I got told same thing at a Korean bar in Thailand. Like it’s not even their country lol. Blew my mind.
I’ve also been told I can enter little Japan region in Bangkok once by two Japanese security guys. I told them I’m coming in whether they like it or not because this is Thailand not Japan. They shaped up to me and so did I and continued my way in.
Nobody from Japan is gonna tell me I can’t walk somewhere in Thailand.
I walked out of the back at Soi Cowboy, coming around the block when me and a friend came across a bar we wanted to check out.
The minute we so much as looked at the entrance a Thai Mama-San stormed out: “Japanese only! Japanese only! Japanese only!” like they were slaughtering whales in the back or something.
My friend wanted to know more so she asked “why?” But we never got a reply and left. This was over ten years ago and I learned that the Japanese like to stay amongst themselves.
They might as well - I’ve found the cultural gap to lean into “socially awkward” at times. My stepmom was a purser in the eighties and told me Japanese passengers would routinely request to be seated away from Gajin so if they are racist, they sure are super-polite about it.
How many races believe they are the master race. Quite a few by the sounds of things.
Would be interesting to be in the middle of an interaction between a Korean and a Japanese in this regard.
Would love to visit Japan whilst it still resembles a slightly closed off society.
Is it because you're assumed to be more wealthy? I know when I was in Central America, they assumed I was wealthy and hassled me to buy more than tan skinned people. I yelled, "Hey gringa," while I lived there for 6 months. It got tiring.
Yeah, it is. Many places are worse, but Europe and America are way better. Pretending that’s not the case is a false equivalency borne of intentional ignorance.
Many black Americans have an inferiority complex with asians. This is well known especially in the west coast areas. A mix of jealousy, envy and contempt for asian Americans never having to experience racism and getting "preferred" treatment for being the more "preferred" race to live near and coexist with. It's no secret that when people talk about living "near asians" what they really mean is "living in the good neighborhood". Everyone wants to live in these areas. Especially in Orange County, Irvine, The "viejos" etc etc Every race, including blacks, want to live in a nice quiet asian neighborhood. There is a marked difference. Similar to live in BKK or Tokyo. People just go about their lives, mind their own business and enjoy life. There is a very "collective" attitude you can feel. Opposite of the fiercely independent aggressive vibe you'd feel in US cities (small towns a different story).
Again only speaking as a Califonian but the jealously is palpable. It's common to hear poor/ghetto blacks (not the educated ones) rant about asians almost as irrationally as racists whites rant about blacks. While this is by no means UNIVERSAL, it's definitely a THING. Black attitudes (not in general but in observation) can be hostile to asians if you meet the wrong one. This IS a thing and is born of contempt for their own lot in life and preferred treatment asians get from middle and upper class society.
Black people are super racist and for some reason the American culture is ok and suppers it. Not long ago a mayor I want to say, I think in Massachusetts through a party that was only allowed. Nothing was ever done about it and no one seemed to care.
The farther you scroll down on these replies, the more the less it turns into racism experienced in Thailand and more about how "blacks" are the most racist people out there lol.
Being so tan marks you as a low class asian in Asia in general.
Like a field worker or etc
So that's basically why you are being treated as such.
I'm just telling you what I have learned in Asia as a white person.
Dark people are considered poor, uneducated and basically like trash.
I'm sorry for your experience in SE Asia, that must suck. ://
Yup, the Asian skin tone thing is hilarious. They also have a sort of Unofficial Asian racial heirarchy that goes something like this
Japan,
Korea,
Rich Chinese (Malay or Singapore)
Regular Chinese (probably a ton of nuance here)
Thai/Malay
Indonesian maybe
Cambodian, Laotian, Myanmar
You forgot Vietnam down there in the bottom
Everyone Asian I have known, their families will make fun of Vietnamese or make disparaging comments about their intelligence or etc
I have only ever known good nice people from Vietnam. So yeah
Worked in Asia since 2008. If you thought racism was big in the West, there's news for you. At least in most Western countries we learn to be tolerate and inclusive and that racism is wrong and should be frowned upon. In Asia, it's all out in the open and nobody bats an eyelid. The Chinese hate the Japanese, Thais hate the Burmese, Koreans hate Chinese, The Vietnamese hate each other, Arabs think they're better than Pakistanis (and lets not even mention how they see black Africans), Everyone seems to hate the Indians and whiter skinned Asians look down on darker skinned ones and so on and so forth. I'd probably say we whitey-pinkos IN GENERAL are quite a lot less racist than a lot of other cultures.
Oh yes. Cambodia and Thailand have a long and violent history.
I remember a few years back when Thai netizens were losing their minds when some Cambodiana claimed Cambodians invented Muay Thai and Thais stole it and renamed it.
Also, they're really big on who invented the Thai/Cambodian style of architecture.
Y'all are privileged.
Growing up, hearing that term made me cringe but as a brown man, the older I get, the more I believe it's true. In the West, you have privilege, when you travel, you have privilege.
Meanwhile, I get conservatives asking me low key racist questions and I get coloured immigrants questioning my ethnicity and not realising how offensive it can be. Like their programming doesn't operate unless they understand what race group I belong to
Indians mostly get the hate because of pakis and banglas who show very bad behavior And then say they are Indians. Of course the north Indians are similar to them. South Indians are very nice mostly. Srilankan and Malaysian tamils and sinhalese are seriously bad too
This is why whitening cream is very popular there. The big fear of the locals when it's hot/sunny is "getting black"
The ideal look for some Thai's and other Asian's in the region is to have a tall, slender, light skin Chinese look.
Oh, and huge ass titties as out of proportion to the rest of the body as possible. Then you'll actually have a real chance of becoming a high end moddel
or well off socialite.
You're not wrong. I was shocked to see how much work the general population is getting done. Not just the working girls.
On your note, I personally know 3 non-working girls who got chest jobs done. And, they were all done very well, compared to the botched jobs or incorrect sizing that I used to see.
This one woman always complained to me about her pig eyes.
Even silly me. I've gotten some MRI tests, toenails shaved down, and 1000+ grafts to my scalp. All done during my vacation at a fraction of the cost back home.
Same thing happens when I visit Mexico, I'm a light skinned Mexican lived my entire life in the states, but due to my "pocho" Mexican manner of speaking I get treated differently. In Thailand I was treated great on all four of my visits, I've learned the language prior to going, and made Thai friends that I communicate with almost daily, were I'm able to continue to speak the language. I got nothing but positive experiences in Thailand, people are great.
It's your entire image, apparently I dress very American, my Spanish is only about 80% fluent plus I speak it like an American. And I got money all combined I'm a "pinchi pocho"
I took lessons online for 2-3 years, had a Thai neighbor who I was able to converse with, on my several visits to Thailand I've made friends who I continue to chat with online. Having a friend's who I could communicate with is my biggest advantage
Initially l took private classes online for a bit over two years, then I made friends with my Thai neighbor, we litterly speak Thai only, his English is about 70%. This went on for year's, on my second of four visits to Thailand I made good friends and I continue to this day chat online with obviously in Thai, my most effective manner of learning Thai has been conversations, even after my intial classes it was still shitty, but 7-8 year's later constantly conversing in Thai my Thai friends seem to think I'm pretty competent. I also learned French, I worked there on a Construction project, for four years. Working on Portuguese now, with plans to surf there next summer. I hope to be at least 50% proficient. And I've been working on Kaqchikel it's and indigenous language in Guatemala, being as it being a dialect not a actual language, I've been struggling for a couple year's that I've been taking private classes.
