It's Mock The Farang Time!

[skylar]

Mr. Bean and Benny Hill are far more popular amongst the Thai general population than any home-grown comedian.

Absolutely... endless reruns of Benny Hill were shown on Star TV in the 90s... and one of my old Thai teachers mentioned how much she loved Mr Bean at least once in each lesson!

[cdnvic]

Mr. Bean and Benny Hill are far more popular amongst the Thai general population than any home-grown comedian.

Absolutely... endless reruns of Benny Hill were shown on Star TV in the 90s... and one of my old Thai teachers mentioned how much she loved Mr Bean at least once in each lesson!

It's probably because they comedy is purely physical and that eliminates the language barrier. Also, Rowan Atkinson is brilliant.

cv

[pnustedt]

I'm used to being called Mr Bean by so-called comedians, it used to annoy me but now, when they ask my name, I just say "Bean", usually raises a chuckle. I've learned to sing a bit of Thai kareoke (can't speak Thai tho) for the occasions when I am given the microphone or dragged onto stage.

I guess it's quite normal that westerners should be the subject of attention, especially in areas where they are few and far between, and should develop the social skills to deal with it.

[Ijustwannateach]

I think the group-related joking is acceptable if it shows that you really know the characteristics/problems of that group- for example, I can laugh at gay jokes told by straight people regarding stereotypical lifestyle stuff or the one Tippaporn mentions above (where it shows you know that the group has problems, and even that you know one of those problems- coming out to parents).

It becomes more objectionable when it supposed to be funny based on inaccurate, depersonalising, or offensive assumptions about the group. For example, I think few gays would find jokes about pedophilia, AIDs, "stalking" or assault on straight people to be humourous at all. The funny little labels that people come up with for our versions of lovemaking (which are not all that different from what straight people do- seems that they make such a big deal out of it because the differences are so minute) are also not particularly endearing.

I think that a lot of this "comedy night show" humour aimed at farang assumes they are tourists, which is an inaccurate assumption for most of us on this board- which is why it is annoying or even offensive. However, the tourists themselves (at whom it is really aimed) usually seem to take it in pretty good humour, from what I've seen. So it might be more about knowing your audience well than anything else.

"Steven"

Edited February 7, 2006 by Ijustwannateach

[steveromagnino]

Robbitusson; given that by your own admission, you cannot understand the joke, it isn't that surprising that a fair bit of it isn't funny to you. Also, with many of the jokes being word plays and also a lot of jokes relating to history, politicians and so on, there is a fair bit of contextual humour that even i have to often have explained to me. And if you don't enjoy vaudeville style humour and prefer say sit coms, well then you aren't going to enjoy Thai comedy at all.

Regarding Benny Hill and Mr bean, within BKK and including my circle of english speaking Thais, I can assure you there are MANY Thai people who find both funny, but not as funny as note Udom, Ajarn whatever his name is and so on. it hink Mr Bean is pants compared to Blackadder. So I'd take issue with the assumption that Thai people think Mr Bean & BH are funnier than the Thai comediians; certainly funnier than some of them, and certainly some people might think so but far from all, and at a guess not even close to half.

P Mum and his gang as well as the dton bpai krai kreat guys; some of their stuff is hilarious; but it takes a fair bit of local Thai knowledge (including often a knowledge of regional dialects) to get all the jokes.

Humour is contextual, the funniest comedians I know are a NZ Chinese called Rabon Kahn and Chris Rock; in the first case most white NZers just don't think Rabon is funny, but for bananas like myself he is hilarious because his material is standup about being Chinese born NZer; Chris Rock's robitusson 'bit' in his black and uncut is funny enough to make me laugh even upon seeing your name; however I must admit even a fair bit of his stuff goes right over my head.

One man's jokes are another man's boredom as they say. So, rather than saying it isn't funny, what you mean to say is it isn't funny....to you!

[skylar]

Russell Peters is pretty funny.

[Neeranam]

Well said, steveromagnino!

You know what you're talking about, unlike some who say Thai comedy isn't funny,period, when they don't even know what is being said. I used to think that it was unfunny, but am finding some humour in the puns and the play on words that they use.

Strangely my wife thinks Billy Connolly is funny and she can't undrestand a word he says.

I wonder what he'd say if some Thai guy in the crowd took offense to him for making him look a <deleted> if neither of them could speak the others language.

[steveromagnino]

Well said, steveromagnino!

Thanks.

The point is that every joke needs to have a fall guy or victim, so no one really likes it when 'we' are the victim.

