Are thais really that tolerant ?

[benalibina]

In all the years in thailand i have almost never heard thai people speak openly or privately, to me, bad about or making fun of f.i gay/lesbian people/ ladyboys/ tomboys etc. Are they really that tolerant about people who not make " standard " choices in life, or is there more to it ?

[ToddWeston]

FYI being Gay/lesbian/ladyboy or a Tomboy is not a choice as you call it, perhaps Thai's don't talk to you about it because they don't want to insult you.

[arthurwait]

take your ear plugs out.

[welsh1]

Quote ,,,making standard choices in their lives.

I know of a Thai woman, when she was pregnant, she longed for a girl, when the child was born, it turned out to be a boy.

and from that day on wards , she dressed him up as a girl,,!!

[pigeonjake]

my wife had to be very tolerant with me when we first got together,

i admit it to her now, i was a bit of a shit, silly things used to get to me,

jake

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Thais don't talk to foreigners about such things.

[saakura]

You have not watched how katoeys are made fun of in thai serials and movies?

[PaullyW]

Thais don't talk to foreigners about such things.

I agree. Whoever can get his/her Thai friends (outside of marriage) to discuss any number of sensitive topics has really made quite a breakthrough.

Check out Thai Cultural Mandates and, in particular, Mandate 2.

They don't care much about what you do so long as it doesn't affect them. However, if your choices are thought to affect them, then you might learn of a different story. As such, I think Thais (and Asians, in general) are largely indifferent - not really tolerant. They care only about their circles (family circle, friends circle, regular acquaintances circle)

[David48]

^^ Thanks for that 'Thai_cultural_mandates' link ... I've never seen that before.

[PaullyW]

^^ Thanks for that 'Thai_cultural_mandates' link ... I've never seen that before.

Very interesting stuff - to me, not so much because of the content (as that type of thing was quite common in many countries during those times), but because this type of stuff is still taught indirectly in schools and in other Thai-Thai interactions. It's still part of the culture here in the 21st century.

Edited August 11, 2013 by PaullyW

[Scott]

As other posters have mentioned, thanks for the link to the cultural mandates. It's most interesting to read.

[benalibina]

Thais don't talk to foreigners about such things.

I agree. Whoever can get his/her Thai friends (outside of marriage) to discuss any number of sensitive topics has really made quite a breakthrough.

Check out Thai Cultural Mandates and, in particular, Mandate 2.

They don't care much about what you do so long as it doesn't affect them. However, if your choices are thought to affect them, then you might learn of a different story. As such, I think Thais (and Asians, in general) are largely indifferent - not really tolerant. They care only about their circles (family circle, friends circle, regular acquaintances circle)

Thanks for the link. Mandate nr 2 is indeed apparant in thai society. In my personal quest many points i have to " argue" against. Off topic though, in relationships with not well educated/travelled thais i can understand now better why they are insular in thinking and staying on the surface whilst speaking about their country with ( critical )foreigners. On topic, indifferent instead of tolerant, will give it some thought.

[yourauntbob]

Yes, Thai people are that tolerant. Of course you get a few exceptions in any crowd and they do joke about transgenders but they generally see it as none of their business.

[greg71]

Most are more interested in whats for dinner .

[infinity11]

Yes they are extremely tolerant IMHO about many things (besides sexual orientation.)

They put up with me and i have seen them put up with really outrageous behavior from fellow thais and farang.

I actually read this on TV and it stuck:

Farang have a quick and short fuse, thai have a long and slow one.

I might be a bit off topic, hope its ok.

[billd766]

Thais don't talk to foreigners about such things.

Er.... Yes they do.

Both my wife and I have friends, one of whom is a Tomboy and the others are ladyboys.

What do I know anyway.

At least the Tomboy visits once a week or so and none of my wifes family have problems with her and neither do I.

[TheSpade]

No problem with gays, lesbians and ladyboys but they absolutely despise Cambodians, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indians, Arabs, Blacks.

[Jingthing]

Specifically about "Thai" tolerance for sexuality differences, among more hiso, more Thai-Chinese, not so much. It's all relative. It's much better here than in Nigeria and Russia but not as good as the Netherlands ...

If you dispute this observation, talk to some gay middle class or higher Thai-Chinese men and ask them how "out" they feel comfortable being within their own families. Many or most marry women to preserve their closet, just like 1950's America.

Look at Thai mass media on tv. I am not an expert on this but my impression is most of the non-straight characters are kathoeys and they are ruthlessly mocked and not treated as dignified characters. Also, among the masses, Thais for historical and cultural reasons have a strong tendency to think what westerners think of as gay men as the SAME thing as transgenders. They confuse sexual orientation from gender identity when they are actually different things. Many westerners also have that confusion but much more prevalent in Thailand. That may not be intolerance per se, but it IS ignorance. Such ignorance about the people involved does not promote progress towards more tolerance in any society.

Also worth noting that Thai transgender people feel pressure to keep in their socially defined very limited places. There is massive employment discrimination against them. They are only fully accepted in a very limited number of classes of employment, including of course their well know role in entertainment industries.

If that's what y'all call good tolerance, I'd be pretty amazed.

Edited August 11, 2013 by Jingthing

[farang000999]

It would appear to me that Thais are more tolerant of the flamboyant homosexual but the regular every day you couldn't really tell homosexual - probably not so much. I think they like having everything in order - where they can see it - and avoid it (respectfully).

