To Those Who Know Luk Kreung...

[t.s]

i know of one kid in england who goes to school with a family member of mine,who is given a VERY hard time by the other kids because his mother is thai. the school is quite multicultural but he is singled out because he is seen as a child of a whore.(im sure some of the other kids are bullied for other reasons) the reputation of thai women is even known by these young kids it seems. i feel really sorry for this kid ,imagine what he goes through!! kids can be very cruel.

Kids can be cruel, but thats kids for you.

I remember in 3rd grade we all used to think this really really ugly girl had aids and every time she came in to give our teacher a message from another teacher everyone lifted there feet off the floor because we didnt want to catch aids.

There is many stories i remember as a kid but I wont go into them.

this is the school you got a ride to on the short bus, right?

[Donz]

i know of one kid in england who goes to school with a family member of mine,who is given a VERY hard time by the other kids because his mother is thai. the school is quite multicultural but he is singled out because he is seen as a child of a whore.(im sure some of the other kids are bullied for other reasons) the reputation of thai women is even known by these young kids it seems. i feel really sorry for this kid ,imagine what he goes through!! kids can be very cruel.

Kids can be cruel, but thats kids for you.

I remember in 3rd grade we all used to think this really really ugly girl had aids and every time she came in to give our teacher a message from another teacher everyone lifted there feet off the floor because we didnt want to catch aids.

There is many stories i remember as a kid but I wont go into them.

this is the school you got a ride to on the short bus, right?

Yeah, thats the place you and I went to school. It took your 15 years to pass year 6

[robint]

I have a luk kreung girl 3 1/2, going to school and getting on well.

I've been here a long time so i am reasonably aware of the treacherous nature of everyday social intercourse. My wife and I have only ever spoken thai together and so my antenna are finely tuned to the false face of thai society. Some contributer further back said that Thais were very polite and so always said good things. Well IMHO, you are sadly misled. In real life they are extremely and shockingly rude to each other (unless one party is important and of higher status - then they switch into sicophantic lickspittle fawning that is so despererately insincere) If flangs really understood how they behaved it would be totally unacceptable in polite western society. (btw i have a theory that suggests that the reason thais are so terrible at spoken english is that they want to continue to hide behind their secret language, if they spoke english properly then westerners would find out the truth)

So IMHO dont ber beguiled into thinking that they really love your luk kreung child, watch out for the spiteful, jealousy and secret poisoning. Ive experienced this already and saw through it before my wife did, much to her shock.

As for the future, I dont see the present genreation growing up at all well (I live in BKK). Extremely self consumed, materialist concerned only with their own selfish happiness and totally vapid with no real knowledge of the outside world

Its a worrying time if you are a parent (ok if you are able to whisk your child overseas for a proper education). Its my main problem and occupies most of my time these days.

[t.s]

I have a luk kreung girl 3 1/2, going to school and getting on well.

I've been here a long time so i am reasonably aware of the treacherous nature of everyday social intercourse. My wife and I have only ever spoken thai together and so my antenna are finely tuned to the false face of thai society. Some contributer further back said that Thais were very polite and so always said good things. Well IMHO, you are sadly misled. In real life they are extremely and shockingly rude to each other (unless one party is important and of higher status - then they switch into sicophantic lickspittle fawning that is so despererately insincere) If flangs really understood how they behaved it would be totally unacceptable in polite western society. (btw i have a theory that suggests that the reason thais are so terrible at spoken english is that they want to continue to hide behind their secret language, if they spoke english properly then westerners would find out the truth)

So IMHO dont ber beguiled into thinking that they really love your luk kreung child, watch out for the spiteful, jealousy and secret poisoning. Ive experienced this already and saw through it before my wife did, much to her shock.

