Red Shirt Angry About me Wearing Yellow...

[tingtongteesood]

I had the same problem with an Indian girl on a bus stop in London. I was wearing orange shorts. She asked me which religion I was. I told her I am an atheist. She complained that wearing orange in her Indian religion meant that someone is really devoutly religious and that she was offended that I, an atheist, would insult her religion by wearing orange when I am a non believer. I simply said 'Do I look Indian !? This is London, not Mumbai, leave me alone you crazy woman' or words to that effect. The situation here is different sadly as some of those reds are violent so please be careful people....If you have such a problem just say 'Long live the king !' in Thai. As long as we can say this it shouldn't really be a problem.

[Romeland]

This is a true story .... not one I am especially proud of, as I showed myself to be a bit ignorant, but as I lived to tell the tell, the experience has taught me a valuable lesson.

When the reds had their large demos a few years back, I was getting a little agitated at the disruption they were causing .... but I kept my views to myself. Unfortunately, one night I was trying to negotiate from Siam Square to another location, and I decided to approach a taxi driver, who was parked outside the Novatel. The taxi driver told me he couldn't take me anywhere, because the reds had blocked one of the roads on the route. Being a little bit worse for wear, I muttered something along the lines of f*****g red shirts messing up the city .... I didn't mean anything bad towards the reds or what they stood for, just commenting about how they are making it hard for people to get around. The taxi driver, who I realized afterwards had limited English skills, took it that I was against the red shirts (yes .... I was an idiot). He started shouting at me and I looked at him and noticed he had a red shirt under his armless jacket and a red patterned bandana .... a soldier from the North (I hadn't noticed any detail about him before). I put my arm up and tried to apologize in my limited Thai, that I meant nothing bad to him or the reds ... I just wanted to get to my destination. At that point the passenger door of the taxi opened and another guy walked round the other side of the car and opened the boot. The first guy then pulled away a blanket and under the blanket was a large machete knife. He picked up the knife, smiled at me and started to walk towards me ..... at this point I ran like I have never ran before and literally threw myself into the Novatel hotel nightclub. I had never been so scared in my life .... I thought that the red was going to kill me. A security guard who was standing near to us, just smiled and looked down to the floor as the guy took out the knife and chased after me. I spent the next 3 hours in the club shitting myself, paranoid that the guy would somehow get into the club and find me. I had god knows how many bacardi and cokes, but couldn't lose the fear .... when something like this happens to you, you start to appreciate what you have and what you would miss if you were suddenly removed from the planet. When the club finished, I was agonising which entrance to leave ... would he still be there waiting for me ? Anyway, I got home safely and lived to tell the tale.

Lesson learnt ..... do not talk politics with any Thai person you do not know, especially taxi drivers. I have learnt that some (more than some) carry weapons in the boot. My wife is Thai, she loves the King, but don't wear a yellow shirt on Mondays ... it's just not worth the risk. You don't know who you will bump into, and should you come accros a red shirt who is drunk, they could quite simply slice you open with a knife or shoot you. Let the Thai's deal with their politics themselves .... we know the flaws and the lack of democracy .... but better keep our thoughts to ourselves.

[dao16]

Why couldn't they choose Byzantium, Amaranth, Catawba or Feldgrau? Why'd they have to use basic primary colors and make it so we can't wear red or yellow anymore without having possible problems?

I vote for Burnt Sienna for the lot of them.

[dao16]

i think with what's going on it's plain stupid wearing a yellow shirt in 'red country' and is asking for trouble

It's like going to a Hell's Angel gathering in a pink blouse with 'gay rights' written all over it

I live in a red area and people wear yellow shirts all the time. I think this guy (the one yelling) was just pumped up and off his rocker.

[onthedarkside]

a number of off topic and inflammatory posts/replies removed.

[scotinsiam]

What I find interesting is that no one wore yellow shirts to support the king 15 years ago. It wasn't until his anniversary as king in 2004? that it became popular.

I also think that it is silly for foreigners to wear yellow to support the king. I respect the king, I admire the king and even love the king, but I don't think it is all that important to wear yellow shirts. No one in my family ever wore yellow in their life so why start?

