Are we not valued as people here?

[micmichd]

Funny, everyone here in the neighbourhood knows my name and calls me by my name. They only call me 'Farang' when they talk about me to strangers and when there's no other Farang around.

I had the impression to be treated as a walking ATM, too. But then something very strange happened: All my bank accounts in Europe were closed, and for 2 months I had no money at all - not a satang. No Farang would ever help me around or give me credit, but Thais did.

The first cash I got in Europe after 2 months was robbed, by bankers (believe it or not)

For Europeans, I'm obviously an un-person since I told them my opinion about them.

That's oK, for me Farangs are un-people - if they come across in a crowd. And still maybe quite nice as individuals.

Hard to understand, I know.

I'm member of a people whose name is a swearword to me. I'm German.

I will always be a foreigner abroad, and a stranger in Germany.

Edited April 16, 2015 by micmichd

[Berkshire]

I don't know. After the weekend I'm not too sure if I will ever be anything but farang. That can have good and bad connotations but they just can't seem to see past the walking bank thing. I don't mean in asking for my money etc but it's always going to be there. I did a test on the weekend. Asked the Mrs if my mother in law of 3 years knew my name. Nope. She know how many kids I have? Know about my family Australia? Nope. Hmmmm. They refer to each other by name. Is it culture or lack of interest or ignorance or what? I am getting tired of excusing everything in the name of culture particularly inconsiderate, selfish and ignorant acts.

So this is the woman you chose to marry, correct? I mean, no one had a gun to your head. You chose this woman. And this same woman never bothered to tell her mother the name of her husband? After 3 years? You do realize this says a lot about you.

[Kenny202]

Whatever

[BKKBodhisattva]

I don't know. After the weekend I'm not too sure if I will ever be anything but farang. That can have good and bad connotations but they just can't seem to see past the walking bank thing. I don't mean in asking for my money etc but it's always going to be there. I did a test on the weekend. Asked the Mrs if my mother in law of 3 years knew my name. Nope. She know how many kids I have? Know about my family Australia? Nope. Hmmmm. They refer to each other by name. Is it culture or lack of interest or ignorance or what? I am getting tired of excusing everything in the name of culture particularly inconsiderate, selfish and ignorant acts.

Are you kidding?

Your mother in law actually doesn't know your name?

Look I don't wanna make you feel bad but what was your reasoning for marrying into this family?

[CharlieH]

Troll comment and response removed

[rijit]

Calling someone 'black' is not at all racist - a fact that for some reason the older people seem to struggle to grasp.

it's ignorant, and that's a a fact idiots seem to struggle to grasp. And categorizing someone by the color of their skin is racist.

I am white. I call myself white. I have black friends who call themselves black. There really is nothing worse than people feeling the need to be offended on behalf of others.

That is real ignorance.

really glad to see your open minded and give an opinion rather than some fait accompli daily mail ish statements.

but then I suppose you have Chinese friends who approve of them being called yellow? or is that different? and not so long ago people accepted being called N--g -ers, because it was the done thing. Best people get used to it, CLASSIFYING PEOPLE BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN IS WRONG. and bottom line is racist. and i aint feeling offended on behalf of anyone, just really hate it when bigots dont realise exactly what they are saying, oh, silly me that's ignorance .

[Happy Grumpy]

Calling someone 'black' is not at all racist - a fact that for some reason the older people seem to struggle to grasp.

it's ignorant, and that's a a fact idiots seem to struggle to grasp. And categorizing someone by the color of their skin is racist.

I am white. I call myself white. I have black friends who call themselves black. There really is nothing worse than people feeling the need to be offended on behalf of others.

That is real ignorance.

really glad to see your open minded and give an opinion rather than some fait accompli daily mail ish statements.

but then I suppose you have Chinese friends who approve of them being called yellow? or is that different? and not so long ago people accepted being called N--g -ers, because it was the done thing. Best people get used to it, CLASSIFYING PEOPLE BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN IS WRONG. and bottom line is racist. and i aint feeling offended on behalf of anyone, just really hate it when bigots dont realise exactly what they are saying, oh, silly me that's ignorance .

Imagine there's no heaven...

[Happy Grumpy]

CLASSIFYING PEOPLE BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN IS WRONG

Honestly.

You're gonna hate Thailand.

Man are you gonna be in for a surprise.

[Berkshire]

CLASSIFYING PEOPLE BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN IS WRONG. and bottom line is racist.

You do realize that this still goes on in the west. Everyday. When a cop kills someone in America, it only makes the news if it's a white cop killing an unarmed black man. The western press classifies people by the color of their skin all the time.

[Kenny202]

Yes but class based on skin color here is in its purest form. It's only lack of education and pre learned behavior. Same as the people throwing their rubbish in the local klong or leaving all the plastic and Leo bottles behind in the forest

[micmichd]

Why am I not valued as people?

I'm so nice, eloquent and educated, I can laugh and sing and dance, can make love, speak many languages (including body language), multi-professional, have different colours of skin. I'm old enough to know.

I'm many things, one thing I'm not:

I'm not people.

[Gecko123]

I have to laugh every time someone on TVF claims 'farang' is a racist term.

Just for everyone's information, non-white non-Asian Westerners are just as likely to be referred to as 'farang' as a white Westerner is.

Kind of blows a hole in the 'farang is a racist word' argument, now doesn't it?

