BURNING ISSUE

'Lao are lazy': The problem with 'Thai superiority'

Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation 

 

BANGKOK: -- It happens on a daily basis all across Thailand. The casual insults come from a sense of superiority ingrained since school days: “Thais are better than their neighbours, the Lao.”

 

The insults usually don't reach Lao ears and so are rarely challenged. 

Last week, however, a Thai photographer was forced to apologise for a defamatory remark he made while covering the Vientiane Moto Expo.

 

"Damn, they're so Lao", he posted on Facebook, referring to pictures taken at the event by his Lao colleagues.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Lao-are-lazy-The-problem-with-Thai-superiority-30296890.html

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-10-05

I hope the Thais keep laughing at the Lao . . . and the Cambodians and the Vietnamese and the Burmese.  It will be a grand dose of poetic justice to one day see Thais be the ones with their hands out asking for help.  

 

 

"...Thai people old and young are indoctrinated with a national history that values patriotism above plain fact..."

 

Finally - Some factual reporting from Thai media !!!

 

Maybe, the Lao people have just coined the definitive mantra for "long-suffering" TV members - "Don't be Thai to me."

 

 

How long before the censors get to the piece? Downplaying Siam history is frowned upon, no?

This is like two second division teams battling to avoid relegation. 

I've never known a Thai who didn't think they were the "Master Race" of southeast Asia. Very common attitude,encouraged by the government and the elite.

i guess it is similar to the Thai use of 'farang'. i am not offeneded by the term as i don't think it is meant in a racist way (as in the case of refering to LAo), but it shows a distinction in their thinking about Thai and the rest of the world. Even when Thais know my name they still refer to me as 'farang', i think i will start to call all Thais as 'Kon Thai' or 'Mai Farang' rather than use their names!

Edited October 4, 20169 yr by taichiplanet

1 minute ago, Jools said:

I've never known a Thai who didn't think they were the "Master Race" of southeast Asia. Very common attitude,encouraged by the government and the elite.

 

I offer my condolences, I've met some truly outrageous Thais but still not one with that mentality. The worst amongst them thinks they're coming close to Singapore in terms of wealth and governance but am superior to all in terms of culture and refinement. 

Aah, yes, culture and refinement. The two words that spring to mind first when thinking of Thais.

When I first met my missus, she was very typically Thai. She would toe the line. Nowadays, she's the opposite. She toes the line when she has to, but outside of that, she complains about stuff more here than most.

 

A lot of Thais I know are like this. When they get to know you as a foreigner and trust you, they can really open up. Sometimes I find myself wanting to say "mai pen rai" cos I've been here so long. 

The technology-based company I work for has subsidiaries in Thailand and Laos - we're tripling the size of our Lao office and reducing staff in our Thailand office.  Our Lao employees are more productive.

A lopburi monkey is more productive, we closed our offices almost 2 years ago as between useless staff and government agency incompetence it was painfully ineffective resources .

23 minutes ago, taichiplanet said:

i guess it is similar to the Thai use of 'farang'. i am not offeneded by the term as i don't think it is meant in a racist way (as in the case of refering to LAo), but it shows a distinction in their thinking about Thai and the rest of the world. Even when Thais know my name they still refer to me as 'farang', i think i will start to call all Thais as 'Kon Thai' or 'Mai Farang' rather than use their names!

Farang is not a polite way address us, it's become tamer over time but if you used equivalent phrase as regularly on Thais you would have a lot of fights .

Lao hate Thais too, well just about every country in Asia does.

Burmese guy who works for us summed it up with 'they don't want want work they want free money' pretty much the truth really as they don't earn what they get paid .

It's sad that they are indoctrinated from birth that they are superior........and they truly believe it.

I guess 300 baht per day plus 87% household debt endorses/justifies their superiority!

