Farangs outraged by Tesco Lotus commercial showing Thai maid being slapped (VIDEO)

[freedom4life]

Farangs have too much time on their hands...and as well as ThaiVisa

[aslimversgwm]

whether the maid was hit is not the point. the point is the implication that within thai culture abuse of domestic help is acceptable.

Exactly. And not just within Thai culture but throughout all of Asia. I remember several recent stories of Filipino maids being abused in Singapore and Hong Kong, so obviously it's not just a Thai problem.

Interestingly, in Europe, it was also considered perfectly normal to hit one's servants until at least the end of the XIXth century, if not later. There are numerous examples in Shakespeare's plays, Moliere's, Brecht's, the Commedia dell'Arte, which show that it was common practice all over Europe, and for a long, long time. Needless to say, the official abolition of slavery in the US (1865) did not put an end to the abuse of servants, as Kathryn Stockett's remarkable novel 'The Help', set in the 1960s, perfectly illustrates.

So, when did things change, how and why ? Now, these are interesting questions.

Can such a change occur within the territory of Confucean cultures ? Another interesting question.

An adroit and very apt comment indeed.

[connda]

Slapstick is alive and well in Thailand. Like it or not, this is the staple diet that Thai TV viewers consume. Get over it PC peeps. You're not in Kansas anymore.

[Tingtau]

Next !!!Why would anybody get upset?

You can see her hand never touched the girl.

Too many farangs with nothing to do but complain.

.

Ah, the irony...

Agree totally, Bluespunk!! @colinneil Of course the "actor" didn't actually make contact with her "victim"..it's a film...duhh!!!! When you see someone being shot in a movie, do you suppose that they were actually shot...of course not!! So, why offer this as though it makes a difference?? The fact being deplored is that the advert treats the violence as if it is to be expected and accepted. I am married to a Thai lady and live in her home village...I have never seen anyone act violently towards anyone else, no matter what the status of the two might be!! And good on those who castigated Tesco for presenting such a video!

Whether such violence takes place with the "hi-so" members of Thailand (if one has a maid, I think it is fair to assume that involves the "hi-so" group), Tesco is wrong to present it in this fashion! Now, if they showed that "hi-so" (rhymes with witch) being arrested for assault and stuck in jail with the"commoners" for a few days, that would be a good advert!!! And then I would happily read "โอ้!! ดีมาก! ตอนนี้ คุณไฮโซ" "ไม่เป็นไร" (Oh, excellent!! Now, Ms Hi-So...never mind, it's okay!!)

[ChrisKC]

Thai people call it culture. I call it common assault.

[torpedo1970]

But you farrang, you don't understand Thai people and Thai culture.

TIT

[Tingtau]

She didn't even slap her. Her hand was actually about 6 inches from her face. Farangs with nothing better to do. I think they may be getting upset with all the news about Thais being outraged about this and that and don't want to be outdone.

Get a life people, It's a commercial.

I've seen much worse in commercials and programs in various other countries.

As has been pointed out by several, including myself in a response to another poster, this is a film and, as such is suggesting that it is acceptable (in hi-so society at least) to commit an assault upon another person! The fact that the one actor didn't actually hit the other actor has no bearing...it is the implied act that matters!! If the actors had been a little more realistic so that you couldn't actually tell whether the slap had connected, would you then have been offended? Or do you think it of little importance what the media presents as acceptable behaviour?

[ScotBkk]

LOL.disgraceful advert.

Takes farangs to point it outthats even more disgraceful.

Pray tell me ... When has anyone gave a flying Fick about a Farangs view in Thailand ???

[ChrisKC]

But you farrang, you don't understand Thai people and Thai culture.

TIT

But I DO understand Thai culture. Just because it's culture doesn't make it either right or acceptable.

[Tingtau]

But you farrang, you don't understand Thai people and Thai culture.

