How would you politely argue with a Thai ?

[soalbundy]

Even if you did speak fluent you cannot catch everything or if a similiar word put in a different content and make the conversation you think be something completely different.

So many word can sound the same when said at pace,

best you keep your blurter closed and smile and say the thai phrase that means "thats the way i see it also"

the reaction from this is either embarrassed smile or the usual joking around but either way is better than making a confrontation with the wrong person

remember no-one come to your aid when 4 thais lining up to kick your head in. Especially not your fellow farang this is for sure!

some incident happened in my condo involving me and a taxi driver , he got his face bruised and there were no thais helping him.

you are obviously a spiritual sort of person who reads the good book each night before going to sleep

[SoiBiker]

OP, just turn around, ignore them and go away.

It works for me all the time here on TVF......................

You haven't yet actually gone away, though.

[tingtongtourist]

Even if you did speak fluent you cannot catch everything or if a similiar word put in a different content and make the conversation you think be something completely different.

So many word can sound the same when said at pace,

best you keep your blurter closed and smile and say the thai phrase that means "thats the way i see it also"

the reaction from this is either embarrassed smile or the usual joking around but either way is better than making a confrontation with the wrong person

remember no-one come to your aid when 4 thais lining up to kick your head in. Especially not your fellow farang this is for sure!

some incident happened in my condo involving me and a taxi driver , he got his face bruised and there were no thais helping him.

you are obviously a spiritual sort of person who reads the good book each night before going to sleep

you probably read about him someday,and not in book.

this actually does answer a question ive always wondered about guys jumping/falling of condo balconies.

of course i do not wish it on him,but boy what an incredibly stupid stupid thing to do

not only loss face but bruised face and the thai even know where you live.

he could come back anytime with mates or when somethin else sets him off crazy and decide somehow in his twisted mind,he need to take revenge on the farang who started his bad luck..

and the guy is on here skiting.

dear oh dear if it were me id be mooving condos. Thais seem to have a thing about striking when to be less expected.

i hope you made the story up sir or we could be reading about you next

[LawrenceN]

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Did this 'rude word' begin with an F?

I assume you mean "farang." I don't think it's rude to use that word in the course of conversation when referring to us people of European origin. It's an ethnic term. But most of you reading this already know and accept this.

HOWEVER: I live in a suburb of Chiang Mai. A few weeks ago, I was riding my bicycle to a swimming pool on a shady road that follows an irrigation canal. I was wearing a T-shirt and swim trunks that covered most of my thighs. I passed a shop and heard a woman's voice yell "Farang! Farang!" Twice, like that, as if she was sounding the alarm for the community. That shit has always burned my pipes as rude and uncalled for. I yelled back, "บ้านนอก! บ้านนอก!" which means country bumpkin. There was a big laugh from the locals standing around. I didn't stop pedaling my bike, so I didn't get to see her blush, but it hasn't happened again, and I pass that shop several times a week. She had it coming, especially in a place like CM where everyone sees Westerners every day. Local people here are proud that Chiang Mai is a travel destination and so cosmopolitan, so I really think she got the message when I turned her ignorant, bumpkin behavior back on her.

I'm one of those fluent in Thai that you asked to respond: 38 years of practice since I learned to read, write and speak tonally as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1970s. Sorry I didn't transliterate the expression in the paragraph above. It wouldn't help anyone to read it in Western script; you wouldn't be understood yelling "baan nawk" (or however you want to spell it). Please do not try this at home (unless you can pronounce บ้านนอก).

As for arguments with Thais, that's best avoided. Don't argue with people beneath your station (a Thai concept) like cashiers. Ask to speak to a manager and calmly explain the problem.

I have seen some real shouting matches between Thais. sometimes in my wife's family. That's bound to happen in 27 years of marriage. When that happens, find a place to hide real quick.

Edited October 28, 2014 by LawrenceN

[BlueSkyCowboy]

how would you respond if the comment were made in your native tongue ?

if you speak and understand Thai i suggest you react in the same way what has culture got to do with it ?

if they dissed you diss em back unless of course it was done by an angry young guy or woman wielding a machete

Just like any other country. It depends on the IQ of the opposition. With most of them u do not argue

[GarryP]

Even if you did speak fluent you cannot catch everything or if a similiar word put in a different content and make the conversation you think be something completely different.