And nothing would get constructed here if it weren't for our lazy local neighbours!

the arrogance of the ignorant

1 hour ago, taichiplanet said:

i guess it is similar to the Thai use of 'farang'. i am not offeneded by the term as i don't think it is meant in a racist way (as in the case of refering to LAo), but it shows a distinction in their thinking about Thai and the rest of the world. Even when Thais know my name they still refer to me as 'farang', i think i will start to call all Thais as 'Kon Thai' or 'Mai Farang' rather than use their names!

 

It's not the word Farang, it's the way they say it, like unpleasant food being spat from their mouth.

The irony of Thai bashing TV posters berating Thais for being racists towards Lao people - always a laugh on here

Having just been to Cambodia and seen the attitude difference in the hotel staff between Thailand and Cambodia, plus the level of English used by street sellers, restaurant staff etc. was very eye opening. We did Laos lat year and felt the same way. Plus the much more attractive visa options being offered in neighbouring countries. Thailand has got a huge shock coming in 15 or 20 years. They will be so left behind if their attitude does not change and change soon. Think we all know that the average man in the street would like to see the change but the retarded idiots who run this place just have not got a clue. I do feel very sorry for the normal Thai, their kids get a crap education, they are not allowed to question what the higher ups dictate, must follow the leaders orders or go in for attitude adjustment. 

Many posters have got the wrong end of the stick here.

 

Thais are not lazy - how can they be? There is a less than 1% unemployment rate.

 

Everybody is working !!

 

Pride and ignorance are akin

I always got the impression Thais liked Lao people.  Especially Lao food which really is Issan style cooking.  I have had a GF from Laos for the last 10 months or so.  When I mention that to Thai friends wives they have a nice reaction, "Oh really Lao lady" but in a nice way.

 

I have gotten interested and studied more about the people and history of Laos over the past few months.  I found it heartbreaking.  I thought, who has been <deleted> over more by the world and their own government, even to this day, than the people of Laos.  

 

Seems like they can't win... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/world/asia/13iht-laos.1.7097039.html

I see it more of the Living in a Glass House. What drives Thai's bonkers ... the idea that somewhere, someone is disrespecting Thailand.

 

Yet they do it all the time to other nationalities and nations

The average Burmese workers that I hire are more efficient and smarter than the average Thai worker in my company doing the same jobs. I think Burmese basic education is even better than that of Thais. It will take at least another 15-20 years for neighboring countries to catch up with Thailand, but that also depends on the government - right now its the government holding back the development of many neighboring countries.

1 hour ago, Disting said:

Having just been to Cambodia and seen the attitude difference in the hotel staff between Thailand and Cambodia, plus the level of English used by street sellers, restaurant staff etc. was very eye opening. We did Laos lat year and felt the same way. Plus the much more attractive visa options being offered in neighbouring countries. Thailand has got a huge shock coming in 15 or 20 years. They will be so left behind if their attitude does not change and change soon. Think we all know that the average man in the street would like to see the change but the retarded idiots who run this place just have not got a clue. I do feel very sorry for the normal Thai, their kids get a crap education, they are not allowed to question what the higher ups dictate, must follow the leaders orders or go in for attitude adjustment. 

 

Spot on. I lived for years in Thailand, now 10 years in Cambodia. Just back from a few days in BKK, hotel I've stayed in for 12 years, the staff were very ordinary and room service obnoxious and blunt. I'm always accorded the level of respect here that a man of my age would expect.

 

That said, as always, one man's meat.......

1 hour ago, AGareth2 said:

the arrogance of the ignorant

 

Dunning and Kruger summed it up pretty well! 

4 hours ago, digibum said:

I hope the Thais keep laughing at the Lao . . . and the Cambodians and the Vietnamese and the Burmese.  It will be a grand dose of poetic justice to one day see Thais be the ones with their hands out asking for help.  

 

 

They need every help they can get

In about 10 - 15 years Vietnam at least will be laughing and making fun of Thais....If they don't already do so....

My Thai best friends are ethnic Laos (Laoklang) as they came to Thailand about 1-200 years ago and still speaks Laos. They are all working hard and trying to make the future for themselves and their children better. There are still some lazy people in their BIG family, they are ethnic Thais that are married in to the family!