TIT

I think that, "sic farrang" or not, I DO have some understanding. I have lived in Thailand now for over four years and am married to a Thai lady. We live in her home village and I have NEVER seen anybody physically assault another person in this village. Granted, these are 'ordinary" hardworking villagers who don't have "maids", but they do have weaker persons, such as the elders and children,.who easily could be assaulted! This may be common in the "hi-so" group...I have no idea unless the "soaps" truly reflect "hi-so"s, but I have not seen such behaviour in the "NON hi-so"s of Thailand! Also....the abuse of persons of lesser status is certainly not restricted to Thailand either....so to suggest that this is an issue which "you farrang don't undertand Thai people and Thai culture" is simply not fair to the general population of Thailand nor does it acknowledge that the abuse of "domestics" is still a problem in "farrangland" to this day! See - https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/03/31/uk-migrant-domestic-workers-face-serious-abuse and https://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights/domestic-workers Where ever and whoever sees material such as depicted in Tesco's advertisement is to be congratulated for registering their disapproval...eventually even the "farrangs" who commit such acts will "get it"!!

[HerbalEd]

She didn't even slap her. Her hand was actually about 6 inches from her face. Farangs with nothing better to do. I think they may be getting upset with all the news about Thais being outraged about this and that and don't want to be outdone.

Get a life people, It's a commercial.

I've seen much worse in commercials and programs in various other countries.

Of course she didn't actually slap her face .... it's called acting (albeit poor acting).

Just so you know: In a movie gun battle they're not using real bullets and people aren't actually being killed.

[stickylies]

Correct title reads:

2 Farangs outraged by Tesco Lotus commercial.

[sanukjim]

Many,Many house holds that employ servants treat them as dogs on two feet.When the woman of the house has any problems with others or things that she can't control then the maids become their whipping girls with them thinking of any excuse to beat or abuse them in many ways.Most wealthy house matrons are as much as an axxholx as their spouses are.

Edited March 31, 2016 by sanukjim

[Nobb]

If my Thai wife does not serve me properly can i do the same to her without no police involved. I think this video would motivate her fat ass a little more!

[Nobb]

Many,Many house holds that employ servants treat them as dogs on two feet.When the woman of the house has any with others or things that she can't control then the maids become their whipping girls with them thinking of any excuse to beat or abuse them in many ways.Most wealthy house matrons are as much as an axxholx as their spouses are.

We used to call these actions slavery in America. No wander Thai has more problem then trafficking people to be sold as slaves. Thailand will never change with this rich bitch attitude!

[Bluespunk]

Slapstick is alive and well in Thailand. Like it or not, this is the staple diet that Thai TV viewers consume. Get over it PC peeps. You're not in Kansas anymore.

Condemning violence is PC?

Well I'll be, live and learn, live and learn...

[Skeptic7]

She didn't even slap her. Her hand was actually about 6 inches from her face. Farangs with nothing better to do. I think they may be getting upset with all the news about Thais being outraged about this and that and don't want to be outdone.

Get a life people, It's a commercial.

I've seen much worse in commercials and programs in various other countries.

The point is not about whether the maid was actually slapped or not...of course she wasn't. The point is that an international corporation is condoning that it is OK and even funny to beat your employees. NOT COOL and totally unacceptable. Get real dude...or perhaps you think it's OK and even funny to knock your gf/wife around when they displease you? ? ? Edited March 31, 2016 by Skeptic7

[Jdiddy]

Now i understand why Thais dont like farangs

[ChrisKC]

Now i understand why Thais dont like farangs

Please speak for yourself. I am not disliked by Thai men or women

[Shadychris]

 

She didn't even slap her. Her hand was actually about 6 inches from her face. Farangs with nothing better to do. I think they may be getting upset with all the news about Thais being outraged about this and that and don't want to be outdone.
Get a life people, It's a commercial.
I've seen much worse in commercials and programs in various other countries.