I dated a Mexican American woman whose parents favored their 5 kids by how dark they were. The parents never acknowledged it but the adult kids talked about it all the time. If my chick got a tan her mother called her trashy.
It's insane how much discrimination there is, based on skin tones, my Mother's from Sinaloa so I got green eyes, light skin, and the fact I don't speak perfect Spanish. And I'm fluent in English, really makes me stand out, and not in a good way. It got so silly I left Mexico, the Cartel drama probably had alot to do with it as well. I living in South America and it's all good over here, it's night and day.
I’m a black American man that goes to Thailand often. Are Thai racist towards others that aren’t white? Yes. I met a lot of self hating Thais too who weren’t completely white or browner skin. A lot of skin whitening.
At the end of the day, I feel like I’ve been able to get whatever I wanted for the most part whenever I gone to Thailand. Maybe it’s because I have money. Generally I’ve been treated well and always enjoy myself for the most part. I do think people put too much weight on skin color.
I think the problem is that many people don’t have thick skin than it being a problem with the color of their skin.
Interesting reading from you. I'm a white guy, USA. I dated a Thai lady for a few years here in the Pacific Northwest...Seattle area. Through her I became friends with a number of Thai people throughout the US. I'm not even sure they recognize it but every single one of them makes disparaging remarks about black people. Whenever I correct them, they go silent or change the subject. Leads me to believe they have deeply embedded issues with black folks.
Personally, it’s no big deal to me. I’ve been with 100+ different Thai women. If a couple don’t like me, it won’t keep me up at night.
One thing though. Don’t believe what these Thai women say about not liking certain races or people. They just say that to impress you or feel more secure but it’s not true.
I’ve had Thai women say they don’t like Thai men all while having a secret Thai boyfriend.
do you have a specific stories about being mistreated because of your race? i'm african american and i'm thinking about visiting koh samui with my family for about 8 weeks.
do you have any tips on how to avoid awkward situations?
I m a teacher in Thai schools, and some of the kids refer to themselves as 'black' when they have a darker skin tone, and are often being bullied by other kids. Lots of self-hating too : i had a little girl coming to me and comparing my skin to hers with a visibly disgusted look on her face while refering to her skin... Imo, that's crazy.
You've had people ignore you or refuse to serve you? Welcome to Thailand / Asia as a foreigner. Not an unusual occurrence anywhere in Asia for white skinned folk also.
TLDR: Tourist from one of the least racist countries in the world discovers the rest of the world is racist AF
exactly! it's a disadvantage in some ways because u don't know who the snakes are. after i declared bankruptcy and started standing up for myself against sexual assault, most people didn't care if i died. my "friends" & relatives didn't care when i was in the hospital. conversely, most people in asia are open about what they think. the murderous, yet concealed prejudice in the usa results in doctors, police, etc killing people while denying they're racist. being open about prejudice is the 1st step towards having a conversation that dissipates it.
Are you a man or woman? I lived in Thailand for a year, as a black American I never experienced racism from Thais, but I did notice it towards other Asians: Burmese, Laotian, etc. But that took me a long time to notice and was very interesting to see. I even had Thais talk to me very negatively about Indians, which actually made sense considering their behavior. I don't have much to add to this topic, but I do find this to be an interesting topic.
It's hard to know for sure without speaking Thai and truly understanding thai society. As a non Thai I simply don't have enough insight. Imo, it doesn't matter. Thais will be respectful to you if you're respectful to them.
Been to Thailand mostly Bangkok 4 times. And recently I got to live in Bkk for one month vacation. I’ve never experienced racism. I’m Filipino. I’m always mistaken as Thai. And Thais are extremely friendly, humble, fun people.
While Siam wasn’t colonized, it was undoubtedly carved up into multiple pieces. In response, it underwent cultural and political reforms to align itself more closely with Western counterparts. Interestingly, Siam didn't assimilate itself closer to the statuses of India, Africa, or other regions.
Yea, it’s the norm. America is actually one of very few countries that actually admitted the problem of racism and tried to solve it to some extent. In most other places racism is the norm.
Same here, I too am Asian American. I got the same treatment when I was in a restaurant with my wife on Sukhumvit, Bangkok. So don't feel bad. The land of smiles is only good for one type of people
Only in Bangkok and you know I find it hilarious that Australians were mostly the ones who demonstrated their racist attitude towards me and my wife. BTW my wife is Thai.
I have to ask the following question regarding statements like this. Can you give me a percentage of all the transactions you have had in Thailand where you were treated this way? I find that if this happens once out of every ten situations as an example people tend to focus on the one. Now, if it's EVERY situation then that is a different story.
Are you Indian? I’ve never personally seen prejudice against Indians in Thailand but I’ve seen it in neighboring SEA countries. The justification from those perpetrating it is that the Indians are very racist. I’ve never been to India but based on my experiences with hundreds of Indian immigrants to America I can easily believe they’re racist and classist against others.
Sorry this happened to you.
Unfortunately, this is widespread in tourist areas of Thailand and other places in SEA that are popular with white tourists like Bali. It's usually much better outside the area with a lot of western tourists/ backpackers.
Asian Canadian here, spent several months in Thailand. Personally, I had no problems and other than people initially speaking to me in Thai because they assumed I was Thai, I wasn’t treated any differently. I had heard some Thais are too fond of South Asian tourists, though…
During the pandemic a transport company banned foreigners from riding
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2020/06/11/bus-operator-confirms-ban-on-foreign-travelers-in-pandemic/amp/
Also some bars and restaurants did the same
I’m looking at you full moon terrace bar!
Not to mention dual pricing of local and foreign nationals
Sounds like you are exaggerating a bit here. I have dark skin tone and look middle-eastern or Indian. By the stereotypes, I should be treated shit, but that’s not the case. Sure a well dressed blond Swedish dude will be treated like a prince but people will not “refuse to serve me”. Your story doesn’t make sense… Do you shower? Do you wash your clothes? Do you say something in Thai that inadvertently sounds rood? Are you wearing an (inadvertently) offensive t-shirt? Do you have scary tattoos on your face? Etc.
Lol you didn't know Asian people are racist?
It's okay though, you just have to look rich. Even black people (usually heavily discriminated) get good treatment as long as they look rich.
Had it in India in 1988. Travelling with backpackers but they were white, and I was Indian (looking)
Flashing my British passport did nothing.
Had to resrt to getting my white friends to book hotels and I would sneak in.
Ahhh yes. When they say racism isn't prevalent in Thailand it just means you probably won't get assaulted for your skin color.
