Bangkok Post Letters Page.

[Savage]

Personally I've never had a problem.

I'm clean, well dressed and well fed.

The average English Teacher may be dirty, overhung, and undernourished........................living on the fantastic salary they get , what do they expect?

Baring in mind that the average English teacher earns between 25,000 - 40,000 bhat a month & the average Thai office worker earns between 10,000 - 12,000 bhat a month I think they make more than enough to adequately nourish themselves. If not, just how do you suppose that 90% of the Thai population survive?

I agree with the hung over look though, i've seen plenty of Westerners looking like they've spent a long time on the piss but i'd say a lot more tourists than English teachers.

I can't help but feel that some of the people who claim it has never happened to them are either looking at things through rose tinted spectacles or not really taking in their surroundings.

As for smiling at everybody goes, I take the skytrain every morning and can confirm that absolutely nobody smiles at each other. Maybe at the occasional cute child.

On the subject of cute children, i've also heard numerous reports of Westerners getting on the skytrain and people looking in the other direction where if they were Thai they would be jumping up to offer their seats.

I mean when they're with their children

[Sing_Sling]

riding the skytrain here has become the same as riding the tube trains in london , its a chore.

its crowded , and you are stuck in very close proximity to people that in 99% of cases you do not know and do not want to know. you just sit or stand there willing your journey to end.

hardly the ideal environment for friendly or polite behaviour.

its true that most caucasians look a sorry sight compared to their asian couterparts .

the sweat , the fat , the sandals with socks , the often socially unacceptable companions and the general unkempt nature of so many visitors is just highlighted when put next to the well turned out thai , who can look $1,000,000 even when wearing B200 worth of street market tat.

I'd venyture to say that we have different Caucasians living in Singapore than in Bangkok yet the same is evidenced in trains here as well - that doesn't quite gel with the opinion of the lager-lout, disheveled, smelly morning after after, clutching a slapper in each arm commuter.

Is it that bad to accept that locals in Asia feel less than comfortable sitting next to Caucasians on public transport for a number of reasons - many of which have been stated here and that none of them have to do with smell, looks etc . . .

Edited April 15, 2006 by Sing_Sling

[jing jing]

its true that most caucasians look a sorry sight compared to their asian couterparts .

the sweat , the fat , the sandals with socks , the often socially unacceptable companions and the general unkempt nature of so many visitors is just highlighted when put next to the well turned out thai , who can look $1,000,000 even when wearing B200 worth of street market tat.

Maybe.... but what if I told you that I'm slim, fit, fashionably dressed, have all my hair, don't wear socks with sandals, have excellent personal hygiene and grooming habits, am not unattractive (trying to be modest *blush*), and STILL occasionally have an empty seat next to me while people are standing? I guess folks are just intimidated by my dashing good looks and are afraid if they sat next to me they couldn't resist my charms, and would fall helplessly on their backs with their legs spread in the air?

[meemiathai]

I guess folks are just intimidated by my dashing good looks and are afraid if they sat next to me they couldn't resist my charms, and would fall helplessly on their backs with their legs spread in the air?

This is also true.

[Ted]

I always get a weird feeling that some Farangs sitting next to me would try to cop a feel, although honestly that has never happened in my entire life. The weird thing is that this is pretty common in Japan, so they now have separate cars for women, but I'm not as paranoid sitting next to a Japanese.

Never felt so uncomfortable in Tokyo as when I realised that not only was i the only gaijin in the carraige, I was also the only man Might as well have been wearing an open mac and cut offs for the look of disgust that was on the faces of the female passengers!

Having lived in Japan, HK, Singapore and spent a lot of time in BK I can say I've had this seat thing happen in all 4 countries. Where as being a white face the racism you encounter is largely positive I've always wondered about the seat thing. In my experience this is most likely to happen in Japan (where they have the least exposure to foreigners) and least likely to happen in Singapore (where they have the most exposure to foreigners).

Or maybe I should just shower more

Edited April 15, 2006 by Ted

[Savage]

I always get a weird feeling that some Farangs sitting next to me would try to cop a feel, although honestly that has never happened in my entire life. The weird thing is that this is pretty common in Japan, so they now have separate cars for women, but I'm not as paranoid sitting next to a Japanese.

Never felt so uncomfortable in Tokyo as when I realised that not only was i the only gaijin in the carraige, I was also the only man Might as well have been wearing an open mac and cut offs for the look of disgust that was on the faces of the female passengers!

Having lived in Japan, HK, Singapore and spent a lot of time in BK I can say I've had this seat thing happen in all 4 countries. Where as being a white face the racism you encounter is largely positive I've always wondered about the seat thing. In my experience this is most likely to happen in Japan (where they have the least exposure to foreigners) and least likely to happen in Singapore (where they have the most exposure to foreigners).

Or maybe I should just shower more

Could history have anything to do with it? For example, during British colonial times did they not have discriminating policies for train journeys etc. White's only carriages, Chinese only?

[astral]

It happens in India as well.

I put it down to a sense of manners, wanting "to give the farang some space".