OK, I'm going to TRY to let you in on how the world works and hand you a clue. Those of us with a bit of maturity know that this is ACTING and it is a DEPICTION of someone getting slapped. OK? we get that. Just as we know that the crying broken hearted girl is neither crying nor broken hearted. And people shot in movies don't really die. What you can't seem to wrap your mind around is the offensive nature of the depiction of a boss seriously abusing a female servant/employee as if it were acceptable behavior. Your comment is calloused and indifferent. You are apparently too numb and insensitive to such issues to understand the public reaction. That's on you, it's not us. The degradation and abuse of women is a serious cross cultural issue, in Thailand and elsewhere, and anyone who appears to portray it in a deliberately demeaning manner especially in a commercial promoting a product, with about the same insensitivity as you apparently have, deserves to be pilloried, as do you for making light of it. And as to what's worse in other countries I can tell you this kind of thing not tolerated in the US. And let me add there is a big difference between genuine and legitimate dramatic portrayal of violence in a story line and frivolous unnecessary degradation. So here's another clue. What's in the movies is not the same as something like this. And video games aren't real. This commercial was frivolous and made light of something which was quite serious and hurtful. In the US you don't cast a black person in a subservient role such as picking cotton or shining shoes in a commercial to sell clothes or cars or anything. Why? Because slavery and racism and servitude of black people under white supremacy is a horrible legacy in OUR country. But if a movie tells a story in which slavery and racism is part of a legitimate plot line in which its basic truth is not otherwise degrading to black people it's a WHOLE different matter. If it's a comedic portrayal in can be done in a way that is not offensive. If you have trouble getting this ask a woman to explain it to you, preferably a black or african woman. Meanwhile, we are farangs with a heart and a moral conscience, and of the things we have that are "better" to do, this is one of them. To speak out on behalf of the way women are portrayed, and in fact regarded in real life.

 

The US, the US, the US.........

This is not the US - this is South East Asia. In fact fair to say that cultures generally begin to differ vastly as one moves Eastwards from a line of longitude drawn half way across the Atlantic Ocean
Maybe this might help....

Edited March 31, 2016 by Shadychris

[MickRobbo]

On a more serious note:

As an avid Treky, I feel I ought to point out the Prime Directive:

The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. This conceptual law applies particularly to civilizations which are below a certain threshold of technological, scientific and cultural development; preventing star ship crews from using their superior technology to impose their own values or ideals on them.

Basically speaking, any given civilization should be allowed to develop at its own rate, without interference from outside parties, parties with the belief that their way is the better way!

Thailand was doing just fine before they became westernised. Just ask some of the long term expats.

Interesting thought process; just one issue 1997-1998 with a US bailout package. Plus the existential delusion of a certain type of Thai national. And how is it this 'long term expat' knowledge differs to todays western expatriate experience other than the year - very interesting argument. Could it be Thai's ability to adapt to a current situation? Blame game to no positive end. Immigration laws tell the real (changing) underlying story with issues vented of acceptance, all related to monetary gain.

Edited March 31, 2016 by MickRobbo

[teatree]

Slapstick is alive and well in Thailand. Like it or not, this is the staple diet that Thai TV viewers consume. Get over it PC peeps. You're not in Kansas anymore.

Condemning violence is PC?

Well I'll be, live and learn, live and learn...

No, wetting the bed because of an obvious bit of stupid slapstick is.

[MickRobbo]

 

She didn't even slap her. Her hand was actually about 6 inches from her face. Farangs with nothing better to do. I think they may be getting upset with all the news about Thais being outraged about this and that and don't want to be outdone.

Get a life people, It's a commercial.

I've seen much worse in commercials and programs in various other countries.

OK, I'm going to TRY to let you in on how the world works and hand you a clue. Those of us with a bit of maturity know that this is ACTING and it is a DEPICTION of someone getting slapped. OK? we get that. Just as we know that the crying broken hearted girl is neither crying nor broken hearted. And people shot in movies don't really die. What you can't seem to wrap your mind around is the offensive nature of the depiction of a boss seriously abusing a female servant/employee as if it were acceptable behavior. Your comment is calloused and indifferent. You are apparently too numb and insensitive to such issues to understand the public reaction. That's on you, it's not us. The degradation and abuse of women is a serious cross cultural issue, in Thailand and elsewhere, and anyone who appears to portray it in a deliberately demeaning manner especially in a commercial promoting a product, with about the same insensitivity as you apparently have, deserves to be pilloried, as do you for making light of it. And as to what's worse in other countries I can tell you this kind of thing not tolerated in the US. And let me add there is a big difference between genuine and legitimate dramatic portrayal of violence in a story line and frivolous unnecessary degradation. So here's another clue. What's in the movies is not the same as something like this. And video games aren't real. This commercial was frivolous and made light of something which was quite serious and hurtful. In the US you don't cast a black person in a subservient role such as picking cotton or shining shoes in a commercial to sell clothes or cars or anything. Why? Because slavery and racism and servitude of black people under white supremacy is a horrible legacy in OUR country. But if a movie tells a story in which slavery and racism is part of a legitimate plot line in which its basic truth is not otherwise degrading to black people it's a WHOLE different matter. If it's a comedic portrayal in can be done in a way that is not offensive. If you have trouble getting this ask a woman to explain it to you, preferably a black or african woman. Meanwhile, we are farangs with a heart and a moral conscience, and of the things we have that are "better" to do, this is one of them. To speak out on behalf of the way women are portrayed, and in fact regarded in real life.