Immigrants and minorities are easy targets, because they stand out. As a minority, we can earn respect by taking the joke and not getting wound up, or earn big em ups, if we have a pithy come back that puts the comic in his place if he be gettin well cheeky. I used to hate all the gook, Chink, can't drive crap jokes in NZ, and so I preferred generally not to go to stand up comedy with certain comedians. That is the burden of being the victim of the joke I guess. I have NEVER heard anything that strong here.

Or we use the bat in our car after the guy comes off stage

[lingling]

Sorry cdnvic, some of us get tired of being material for racist jokes. And, you don't have to be at a club to be made fun of... or something.

Happens to me all the time in the office, department stores etc. Even people who know that I understand what they are saying can blurt out anything in thai 2 meters away from me as if I weren't there. I usually let it pass but will comment on something else they say a little bit later just to make it clear that I understand what they are saying. Needless to say, some people in the office are getting a bit more wary of what they say.

Once I filled out the warranty registration card @ Emporium entirely in Thai after the sales clerks had been saying some exceptionally rude stuff. Both of them looked nervous and asked "do you speak Thai?". Duh...

[Tippaporn]

IMHO I think it's well worth learning not to take offense, period. Ever. Not always easy, especially at first, but it is achievable and gets much easier if a true effort is made. That effort is towards greater understanding of many things and requires putting some hard thought into it.

Giving offense is a mark of ignorance. Ignorance is usually a deragatory term but it shouldn't be. After all, the definition of the term is simply "lacking knowledge." And who doesn't lack knowledge of some sorts or another? In any case, the benefits of doing so are tremendous.

[katana]

Then a "comedian" comes on and starts doing their crappy jokes, then he spots the Farang in the crowd...then a quick joke is made, in Thai of course. The comedian continues doing ultra-cheap jokes at the Farangs expense, asking a question in his broken English and then mocking in Thai....

I think being singled out by the performer and mocked in your own language is one thing - at least you understand what's being said and could possibly reply. However, the OP said that Thai was used which if you can't speak Thai or aren't fluent makes things a little different. Maybe that's why the farang was singled out, as an easy target. If you enjoy being being the butt of jokes in a language you can't understand, then its funny I guess lol

Edited February 7, 2006 by katana

[Misplaced]

Once I filled out the warranty registration card @ Emporium entirely in Thai after the sales clerks had been saying some exceptionally rude stuff. Both of them looked nervous and asked "do you speak Thai?". Duh...

Now thats funny. Talk about having self-control!!!. Would have loved to see their faces and yours for that matter.

Edited February 8, 2006 by Misplaced

[robitusson]

Robbitusson; given that by your own admission, you cannot understand the joke, it isn't that surprising that a fair bit of it isn't funny to you. Also, with many of the jokes being word plays and also a lot of jokes relating to history, politicians and so on, there is a fair bit of contextual humour that even i have to often have explained to me. And if you don't enjoy vaudeville style humour and prefer say sit coms, well then you aren't going to enjoy Thai comedy at all.

Regarding Benny Hill and Mr bean, within BKK and including my circle of english speaking Thais, I can assure you there are MANY Thai people who find both funny, but not as funny as note Udom, Ajarn whatever his name is and so on. it hink Mr Bean is pants compared to Blackadder. So I'd take issue with the assumption that Thai people think Mr Bean & BH are funnier than the Thai comediians; certainly funnier than some of them, and certainly some people might think so but far from all, and at a guess not even close to half.

P Mum and his gang as well as the dton bpai krai kreat guys; some of their stuff is hilarious; but it takes a fair bit of local Thai knowledge (including often a knowledge of regional dialects) to get all the jokes.

Humour is contextual, the funniest comedians I know are a NZ Chinese called Rabon Kahn and Chris Rock; in the first case most white NZers just don't think Rabon is funny, but for bananas like myself he is hilarious because his material is standup about being Chinese born NZer; Chris Rock's robitusson 'bit' in his black and uncut is funny enough to make me laugh even upon seeing your name; however I must admit even a fair bit of his stuff goes right over my head.

One man's jokes are another man's boredom as they say. So, rather than saying it isn't funny, what you mean to say is it isn't funny....to you!

Didn't say I couldn't understand it. One of reason I can pick up on it is because it's virtually the same jokes every time they do it. The point I'm making is that it's the cheapest and easiest things to do at a comedy. It's exacxtly this lack of a developed sense of humour and the simple resorting to an easy target that is tedious. For example, I've seen lots of Thai people mock people with the amazingly witty repartee of "she's fat!" or "he's black". Hilarious! So, yes, you're right, it isn't funny to me. I like Bill Hicks, Larry David and Jimmy Carr by the way. All extremely irreverant, insensitive to people with big-egos like me and best of all, funny. Thailand has many wonderful and sophisticated cultural traits and traditions but this one the West leads the way in.