As for the future, I dont see the present genreation growing up at all well (I live in BKK). Extremely self consumed, materialist concerned only with their own selfish happiness and totally vapid with no real knowledge of the outside world

Its a worrying time if you are a parent (ok if you are able to whisk your child overseas for a proper education). Its my main problem and occupies most of my time these days.

secret poisoning?

do elaborate please

Edited January 8, 2007 by t.s

[svenivan]

As for the future, I dont see the present genreation growing up at all well (I live in BKK). Extremely self consumed, materialist concerned only with their own selfish happiness and totally vapid with no real knowledge of the outside world

That has been going on for a couple of generations in the west IMHO. That was one of the reasons I wanted to move to LOS.

Maybe reality is catching up on me?

I don't think it is that bad up here in North but it is coming! I can see it sometimes!

I am happy I don't have small kids here or in the west. (But I have grandchildren in west).

:D

[steveromagnino]

My wife and I have only ever spoken thai together and so my antenna are finely tuned to the false face of thai society. Some contributer further back said that Thais were very polite and so always said good things. Well IMHO, you are sadly misled. In real life they are extremely and shockingly rude to each other (unless one party is important and of higher status - then they switch into sicophantic lickspittle fawning that is so despererately insincere) If flangs really understood how they behaved it would be totally unacceptable in polite western society. (btw i have a theory that suggests that the reason thais are so terrible at spoken english is that they want to continue to hide behind their secret language, if they spoke english properly then westerners would find out the truth)

Its a worrying time if you are a parent (ok if you are able to whisk your child overseas for a proper education). Its my main problem and occupies most of my time these days.

Ahhhhhh I can assure you there are plenty of Thais that do not engage in being extremely and shockingly rude to eachother; certainly not the ones I work or socialise with, but perhaps you are surrounded by a different group? I certainly agree about the suck up element; however false compliments and greasing are universal; the fake American toothy beauty king/queen smile foisted upon you every time one meets a sales person there just before they say something is exactly the same; the difference is perhaps that this tends to occur in work; here it occurs in more social interactions.

Stating things matter of factly (you are fat, you are dark skin etc etc) tend to be common ways of speaking Thai and yet some other things to talk about are strangely taboo; chalk that up to norms and customs. I am mystified by your theory of why Thais speak english badly; I would say Thais aren't actually that bad, but anyway certianly not helped by having increadibly bad teachers and laziness from the students plus a few structural issues in the way education works in Thailand and home environment perhaps.

Gossiping is commonplace here, that's for sure; but as a non white I have had far worse in other countries than here. As one of the few look krueng posting, I'd say that we are regarded as a novelty for most, as something special initially, which is a great door opener. The poorer the area, the more the looks are important. In Bangkok, the mystique of look kreung is now significantly faded in part due to the beahviour of a number of look kreung over recent years, to the point that the novelty factor is still there, but it is usually assumed (and fairly accurately) that the look krueng will tend to be with poor education, nice looking but stupid; often lacking in manners and graces as a result of coming from both a working class family on the Thai side, and also on the western side.

There are exceptions, and being able to show the classic 'beauty and brains' combination opens far more doors as a result; the novelty has some 'teeth' to hold interest. Higher society tends to care a lot less, and I have known very few people to discriminate against me simply because I was a look kreung; they have looked down on me from my past involvement in the entertainment industry (considered to be brainless and stupid in the business world) and for various things that any Thai or foreigner would be looked down on as a result (bad dress, bad choice of partners/friends, certain behaviour in public, useless Thai speaking ability, that sort of thing).

In BKK, certainly just being look krueng or having a look kreung child won't get the wows that it used to and now a number of people atually dislike it that look kreung have butchered the language on TV soap operas, behaved very inappropriately as role models and I guess a few mothers might be a bit jealous as well; particularly as so often the mothers of the look krueng kids are from very low social standing but with a rich foreign husband and a movie star kid end up some how sort of shuffling their way up; a bit like how perhaps the George Costanza character felt in pretty woman when RIchard Gere started ignoring him, and paying attention to the (in his mind) lower class friend for hire. It isn't right, but that is how some people might feel. Certainly there has been some significant gossip on set with some of the kids with parents in tow; so often the kids are really really badly behaved; the parents spoil them believing that the child is somehow better because he/she is a look krueng; and it simply really annoys everyone else on set. I actually used to have a policy; I don't work at any time with look krueng kids aged under 12 unless I know them in advance as I can't be bothered wasting the time dealing with them; I wasn't the only one.