[EyesWideOpen]

Yes they are extremely tolerant IMHO about many things (besides sexual orientation.)

They put up with me and i have seen them put up with really outrageous behavior from fellow thais and farang.

I actually read this on TV and it stuck:

Farang have a quick and short fuse, thai have a long and slow one.

I might be a bit off topic, hope its ok.

"Farang have a quick and short fuse, thai have a long and slow one."

Funniest post of the day. Are you actually in Thailand?? :-)

[David48]

No problem with gays, lesbians and ladyboys but they absolutely despise Cambodians, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indians, Arabs, Blacks.

Without intentionally raising the race card, I have listened to discontent from Thais with both the Cambodians and Burmese, and dislike for Indians and Arabs and a particular dislike for (African) Blacks.

About the Vietnamese, I'm yet to hear comment.

That said ... the few Burmese I've met here in Thailand have been of the highest order ... but that, by it's nature, has to be a biased sampling.

.

[farang000999]

Yes they are extremely tolerant IMHO about many things (besides sexual orientation.)

They put up with me and i have seen them put up with really outrageous behavior from fellow thais and farang.

I actually read this on TV and it stuck:

Farang have a quick and short fuse, thai have a long and slow one.

I might be a bit off topic, hope its ok.

"Farang have a quick and short fuse, thai have a long and slow one."

Funniest post of the day. Are you actually in Thailand?? :-)

It is true. But the farang fuse being blown results in words being shouted. Thai fuse blown means somebody will die.

[Jingthing]

Tolerance is relative.

There is the level of tolerance, we won't kill you, we won't beat you up, we won't put you in jail, and THEN there is the tolerance we won't discriminate against you in housing, employment, relationship legalization, we won't use you only as objects of ridicule in mass entertainment media, we'll make the effort to LEARN about your differences, ID-card changing if justified, etc. Thailand has it's own level. Paradise, it's not. It's clear to me that most foreigners, especially tourists, think Thailand is much more tolerant than it actually is.

Edited August 11, 2013 by Jingthing

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Tolerance is relative.

There is the level of tolerance, we won't kill you, we won't beat you up, we won't put you in jail, and THEN there is the tolerance we won't discriminate against you in housing, employment, relationship legalization, we won't use you only as objects of ridicule in mass entertainment media, we'll make the effort to LEARN about your differences, ID-card changing if justified, etc. Thailand has it's own level. Paradise, it's not. It's clear to me that most foreigners, especially tourists, think Thailand is much more tolerant than it actually is.

I'm with JT on this.

In the west we beat up people who are different.

In Thailand they ignore (or make fun of) people who are different.

Then on top of that, if you can't understand Thai, you will never know about many things happening around you.

[Jingthing]

This survey might shed some light, or then again, maybe not because Thailand is not included among the countries.

There is no doubt that Thailand is MUCH MORE tolerant than it's neighbors Malaysia and Indonesia, but is it as tolerant as the Philippines?

I think not but we'd just be guessing.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/map_of_the_week/2013/08/homosexuality_in_russia_three_out_of_four_russians_don_t_accept_gay_people.html

Edited August 11, 2013 by Jingthing

[Bender]

I think some of you, folk are confusing tolerant and forceful acceptance!

As a foreigner, if you voice your opinion, any opinion, do you think they will be that tolerant to you?

...certainly not!

Do you think, if i start to make positive criticize of their country, it will go that smoothly?

In Thailand, you can beat your wife, be a zoophile, be whatever you want they will, they have to accept it!

As for the gay thing, they will not try understand you, they will just take it.

Edited August 11, 2013 by Bender

[kannot]

Thais don't talk to foreigners about such things.

I agree. Whoever can get his/her Thai friends (outside of marriage) to discuss any number of sensitive topics has really made quite a breakthrough.

Check out Thai Cultural Mandates and, in particular, Mandate 2.

They don't care much about what you do so long as it doesn't affect them. However, if your choices are thought to affect them, then you might learn of a different story. As such, I think Thais (and Asians, in general) are largely indifferent - not really tolerant. They care only about their circles (family circle, friends circle, regular acquaintances circle)

Well they've ignored most of those mandates from what I can see these days ( not that I agree with this twaddle anyway)

[TheSpade]

No problem with gays, lesbians and ladyboys but they absolutely despise Cambodians, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indians, Arabs, Blacks.

Without intentionally raising the race card, I have listened to discontent from Thais with both the Cambodians and Burmese, and dislike for Indians and Arabs and a particular dislike for (African) Blacks.

About the Vietnamese, I'm yet to hear comment.

That said ... the few Burmese I've met here in Thailand have been of the highest order ... but that, by it's nature, has to be a biased sampling.

.

They don't like the Vietnamese too much either from what I've gathered. They don't seem to mind people from Laos too much from what I've seen tho.

All the Burmese guys I know are great guys too. They usually work shit jobs for long hours and little pay but they are good people and always willing to share what they have and be friendly.

[HardenedSoul]

No problem with gays, lesbians and ladyboys but they absolutely despise Cambodians, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indians, Arabs, Blacks.

You're just regurgitating stuff you've read on TV, aren't you?

As a black man, I can't say I've ever seen, heard or felt anything that would lead me to believe that I'm despised by the Thais.

[Credo]

As near as I can tell, when it comes to other nationalities, they really don't like anyone.