 

The US, the US, the US.........

This is not the US - this is South East Asia. In fact fair to say that cultures generally begin to differ vastly as one moves Eastwards from a line of longitude drawn half way across the Atlantic Ocean

Maybe this might help....

Fair call and I agree, but all nations have their hands out in times of currency collapse 97-98 for Asia last time. This incessant invasion type psyche they muster while enforcing their opinions and beliefs on others is unsatisfactory. Vietnam is a fine example, now Afghanistan + others: war is not a justifiable cause to a capability of worldly currency equilibrium.

Edited March 31, 2016 by MickRobbo

[ChrisKC]

On a more serious note:

As an avid Treky, I feel I ought to point out the Prime Directive:

The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. This conceptual law applies particularly to civilizations which are below a certain threshold of technological, scientific and cultural development; preventing star ship crews from using their superior technology to impose their own values or ideals on them.

Basically speaking, any given civilization should be allowed to develop at its own rate, without interference from outside parties, parties with the belief that their way is the better way!

Thailand was doing just fine before they became westernised. Just ask some of the long term expats.

Interesting thought process; just one issue 1997-1998 with a US bailout package. Plus the existential delusion of a certain type of Thai national. And how is it this 'long term expat' knowledge differs to todays western expatriate experience other than the year - very interesting argument. Could it be Thai's ability to adapt to a current situation? Blame game to no positive end. Immigration laws tell the real (changing) underlying story with issues vented of acceptance, all related to monetary gain.

Thailand has NOT become "Westernised" It is still Thailand and maintains just about all of its Thainess! There is SOME influence but really not that much in the overall scheme of things.

Thailand is virtually unique in the world as it has never been a Coloniser and never itself been colonised. This has the effect that its "Thainess" has prevailed (some may say, stubbornly), in spite of "Westerners" attempting to modernise some of its thinking.

Edited March 31, 2016 by ChrisKC

[Bluespunk]

Slapstick is alive and well in Thailand. Like it or not, this is the staple diet that Thai TV viewers consume. Get over it PC peeps. You're not in Kansas anymore.

Condemning violence is PC?

Well I'll be, live and learn, live and learn...

No, wetting the bed because of an obvious bit of stupid slapstick is.

No, don't think so.

Anything making light of violence being acceptable and the maid having to grateful for only a minor beating is wrong.

Anything that then further implies it's not a problem because theirs a sale on and the boss is generous enough to forgive the maid is wrong.

Violence towards those considered of a lower status and domestic servants is very real here.

Remember what happened to the Burmese maid who failed to meet her employer's expectations?

An extreme example I know, but work place/domestic violence is a real danger for many people here and anyone thinking it suitable to be made light of is wrong.

[flyDelight]

'When the Thai Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Pichet Duronkaveroj, came to speak at Harvard, he said, Thailand doesnt have a gender problem. He was speaking to a room of forty students, of which two were female.'

http://hir.harvard.edu/privileged-lie-gender-equality-thailand/

[blistering blue barnacles]

On a more serious note:

As an avid Treky, I feel I ought to point out the Prime Directive:

The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. This conceptual law applies particularly to civilizations which are below a certain threshold of technological, scientific and cultural development; preventing star ship crews from using their superior technology to impose their own values or ideals on them.

Basically speaking, any given civilization should be allowed to develop at its own rate, without interference from outside parties, parties with the belief that their way is the better way!

Thailand was doing just fine before they became westernised. Just ask some of the long term expats.