I tend to find that the less educated Thais from up country have a very distorted view and some in Issaan where my family has property believe that having a look krueng child will result in someone being able to easily follow in my footsteps. I'd hardly say I should be someone to emulate, but success in entertainment, business or anything else for me at least stemmed from education, knowing how to behave, luck and looks. The look kreung element is only one part and certainly looks alone aren't enough to make up for the lack of the others; additionally, at least in my opinion, probably only 10% of look krueng end up good enough looking to acheieve anything in entertainment; perhaps 2-5% on average of the full Thai Chinese are in that same position. With large numbers of look kreung comes competition, and simply, in my own experience the look kreungs with Thai Chinese blood plus height tend to have the Willy Mac/Mam look that works on screen at a higher rate. Exactly the same was my experience in working in Korea, Philipines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indo and China. Curiously, the look kreung look is totally not popular in Japan?!

To parents of look kreung; be proud that your baby is something special and may be good looking in some people's eyes; however be humble and don't actually believe that looks or anything else are what make him/her special. It is what is inside that matters most.

[meadish_sweetball]

As for the future, I dont see the present genreation growing up at all well (I live in BKK). Extremely self consumed, materialist concerned only with their own selfish happiness and totally vapid with no real knowledge of the outside world

That has been going on for a couple of generations in the west IMHO. That was one of the reasons I wanted to move to LOS.

Maybe reality is catching up on me?

I don't think it is that bad up here in North but it is coming! I can see it sometimes!

I am happy I don't have small kids here or in the west. (But I have grandchildren in west).

:D

Funny you should say that, my experience of Sweden is quite the opposite. More and more kids venture out if they have the chance, and are generally fairly knowledgeable about the rest of the world... at least the ones I meet.

There's an element of naivity perhaps, but how world-wise can you be expected to be before you've left school?

[Donz]

In all countries (especially at school) kids will always make fun of people who look alittle different, it happend in Australia and im sure all over the world.

Nothing new about it, its kids, they are all evil

[toptuan]

This may sound not-Thailand related, but hang on until the end...

I once went to a seminar in the USA which featured a panel discussion of adults who were of mixed race parentage (mostly Japanese & American parents). The topic was the "half" terminology and societal problems of discrimination and lack of opportunity. Most expressed their dismay at the "half" designation (of which "half-breed" is the most rude), and implied they were missing something from both cultures/races.

Conversely, every panel participant expressed their over all positive feeling about being a child of two cultures--and gleaning the benefits of both cultures' strong points (as well as being bilingual). They went so far as to suggest that we stop calling them "mixed race" or "half-" whatever. They liked "child of double cultures" or "double-cultured," which emphasized the positive side of what a child can learn from parents of two cultures.

I like that idea. I don't know what it would translate to in Thai, maybe "Khon Watanatam Sawng" ("Two-cultured person"). Yeah, I know a mouthful: six syllables compared to the two-syllable Luk Kreung. It's yet to catch on in the USA, but it would be nice. Anyway, my two cents.

[jbsears]

I grew up around a number of half Korean, half American kids. One kid I didn't even know was half Korean until I met his mom when I was 15. I just thought he had darker skin or was Latino. I don't think it is a big deal in the US, probably because the whole country is pretty much mixed of more than one culture.

My gf says if your going to have mixed kids in Thailand that you have to have enough money to send them to a private school. If they go to a government school, they will be assumed to be the kids of a prostitute. This is just what she told me.

Luckily, no kids yet for me.

[Donz]

Im half Korean half scottish and ive never had any troubles growing up.

When in primary school I got the odd chinese jap song and the pulling back of the eyes. But I never took it and got beat up more then I won. But thats just kids, when you get older the ladies actually fancy the Luk Kreungs in my opinion.

In my teens people would ask what I was, they all say dam thats a mix. Some ladies just go nuts over us.

Can you really blame them?

