Accepting The Farang Status, And The Implications

[DrTuner]

Being a farang gives you a wide berth in defining your own position in the pissing order. It's an advantage.

Unfortunately the unsavvy farangs have imported the classification tables from the wicked West and even worse, are preaching them to Thais. All this while they could elevate themselves to demigods, just by saying they're classy and the peasants know <deleted> all.

What I'm wondering is, how do you folks sleep at all ? I mean someone could downgrade your status at any moment, what a nightmare ! Must keep up appearances, you know.

[DrTuner]

No body calls me farang.

I trust that is to be said with the Dirty Harry accent ? Or a warning like Hulk ?

[DrTuner]

Seems many farangs are never called farangs as they have a certain hi-so status that is instantly recognised by the Thais. Perhaps it is their pale skinned Chinese Thais wives?

Can't be. A well bred Hi-So wife will show class and walk with the head bowed in respect 10m after the esteemed Farang. I've been told it's either the hairdo or the suit that raises instant respect among the Siamese.

[The Smithy]

No body calls me farang.

I trust that is to be said with the Dirty Harry accent ? Or a warning like Hulk ?

I was thinking more like Michael J Fox on the 'Back To The Future' Series,

'Nobody calls me chicken'!

[Beetlejuice]

No body calls me farang.

If you`re smaller than me I would.

[samran]

Gives a whole new spin to the term 'anti-farang sentiment'.

[ayayay]

yes there are some minor differences between south Italy and north Sweden Farangs.

Also between Portuguese and these from Novosibirsk.

It is a HUGE difference between these countries.

People who are from the west should know that.

Edited October 31, 2012 by ayayay

[Neeranam]

Another disrespectful thing is calling you only by your name.

Family call me 'pi Neeranam', 'lung Neeranam', 'look', 'Dad',

Friends, neighbours call me 'Khun Neeranam', 'Ajarn Neeranam'. The only Thai person that calls me by only my name is my wife.

If they call you by name only or farang or anything else it means that you haven't been accepted.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Neeranam

[villagefarang]

I think you will find speaking Thai will do more for humanizing you than insisting they don’t call you Farang. To paraphrase, who is easier to dehumanize, the guy who makes loud incoherent noises or someone you can actually speak with and understand?

[Jingthing]

I think you will find speaking Thai will do more for humanizing you than insisting they don’t call you Farang. To paraphrase, who is easier to dehumanize, the guy who makes loud incoherent noises or someone you can actually speak with and understand?

Yeah but the downside is understanding what people are saying who don't know you understand ...

[villagefarang]

I think you will find speaking Thai will do more for humanizing you than insisting they don’t call you Farang. To paraphrase, who is easier to dehumanize, the guy who makes loud incoherent noises or someone you can actually speak with and understand?

Yeah but the downside is understanding what people are saying who don't know you understand ...

That is often the fun part.

[rgs2001uk]

I think you will find speaking Thai will do more for humanizing you than insisting they don’t call you Farang. To paraphrase, who is easier to dehumanize, the guy who makes loud incoherent noises or someone you can actually speak with and understand?

Yeah but the downside is understanding what people are saying who don't know you understand ...

That is often the fun part.

Agreed, once asked a Thai woman if her husband hit her, this was after she asked the mrs if I hit her, I was standing right beside her.

The old bag then gave one of those stupid smiles and left.

[payak]

demand they call you mr farang, demand respect.

[StreetCowboy]

To get things clear, is it OK for me to call all Thais 'Jimmy' - same as everyone else?

To be honest, unless you're planning on going bush, who cares?

SC

[maprao]

They call me PI MAPRAO (Replace maprao with my name). Without exception and I never really asked why.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

yes there are some minor differences between south Italy and north Sweden Farangs.

Also between Portuguese and these from Novosibirsk.

It is a HUGE difference between these countries.

People who are from the west should know that.

Here's a quarter, buy a clue - try googling "sarcasm"

[payak]

i have a thai friend who just called her child google.

now in the future when he googles his own name, will he mistakenly believe he is the holder of all knowledge, and get a god complex.