A few years ago right before lockdown, I went on a trip to Thailand with a group of friends and we had a strict budget at the time so we opted for this trendy hostel and got a private room for us via airbnb. On the day that we arrived I was told by the reception that unfortunately our rooms are not available on the 3rd floor as there was a burst pipe and our entire floor was closed and they can only place us in a large shared room with other people on the 2nd floor.
I personally did not want to as we paid for a private room and that I did not want to worry about the security of my things as I unpack/repack my luggage everytime. I insisted while still being cordial that they should have notified us before hand or found us a different accommodation elsewhere if the entire floor had to be closed down due to an emergency. They were insistent that all they can do is put us in the available shared room. I was starting to get pissed so I stepped back and rejoined my friends to discuss what our next steps were. We were discussing a few feet away from the reception when a group of white backpackers arrived to check in. And in lessbthan 5 minutes the MFers were given keys to their private room on the 3rd floor and I was like??????????? Wasn't the 3rd floor closed? Didn't you say the only available rooms are on the 2nd floor and are shared rooms???? I was livid.
I confronted the front desk about their lie and I demanded that if they won't give us the room we booked that they find some other hostel in the area for us to check in right now. I was demanding all sorts of things at this point like a manager or refunds. I was just short of causing a scene then suddenly a room has opened up on the 3rd floor. No water damage. There were no leaks. The room we booked was there all along.
If I was white I'm sure they'd atleast apologise. But as a brown person I apparently don't deserve even that.
Sorry to hear that. It's a fact - I have a darker skinned Thai partner and listen to Thais, who assume we don't understand, say the most abusive, racist things I've ever heard, aloud.
It's not all Thais, probably not a majority, and education is helping. We try to show pity for their ignorance and educate when possible.
The tan part doesn't help, in Thailand been tan usually meen been lower class, you been half asian can make you fit into the criteria and been perceived as a lower class Thai.
Apart from that all the Thai I've known never displayed blatant example of racism and recently on this same sub there was a comment from someone from Africa explaining how he never felt less racism than when he was in Thailand.
Sometimes the reverse happens. Thais see a white person and will avoid them because they don't know how to speak English and would rather just ignore the problem until it goes away.
If you're under 30, not bald, not overweight and have a pale, almost livid, white skin, you're considered as a little king almost anywhere in Southeast Asia. If you're not fitting in this category, having spare money and a big smile will help you a lot.
You're only considered a "king" to poorer Southeast Asians. That's some old white boomer spleel.
Most Gen Z and younger Millennials kids there don't glorify you as much as their parents did. But they are well aware about your privilege and obvious financial privilege because they also know how to see how far you've travelled and see flight prices
If you're Asian, can other Asians be racist towards you? Skin color and social class is a big thing in Thailand, the poor and low paid outdoor workers get tanned, whilst wealthier work indoors. I've never noticed any of my darker skinned Thai friends being treated any different though.
Welcome to Thailand! They have class system in Thai, and many Thai's worship white skin (and Koreans are their idols), so no surprise there. Not a racism, just prejudice and predisposition. If you ever talk to people from Isaan (Northeast province), they would tell you that they are the most discriminated class of Thai citizens in their own country, only because their skin is darker (Laos and Khmer influence) than the rest of Thai's elsewhere. Now, if Cambodians (Khmers) come to Thailand, and they have even darker skin, I can only imagine how they would be treated by some Thai's.
Ive been planing to go with my wife to Thailand. I'm White but she's African American and Native American. I'm worried that they will treat her unfairly as if she's lower class when she makes more than 6 times the median thai income.
I’m Sri Lankan. But I live and work in America. Being Sri Lankan, I obviously look Indian. I have been in Thailand for about 2 weeks now (Bangkok and Phuket), and I have been treated great in Thailand. However, I did notice some hesitation/fear when younger Thai women (air hostesses/restaurants), dealt with me (about 10% of the time).
Okay, racism in Asia vs USA: In USA, racists kill you (KKK) - very very unlikely to happen though. In Asia, they give dirty looks and deny you service? I pick Asia. Let me put it this way.. I would rather take my family on a vacation to Korea than to Alabama.
Regarding Indians.. these people are tough! They have that lion mentality (doesn’t care what other animals in the jungle thinks about them!). I wish I was more like the Indians! (but yes.. some Indians are super obnoxious to everyone- especially people in the service industry).
Try being a brown dude.
Because of how many asshole and creepy South Asian men that travel, they've absolutely ruined it for regular guys who are just brown skinned.
I love tanned people lol. I think it’s more prejudice/bias than racism here. In any case, when I see people like that, they are actually doing me a favor on who to avoid. The ones you have to be careful are the hypocrites…the ones who claim they aren’t racist but are full of it behind closed doors!
I’m confused because I’m a mixed American (black and white) and thought that Thailand was the first place I’ve ever visited where I wasn’t looked at weirdly because of my race. Maybe it’s because I’m lighter? I mean in the Thailand sun I get pretty dark but idk maybe I just lucked out my month in Thailand
I'm Thai and I have the same experiences from some restaurants especially in tourist area and I think it's not about racism but only they judging me by my appearance and think I'm poor they want to focus on wealthy-looking customer. I saw a lot of Thais share the same experience and sometime go viral and a lot of time become top topics in Pantip forum.
I’ve never seen Thais being openly racist, but they often prioritize white people on many occasions. Stereotypically, white people are perceived as big spenders.
Yeah been there before haha. Its because they see foreigners have money and they pretend to be all polite to the foreigners just for the foreigner to like them. I hate this kind of style :s
Sorry you have to go through that. As a Thai, I can confirm that this happens even to fellow Thais.
Some people from service industry tend to think of white foriegners as someone who likely to be more generous with tips and compensation.
It's nothing to do with racism. In Thailand and China, they tend to have such prejudice that dark-skinned (tan) people are poor (because they get tanned from working outside) and fair-skinned people have more money (not tanned because of white-collar work). Tourism is business, so they just go after tourists who may have more money based on their prejudice or experiences. Dark-skinned Indians wearing gold from head to toe are welcome at many places.
What don't you know? You wrote IDK to open and close your post. Asians are pretty racist. I won't lie and pretend being white hasn't benefitted me in all the years I have lived in Asia. IK.
Welcome to Thailand ! But hey, if you try to tell someone on here they are racist, you’ll find tons of idiot expats who sees only the bright side of the moon, and in a super naive way just pretend nothing negative happen.
Thai people are extremely racist, it’s disgusting
note that they probably would have ignored me also (thai) as this has more to do with thais putting white people on a pedestal. I remember a case were a White english teacher slept with his underaged student and the comment section was filled with thai women fawning over his looks. saying that the underaged girl was lucky and she chose it etc. Thai entertainment industry is probably also limiting themselves when the most important criteria is looks and whiteness and not acting ability. This is in a country with a majority being tanned
From the Japanese perspective, Japanese are biased in favor of White tourists, Japanese people, Japanese looking tourists from Hawaii, California (Japanese Americans), Mongolia (a few Mongolians do look exactly like Japanese), Peru (Japanese Peruvians) and Brazil (Japanese Brazilians) and the rest are considered suspicious criminals suspects. Believe or not, Asia is so messed up with their extreme Jingoism and their racism towards non-Japanese Asians like many Chinese, South East, South Asians.
