in my area because most of them are tourists come back with girlfriends and have yet to learn anything about where they are. Some actually live here permanently and never learn anything.

I doubt most of them are permanent. Even if they stay in Thailand they will most likely venture back to Falang City (where ever that may be). I intend to stay and live here in the village. Even out in the fields. My house will befinished early next year and I relish the though of not having next door neighbors.

There is one Falang here that I associate with but my wife doesn't like it because of his wife.

[w11guy]

Depends on the situation. Maybe people just don't want to talk to strangers. You seem to have the attitude that just because you're a farang that all other farangs should talk to you. Why?

[w11guy]

I avoid Farang like the plague.

Comes easy and natural for me.

Interaction.....?? Nothing lost.

I think I saw you yesterday, but we both ignored each other, so we're both happy.

Edited May 5, 2012 by w11guy

[zzaa09]

I ignore westerners in my area because most of them are tourists come back with girlfriends and have yet to learn anything about where they are. Some actually live here permanently and never learn anything.

This is still the case amongst 95% of Farang residents, be they full-time or part-time.

Acclimation and learning curves, voluntary or forced, is not the rule-of-thumb.

Sad paradox.

[smokie36]

I ignore westerners in my area because most of them are tourists come back with girlfriends and have yet to learn anything about where they are. Some actually live here permanently and never learn anything.

This is still the case amongst 95% of Farang residents, be they full-time or part-time.

Acclimation and learning curves, voluntary or forced, is not the rule-of-thumb.

Sad paradox.

They must be too busy living their lives. Rightly or wrongly?

[Berkshire]

It happened again. Booked into a new guesthouse for somewhere more central and saw a fellow tidy looking friendly falang.

I said hello and the look on his face was if I'd kicked his front door in on xmas and pissed on his kids.

Fabulous.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Perhaps you should consider giving up on your quest. Surely you've gotten the message by now. Unless you're one of those who truly thrives on rejection.

[rott]

I ignore Westerners who call other Westerners 'Farang' !!

i'm a Farang and ignore Farangs as well as Thais. if i was to say hello to every Farang when i'm downtown Pattaya i'd have no time for anything else.

p.s. i forgot to mention that i especially ignore Farangs who hate being called Farangs

I thought you said previously that you never left the house?

But when people initiate these threads they are generally speaking about falangs in areas that are over 99% Thai, saying hello to every one in Pattaya or Sukhumvit would be a bit pointless.

[rott]

My wife is a light-skinned, part Chinese, educated Thai professional. I figure most other farnags are married to Issan bar girls. So you see, how can I associate with you?

Who are you calling a farnag?

[StreetCowboy]

My wife is a light-skinned, part Chinese, educated Thai professional. I figure most other farnags are married to Issan bar girls. So you see, how can I associate with you?

Who are you calling a farnag?

Himself, amonst others

[phuturatica]

I don't really ignore other Westerners in Thailand, however I will admit - I don't really go out of my way to speak to them. I will smile and nod and say hello if I keep seeing them about which is what I do with my neighbours and I get on with them all fine.

Also, for me... I'm usually a minority in the sense that I'm quite a young female and the majority is usually of the older generation variety. And in my experience a lot of the older generation expats in Thailand look down on me and play the age card all the time like they're some kind of elitist. However them sort of expats can go screw themselves.

[plopmeister]

I go to the nearest town about once a week and about twice a year I see a farang face..I usually smile and say hello and leave it up to the other person to respond..

...It's not like I scamper up the aisle and shag their legs like I am a frustrated Jack Russell or any such thing!!!

[zzaa09]

I don't really ignore other Westerners in Thailand, however I will admit - I don't really go out of my way to speak to them. I will smile and nod and say hello if I keep seeing them about which is what I do with my neighbours and I get on with them all fine.

Also, for me... I'm usually a minority in the sense that I'm quite a young female and the majority is usually of the older generation variety. And in my experience a lot of the older generation expats in Thailand look down on me and play the age card all the time like they're some kind of elitist. However them sort of expats can go screw themselves.

Elitist expat type.

Kind of a term of contradictory, is it not?

[phuturatica]

I don't really ignore other Westerners in Thailand, however I will admit - I don't really go out of my way to speak to them. I will smile and nod and say hello if I keep seeing them about which is what I do with my neighbours and I get on with them all fine.

Also, for me... I'm usually a minority in the sense that I'm quite a young female and the majority is usually of the older generation variety. And in my experience a lot of the older generation expats in Thailand look down on me and play the age card all the time like they're some kind of elitist. However them sort of expats can go screw themselves.

Elitist expat type.

