I don’t think Thais are any more Xenophobic than anyone. Do You?

[inthepink]

The thai word for foreigner is; KHON TANG CHAAT !!!!!!!!

That's the formal word that you will see in writing. It's rarely if ever used in casual conversation.

I don't particularly like the word myself but I think HeijoshinCool is wrong in his assumption. I have heard it used by well educated people on many occasions.

[benalibina]

The thai word for foreigner is; KHON TANG CHAAT !!!!!!!!

That's the formal word that you will see in writing. It's rarely if ever used in casual conversation.

I don't particularly like the word myself but I think HeijoshinCool is wrong in his assumption. I have heard it used by well educated people on many occasions.

That maybe says evenmore than about the attitude towards foreigners, would you not agree ? In all my years in Thailand i have only been once referred to as "khon tang chaat". By a massagelady in Patong Beach, of all places ! I was so pleasantly surprised that i tipped her a 100 bth. Without even a happy ending !!

[HardenedSoul]

Even if the word "farang" was racist - it isn't - what would the "offended" like done about it?

A new, government-sponsored drive to educate the general population about the hurt and offence they cause to white folks through use of the term? If that happened, there'd be a collective groan as a nation of indignant Thais said to themselves, "This is our country. We should be allowed to say whatever the hell we like. If they don't like it, they can piss off."

Those words echo those of my white countrymen back in Blighty when they were told they couldn't have the golliwog on a jar of Robinson's jam or when the Black & White Minstrel Show was canned.

Funny how things go full circle, eh?

I've said this before and I'll say it again here:

Every Thai knows that use of the term "n*gg*r" will cause offence to 100% of black people so they don't use it and, if they do, they certainly don't do so within earshot of a black person.

Thais don't know that use of the term "farang" will offend 100% of white people because the overwhelming majority of white people don't give a toss so how the hell are they supposed to know it's racist?

People can't rock up here and expect the rules they're used to in their homelands to be replicated. Jeez, I thought that's why so many of you came here in the first place.

Stop bitching and get on with your lives.

Edited October 19, 2013 by HardenedSoul

[inthepink]

The thai word for foreigner is; KHON TANG CHAAT !!!!!!!!

That's the formal word that you will see in writing. It's rarely if ever used in casual conversation.

I don't particularly like the word myself but I think HeijoshinCool is wrong in his assumption. I have heard it used by well educated people on many occasions.

That maybe says evenmore than about the attitude towards foreigners, would you not agree ? In all my years in Thailand i have only been once referred to as "khon tang chaat". By a massagelady in Patong Beach, of all places ! I was so pleasantly surprised that i tipped her a 100 bth. Without even a happy ending !!

No, You are missing my point really. The word you mention is not likely to be used because it would sound too formal, not because of any attitude. Much the same way that people say gin kao instead of taan kaao or rap brataan ahaan.

I personally dislike the word but nobody has ever addressed me using it, as some people say has happened to them in Thailand. If I heard a waitress or shop assistant say, 'It's for the farang over there", I wouldn't be bothered but if an educated person uses the word when discussing something with me, which they do, it does annoy me. That's because of where I am from though and how I perceive the word rather than any intent to offend on their part.

(By the way, when I say "if an educated person uses the word when discussing something with me" I am not excluding all shop assistants and / or waitresses from that category as they are not all stupid!)

Edited October 19, 2013 by inthepink

[benalibina]

The thai word for foreigner is; KHON TANG CHAAT !!!!!!!!

That's the formal word that you will see in writing. It's rarely if ever used in casual conversation.

I don't particularly like the word myself but I think HeijoshinCool is wrong in his assumption. I have heard it used by well educated people on many occasions.

That maybe says evenmore than about the attitude towards foreigners, would you not agree ? In all my years in Thailand i have only been once referred to as "khon tang chaat". By a massagelady in Patong Beach, of all places ! I was so pleasantly surprised that i tipped her a 100 bth. Without even a happy ending !!

No, You are missing my point really. The word you mention is not likely to be used because it would sound too formal, not because of any attitude. Much the same way that people say gin kao instead of taan kaao or rap brataan ahaan.

I personally dislike the word but nobody has ever addressed me using it, as some people say has happened to them in Thailand. If I heard a waitress or shop assistant say, 'It's for the farang over there", I wouldn't be bothered but if an educated person uses the word when discussing something with me, which they do, it does annoy me. That's because of where I am from though.

Everybody has their own take on it. Leave it like that better.

[inthepink]

Thais don't know that use of the term "farang" will offend 100% of white people because the overwhelming majority of white people don't give a toss so how the hell are they supposed to know it's racist?

Quite easily I would have thought. They don't use it to refer to Asians or black people so they are classifying people by the colour of their skin.

[inthepink]

Everybody has their own take on it. Leave it like that better.

I'm somewhere in the middle really. I don't see the point of getting steamed up about it, but I don't like the word. I think it's just that they haven't got to the politically correct stage that most countries in the West have. I guess it's not my place to tell them how to behave but I do have an opinion on the matter, even if I keep it to myself most of the time.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[maccaroni man]

What's comical to me about this "forang" debate is the extent in which some have gone to track the origin of the word and then assuming the original meaning has not changed. Forbidden Use of Carnal Knowledge was the original meaning of F U C K. It is safe to say that those four letters hold many different meanings to many different people, IMO the same hold true for who and how the word forang is used.

Edited October 19, 2013 by maccaroni man

[kikoman]

What is comical is to see the backers of "Farang is an insult" all trying to change the focus of the discussion.

Why in the states they don't yell "Immigrant" at the border jumper's instead of "we$$$ck",

Failure to understand the facts!

Cheers:

[Thai at Heart]

They are. They tolerate us. We can't buy a house! Even if married with kids..