So many word can sound the same when said at pace,

best you keep your blurter closed and smile and say the thai phrase that means "thats the way i see it also"

the reaction from this is either embarrassed smile or the usual joking around but either way is better than making a confrontation with the wrong person

remember no-one come to your aid when 4 thais lining up to kick your head in. Especially not your fellow farang this is for sure!

If you can't catch everything in an everyday conversation i.e. not discussing nuclear physics or neurosurgery, you are not fluent.

[Greg Nixon]

Hands together and bow. " Kor tot " " Kun wah arai mae ? " Be sure to have an interpreter present. If the person is belligerent avoid them. If it is a misunderstanding they will smile and speak plainly. Do not repeat what you believed you heard because that may be offensive and gives them no way out. Remember words like fa rang are not intended as an insult and Thai people often speak plainly due to their own ignorance of etiquette. Be careful for it is not unknown for Thais to kill over an insult. Words like kekeat and keniow are not always insults.

[tingtongtourist]

Even if you did speak fluent you cannot catch everything or if a similiar word put in a different content and make the conversation you think be something completely different.

So many word can sound the same when said at pace,

best you keep your blurter closed and smile and say the thai phrase that means "thats the way i see it also"

the reaction from this is either embarrassed smile or the usual joking around but either way is better than making a confrontation with the wrong person

remember no-one come to your aid when 4 thais lining up to kick your head in. Especially not your fellow farang this is for sure!

If you can't catch everything in an everyday conversation i.e. not discussing nuclear physics or neurosurgery, you are not fluent.

Thankyou sir

this would explain how so many on here are fluent as they obviously are brain surgeon.

Also have many laywers,detective and ex SAS, FBI and not ti mention that fluent guy that calls the thais ban-nawk when they farang him :0)

the net is a lot bigger than you thought

[arthurwait]

Is it actually like the wild west out in the boonies for you lot ?

[fxe1200]

So to sum up is it impossible to have a polite argument w them? Lol

This truly is not "Lol"!

The problem is, that the Dunning-Krueger-Effect is widespread among Thai people, therefore I would always try to avoid any argument.

[arthurwait]

Were you lot all London cabbies previously ?

[benalibina]

Keep your voice calm and just tell the truth about the reason of the argument....if you are correct ofcourse. The moment they start to raise their voice, just keep calm and polite. You know then that you have won the argument and the only way to deal with them is...face. If your thai is decent, people can think that you are not a tourist but live there. They might wonder, if they do not have decent connections, who you know. Thailand is a country based on fear throughout all levels of society.

[thamesiris]

Just take a deep breath...

I heard someone say something terrible the other day - I ignored it and nothing happened. They were looking for a rise...

Hear no, see no, speak no...

[Smurkster]

i was wondering how they usually argue,

thanks for the Khun reference.

I speak fluent thai but i dont understand many things and i accept it

If one speaks fluent Thai and doesn't understand many things, then you don't really speak fluently, do you? The word fluency gets tossed around a lot and used when it shouldn't be. There is a difference between being VERY good in a language and Fluent....for example, very few non native English speakers I would I consider "fluent" in the language even after studying for many years...

Edited October 28, 2014 by Smurkster

[skilled]

Lol

[ggt]

If you are arguing over money...just turn and walk away...

If you are arguing over anything else...deep wai...with a "you are of course right...forgive me"...then turn and walk away...

Thais do not like to lose an argument...note the number of knives and guns used to get in the final word...

[Carl64]

That's an easy one! Just do what the Thais do.

Go home get your gun and go all in!!!

[richusa]

What's the situation?

On the street?

At work?

In a bar or club?

At the beach?

In a 7-11 ?

In front of a taxi stand?

There is no polite way to argue with a Thai.

Most likely he will lose face.

[eldragon]

I wouldn't argue with a Thai unless it was in English. And even then I wouldn't. Nothing here is worth arguing about. If someone says something bad about me, I make a mental note and generally avoid that person.

[SoiBiker]

Sticks and stones may break my bones.