[Jared]

This is a very interesting thread, my boys half English, half Thai and im debating which country to bring him up in once hes old enough to go to school. I guess both countrys have there pros and cons.

[keenok]

This is a very interesting thread, my boys half English, half Thai and im debating which country to bring him up in once hes old enough to go to school. I guess both countrys have there pros and cons.

i have one on the way,so it is a concern for me too. i certainly would not send my child to a private school here (after looking at the fees and talking to a few people about the pros and cons) if my child goes to an ordinary school here there will be some problems im sure. however there would be problems in england too and probably quite a lot of problems for my gf too.

[meemiathai]

'luuk khreung' is a completely neutral word in the Thai context. No disrespect intended whatsoever.

Well, like any other word that is a label, it CAN be used with disrespect. Like when Willie and Kat Macintosh's mother said that she didn't approve of Jaily (a luk krung) of marrying her son because she was a luk krung. Hypocrisy please?

For sure. I did not mean to say that people have no prejudices or ideas about luuk khreung as such - I just meant that the term is fully socially acceptable.

It isn't as if she was saying something equivalent to "mongrel" in English - i.e. a word which would never be used to describe a person officially... whereas the word 'luuk khreung' could be used as a neutral description by a television presenter or newspaper journalist in Thailand without the regular Thai viewer/reader thinking it was a problem.

On the other hand, the same presenter could not use 'khaek' (for Middle Eastern/Indian) or 'chek' (for Chinese) without some people taking offense - those are not as acceptable.

That was my point.

I am a mongrel.

[meemiathai]

Luk Krungs in Thai society is acutual look down at, especially if they are 1/2 black. Thais like Luk Krungs in entertainment industry but beyond that, they are considred low class and they are talked badly behind their backs. If you don't believe me, go and look at that movie called "13" that came out 3 months ago.

To Thais, Luk Krungs are children of "whores" and "whoremongers" and this is due to many Luk Krungs are children of Issan bargirls/freelancers and their foreign customers and/or husbands.

Since Thais are very polite, they will give everyone the benefit of doubt that Luk Krungs come from "good" families until proven otherwise. This is also true for other Asian countries as well.

So you are saying people here in the streets of HK generally think that I have a mother who is a whore?

[Johpa]

My gf says if your going to have mixed kids in Thailand that you have to have enough money to send them to a private school. If they go to a government school, they will be assumed to be the kids of a prostitute. This is just what she told me.

I did have friends who sent their luuk khreung kids to a local government school in Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai, about 10 years ago, and they finally had to take them out due to maltreatment from everyone, students, faculty, and even the bus driver until they paid a nak leng to inform the bus driver that one more incident and he would be in a world of hurt.

My own luuk khreung kids have never had any problems within our village area when visiting Thailand, nor elsewhere in the Kingdom for the most part, and are both well liked by all the local people within thambon, as are all my in-laws. My son speaks nearly fluent village style Northern Thai, filled with local slang, that further endears him to his lifetime pals and turns heads in the city where most of the luuk kreung speak far more polite Thai. But he sometimes overhears rude remarks and he is aware of the racism where it does exist. He is also smart enough to let it go and fortunately, when in Thailand, he is usually in the company of good friends who are tough ass rice farmer's kids who are usually left alone by others.

The more interesting thing is that here in the US, both my kids hang out mostly with other Asian kids who are not Amerasian. They identify themselves more as Asian than as Causasian. Am I being rejected?

[Cpt_M0ney_Sh0t]

My gf says if your going to have mixed kids in Thailand that you have to have enough money to send them to a private school. If they go to a government school, they will be assumed to be the kids of a prostitute. This is just what she told me.

I did have friends who sent their luuk khreung kids to a local government school in Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai, about 10 years ago, and they finally had to take them out due to maltreatment from everyone, students, faculty, and even the bus driver until they paid a nak leng to inform the bus driver that one more incident and he would be in a world of hurt.