Many countries prohibit or restrict foreign ownership of land and real estate... with good reason!

Mexico for example does not allow foreign ownership of coastal lands, if they did their entire coastline would have been bought up by wealthy Americans.

Bonefish,

What you state is the truth, a little over a decade ago, Mexico revised its law, under The North American Free Trade Agreement, and true to the word American investors immediately purchased all the beach front land around where I lived in the zona Libre (Free zone) Puerto Penasco, Sonora. The result was immediate, the cost of living increased dramatically to where it was no longer a economical place to live.

I packed up and moved to Thailand. The same thing will happen here if land purchases were opened up to non-Thai's. Thailand is being very farsighted /clever in limiting land sales to Thai's only!

Cheers:

Ah, but you miss the point completely. Whilst the Thai's have been running around pointing fingers at white men, and middle easterners, and black men as the enemies, the bogeymen who will take their country. These numbskulls granted passports to another immigrant population who immediately bought up all the beach front property and told the thais to keep pointing the fingers at the dreaded outsiders.

Thai's have already lost their country, and woe betide what might happen once that little scam really becomes apparent to the Thais. The only people possessing land worthy of buying are Chinese. And yes I call them Chinese and not Thai Chinese, on the basis of asking, would these families send their children to fight for Thailand? Nope. They are happy to pay Thai's to do that for them.

And your point is??

I live in harmony with the Thai's in my village, I for one know what I post as fact, I live everyday for the last 8 years completely involved with my Thai friends and neighbors as the only Farang in the village and have never seen the crap you-all state as discrimination,

Have you ever considered that it is just you personally people dislike. Why would you even consider living in a country you dislike.

Cheers:

My point was in answer to the comment above. Who said I dislike Thailand. It's not paradise, but it was home for 18 years with many good people, and not many bad ones. In fact I didn't meet any I would genuinely say are bad. Where does me pointing out my opinion that a group of confesses Chinese immigrants have taken over the country mean I hate Thailand?

Does Thailand have a completely useless government? Indeed. Funny you said I should leave, I did, to insure that 2 Thai citizens get the best education I can afford them.

If I didn't care I would just have left them to the vagaries of the Thai system. To criticise is to care.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[HardenedSoul]

Thais don't know that use of the term "farang" will offend 100% of white people because the overwhelming majority of white people don't give a toss so how the hell are they supposed to know it's racist?

Quite easily I would have thought. They don't use it to refer to Asians or black people so they are classifying people by the colour of their skin.

What do you mean, "quite easily"? Obviously not quite easily.

As I said, most white people really don't give a rat's arse about the word's usage.

If you can't reach consensus among yourselves, how the hell do you expect the Thais to?

Honestly, I really think you people just like to complain for the sake of complaining.

I hate to roll this one out cos it's used so often but clearly the "gravity" of the issue warrants it so here goes:

If I lived in a foreign country where pretty much all the locals referred to me and others with my skin colour using a racial slur every single day and at full volume in my presence, I'd pack up my shit and bounce.

Why the hell are you still here?

Edited October 19, 2013 by HardenedSoul

[kikoman]

I also have the right to criticize, on something that in reality affects my life,

Why would someone move to Mexico and criticize the Mexican word that denotes North American as "Gringo" in their own country..

Those that move into Thailand, do not have the right to criticize how Thai choose to speak in their own country,

The word Thai's used to denote foreigners is "Farang", after having a discussion with the 15 Thai's

(aged 15-65) in my home at the moment, 100% agreement that they use the word Farang to denote foreigners and that it is not used as an insult. My daughter added that a more formal usage is "khon tang chatt" that is almost never used, as the usage of Farang in all parts of Thailand denotes foreigners, she also wrote the Thai word for foriegner's on her phone for an English definition and showed me the definition was "Farang" try it some time. If your negative thought process would accept that a Thai phone.does not discriminate against Farang's.

Also the Thai people that settled in Siam, where originally from China, and the Chinese mixed blood is very common in Thailand, to suggest all Thai's with Chinese blood are aligned to China , is faulty at best, My wife's family has Chinese blood and are proud citizens of Thailand.

Most Thai's in my village own vast amounts of rice land, I only know of one that does not own farmland locally, if my village is indicative, the Thai's own much of their own lands.

In The US the amount of foreigner owned land is alarming to most of the US citizens, and many are voicing support for limiting such sales.

Cheers: .

[Jingthing]

...

In The US the amount of foreigner owned land is alarming to most of the US citizens, and many are voicing support for limiting such sales.

...

I follow U.S. politics closely and in my opinion, this assertion is simply not true. Foreign ownership of U.S. land is not a political issue in the U.S. that is on any kind of radar. I know of no visible U.S. political movement to limit such sales. I suppose if you dig you can find an internet link about anything. I am talking about high profile concerns. It simply is NOT one. Cheers.

The comparison of the word farang in Thailand to gringo in Mexico and Latin America is interesting. In Mexico gringo definitely IS a derogatory term but in my experience it's usage right to the face of the people Mexican's call gringos (me for example) is much less pervasive than Thailand-farang. In other words you really don't hear it very much. Like in a cafe, you don't often hear bring the gringo some coffee like you hear in Thailand bring the farang some coffee.

Also --

In Ecuador, as in many other places in South America, “gringo” encompasses a wide swath of geography. To Ecuadorians, gringos come from North America, Australia and New Zealand, the U.K., and the rest of Europe, whether they speak English or not.

http://www.gringotree.com/cuenca/page/thetermgringo

Edited October 20, 2013 by Jingthing

[kikoman]

Plain and simple, Farang is not an insult, if you all want to consider it one "UP TO You" You will not admit to the truth. Believe what you will, I for one know a lot different!

Cheers:

Edited October 20, 2013 by kikoman