Which is why I stay out of arguments wherever possible.

[H1w4yR1da]

Hands together and bow. " Kor tot " " Kun wah arai mae ? " Be sure to have an interpreter present.

You're kidding right?

If you are arguing over anything else...deep wai...with a "you are of course right...forgive me"...then turn and walk away...

WHAT?

'Deep wai'?

No you can't be serous. This is a wind up surely.

I mean, why don't you clean his boots while you're at it?

Unbelievable!

[H1w4yR1da]

Hands together and bow. " Kor tot " " Kun wah arai mae ? " Be sure to have an interpreter present.

You're kidding right?

If you are arguing over anything else...deep wai...with a "you are of course right...forgive me"...then turn and walk away...

WHAT?

'Deep wai'?

No you can't be serous. This is a wind up surely.

I mean, why don't you clean his boots while you're at it?

Unbelievable!

[banglassie]

Just take a deep breath...

I heard someone say something terrible the other day - I ignored it and nothing happened. They were looking for a rise...

Hear no, see no, speak no...

Yep, that's the way to do it. Not always as easy when you're boozed out of your mind though...

For some stupid reasons and a lost phone I got a bottle thrown over my nose/head 2 days ago. I didn't say anything bad, but I was stupid enough to pretend to call the military to send back those Khmers to Poipet.. And even more stupid to follow them into a dark alley/soi...

Yep, the shit hit the fan.. Got only myself to blame.. And I feel very lucky to get away with a swollen nose and some nosebleed..

There is no arguing. There is, "krab krab" and leave. Or there is "Ai sat nee, meung wa arai. meung kit waa guu glua ai hia meuan meung lor"... Then you're in for a fun time, which might be your last (the guys may leave, but don't be surprised when 20 scooters turn up around you later on...)

So yea, stay out of it, leave, that's your best option in all situations... There is no such thing as a honorable 1 on 1 fight here...

Edited October 28, 2014 by banglassie

[hellohello123]

Say "I'm going to beat you uo because I lose face"

Even though it has nothing to do with face or makes any logical sense

[Robert24]

Don't argue with a Thai, stay out of trouble.

[Johpa]

If you spoke fluent Thai you'd already know how to respond.

I think there is a difference between being bilingual and being bicultural. I have met a few farangs who speak Thai far better than myself but who really don't understand the culture all that well having led rather limited lives in the city amongst westernized Thai professionals. Bilinguals are now relatively common, true biculturals are still a rare breed.

[tancred]

Jut don't try,it's hopeless ,East is East and West is West and never the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..you know the rest

[benalibina]

Well....it seems that whe need to be careful of ALL THAIS.........they are ALL SCUM as it seems. Jeeeezzzzz, plenty of thais with who one can reason with in case of conflict.

[horsewell]

If you can think of something clear, short, witty and polite to stay at the time, by all means but have an exit plan! ;-)

My experience is, as a foreigner, you will probably better just let them say what they want to say or even not let them finish. Then just walk away or just ignore their comment as you would with an insolent little child and carry on because people that speak impolitely to strangers are nothing more. You don't want to get into an argument because changes you will not win and they may get physical with you (once again child) and you must not retaliate physically. If someone doesn't know you, how can they make judgements about you? If you allow every insult affect you, then you will probably not have a good time anywhere.

You will probably be seen as the aggressor as you are probably larger and will probably get more emotional and, or, expressive. If they get physical and you retaliate any penalty they pay will be much less than what you have to face. If the police are called there will be a story made up where you got aggressive with them and they had to defend themselves (Karon beach last night!? Why didn't the boy walk away?). You will be humiliated and your time will be wasted at the very minimum.

Trolls are not only confined to the internet.

If you know the person, then you should know how to deal with it and you would be able to say something. If my friends (or even the person in a romantic relationship with me) start insulting me, I give them warning before they are extracted from my life, I don't need negative people around.

This is not about burying one's head in the sand. It's just how to navigate the shark infested waters of Thailand. The good thing is that the sharks are far between but unfortunately frequent enough to be a nuisance. Don't let them bother you and don't give them any value or power over you.

[smokie36]

I'd argue with a Thai by phone.....satellite phone preferably.