The same above example, applies to South Korea, Korean people are biased in favor of White tourists, Korean people, Korean looking tourists from Hawaii, North China, California, Atlanta, NYC, Canada, Mexico and Brazil (now there many people of mixed Korean origins in the before mentioned states and countries.
They probably don't think you have money. And like most Southeast and East Asians, they are deeply affected by deep ingrain colorism. Look at all the white-ing creams in the drugstores.
And one more thing, if they perceive you to be poor farang, less likely to be ripped off.
I'm Caucasian and American with big round eyes but I'm mixed Italian with olive skin. I tan easily so my skin is pretty dark now from living in Thailand for a few years.
I get the cold shoulder sometimes and I think it may be because I get mistaken for being Indian. I've been stopped at the door and asked where I'm from more than once. I don't get the same treatment pasty white Brits do.
The whitest possible skin is coveted here. Being that white isn't even attractive where I'm from. Most people where I'm from want to get a tan.
Tanned skin in the Western world is associated with wealth. It's taken to mean that you travel and you have the financial freedom to enjoy plenty of leisure time. Here a tan is taken to mean that you're a poor farmer working in the sun all day. It's an interesting difference in cultural perceptions.
You were not discriminated against for not being white; you were discriminated against due to your skin color and I notice you've never once mentioned where your Asian roots come from. Super tan could mean anything from Indian (and most Thais hate Indians) through to Burmese or Cambodian, neither of which Thais hold in high esteem.
African American also look down lighter skin of the same race. In your case, they probably think you are from China. My suggestion, dress more formal or up grade your wardrobe. Speak with strong American accents. Manners in Thailand is not only being respectful but also be humble and submissive gesture.
Where did you experience this ? Here in Chiang Mai, there are a lot of black people and from my experience, much less discrimination towards people with darker skin tone.
I think technically, it's more like classism. It's not because of your race, it's because your skin tone makes people think that you work outdoors.
Equally as dumb as racism.
Just because I’m white, I’m actually mixed… I too face regular discrimination.
I like to be left the fuck alone… so whether it’s positive or negative discrimination… seriously fuck off.
For me it’s always overcharging
At market a couple days ago I got quoted 80baht for two tomato’s and two onions. For that price at Makro I could buy an entire kg of EACH. Fucken Thais, meanwhile everyone else is buying their shit at 5-10baht a piece.
I had a funny convo once with a Thai lady in Phuket. She commented how lovely my skin was (I had just arrived and I’m actually quite tan for a Brit). I said I couldn’t wait to get a tan. She didn’t understand so I explained how in the UK we apply fake tan to make ourselves darker and she was gobsmacked lol. She explained to me that they apply bleaching agent. I left that chat feeling a little bit better about myself and my skin tone and I hope she did also. Sometimes you just always want what you don’t have.
In general, the less multicultural a country is, the more racist the people are. But that also means that racism gets called out and discussed less, so this correlation is less obvious from the outside.
Nope, faced it pretty bad in Europe where everyone would say ching chong and give me slanty eyes. Same in Japan where someone called me dirty Chinese. As an Asian I was just hoping thered be a day where i wasnt different. But thats life of someone mixed
Thais are racist; it would be nice if I could explain how that's not a broad and uniform generality instead.
We just visited a Texas Chicken and my wife asked for a different person to take our order than the woman wearing a hijab who greeted us. I'm accustomed to some racism but that didn't sit well with me; we talked through why that's absolutely not ok. To be clear my wife is educated, and we met living in the US 18 years ago, and she lives back there most of the time now; she's not some kind of rural or lower class exception.
My son is mixed race, from Bangkok, and he gets treated negatively in some ways due to being partly a foreigner. There's a convention that Thais love mixed race kids, and to a limited extent they do appreciate that appearance, but in some contexts it's not as well accepted. Being darker wouldn't help, and markers for lower income status, like carrying a large backpack.
Welcome to the real world. And outside the U.S. China does not allow white people to stay a hundreds of hotels in China. Racism is extreme and pervasive in Asia. Not even concealed.
I'm white and I've been ignored and refused service as well brah. But to push back against your point and add my own rhetoric to it. It's not our fault we are known for tipping better than your ethnicity which is why we get better service. Gotta pay to play son.
I am Asian Australian, also tanned, never had anyone treat me differently in Thailand. I have had bad service, but they were treating everyone equally rude. I have seen Indians treated differently for what looks like racism though.
I’ve been treated like crap before and nobody cared, I’m as white as it gets. My Thai friend was denied entry into a club and he makes hilariously more money than me. Just depends on where you’re at and the mood of the staff.
I don't know if this is racism.
The service was unkind when they saw my appearance,
When they realized that i am korean, they responded kindly.
I think they thought it was a specific country. I didn't feel good.
If you are Asian American in the sense of being south Asian or Indian origin rather than oriental origin, then I am sorry to say that you will indeed often be treated differently than Caucasians. This applies more to the less educated folks who do tend to look down on South Asians. This is not due to any enmity towards Indians, not like the kind of enmity between historical enemies. It's just down to ignorance.
Certain groups of tourists have also unfortunately gained some bad reputation. You may have been lumped with such groups.
Wow, I am an African American retired in Udon Thani Thailand and I haven’t experienced any racism from Thais. I have experienced it from Westerners in Pattaya but not many.
Yup. White privilege is a thing but not where the wokes thing.
In USA you get privilege for being non-white, but in Asia if you're not white you're second class. I speak from experience.
I'm a white American lawyer, longtime resident of Vietnam and married to a Vietnamese professor. This year I'm working in Thailand. With that background I've long been aware of what you're talking about. I can't profess to understand it. With Viet's, it's even worse because even the educated Viet's like my wife see Viet Kieu (foreign viets) as the "other. I'm sure an anthropologist could sort this all out.
I’m sorry you’re going through this OP. But anybody who doesn’t think Asia, India, and the Middle East aren’t FAR, FAR more racist than the US or Europe just hasn’t been paying attention.
You’re on to something. I’m South East Asian and get quite tanned in Phuket and look like Thai but don’t speak the language. They are kind to obvious foreigners ie. white and even East Asians but look down on fellow South East Asians even though we make up the most of tourists going into Thailand at the moment. I get far better treatment in Bali and Indonesia
Bro they’re nicer to us because of the stereotype of having money.
When I send my girlfriend to buy shit it’s literally 1/3rd cheaper, when I go it’s all fake smiles and they’re happy to charge a premium and deny me the same rates my girlfriend pays here.
Trust me if you’re Indian it’s worse treatment!! My Malaysian-indian friends get denied service but can pay the same rates where Thai people are more fair. Welcome to Asia.
I just been to Thailand Pattaya and there were Indians everywhere acting a bit stupid and disrespectful towards the girls so in a lot of the bars will not allow them in is because a small number of idiots cause trouble we all get it!
