Photos of foot waving foreigner criticized in Phuket

[rooster59]

Photos of foot waving foreigner criticized in Phuket

Winai Sarot

 

 

PHUKET: A foreigner who stuck his foot out the window of a passenger van has received a lot of criticism on social media after pictures of the incident were posted online. 

The pictures were taken two weeks ago by a Facebook user, who wishes to remain anonymous, driving behind the van on Thepkrasattri Road near the Bang Koo junction in Koh Kaew. He says he passed the van later and saw that it was a foreign passenger.

While some made light of the incident by saying it was a funny new way of greeting invented by foreigners, others said they understood that people came to Thailand to relax and enjoy themselves, but that this kind of behavior was inappropriate and dangerous.

 

Full story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Photos-foot-waving-foreigner-criticized-Phuket/66277?desktopversion#ad-image-0

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket Gazette 2017-02-18

[AGareth2]

deport him

for showing disrespect to Thailand!

[cornishcarlos]

As long as he had his seat belt on, I don't see the problem !!!!

 

How can people get offended by a foot but be happy to gawk and take photos dead people in road crashed ????

[Oceanbat]

No doubt more effort will be put into finding him than on the disgusting yearly road toll carnage.

OB


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[impulse]

22 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

As long as he had his seat belt on, I don't see the problem !!!!

 

How can people get offended by a foot but be happy to gawk and take photos dead people in road crashed ????

 

According to the Thais I work with, showing someone the sole of your foot is about the equivalent of giving them the finger.  

 

Imagine someone driving through your home neighborhood with their hand out the window, middle finger at attention.  It would be considered disrespectful by the locals. even if that person came from a planet that had no clue what shooting someone the middle finger means.

[doodle]

He probably just had hot feet and absolutely no idea of the offence it would cause. The moral is: research thoroughly any country you visit!

[Borzandy]

53 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

foreigner who stuck his foot out the window

How Thai could recognize farangs foot.

[cornishcarlos]

34 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

According to the Thais I work with, showing someone the sole of your foot is about the equivalent of giving them the finger.  

 

Imagine someone driving through your home neighborhood with their hand out the window, middle finger at attention.  It would be considered disrespectful by the locals. even if that person came from a planet that had no clue what shooting someone the middle finger means.

 

Like I said, its amazing the trivial things that upset some people :)

[Jonmarleesco]

1 hour ago, AGareth2 said:

deport him

for showing disrespect to Thailand!

Are you nuts? The Thais think nothing of taking off their shoes (and socks) in the most inappropriate situations, and putting their feet on chairs in public places. Or have you failed to notice? Any Thai criticising the westerner needs to look closer to home.

[NamKangMan]

43 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

According to the Thais I work with, showing someone the sole of your foot is about the equivalent of giving them the finger.  

 

Imagine someone driving through your home neighborhood with their hand out the window, middle finger at attention.  It would be considered disrespectful by the locals. even if that person came from a planet that had no clue what shooting someone the middle finger means.

 

 

"Thai Culture" left Phuket a long long time ago.  They sold it away for a tourism industry. 

 

So, I am sure they will gladly accept the money the owner of the offending foot spends while they are on holiday here. 

[Jonmarleesco]

47 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

According to the Thais I work with, showing someone the sole of your foot is about the equivalent of giving them the finger.  

 

Imagine someone driving through your home neighborhood with their hand out the window, middle finger at attention.  It would be considered disrespectful by the locals. even if that person came from a planet that had no clue what shooting someone the middle finger means.

Presumably, then, every Muay Thai boxer is doing just that every time he lifts his foot.

[impulse]

14 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Presumably, then, every Muay Thai boxer is doing just that every time he lifts his foot.

 

Time and place.  Baseball players scratch their nuts and spit all the time while they're playing.  I doubt they do it in church on Sundays.

 

Edit:  But I know from first hand experience that they do, in fact, pass gas in church.  I lived near a couple of Houston Astros back in the '80s.

Edited February 18, 2017 by impulse

[Gandtee]

People have been murdered for pointing a foot at someone here in Thailand. For Thais a very insulting action. Not the murdering.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

others said they understood that people came to Thailand to relax and enjoy themselves, but that this kind of behavior was inappropriate and dangerous.