Once they know me better they do come and sit next to me, so I assume it is not my BO.

[OlRedEyes]

Years ago I friend and I were returning on the train from Butterworth. A young Thai girl had been booked in the seat directly across from my friend. During the waking hours of the entire trip she glued her face to the window and refused to look at my friend, or let anyone see her face. It was obvious she was mortified to think that someone might think she was 'with' the farang. She looked like a sourpuss anyway. Oh, how I relished her misery...

But closer to the topic at hand, a few years back I was on one of the micro buses. A cute young think boarded, and much to my shock (since there were other seats available) plopped down next to me. Then it got weirder when she handed me her earphones and invited me to listen to the song on her Walkman or whatever it was. Had a nice chat and she handed me her card from the shop she worked in at Mah Boon Krong before she left. I never followed up as I was (am) married. Doh!

Considered auctioning that card?

[OlRedEyes]

For myself the reason is the body odor issue (probably not really your fault if you're a tourist or not yet used to the climate).

1) Approach seat

2) sample air in proximity to said falang (or person of Southern Asian descent, Thai construction worker looking fellow, anyone really...)

3) sit down or move on casually.

please accept our humble apologies for the way we must smell to you , with our beery and sulphurous breath , our cheesy and fetid feet , our burbulent and thunderous farts ,our stale and steaming sweat and our humid and hairy armpits , it certainly cant be much fun for the squeaky clean thais to have to travel amongst such unsavoury specimens.

but despite our filthy and neanderthal habits and undoubted air of unspeakable menace and foulness we are grateful to be allowed to use your public trains , buses and boats where we can watch our magnanimous hosts pull long sticky green boogers from their noses ,(such tiny delicate noses , such huge amounts of snot !!) lumps of wax from their ears , yesterdays breakfast from their teeth and all manner of wildlife from their heads.

its not easy for us either !

i'm often grateful for that empty seat next to me.

Brother? Are you my brother?

I thought you're dead by now....

[Griffin]

Well! I have enjoyed opening this thread. It seems it's not just two of us that has noticed, me and the guy that wrote to the Post. I wonder if he saw this thread.

To sum up the suggestions of why this seat zoneing thing happens, and yes it does seem to happen.

It may be a fear of loss of face, manners (farangs need their space), not wishing to be seen 'with' a farang or just a dash of dislike of white people. Possibly a fear of love at first sight (thanks Jing Jing)

Those of you that say it doesn't happen might want to ask, do you get on at a station where you almost always get a seat? Can you notice it now that you have read this thread?

To the "you stink" mud throwers, stop biting your nails and don't comb your hair over the bald spot. Of course I have no idea if that even comes close to the truth, but it didn't stop you.

[Thaible]

There are 64 million Thais and the answer is still a mystery to the farangs here?

I think everyone knows the truth but don't want to admit it.

[meemiathai]

There are 64 million Thais and the answer is still a mystery to the farangs here?

I think everyone knows the truth but don't want to admit it.

What is the truth?

[Sing_Sling]

There are 64 million Thais and the answer is still a mystery to the farangs here?

I think everyone knows the truth but don't want to admit it.

Seeing as you seem to be the holder of thr truth, why don't you share it with us.

(And what does that have to do with 64 million Thais?)

[Nawtilus]

Think along the lines of how they treat their countrymen from isaan. Think along the lines of racist and rude and you will be close to the mark.

[MarkBKK]

Never felt so uncomfortable in Tokyo as when I realised that not only was i the only gaijin in the carraige, I was also the only man Might as well have been wearing an open mac and cut offs for the look of disgust that was on the faces of the female passengers!

Were you sitting in a women-only carriage?

[Sophon]

I take the bus more than the skytrain and have never noticed this. If there are people standing on the bus when a seat opens up, that seat is very quickly taken - whether it's next to me or next to a thai. I sometimes prefer to stand even if there are vacant seats, but when I do it never fails that both the bus conductor and some of the passengers always points out any vacant seats to me.

It's quite possible that the seat next to me is one of the last ones to be taken (I have never noticed though), but I wouldn't find that strange or insulting. When I select a seat myself I always do a quick evaluation of the different options before making my choice (based on appearant hygiene, demeanour etc.), and I am more likely to choose a seat next to a small person (more room, less invasion of privacy) seing that the seats in the busses are quite narrow. And since most farang are bigger than thai people, I myself am more likely to choose a seat next to a thai than next to a farang.

In my experience if you look friendly, harmless, reasonably clean and don't take up to much room then the seat next to you will quickly be taken (at least on the bus). On the skytrain I often see people standing even when there are vacant seats, both when these seats are next to farang and next to thai people. I have no idea why that is .

Sophon

[kkf123]

I try as hard as i can not to sit next to a farang myself (in bkk).

[Patex]

...On the skytrain I often see people standing even when there are vacant seats, both when these seats are next to farang and next to thai people. I have no idea why that is .

Sophon

I like to stand in the skytrain too. It is because the aircon is way too cold to my backside there .

Patex