Interesting thought process; just one issue 1997-1998 with a US bailout package. Plus the existential delusion of a certain type of Thai national. And how is it this 'long term expat' knowledge differs to todays western expatriate experience other than the year - very interesting argument. Could it be Thai's ability to adapt to a current situation? Blame game to no positive end. Immigration laws tell the real (changing) underlying story with issues vented of acceptance, all related to monetary gain.

Thailand has NOT become "Westernised" It is still Thailand and maintains just about all of its Thainess! There is SOME influence but really not that much in the overall scheme of things.

Thailand is virtually unique in the world as it has never been a Coloniser and never itself been colonised. This has the effect that its "Thainess" has prevailed (some may say, stubbornly), in spite of "Westerners" attempting to modernise some of its thinking.

7/11, TV, drug culture, shopping malls, white skin, nose implants, red hair, colored contacts, 50/50 offspring, etc, etc, etc, etc....

I think you need to take your medication and get back in your box!

[Hardy99]

Thainess....

[blistering blue barnacles]

On a more serious note:

As an avid Treky, I feel I ought to point out the Prime Directive:

The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. This conceptual law applies particularly to civilizations which are below a certain threshold of technological, scientific and cultural development; preventing star ship crews from using their superior technology to impose their own values or ideals on them.

Basically speaking, any given civilization should be allowed to develop at its own rate, without interference from outside parties, parties with the belief that their way is the better way!

Thailand was doing just fine before they became westernised. Just ask some of the long term expats.

Interesting thought process; just one issue 1997-1998 with a US bailout package. Plus the existential delusion of a certain type of Thai national. And how is it this 'long term expat' knowledge differs to todays western expatriate experience other than the year - very interesting argument. Could it be Thai's ability to adapt to a current situation? Blame game to no positive end. Immigration laws tell the real (changing) underlying story with issues vented of acceptance, all related to monetary gain.

My point was the philosophy behind the idea of a Prime Directive. I’m sure the natives of the Americas, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, to name but a few, are simply overflowing with gratitude having received the benefit of western ideology.

I really find it quite amazing how so many people on this forum can discuss Thai culture like they actually understand it. We are only guests in this country, without voting privileges or citizenship, and the bottom line is that it’s actually none of our business.

You all continue, day after day, to criticise this country, its culture and its citizens, but you choose to live here anyway. I really think you ought to make your minds up as to the reason you stay…

And to answer your question: Guys that have been here 20 years+ will tell you how different the attitude of Thais was towards farang then. Point in fact: They didn’t rob us, beat us, drug us, rape us or kill us, so I think that speaks 10 fold of the impression we’ve left on them over the years!

[ChrisKC]

On a more serious note:

As an avid Treky, I feel I ought to point out the Prime Directive:

The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations. This conceptual law applies particularly to civilizations which are below a certain threshold of technological, scientific and cultural development; preventing star ship crews from using their superior technology to impose their own values or ideals on them.

Basically speaking, any given civilization should be allowed to develop at its own rate, without interference from outside parties, parties with the belief that their way is the better way!

Thailand was doing just fine before they became westernised. Just ask some of the long term expats.

Interesting thought process; just one issue 1997-1998 with a US bailout package. Plus the existential delusion of a certain type of Thai national. And how is it this 'long term expat' knowledge differs to todays western expatriate experience other than the year - very interesting argument. Could it be Thai's ability to adapt to a current situation? Blame game to no positive end. Immigration laws tell the real (changing) underlying story with issues vented of acceptance, all related to monetary gain.

Thailand has NOT become "Westernised" It is still Thailand and maintains just about all of its Thainess! There is SOME influence but really not that much in the overall scheme of things.

Thailand is virtually unique in the world as it has never been a Coloniser and never itself been colonised. This has the effect that its "Thainess" has prevailed (some may say, stubbornly), in spite of "Westerners" attempting to modernise some of its thinking.

7/11, TV, drug culture, shopping malls, white skin, nose implants, red hair, colored contacts, 50/50 offspring, etc, etc, etc, etc....

I think you need to take your medication and get back in your box!

I don't discuss matters of interest with those who are rude to me. I suggest you go for some "attitude adjustment". Prayut will show you where to go!

The items you have mentioned are influences and additions but have not changed basic Thai culture. I stand by what I said!

Edited March 31, 2016 by ChrisKC