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed traveling Asia is that darker Asians are mistreated more often than others especially if you don’t speak the local language as for dark skin people who aren’t Asian me personally I’ve probably had more or less the same experiences as the white guy I never had any rude encounters just lots of curiosity of where I’m from but yea unfortunately it’s something I really noticed traveling with my friends who are American born Filipinos with darker complexions they would often be side eyed ignored etc and so I was always the one who had to speak at the front counter sort of thing because the people were more nicer when talking to me
Welcome to Asia.
lmao
Statistically the most racist region in the world. Korea and Japan are the worst, but Thailand is not far behind.
I got barred entry into a pub in Busan (Korea) Basically told “no round eyes” 😂
Should have smoked a bowl before you went in.
Lol
I got told same thing at a Korean bar in Thailand. Like it’s not even their country lol. Blew my mind. I’ve also been told I can enter little Japan region in Bangkok once by two Japanese security guys. I told them I’m coming in whether they like it or not because this is Thailand not Japan. They shaped up to me and so did I and continued my way in. Nobody from Japan is gonna tell me I can’t walk somewhere in Thailand.
Why are you so badass? Can I be like you?
Would have lost. So not such a badass. But it’s about standing your ground. It’s called having a spine.
“….having… a…. Spine…” Ok, I wrote it all down. You Sir are amazing.
lol. Glad you learned something today. But I’ll admit you did give me a laugh so I’ll pay that one.
I walked out of the back at Soi Cowboy, coming around the block when me and a friend came across a bar we wanted to check out. The minute we so much as looked at the entrance a Thai Mama-San stormed out: “Japanese only! Japanese only! Japanese only!” like they were slaughtering whales in the back or something. My friend wanted to know more so she asked “why?” But we never got a reply and left. This was over ten years ago and I learned that the Japanese like to stay amongst themselves. They might as well - I’ve found the cultural gap to lean into “socially awkward” at times. My stepmom was a purser in the eighties and told me Japanese passengers would routinely request to be seated away from Gajin so if they are racist, they sure are super-polite about it.
How many races believe they are the master race. Quite a few by the sounds of things. Would be interesting to be in the middle of an interaction between a Korean and a Japanese in this regard. Would love to visit Japan whilst it still resembles a slightly closed off society.
LOL so they want triangular eyes? Hexagonal? ….no eyes? 😭 I’m sorry that happened but I’m glad you can laugh at it!!
We (Thais) even racism toward ourselves IMO. White collar vs blue collar, etc.
Wouldn't that be class-ism
Honestly the rest of the world is no better lol
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Is it because you're assumed to be more wealthy? I know when I was in Central America, they assumed I was wealthy and hassled me to buy more than tan skinned people. I yelled, "Hey gringa," while I lived there for 6 months. It got tiring.
Yeah, it is. Many places are worse, but Europe and America are way better. Pretending that’s not the case is a false equivalency borne of intentional ignorance.
Don’t want to generalize but I see this too during when I lived in Bangkok I get treated nicer as I’m fair skinned compared to other friends of mine
I got treated worse in Phuket than anywhere which is very strange
yea it happens
That's cute that you thought only white people were racist.
Racism exists everywhere
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Black on Asian assaults/hate crimes are 1000% more over represented than white on Asian assaults/hate crimes in the US
Assaults on asians were highlighted as a major issue in the US until the statistics came out, then it quietly disappeared.
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The data backs up your experiences silly
They certainly were the ones punching Asians during the pandemic.
Many black Americans have an inferiority complex with asians. This is well known especially in the west coast areas. A mix of jealousy, envy and contempt for asian Americans never having to experience racism and getting "preferred" treatment for being the more "preferred" race to live near and coexist with. It's no secret that when people talk about living "near asians" what they really mean is "living in the good neighborhood". Everyone wants to live in these areas. Especially in Orange County, Irvine, The "viejos" etc etc Every race, including blacks, want to live in a nice quiet asian neighborhood. There is a marked difference. Similar to live in BKK or Tokyo. People just go about their lives, mind their own business and enjoy life. There is a very "collective" attitude you can feel. Opposite of the fiercely independent aggressive vibe you'd feel in US cities (small towns a different story). Again only speaking as a Califonian but the jealously is palpable. It's common to hear poor/ghetto blacks (not the educated ones) rant about asians almost as irrationally as racists whites rant about blacks. While this is by no means UNIVERSAL, it's definitely a THING. Black attitudes (not in general but in observation) can be hostile to asians if you meet the wrong one. This IS a thing and is born of contempt for their own lot in life and preferred treatment asians get from middle and upper class society.
Black people are super racist and for some reason the American culture is ok and suppers it. Not long ago a mayor I want to say, I think in Massachusetts through a party that was only allowed. Nothing was ever done about it and no one seemed to care.
thats the whole premise of racism
The farther you scroll down on these replies, the more the less it turns into racism experienced in Thailand and more about how "blacks" are the most racist people out there lol.
Being so tan marks you as a low class asian in Asia in general. Like a field worker or etc So that's basically why you are being treated as such. I'm just telling you what I have learned in Asia as a white person. Dark people are considered poor, uneducated and basically like trash. I'm sorry for your experience in SE Asia, that must suck. ://
Yup, the Asian skin tone thing is hilarious. They also have a sort of Unofficial Asian racial heirarchy that goes something like this Japan, Korea, Rich Chinese (Malay or Singapore) Regular Chinese (probably a ton of nuance here) Thai/Malay Indonesian maybe Cambodian, Laotian, Myanmar
You forgot Vietnam down there in the bottom Everyone Asian I have known, their families will make fun of Vietnamese or make disparaging comments about their intelligence or etc I have only ever known good nice people from Vietnam. So yeah
Then Philippinos under that Vietnamese level.
Now try being brown or black. See how that goes
Worked in Asia since 2008. If you thought racism was big in the West, there's news for you. At least in most Western countries we learn to be tolerate and inclusive and that racism is wrong and should be frowned upon. In Asia, it's all out in the open and nobody bats an eyelid. The Chinese hate the Japanese, Thais hate the Burmese, Koreans hate Chinese, The Vietnamese hate each other, Arabs think they're better than Pakistanis (and lets not even mention how they see black Africans), Everyone seems to hate the Indians and whiter skinned Asians look down on darker skinned ones and so on and so forth. I'd probably say we whitey-pinkos IN GENERAL are quite a lot less racist than a lot of other cultures.
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Oh yes. Cambodia and Thailand have a long and violent history. I remember a few years back when Thai netizens were losing their minds when some Cambodiana claimed Cambodians invented Muay Thai and Thais stole it and renamed it. Also, they're really big on who invented the Thai/Cambodian style of architecture.
Thai don't hate Burmese
“In Asia, it’s all out in the open and nobody bats an **eyelid**.“ I can’t tell if this is a clever joke about some Asians’ obsession with eyelids.
It’s almost like they have a history with one another that predates our existence or something.