[Kenny202]

I don't find it racist and I'm sure most of the time they don't mean any harm by it. Laos or Isaan language in particular seems to be a very limited and literal language and they don't seem to gloss their speech with niceties. Having said that I can't pretend it doesn't grate on me wen they call each other by name and I am farang. It seems very impersonal

[jiipii]

Word "farang" coming from Vietnam language and its mean "big nose" nothing to do whit color of skinn.

Under french occupation of Vietnam the Vietnam people called those lovely french people for farangs.

I have big nose and called for falang every day, this is right or i am wrong?

[Kenny202]

I was told farang was an Asian adaption of francoise

[micmichd]

What do you refer to an Asian if you see one in your home country?

Every foreign is a foreigner somewhere.

The way people from Issan speak might be different from what you're used to. I had to get used to it, too.

To me, it sounds now like they make verbal statements with not too many emotions in the words (like American Indians) But they make broad use of non-verbal aspects of communication, eg they smile or use other gestures. Northern European Farangs are simply not used to it.

[Kenny202]

Well I'm not Northern European but I try and understand. I like it in as much as it is economical with BS. "We go shop?" Nod head.....ba

[micmichd]

Well I'm not Northern European but I try and understand. I like it in as much as it is economical with BS. "We go shop?" Nod head.....ba

Nod head usually means "no" in Thailand... and "ba" is what I think if miss monster wants to go shopping again...

Edited April 17, 2015 by micmichd

[Kenny202]

Depends if nod up or down and followed by er er er. A definite yes

[thaibeachlovers]

What about hospitality, generosity, empathy?

Not values in your country?

Those seem to be yesterday's values in my home country. Now it's just about the money and screw everyone else. Really sad.

[Happy Grumpy]

What do you refer to an Asian if you see one in your home country?

Waiter/Waitress.

[Happy Grumpy]

Just for everyone's information, non-white non-Asian Westerners are just as likely to be referred to as 'farang' as a white Westerner is.

That or Chocolate Man.

If people get upset at being called farang, consider 5th generation Thai Indians. Indian in race but who's entire family is Thai born and raised for 5 generations.

They get called Ghek.

'Guest' in Thai.

[SoiBiker]

Isn't it time we had a dedicated 'farang' forum so we can endlessly discuss the various ways to spell it, none of which are correct, the hilarious made-up definitions, and the silly notion that it's a racist, until the cows come home?

[MaeJoMTB]

I'd like to suggest a Thai apologist forum too.

[Naam]

Isn't it time we had a dedicated 'farang' forum so we can endlessly discuss the various ways to spell it, none of which are correct, the hilarious made-up definitions, and the silly notion that it's a racist, until the cows come home?

collection of "farang" versions Thaivis 2006-2015:

farang

falang

farlang

farung

farong

faring

farnags

falung

ferong

ferang

ferung

furung

furlong

furlung

forong

folong

forlong

pharung

felang

franansgs

ferlang

forang

Folung

Frangs

[SoiBiker]

I think my favourite is 'farnags'.

[Naam]

I don't know. After the weekend I'm not too sure if I will ever be anything but farang. That can have good and bad connotations but they just can't seem to see past the walking bank thing. I don't mean in asking for my money etc but it's always going to be there. I did a test on the weekend. Asked the Mrs if my mother in law of 3 years knew my name. Nope. She know how many kids I have? Know about my family Australia? Nope. Hmmmm. They refer to each other by name. Is it culture or lack of interest or ignorance or what? I am getting tired of excusing everything in the name of culture particularly inconsiderate, selfish and ignorant acts.

Do you know your wife's name?

Can you write it in Thai script?

I've found very few foreigners can do that.

-i know my wife's name.

-i can't write in Thai script.

-why should i be able to write her name in Thai script?

-she's not Thai.

[Naam]

I think my favourite is 'farnags'.

mine is "pharung"

[Happy Grumpy]

Isn't it time we had a dedicated 'farang' forum so we can endlessly discuss the various ways to spell it, none of which are correct.

Just as well you don't have a Thai word written incorrectly (soy/soey/soi, none of which are correct) using a Latin based alphabet in your username, isn't it.

[Gecko123]

Just for everyone's information, non-white non-Asian Westerners are just as likely to be referred to as 'farang' as a white Westerner is.

That or Chocolate Man.

If people get upset at being called farang, consider 5th generation Thai Indians. Indian in race but who's entire family is Thai born and raised for 5 generations.

They get called Ghek.

'Guest' in Thai.

I think you are confusing awareness of racial differences (which child development experts have determined begins as early as 2 years old) with racism which is the belief that one race is superior than another.

Let's take this one step at a time. You acknowledge that Thais use the term 'farang' to describe Westerners irrespective of their skin color. If that's true (which it is) that completely destroys the argument that 'farang' is a racist term. As many many people have tried to explain here, the word farang is primarily a descriptive term meaning 'foreigner from the West.'

Likewise, describing a person of Negroid or African descent as 'chocolate' can be viewed as a descriptive term rather than a pejorative term. I have on occasion heard Thais refer to an African-American as a 'chocolate' man. The occasion I recall it was the guy's wife, and it was used affectionately.

You are also incorrect in concluding that just because the word "kaek" has the dual etymological usage of refering to a "visitor or a guest" as well as persons of East Indian extraction that that this implies that Thais view East Indians as permanent outsiders, "guests" or "visitors" who can never be integrated into the society.

But why am I trying to educate you, a person who jokes about Asians being only "waiters and waitresses"? Regarding "racism", if ever there was an example of someone who ought to be looking in the mirror instead of pointing a finger elsewhere, it would appear to be you, sir.