My own luuk khreung kids have never had any problems within our village area when visiting Thailand, nor elsewhere in the Kingdom for the most part, and are both well liked by all the local people within thambon, as are all my in-laws. My son speaks nearly fluent village style Northern Thai, filled with local slang, that further endears him to his lifetime pals and turns heads in the city where most of the luuk kreung speak far more polite Thai. But he sometimes overhears rude remarks and he is aware of the racism where it does exist. He is also smart enough to let it go and fortunately, when in Thailand, he is usually in the company of good friends who are tough ass rice farmer's kids who are usually left alone by others.

The more interesting thing is that here in the US, both my kids hang out mostly with other Asian kids who are not Amerasian. They identify themselves more as Asian than as Causasian. Am I being rejected?

Nahh it happens. I'm Mixed Black/White and I NEVER considered myself white, nor have I met anyone like my self or others mixed with white that strongly identify with being white. I'm sure it happens but it's usualy rare.

[t.s]

This is a very interesting thread, my boys half English, half Thai and im debating which country to bring him up in once hes old enough to go to school. I guess both countrys have there pros and cons.

i have one on the way,so it is a concern for me too. i certainly would not send my child to a private school here (after looking at the fees and talking to a few people about the pros and cons) if my child goes to an ordinary school here there will be some problems im sure. however there would be problems in england too and probably quite a lot of problems for my gf too.

private school does not mean international school. There are plenty of options to the govt mill.

[steveromagnino]

The more interesting thing is that here in the US, both my kids hang out mostly with other Asian kids who are not Amerasian. They identify themselves more as Asian than as Causasian. Am I being rejected?

I can pass as white (almost) some of the time, but it never occurred to me to consider myself 'white' even though for the longest time I really only spoke english.

The amount of racism I ever got from non whites here and elsewhere was dwarfed by the bullying, name calling and physical abuse i got as a kid growing up in an almost all white neighbourhood; it was drilled into me pretty early on that I wasn't white. On a census I legally am supposed to write that I am Thai Chinese, even though I am 50% white as well.

My brother developed the opposite way, and I think considers that it was some sort of handicap to be hidden that he wasn't white.

To each their own.

But I don't think you are being rejected Johpa; never occurred to me to look at my dad as anything other than 'my dad my hero'. After all, if I started spending my whole time hanging out with sexy girls, would that make my parents feel less valued since they are not sexy girls????!

Actually, that is worth testing :-)

[buriramboy]

can only speak from my experience, but anyway my daughter is 3 1/2 been going to a Thai private school for nearly a year now in Pattaya, i would guess that probably half the kids are luk kruengs and half Thai, and she absolutely loves school, also i find the fees cheap, it was about 15,000 baht to register and about 15,000 baht a term (2 terms a year). personaly i would never consider a government run school here, mainly because i want my daughter to be with her "own kind" (i know not pc but couldn't think how to phrase it), i wouldn't want her feeling different or not fitting in from everyone else at such a young age.

BB

[In the Rai!]

can only speak from my experience, but anyway my daughter is 3 1/2 been going to a Thai private school for nearly a year now in Pattaya, i would guess that probably half the kids are luk kruengs and half Thai, and she absolutely loves school, also i find the fees cheap, it was about 15,000 baht to register and about 15,000 baht a term (2 terms a year). personaly i would never consider a government run school here, mainly because i want my daughter to be with her "own kind" (i know not pc but couldn't think how to phrase it), i wouldn't want her feeling different or not fitting in from everyone else at such a young age.

BB

Unfortunately we dont have those sort of schooling options up here ITR..

But I cant see it being a problem. My kids are only 1 and 2 and a half but the oldest is speaking both Thai and English. I have never heard a bad word said about them and I dont think I will either. It would be nice to have a school where there are other Luk krungs though.

ITR

ITR

[Aujuba]

They'll get hassled. Western kids like to pick on each other. When the half Thai kids get a bit older, many of the same kids who picked on them probably will be physically attracted to them. Beauty crosses race. Physical attraction is something very strong. Most of the people who marry Thais are first attracted to their outer beauty.