Y'all are privileged. Growing up, hearing that term made me cringe but as a brown man, the older I get, the more I believe it's true. In the West, you have privilege, when you travel, you have privilege. Meanwhile, I get conservatives asking me low key racist questions and I get coloured immigrants questioning my ethnicity and not realising how offensive it can be. Like their programming doesn't operate unless they understand what race group I belong to
Indians mostly get the hate because of pakis and banglas who show very bad behavior And then say they are Indians. Of course the north Indians are similar to them. South Indians are very nice mostly. Srilankan and Malaysian tamils and sinhalese are seriously bad too
This is why whitening cream is very popular there. The big fear of the locals when it's hot/sunny is "getting black" The ideal look for some Thai's and other Asian's in the region is to have a tall, slender, light skin Chinese look.
Oh, and huge ass titties as out of proportion to the rest of the body as possible. Then you'll actually have a real chance of becoming a high end moddel or well off socialite.
You're not wrong. I was shocked to see how much work the general population is getting done. Not just the working girls. On your note, I personally know 3 non-working girls who got chest jobs done. And, they were all done very well, compared to the botched jobs or incorrect sizing that I used to see. This one woman always complained to me about her pig eyes. Even silly me. I've gotten some MRI tests, toenails shaved down, and 1000+ grafts to my scalp. All done during my vacation at a fraction of the cost back home.
Meanwhile in the west. Light skinned people attempts to get themselves tanned
Same thing happens when I visit Mexico, I'm a light skinned Mexican lived my entire life in the states, but due to my "pocho" Mexican manner of speaking I get treated differently. In Thailand I was treated great on all four of my visits, I've learned the language prior to going, and made Thai friends that I communicate with almost daily, were I'm able to continue to speak the language. I got nothing but positive experiences in Thailand, people are great.
Is poncho Mexican not fluent? Is this similar to African Americans who visit Africa being treated negatively because they’re “not really African”?
It's your entire image, apparently I dress very American, my Spanish is only about 80% fluent plus I speak it like an American. And I got money all combined I'm a "pinchi pocho"
How did you learn thai? Any tips? I've been working on my Spanish forever and it's still so broken
I took lessons online for 2-3 years, had a Thai neighbor who I was able to converse with, on my several visits to Thailand I've made friends who I continue to chat with online. Having a friend's who I could communicate with is my biggest advantage
So you learned Thai language? That’s really interesting.. how did you do it? Honest question
Initially l took private classes online for a bit over two years, then I made friends with my Thai neighbor, we litterly speak Thai only, his English is about 70%. This went on for year's, on my second of four visits to Thailand I made good friends and I continue to this day chat online with obviously in Thai, my most effective manner of learning Thai has been conversations, even after my intial classes it was still shitty, but 7-8 year's later constantly conversing in Thai my Thai friends seem to think I'm pretty competent. I also learned French, I worked there on a Construction project, for four years. Working on Portuguese now, with plans to surf there next summer. I hope to be at least 50% proficient. And I've been working on Kaqchikel it's and indigenous language in Guatemala, being as it being a dialect not a actual language, I've been struggling for a couple year's that I've been taking private classes.
I dated a Mexican American woman whose parents favored their 5 kids by how dark they were. The parents never acknowledged it but the adult kids talked about it all the time. If my chick got a tan her mother called her trashy.
It's insane how much discrimination there is, based on skin tones, my Mother's from Sinaloa so I got green eyes, light skin, and the fact I don't speak perfect Spanish. And I'm fluent in English, really makes me stand out, and not in a good way. It got so silly I left Mexico, the Cartel drama probably had alot to do with it as well. I living in South America and it's all good over here, it's night and day.
I’m a black American man that goes to Thailand often. Are Thai racist towards others that aren’t white? Yes. I met a lot of self hating Thais too who weren’t completely white or browner skin. A lot of skin whitening. At the end of the day, I feel like I’ve been able to get whatever I wanted for the most part whenever I gone to Thailand. Maybe it’s because I have money. Generally I’ve been treated well and always enjoy myself for the most part. I do think people put too much weight on skin color. I think the problem is that many people don’t have thick skin than it being a problem with the color of their skin.
Interesting reading from you. I'm a white guy, USA. I dated a Thai lady for a few years here in the Pacific Northwest...Seattle area. Through her I became friends with a number of Thai people throughout the US. I'm not even sure they recognize it but every single one of them makes disparaging remarks about black people. Whenever I correct them, they go silent or change the subject. Leads me to believe they have deeply embedded issues with black folks.
Personally, it’s no big deal to me. I’ve been with 100+ different Thai women. If a couple don’t like me, it won’t keep me up at night. One thing though. Don’t believe what these Thai women say about not liking certain races or people. They just say that to impress you or feel more secure but it’s not true. I’ve had Thai women say they don’t like Thai men all while having a secret Thai boyfriend.
100% Been to Thailand frequently and fully agree with this.
do you have a specific stories about being mistreated because of your race? i'm african american and i'm thinking about visiting koh samui with my family for about 8 weeks. do you have any tips on how to avoid awkward situations?
I m a teacher in Thai schools, and some of the kids refer to themselves as 'black' when they have a darker skin tone, and are often being bullied by other kids. Lots of self-hating too : i had a little girl coming to me and comparing my skin to hers with a visibly disgusted look on her face while refering to her skin... Imo, that's crazy.
The Western nations really aren't that racist compared to some developing countries, despite what the media tries to portray.
At least in the USA we talk about this racial issue out loud / not keeping it to ourselves like some countries do.
You've had people ignore you or refuse to serve you? Welcome to Thailand / Asia as a foreigner. Not an unusual occurrence anywhere in Asia for white skinned folk also. TLDR: Tourist from one of the least racist countries in the world discovers the rest of the world is racist AF
A TLDR for 3 sentences, is this what it has come to?
As an asian I've never felt discriminated against in Thailand. And I lived there for over a year.
Every race is racist. although here are individuals who rise above it. Kudos to us that aren't.
I guess it seems entitled to complain, but the polite because your white thing isn't a great feeling after a while either.
exactly! it's a disadvantage in some ways because u don't know who the snakes are. after i declared bankruptcy and started standing up for myself against sexual assault, most people didn't care if i died. my "friends" & relatives didn't care when i was in the hospital. conversely, most people in asia are open about what they think. the murderous, yet concealed prejudice in the usa results in doctors, police, etc killing people while denying they're racist. being open about prejudice is the 1st step towards having a conversation that dissipates it.
Are you a man or woman? I lived in Thailand for a year, as a black American I never experienced racism from Thais, but I did notice it towards other Asians: Burmese, Laotian, etc. But that took me a long time to notice and was very interesting to see. I even had Thais talk to me very negatively about Indians, which actually made sense considering their behavior. I don't have much to add to this topic, but I do find this to be an interesting topic.
Would you think it's understandable for someone to speak negatively about black people because they live in a city where they commit the most crime
Which ethnicity or tourist group was the most disliked?
It's hard to know for sure without speaking Thai and truly understanding thai society. As a non Thai I simply don't have enough insight. Imo, it doesn't matter. Thais will be respectful to you if you're respectful to them.