The pink shirts now are the newest trend. That is another color you will never see me in.

Hi Zeichen,

I have to disagree with you a bit, I came here about 8 years ago and loved the fact people wore yellow on a Monday to show respect to his Majesty - I feel somewhat sad that this has been hijacked to have political meaning.

I enjoyed it when the King came out of the hospital wearing a pink jacket a few years ago, hence the trend - god bless him and I hope all the political leaders can learn from him.

[FangFerang]

My shirt causes confusion, a sit down and Lou Kou moment for some...........

confusion.jpg.........

In the current environment that is REALLY funny.

But.....I am rethinking what I wear.

[Sparkles]

CM City News web site has a story that around 3,000 people turned up at an anti government protest at the Chiang Mai University

yesterday. I never thought that was possible before in CM, maybe the tide is turning

[Ghostnigel]

half of my golf shirts in my wardrobe are either red or yellow, can't wear them now, I've had to go out and buy new ones, Tiger Woods is half Thai, I wonder if he thinks about it on a Sunday? when he dons the red shirt, because he must have seen the News.

[jacko45k]

The missus bought me a yellow shirt for the Kings birthday......

I used it once... not a colour I wear.

Red is a Christmas day or celebration colour.

But I do think it is best to avoid these colours, a bit like parading down a UK City with the wrong football shirt on.

[SebD]

Why do you care what a Thai thinks about the colour of your clothing?

I would have engaged him in friendly conversation and put my mind to rest that he didn't have a problem or put his mind to rest, if he did.

I'm not Thai. I'm a "farang" and in the spririt of unity I put up with their annoying traits and equally expect/insist they also put up with mine.

Mutual respect, is all.

It's my shirt, not his, nor is it his business what colours I wear.

Why do so many of my fellow "farangs" seem to constantly fear the Thais and their interactions with/reactions toward them so much?

I've just always been myself in Thailand, over the past 11 years.

"Stupid farang is as stupid farang does" would be my defence.

A swift kick in the tender regions and a hand larger than his head clasped around his windpipe would be my get out of jail ticket.

Get some nuts, guys.

[Jose]

A swift kick in the tender regions and a hand larger than his head clasped around his windpipe would be my get out of jail ticket.

Get some nuts, guys.

11 years in Thailand with that attitude, and you're still alive? You must have some cojones...

[SebD]

A swift kick in the tender regions and a hand larger than his head clasped around his windpipe would be my get out of jail ticket.

Get some nuts, guys.

11 years in Thailand with that attitude, and you're still alive? You must have some cojones...

I don't ever seek grief and it rarely seeks me.

I'm polite. I'm defferential (even to religions - all religions - that I do not subscribe to).

But I'll wear colours of my choosing so long as such cannot be deemed deliberately inflamatory (that would be both rude and stupid). I don't do rude. I'm old enough and unscarred enough to consider I don't do stupid, either.

But why all this defference towards, essentially, cowards?

Every Thai site and forum is full of it. I don't kow-tow and I get along fine (maybe because I don't - who can say).

As I said, before, mutual respect is all. I afford it and I expect to receive it.

No big deal (maybe that's why I'm "still alive").

[Jose]

I'm defferential (even to religions - all religions - that I do not subscribe to).

Excuse my ignorance - what does "defferential" mean?

[SebD]

I'm defferential (even to religions - all religions - that I do not subscribe to).

Excuse my ignorance - what does "defferential" mean?

Not having the Oxford English dictionary to hand, I'll have to tell you what it means to me (forgive me if I'm not pedantic enough for you).

To me, it means I respect others beliefs in whatever religion of their choosing and will even shed my shoes before walking upon hallowed ground, should occasion arise - even though I don't subscribe, personally, to the need.

I think it's called "respect".

If the word "defferential" was incorrect, I apologise with all my heart.

You can go back to sleep, now (unless you have something of value to contribute, that is).

EDIT:

OMG I just realised I typed one too may "f"'s when I said "defferential"....it should have been "deferential".

You really, really, really are now a proven <deleted> aren't you Jose?

LOL

Edited December 11, 2013 by SebD

[Jose]

I'm defferential (even to religions - all religions - that I do not subscribe to).