[Donz]

They'll get hassled. Western kids like to pick on each other. When the half Thai kids get a bit older, many of the same kids who picked on them probably will be physically attracted to them. Beauty crosses race. Physical attraction is something very strong. Most of the people who marry Thais are first attracted to their outer beauty.

all kids like to pick on eachother. The fat kids will get hasseled, if someone is ugly they get hasseled, the kids who looks like an animal will get hasseled, even the normal looking kids will get hassled.

They will learn to grow a spine, probaly bust a fe noses but there kids.

Don think much of it.

Kids will be kids, they can be evil things

[samran]

My wife and I have only ever spoken thai together and so my antenna are finely tuned to the false face of thai society. Some contributer further back said that Thais were very polite and so always said good things. Well IMHO, you are sadly misled. In real life they are extremely and shockingly rude to each other (unless one party is important and of higher status - then they switch into sicophantic lickspittle fawning that is so despererately insincere) If flangs really understood how they behaved it would be totally unacceptable in polite western society. (btw i have a theory that suggests that the reason thais are so terrible at spoken english is that they want to continue to hide behind their secret language, if they spoke english properly then westerners would find out the truth)

Its a worrying time if you are a parent (ok if you are able to whisk your child overseas for a proper education). Its my main problem and occupies most of my time these days.

Ahhhhhh I can assure you there are plenty of Thais that do not engage in being extremely and shockingly rude to eachother; certainly not the ones I work or socialise with, but perhaps you are surrounded by a different group? I certainly agree about the suck up element; however false compliments and greasing are universal; the fake American toothy beauty king/queen smile foisted upon you every time one meets a sales person there just before they say something is exactly the same; the difference is perhaps that this tends to occur in work; here it occurs in more social interactions.

Stating things matter of factly (you are fat, you are dark skin etc etc) tend to be common ways of speaking Thai and yet some other things to talk about are strangely taboo; chalk that up to norms and customs. I am mystified by your theory of why Thais speak english badly; I would say Thais aren't actually that bad, but anyway certianly not helped by having increadibly bad teachers and laziness from the students plus a few structural issues in the way education works in Thailand and home environment perhaps.

Gossiping is commonplace here, that's for sure; but as a non white I have had far worse in other countries than here. As one of the few look krueng posting, I'd say that we are regarded as a novelty for most, as something special initially, which is a great door opener. The poorer the area, the more the looks are important. In Bangkok, the mystique of look kreung is now significantly faded in part due to the beahviour of a number of look kreung over recent years, to the point that the novelty factor is still there, but it is usually assumed (and fairly accurately) that the look krueng will tend to be with poor education, nice looking but stupid; often lacking in manners and graces as a result of coming from both a working class family on the Thai side, and also on the western side.

There are exceptions, and being able to show the classic 'beauty and brains' combination opens far more doors as a result; the novelty has some 'teeth' to hold interest. Higher society tends to care a lot less, and I have known very few people to discriminate against me simply because I was a look kreung; they have looked down on me from my past involvement in the entertainment industry (considered to be brainless and stupid in the business world) and for various things that any Thai or foreigner would be looked down on as a result (bad dress, bad choice of partners/friends, certain behaviour in public, useless Thai speaking ability, that sort of thing).

In BKK, certainly just being look krueng or having a look kreung child won't get the wows that it used to and now a number of people atually dislike it that look kreung have butchered the language on TV soap operas, behaved very inappropriately as role models and I guess a few mothers might be a bit jealous as well; particularly as so often the mothers of the look krueng kids are from very low social standing but with a rich foreign husband and a movie star kid end up some how sort of shuffling their way up; a bit like how perhaps the George Costanza character felt in pretty woman when RIchard Gere started ignoring him, and paying attention to the (in his mind) lower class friend for hire. It isn't right, but that is how some people might feel. Certainly there has been some significant gossip on set with some of the kids with parents in tow; so often the kids are really really badly behaved; the parents spoil them believing that the child is somehow better because he/she is a look krueng; and it simply really annoys everyone else on set. I actually used to have a policy; I don't work at any time with look krueng kids aged under 12 unless I know them in advance as I can't be bothered wasting the time dealing with them; I wasn't the only one.