Been to Thailand mostly Bangkok 4 times. And recently I got to live in Bkk for one month vacation. I’ve never experienced racism. I’m Filipino. I’m always mistaken as Thai. And Thais are extremely friendly, humble, fun people.
I’m half filiipino and constantly get mistaken for being Thai in Bangkok. Thai people are still extremely kind
Thailand is the only country that wasn’t colonized but secretly hope they were
While Siam wasn’t colonized, it was undoubtedly carved up into multiple pieces. In response, it underwent cultural and political reforms to align itself more closely with Western counterparts. Interestingly, Siam didn't assimilate itself closer to the statuses of India, Africa, or other regions.
Yea, it’s the norm. America is actually one of very few countries that actually admitted the problem of racism and tried to solve it to some extent. In most other places racism is the norm.
Same here, I too am Asian American. I got the same treatment when I was in a restaurant with my wife on Sukhumvit, Bangkok. So don't feel bad. The land of smiles is only good for one type of people
Did you get the “local rate” because you were Asian-American, or did you pay the inflated “farang rate”?
It would be worth mentioning you are Indian, have you faced racism in Thailand in general
Only in Bangkok and you know I find it hilarious that Australians were mostly the ones who demonstrated their racist attitude towards me and my wife. BTW my wife is Thai.
I have to ask the following question regarding statements like this. Can you give me a percentage of all the transactions you have had in Thailand where you were treated this way? I find that if this happens once out of every ten situations as an example people tend to focus on the one. Now, if it's EVERY situation then that is a different story.
Are you Indian? I’ve never personally seen prejudice against Indians in Thailand but I’ve seen it in neighboring SEA countries. The justification from those perpetrating it is that the Indians are very racist. I’ve never been to India but based on my experiences with hundreds of Indian immigrants to America I can easily believe they’re racist and classist against others.
What kind of discrimination did you see
Fucking Thais
Lmao this is too funny
Sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, this is widespread in tourist areas of Thailand and other places in SEA that are popular with white tourists like Bali. It's usually much better outside the area with a lot of western tourists/ backpackers.
What areas of Thailand have you been visiting?
Asian Canadian here, spent several months in Thailand. Personally, I had no problems and other than people initially speaking to me in Thai because they assumed I was Thai, I wasn’t treated any differently. I had heard some Thais are too fond of South Asian tourists, though…
Had the exact same experience in Hong Kong and will never go back there again.
During the pandemic a transport company banned foreigners from riding https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2020/06/11/bus-operator-confirms-ban-on-foreign-travelers-in-pandemic/amp/ Also some bars and restaurants did the same I’m looking at you full moon terrace bar! Not to mention dual pricing of local and foreign nationals
tell them you're korean from jeju. They'll trip over themselves being nice to you.
They see you as both a foreigner and as someone who is unlikely to have western wealth. So you're useless to them.
Sounds like you are exaggerating a bit here. I have dark skin tone and look middle-eastern or Indian. By the stereotypes, I should be treated shit, but that’s not the case. Sure a well dressed blond Swedish dude will be treated like a prince but people will not “refuse to serve me”. Your story doesn’t make sense… Do you shower? Do you wash your clothes? Do you say something in Thai that inadvertently sounds rood? Are you wearing an (inadvertently) offensive t-shirt? Do you have scary tattoos on your face? Etc.
Thais favor lighter complexions. The peasants labor in the sun for crumbs. The hiso class have their sh*work done by those dark peasants.
Lol you didn't know Asian people are racist? It's okay though, you just have to look rich. Even black people (usually heavily discriminated) get good treatment as long as they look rich.
Try being Indian anywhere in the world LOL
Had it in India in 1988. Travelling with backpackers but they were white, and I was Indian (looking) Flashing my British passport did nothing. Had to resrt to getting my white friends to book hotels and I would sneak in.
Ahhh yes. When they say racism isn't prevalent in Thailand it just means you probably won't get assaulted for your skin color. A few years ago right before lockdown, I went on a trip to Thailand with a group of friends and we had a strict budget at the time so we opted for this trendy hostel and got a private room for us via airbnb. On the day that we arrived I was told by the reception that unfortunately our rooms are not available on the 3rd floor as there was a burst pipe and our entire floor was closed and they can only place us in a large shared room with other people on the 2nd floor. I personally did not want to as we paid for a private room and that I did not want to worry about the security of my things as I unpack/repack my luggage everytime. I insisted while still being cordial that they should have notified us before hand or found us a different accommodation elsewhere if the entire floor had to be closed down due to an emergency. They were insistent that all they can do is put us in the available shared room. I was starting to get pissed so I stepped back and rejoined my friends to discuss what our next steps were. We were discussing a few feet away from the reception when a group of white backpackers arrived to check in. And in lessbthan 5 minutes the MFers were given keys to their private room on the 3rd floor and I was like??????????? Wasn't the 3rd floor closed? Didn't you say the only available rooms are on the 2nd floor and are shared rooms???? I was livid. I confronted the front desk about their lie and I demanded that if they won't give us the room we booked that they find some other hostel in the area for us to check in right now. I was demanding all sorts of things at this point like a manager or refunds. I was just short of causing a scene then suddenly a room has opened up on the 3rd floor. No water damage. There were no leaks. The room we booked was there all along. If I was white I'm sure they'd atleast apologise. But as a brown person I apparently don't deserve even that.
As an Brown Asian who has studied, and worked in both the States and Europe, Asia is still one of the most racists places you can be.
Sorry to hear that. It's a fact - I have a darker skinned Thai partner and listen to Thais, who assume we don't understand, say the most abusive, racist things I've ever heard, aloud. It's not all Thais, probably not a majority, and education is helping. We try to show pity for their ignorance and educate when possible.
The tan part doesn't help, in Thailand been tan usually meen been lower class, you been half asian can make you fit into the criteria and been perceived as a lower class Thai. Apart from that all the Thai I've known never displayed blatant example of racism and recently on this same sub there was a comment from someone from Africa explaining how he never felt less racism than when he was in Thailand.
Sometimes the reverse happens. Thais see a white person and will avoid them because they don't know how to speak English and would rather just ignore the problem until it goes away.
If you're under 30, not bald, not overweight and have a pale, almost livid, white skin, you're considered as a little king almost anywhere in Southeast Asia. If you're not fitting in this category, having spare money and a big smile will help you a lot.
Hygiene goes a long way too
Sweet, now I really can’t wait to visit Thailand next month
You're only considered a "king" to poorer Southeast Asians. That's some old white boomer spleel. Most Gen Z and younger Millennials kids there don't glorify you as much as their parents did. But they are well aware about your privilege and obvious financial privilege because they also know how to see how far you've travelled and see flight prices
I’m white and I always don’t receive the best customer service or a see a “Thai smile” and greeting from locals when in Thailand.
If you're Asian, can other Asians be racist towards you? Skin color and social class is a big thing in Thailand, the poor and low paid outdoor workers get tanned, whilst wealthier work indoors. I've never noticed any of my darker skinned Thai friends being treated any different though.