Kind of a term of contradictory, is it not?

Contradictory, how? I don't consider myself to be an elitist expat.

[samsiam]

I don't really ignore other Westerners in Thailand, however I will admit - I don't really go out of my way to speak to them. I will smile and nod and say hello if I keep seeing them about which is what I do with my neighbours and I get on with them all fine.

Also, for me... I'm usually a minority in the sense that I'm quite a young female and the majority is usually of the older generation variety. And in my experience a lot of the older generation expats in Thailand look down on me and play the age card all the time like they're some kind of elitist. However them sort of expats can go screw themselves.

Elitist expat type.

Kind of a term of contradictory, is it not?

Contradictory, how? I don't consider myself to be an elitist expat.

There is probably some medication available for that.

[Razzler1973]

In a city I wouldn't just engage people for no reason. Maybe if I am in a bar by myself I may strike up a 2 minutes chat at the bar whilst waiting for my drink, maybe a tale about an amusing incident.

I think if you're somewhere out in the sticks and you see another westerner it's odd. Do you rush to say hello and it come across as "thank goodness there's another one of us here" as I am quite happy doing my own thing anyway. To not acknowledge the other westerner at all is equally odd though. I don't want to be friends with people out of circumstance ... oh we're both living here so let's be friends. No harm in a nod or passing chat though but I'd probably gauge it based on how they looked (I am shallow like that)

I do find tourists, well mostly 'travellers' odd though. They outright refuse to ask a fellow western people for directions or info even if you're standing there. They may think you don't know but bloody ask. I have no qualms about that, they can just say they don't know. It's like admitting defeat in the great game of traveling or something. If i don't know the place I'll bloody ask where the bus station is!

You hear them talking in broken English to some poor Thai bloke that has no clue what they're saying and they're getting frustrated instead of just turning around and asking me standing nearby

[ripstanley]

A smile is always easier then a frown. Where I am there are not many farang. I am more likely to smile at Thais who serve me and I get a smile back almost 95% of the time. We live in the land of smiles so be happy and enjoy.

[zzaa09]

Why do Thais ignore Thais....??

[tutsiwarrior]

one time many years ago in Managua I was in a cheap bar/restaurant having lunch and as it was crowded two gringo backpackers sat at the table where I was dining...they looked totally miserable (Managua was a miserable place at that time) and I overheard their conversation and as it was obvious that they were totally confused I offered my assistance...they were looking for the backpacker area which was a few blocks away and I finished my meal and guided them...I normally wouldn't bother other than to nod politely...

then recently by the market in my little town in Suphanburi I saw two backpackers, bareheaded in the ferocious noonday sun and miserable who were wandering around confused with their gear (there are no hotels or guesthouses in our town; either they go to the local wat like the local indigents or go 20 miles up the road to a hotel)and I wanted to direct them to where they could find comfort but they studiously ignored me...

oh, well...

[cooked]

Achtung, RANT: you guys are WEIRD. You also, none of you, seem to have ever lived in a village. I will be leaving Switzerland for Thailand soon after 40 years. If you take the liberty in a small village here of not replying when someone wishes you a bad day or a good day come to that ,the guy may well stop his tractor and come over to ask what's wrong. (actually happened). I have no problem with meeting peoples' eyes, be they street traders, royalty, lady boys or raddled old whores. I learnt quickly how to give the Thai smile meaning don't come near me you piece of s**t, and this doesn't cost me anything. In a small village some people say hello, some don't, no big deal although I have been known on occasion to make a remark letting them know what I think about people that don't respond to your pious wish that they have a good day. (ok I was drunk).

I did get fazed once when a Farnag said good morning and made a remark, then made it clear that he wasn't interested in my answer.

Just look at the guy for f***'s sake, who cares if he likes it or not. By the way I can get very rude in elevators when people don't answer my greeting, so next time be careful.

Is there not a passage in the Bible about shaking the dust of a house from your feet when the people there are not hospitable?

Peace and love

[eek]

Achtung, RANT: you guys are WEIRD. You also, none of you, seem to have ever lived in a village. I will be leaving Switzerland for Thailand soon after 40 years. If you take the liberty in a small village here of not replying when someone wishes you a bad day or a good day come to that ,the guy may well stop his tractor and come over to ask what's wrong. (actually happened). I have no problem with meeting peoples' eyes, be they street traders, royalty, lady boys or raddled old whores. I learnt quickly how to give the Thai smile meaning don't come near me you piece of s**t, and this doesn't cost me anything. In a small village some people say hello, some don't, no big deal although I have been known on occasion to make a remark letting them know what I think about people that don't respond to your pious wish that they have a good day. (ok I was drunk).