Excuse my ignorance - what does "defferential" mean?

Not having the Oxford English dictionary to hand, I'll have to tell you what it means to me (forgive me if I'm not pedantic enough for you).

To me, it means I respect others beliefs in whatever religion of their choosing and will even shed my shoes before walking upon hallowed ground, should occasion arise - even though I don't subscribe, personally, to the need.

I think it's called "respect".

If the word "defferential" was incorrect, I apologise with all my heart.

You can go back to sleep, now (unless you have something of value to contribute, that is).

No pedanticism involved at all - it's just simply that I had no clue as to what you meant by "defferential". There is nothing incorrect about a new English word which you may have just invented - if anything, I would proudly use at every possible occasion when the opportunity presents itself.

Anyway, the part I find curious is how you can reconcile "defference" and "respect" with "A swift kick in the tender regions and a hand larger than his head clasped around his windpipe would be my get out of jail ticket."

And by the way, being up at this time of the morning does not necessarily mean that we've all stayed up all night - unless by "You can go back to sleep" was meant it in a figuratively way, in which case my keyboard warrior persona will be forced to challenge yours to a duel.

[noikrit]

Dam!!!

I'm colour blind

This should be fun

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

Brilliant !!

[Lancelot]

I call BS.

With so many yellow shirt supports here - how do we know you are not just trying to besmirch the red shirts?

I'm not saying it couldn't have happened, but I'd put my money on it not happening.

Why? From personal experience, I have worn "enemy" colors before in the presence of these opposing political parties, and they could care less. I asked my wife (GF) at the time about the dangers of it and she said not to worry - Thais are aware of the lack of awareness falangs have to their color coded strife.

Again, I could be wrong. But I just don't believe the OPs story.

555+ Call BS all you want, I'm fine with it. I know what happened and I was sharing that with others. They can do as they please

Mr. Jeff, please don your Red Shirt and go hang with the government protestors (or vise versa) But I won't be joining you, cause life is too short

I call BS on some posters that profess to living in Thailand for 10, 20 or 30+ years and NEVER experiencing a problem. Having a problem in Thailand does not make the country or its citizens bad, it means that people some times have misunderstandings, some times the situation was caused deliberately, sometimes not. I suppose folks that have never encountered any problems, anywhere, lead an exceptionally charmed life.

Or they see the world as they want it to be, not as it actually is...

[Aussie Paul]

I guess my Thammasat cheer shirts have the potential to upset both sides.

[Dap]

My shirt causes confusion, a sit down and Lou Kou moment for some...........

confusion.jpg.........

You are a sick individual transam

Edited December 11, 2013 by Dap

[binjalin]

I'm think of getting this printed on my next t-shirts:

Secretary-General of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee sucks worn in Chiang Mai (red colour)

and

Secretary-General of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee is cool worn in BKK (yellow colour)

Edited December 12, 2013 by binjalin

[Ricardo]

i think with what's going on it's plain stupid wearing a yellow shirt in 'red country' and is asking for trouble

It's like going to a Hell's Angel gathering in a pink blouse with 'gay rights' written all over it

Sorry but, while Chiang Mai is majority-red, it is a long way from 100%, despite 'Rak Chiang Mai 51's attempts to present it as such.

This is the Chiang Mai sub-forum, Chiang Mai isn't some 'Red Village', out in the boondocks.

It is certainly not "red country", so wearing a yellow shirt on a Monday, ought not to be "asking for trouble", as you suggest.

[binjalin]

i think with what's going on it's plain stupid wearing a yellow shirt in 'red country' and is asking for trouble

It's like going to a Hell's Angel gathering in a pink blouse with 'gay rights' written all over it

Sorry but, while Chiang Mai is majority-red, it is a long way from 100%, despite 'Rak Chiang Mai 51's attempts to present it as such.

This is the Chiang Mai sub-forum, Chiang Mai isn't some 'Red Village', out in the boondocks.

It is certainly not "red country", so wearing a yellow shirt on a Monday, ought not to be "asking for trouble", as you suggest.

it's not 'wise' especially in the current climate - but you go ahead

[WinnieTheKhwai]

He's right about the urban area of Chiang Mai not being particularly red though.