[Modem]

The Thai people you know may learn to not call you f-rang to your face anyway, but the more interesting question is what are they THINKING ...

I think the OP is basically right. We that are seen as f-rangs are targets of a thing called OTHERIZATION and it makes it much easier morally/ethically to treat such others in shabby ways and sometimes (not even rarely in my view), not even as real human beings with real human feelings.

We are all outsiders. To varying degrees, we are all subject to what you refer to as OTHERIZATION.

As to what they are THINKING, this varies. But we are not the same as them and never will be.

We will always be outsiders. Our kids will be outsiders to a lesser extent; our grand children to an even lesser extent.

I sense identity issues. This happens when we are no longer part of our mother culture but have not yet integrated into the local culture. We are in a state of flux.

[Zatoichi]

I think the whole farang/otherization thing has more to do with you than it dose the Thais. My inlaws and Thai friends call me by my name with the appropriate prefix (ie Khun, Pi, Nong, as the case may be) I don't get called farang. And more importantly I'm not treated like one. But then again, I don't treat them any different either. I don't cally my father in law Khun so & so, I call him Dad. Same with the rest of my inlaws I speak with them and treat them like I would my blood.

[Roadman]

Its humourous how some on here are upset with the name 'falang' and yet refer to the people they are with as thai's...thai wife, thai gf etc.etc

[Jingthing]

Its humourous how some on here are upset with the name 'falang' and yet refer to the people they are with as thai's...thai wife, thai gf etc.etc

Thai is a nationality, yes? What nationality is f-rang?

[Chittychangchang]

I don't accept the "farang status" especially with luk krueng children.

For a Thai to refer to all foreigners as farang once they know them is ignorant and racist.

Maybe the people who are calling the foreigners "farangs" ARE uneducated, ignorant, racist, peasants?

Education, education, education is the way forward.

Whenever i see an oportunity to correct an ignoranti i do so and so should you!

[Modem]

Maybe the people who are calling the foreigners "farangs" ARE uneducated, ignorant, racist, peasants?

They are not.

Nor (unlike you) are they idiots.

[endure]

Just a gentle reminder folks....

4) Not to flame fellow members.Flaming will not be tolerated. 'Flaming' is defined as posting or responding to a message in a way clearly intended to incite useless arguments, to launch personal attacks, to insult, or to be hateful towards other members. This includes useless criticism, name-calling, swearing and any other comments meant to incite anger.

[SimonD]

..What nationality is f-rang?

My understanding is that the term is derived from 'Frank' ie French, via Arabia.

Nothing worse for a Brit than to be labelled 'French'!

Wars have been fought for less...

[endure]

Good wine, good food and long holidays - who wouldn't want to be French?

[Jingthing]

Even though I never bought the French origin theory of f-rang, it's irrelevant. Modern Thais don't think f-rang means French.

[Modem]

Even though I never bought the French origin theory of f-rang, it's irrelevant. Modern Thais don't think f-rang means French.

No, they don't. These days, most Thais know nothing about the origins of the word. How about you?

http://maps.google.c...ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

Look at the map. Note the word FERINGGI.

The location is almost exactly due east of Southern India / Ceylon. It was the first port of call for the Portuguese who came here in their quest to take control of the Malacca Straits.

Few Thais know the origins of the word farang or farangi or ferangi. So what?

How many farangs are acquainted with the history of Ayuthaya or Sukothai?

Edited October 31, 2012 by Modem

[SimonD]

^^ For crying out loud, JT, I was making a lame joke about it. Why do you always have to be so bloody precious...

It's a banal topic that's been done to death here anyway.

Edited October 31, 2012 by SimonD

[Chittychangchang]

Maybe the people who are calling the foreigners "farangs" ARE uneducated, ignorant, racist, peasants?

They are not.

Nor (unlike you) are they idiots.

Where in my post did i use the word idiot?

I believe education and understanding is the way forward for everyone on the planet!