I tend to find that the less educated Thais from up country have a very distorted view and some in Issaan where my family has property believe that having a look krueng child will result in someone being able to easily follow in my footsteps. I'd hardly say I should be someone to emulate, but success in entertainment, business or anything else for me at least stemmed from education, knowing how to behave, luck and looks. The look kreung element is only one part and certainly looks alone aren't enough to make up for the lack of the others; additionally, at least in my opinion, probably only 10% of look krueng end up good enough looking to acheieve anything in entertainment; perhaps 2-5% on average of the full Thai Chinese are in that same position. With large numbers of look kreung comes competition, and simply, in my own experience the look kreungs with Thai Chinese blood plus height tend to have the Willy Mac/Mam look that works on screen at a higher rate. Exactly the same was my experience in working in Korea, Philipines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indo and China. Curiously, the look kreung look is totally not popular in Japan?!

To parents of look kreung; be proud that your baby is something special and may be good looking in some people's eyes; however be humble and don't actually believe that looks or anything else are what make him/her special. It is what is inside that matters most.

Steve for PM!!!! (I still get to be ruler of the world though...)

[robint]

quote

steveromagnino

Ahhhhhh I can assure you there are plenty of Thais that do not engage in being extremely and shockingly rude to eachother; certainly not the ones I work or socialise with, but perhaps you are surrounded by a different group

unquote

Steve

a very pleasant contribution, thank you

Up in my village outside khorat, they are indeed very pleasant and polite to each other, its old fashioned rural life and vastly different from bkk (to which I was largely refering)

I often get an impertinent little shop girl giving me insulting and totally undeserved treatment

(but equally often I get quite the opposite, lots of giggles and affectionate responses at my funny old rural accent )

BTW any original Englishman is certainly of mongrel background. In no way can we claim any racial purity from our relations with europe (never mind post ww2 commonwealth immigrants

[Livinginexile]

Contrast that to leuk kreungs in Vietnam and Korea, Thailand is a world apart (positive wise).

This is very interesting.

I have a Thai wife and 8 month old son. They have benn living with me here in Sydney Australia for 3 months now. When we were in Thailand the Thai people absolutely adored my son, allmost to the point of being a bit anoying but here in Sydney we live in a heavily Vietnamese populated area (Cabramatta) and we get nothing but frowns and bad looks from the Vietnamese. I was very suprised about this, before my wife and son came here the Vietnamese people in my area was nothing but friendly but now it really is at a point where we are thinking of moving the vibe is so bad out on the street. Its mainly the mid age/older Vietnamese people that are the worst, it really is quite disturbing. There have been times when I have allmost confronted people about their displeased staring. My wife looks very Chinese/Vietnamese so they are asuming she is Vietnamese.

Has anyone else experienced this? We really are quite shocked, the Mrs is even reluctant to go to the shops with our son sometimes.

Reverse rasism I think....

[leftcross]

i would think half-halfs would probably be better treated in thailand than elsewhere, particularly the UK.

unfortunately the world still views people very much in the terms of colour, whether we like to admit it or not.

thais love half-halfs because they have white skin....but in the uk their asian appearance means they are further away from white, not closer to it.

Edited January 9, 2007 by leftcross

[Heng]

Just talking about my own friends and aquaintences.... but most luk krungs I know tend to do a lot better career wise in the west.

[SeanBangkok]

Donz,

Are you mentally retarded?

[In the Rai!]

I am from the Sunshine coast Australia and my oldest daughter was 2 before we moved back to Thailand. We had nothing but affection from all the locals towards my daughter and wife. I am sure it varies depending on what part of the country you come from. I know Australia is one of the worst but from my experiences of where I am from I have nothing but good stories to tell.

Up here ITR is also a fantastic place for my kids to grow up. Schooloing is always an issue up here but we will judge their abilities when they are 7 or 8 and if need be we can always move back to Australia to better their education..

Just my 2 cents..

ITR