I did get fazed once when a Farnag said good morning and made a remark, then made it clear that he wasn't interested in my answer.

Just look at the guy for f***'s sake, who cares if he likes it or not. By the way I can get very rude in elevators when people don't answer my greeting, so next time be careful.

Is there not a passage in the Bible about shaking the dust of a house from your feet when the people there are not hospitable?

Peace and love

Hmm.."we" are weird. Yet, if someone doesnt say hello to you, you lambast them when drunk. You say you are leaving FOR Thailand, does that mean you havent lived here yet? If so, you seem to already know 100% about living here, not to mention a Thai smile code where whatever smile you are giving you assume is recognised by others. You quote the bible, so i assume YOU assume all people here actually believe and/or share your religion (sorry to state the obvious when i say thats not the main religion here )Then you write "Peace and love", after writing "be careful" because you can get very rude when people dont answer your greeting. Not to mention you wrote "Farnag", but that would be just nit picking

....and you call others weird...?

[edwinclapham]

It started off badly for me

Achtung, RANT: you guys are WEIRD. You also, none of you, seem to have ever lived in a village. I will be leaving Switzerland for Thailand soon after 40 years. If you take the liberty in a small village here of not replying when someone wishes you a bad day or a good day come to that ,the guy may well stop his tractor and come over to ask what's wrong. (actually happened). I have no problem with meeting peoples' eyes, be they street traders, royalty, lady boys or raddled old whores. I learnt quickly how to give the Thai smile meaning don't come near me you piece of s**t, and this doesn't cost me anything. In a small village some people say hello, some don't, no big deal although I have been known on occasion to make a remark letting them know what I think about people that don't respond to your pious wish that they have a good day. (ok I was drunk).

I did get fazed once when a Farnag said good morning and made a remark, then made it clear that he wasn't interested in my answer.

Just look at the guy for f***'s sake, who cares if he likes it or not. By the way I can get very rude in elevators when people don't answer my greeting, so next time be careful.

Is there not a passage in the Bible about shaking the dust of a house from your feet when the people there are not hospitable?

Peace and love

Hmm.."we" are weird. Yet, if someone doesnt say hello to you, you lambast them when drunk. You say you are leaving FOR Thailand, does that mean you havent lived here yet? If so, you seem to already know 100% about living here, not to mention a Thai smile code where whatever smile you are giving you assume is recognised by others. You quote the bible, so i assume YOU assume all people here actually believe and/or share your religion (sorry to state the obvious when i say thats not the main religion here )Then you write "Peace and love", after writing "be careful" because you can get very rude when people dont answer your greeting. Not to mention you wrote "Farnag", but that would be just nit picking

....and you call others weird...?

"Achtung, RANT: you guys are WEIRD. You also, none of you, seem to have ever lived in a village"

The post started off badly for me! It came over as being dictatorial and quite reminded me of the horrible little man with a mustache

Peace & Love

Edited May 11, 2012 by edwinclapham

[jamesbrock]

What's a 'Farnag'? Is that when the missus is talking to you from the other room?

Edited May 11, 2012 by jamesbrock

[tutsiwarrior]

the post is remarkable and suggests that there should be a compendium for transliteration: farang...falang...falung...farnang...farrung...and etc...

what would Bob Dylan use to illustrate a foreigner's angst in a song?

maybe Jethro Tull got it right with Aqua-falung:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-EEGiABBU

Edited May 11, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[StreetCowboy]

Achtung, RANT: you guys are WEIRD. You also, none of you, seem to have ever lived in a village. I will be leaving Switzerland for Thailand soon after 40 years. If you take the liberty in a small village here of not replying when someone wishes you a bad day or a good day come to that ,the guy may well stop his tractor and come over to ask what's wrong. (actually happened). I have no problem with meeting peoples' eyes, be they street traders, royalty, lady boys or raddled old whores. I learnt quickly how to give the Thai smile meaning don't come near me you piece of s**t, and this doesn't cost me anything. In a small village some people say hello, some don't, no big deal although I have been known on occasion to make a remark letting them know what I think about people that don't respond to your pious wish that they have a good day. (ok I was drunk).

I did get fazed once when a Farnag said good morning and made a remark, then made it clear that he wasn't interested in my answer.

Just look at the guy for f***'s sake, who cares if he likes it or not. By the way I can get very rude in elevators when people don't answer my greeting, so next time be careful.

Is there not a passage in the Bible about shaking the dust of a house from your feet when the people there are not hospitable?

Peace and love

I don't suppose you could hold out in Switzerland another year or two?

Thanks!

SC