Dangerous?

 

Unless they are driving and/or not wearing a seat belt, how is it dangerous?

[Bullie]

Thai people should man up. You want the tourist trade, so grow up a little. You cannot have the cake AND eat it - a notion many Thai people seem unaware of. This apart from the fact that the SAME foot or finger can mean many different things around the globe.

It would be a good thing for the Thai to get out of their shell, and travel a little. Seeing how other people live might actually help them to grow up as a people.

[AGareth2]

4 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Dangerous?

 

Unless they are driving and/or not wearing a seat belt, how is it dangerous?

see the post above yours

?

[Gandtee]

5 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Dangerous?

 

Unless they are driving and/or not wearing a seat belt, how is it dangerous?

Dangerous because you are inviting an attack!

[connda]

52 minutes ago, thai3 said:

About time they grew up then, too many Thais are emotionally retarded, and too easily 'offended'.

Thais who are offended obviously believe that their government has stations at all inbound immigration locations where tourists are sat down for a 15 minute video to inform them of all those things that offend Thais.

Now, no doubt, some expats, and possibly Thais will say, "But all tourists (and foreigner) should educate themselves regarding the culture before they arrive.  Well, the same could be said of all foreign traveler who tour other countries.  Many tour for just that reason - to expose themselves to other cultures. 
So how many visitors are aware that Thais have this fixation of feet being offensive?  Probably a handful of tourists.  Most won't know until someone tells them.  With a country the derives 20% of their GDP from tourism, perhaps as a host country they should be a lot more tolerant with the fact that most foreigner who arrive here for a short visit are probably ignorant of local customs and are here to relax and have a good time, and ironically enough, to learn about the local customs.

Edited February 18, 2017 by connda

[Bluespunk]

7 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

see the post above yours

?

Yes?

 

And?

[AGareth2]

2 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Yes?

 

And?

being assaulted is dangerous

I think

Don't you?

[Bluespunk]

7 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Dangerous because you are inviting an attack!

Not sure inviting is the word.

 

I often see people in Starbucks remove their shoes and 'air out' their feet.

 

Never seen one attacked yet.

 

And yes I am aware of the cultural issues surrounding waving feet at someone.

 

This person's feet don't appear to be aimed at anyone.

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, AGareth2 said:

being assaulted is dangerous

I think

Don't you?

See post above this and below yours...

Edited February 18, 2017 by Bluespunk

[hansnl]

29 minutes ago, Bullie said:

Thai people should man up. You want the tourist trade, so grow up a little. You cannot have the cake AND eat it - a notion many Thai people seem unaware of. This apart from the fact that the SAME foot or finger can mean many different things around the globe.

It would be a good thing for the Thai to get out of their shell, and travel a little. Seeing how other people live might actually help them to grow up as a people.

Travel?

Why?

[watcharacters]

1 hour ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Like I said, its amazing the trivial things that upset some people :)

 

 

You've  got it all wrong.

 

This is some really really serious s**t.

Edited February 18, 2017 by watcharacters
typo

[Thechook]

2 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

As long as he had his seat belt on, I don't see the problem !!!!

 

How can people get offended by a foot but be happy to gawk and take photos dead people in road crashed ????

But feet are the most disgusting part of the body according to thais 

[Chip Allen]

Thailand: offended by FEET.  Not offended by corruption and fraud. Simply amazing. The stultifying ignorance of a culture that places such importance on FEET, deserves the contempt of every thinking human. The obscenity of poverty is expected by these people, but FEET are just too much to handles.

[Prbkk]

But as with most culture-specific insults, it's only REAL when there is intent....pretty clearly absent in this story.

[AGareth2]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

See post above this and below yours...

Yes?

 

And?

[AGareth2]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

You've  got it all wrong.

 

This is some really really serious s**t.

lol

It seems to be for some posters as well

[helloagain]

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

As long as he had his seat belt on, I don't see the problem !!!!

 

How can people get offended by a foot but be happy to gawk and take photos dead people in road crashed ????

Thais need little or no reason to slag off foriengers and they forget  here on phukwt where there money comes from. I do not see a problem with what he does. But if my van i might ask him to stop or go get another taxi.