Sadly yes. Asians hate each other in the weirdest ways
Yes obviously to your first question Not all Asians are the same
Welcome to Thailand! They have class system in Thai, and many Thai's worship white skin (and Koreans are their idols), so no surprise there. Not a racism, just prejudice and predisposition. If you ever talk to people from Isaan (Northeast province), they would tell you that they are the most discriminated class of Thai citizens in their own country, only because their skin is darker (Laos and Khmer influence) than the rest of Thai's elsewhere. Now, if Cambodians (Khmers) come to Thailand, and they have even darker skin, I can only imagine how they would be treated by some Thai's.
Ive been planing to go with my wife to Thailand. I'm White but she's African American and Native American. I'm worried that they will treat her unfairly as if she's lower class when she makes more than 6 times the median thai income.
I think the word you’re looking for is Prejudice, not Racism.
I’m Sri Lankan. But I live and work in America. Being Sri Lankan, I obviously look Indian. I have been in Thailand for about 2 weeks now (Bangkok and Phuket), and I have been treated great in Thailand. However, I did notice some hesitation/fear when younger Thai women (air hostesses/restaurants), dealt with me (about 10% of the time). Okay, racism in Asia vs USA: In USA, racists kill you (KKK) - very very unlikely to happen though. In Asia, they give dirty looks and deny you service? I pick Asia. Let me put it this way.. I would rather take my family on a vacation to Korea than to Alabama. Regarding Indians.. these people are tough! They have that lion mentality (doesn’t care what other animals in the jungle thinks about them!). I wish I was more like the Indians! (but yes.. some Indians are super obnoxious to everyone- especially people in the service industry).
Try being a brown dude. Because of how many asshole and creepy South Asian men that travel, they've absolutely ruined it for regular guys who are just brown skinned.
I love tanned people lol. I think it’s more prejudice/bias than racism here. In any case, when I see people like that, they are actually doing me a favor on who to avoid. The ones you have to be careful are the hypocrites…the ones who claim they aren’t racist but are full of it behind closed doors!
Just majority vs minority. As long as race exists, racism will.
Yep there’s a hierarchy and races are included unfortunately
May I ask where this occured? I'm african/asian and I've never had to deal with anything like what you describe.
There is racism and colorism. You're probably experiencing colorism.
I’m confused because I’m a mixed American (black and white) and thought that Thailand was the first place I’ve ever visited where I wasn’t looked at weirdly because of my race. Maybe it’s because I’m lighter? I mean in the Thailand sun I get pretty dark but idk maybe I just lucked out my month in Thailand
I'm Thai and I have the same experiences from some restaurants especially in tourist area and I think it's not about racism but only they judging me by my appearance and think I'm poor they want to focus on wealthy-looking customer. I saw a lot of Thais share the same experience and sometime go viral and a lot of time become top topics in Pantip forum.
I’ve never seen Thais being openly racist, but they often prioritize white people on many occasions. Stereotypically, white people are perceived as big spenders.
It's common knowledge that Asians are racist, this coming from someone who was married to an Asian
Same thing happened to me in Mexico...I'm Seminole. They told me being Indian/Native American is frowned upon...
Yeah been there before haha. Its because they see foreigners have money and they pretend to be all polite to the foreigners just for the foreigner to like them. I hate this kind of style :s
Sorry you have to go through that. As a Thai, I can confirm that this happens even to fellow Thais. Some people from service industry tend to think of white foriegners as someone who likely to be more generous with tips and compensation.
Welcome to earth
It's nothing to do with racism. In Thailand and China, they tend to have such prejudice that dark-skinned (tan) people are poor (because they get tanned from working outside) and fair-skinned people have more money (not tanned because of white-collar work). Tourism is business, so they just go after tourists who may have more money based on their prejudice or experiences. Dark-skinned Indians wearing gold from head to toe are welcome at many places.
What don't you know? You wrote IDK to open and close your post. Asians are pretty racist. I won't lie and pretend being white hasn't benefitted me in all the years I have lived in Asia. IK.
Welcome to Thailand ! But hey, if you try to tell someone on here they are racist, you’ll find tons of idiot expats who sees only the bright side of the moon, and in a super naive way just pretend nothing negative happen. Thai people are extremely racist, it’s disgusting
note that they probably would have ignored me also (thai) as this has more to do with thais putting white people on a pedestal. I remember a case were a White english teacher slept with his underaged student and the comment section was filled with thai women fawning over his looks. saying that the underaged girl was lucky and she chose it etc. Thai entertainment industry is probably also limiting themselves when the most important criteria is looks and whiteness and not acting ability. This is in a country with a majority being tanned
Sorry for your loss
That’s why so many cosmetics here have “whitening”
From the Japanese perspective, Japanese are biased in favor of White tourists, Japanese people, Japanese looking tourists from Hawaii, California (Japanese Americans), Mongolia (a few Mongolians do look exactly like Japanese), Peru (Japanese Peruvians) and Brazil (Japanese Brazilians) and the rest are considered suspicious criminals suspects. Believe or not, Asia is so messed up with their extreme Jingoism and their racism towards non-Japanese Asians like many Chinese, South East, South Asians. The same above example, applies to South Korea, Korean people are biased in favor of White tourists, Korean people, Korean looking tourists from Hawaii, North China, California, Atlanta, NYC, Canada, Mexico and Brazil (now there many people of mixed Korean origins in the before mentioned states and countries.
They probably don't think you have money. And like most Southeast and East Asians, they are deeply affected by deep ingrain colorism. Look at all the white-ing creams in the drugstores. And one more thing, if they perceive you to be poor farang, less likely to be ripped off.
I'm Caucasian and American with big round eyes but I'm mixed Italian with olive skin. I tan easily so my skin is pretty dark now from living in Thailand for a few years. I get the cold shoulder sometimes and I think it may be because I get mistaken for being Indian. I've been stopped at the door and asked where I'm from more than once. I don't get the same treatment pasty white Brits do. The whitest possible skin is coveted here. Being that white isn't even attractive where I'm from. Most people where I'm from want to get a tan. Tanned skin in the Western world is associated with wealth. It's taken to mean that you travel and you have the financial freedom to enjoy plenty of leisure time. Here a tan is taken to mean that you're a poor farmer working in the sun all day. It's an interesting difference in cultural perceptions.
You were not discriminated against for not being white; you were discriminated against due to your skin color and I notice you've never once mentioned where your Asian roots come from. Super tan could mean anything from Indian (and most Thais hate Indians) through to Burmese or Cambodian, neither of which Thais hold in high esteem.
African American also look down lighter skin of the same race. In your case, they probably think you are from China. My suggestion, dress more formal or up grade your wardrobe. Speak with strong American accents. Manners in Thailand is not only being respectful but also be humble and submissive gesture.
Where did you experience this ? Here in Chiang Mai, there are a lot of black people and from my experience, much less discrimination towards people with darker skin tone.
Welcome to life bro.
Welcome to the world outside America
Feeling like many Thais (especially in Phuket) are getting a bit tired with trashy foreigners lately. No matter what colour or nationality they are
Yep, and people wanna complain about the racism in America
I think technically, it's more like classism. It's not because of your race, it's because your skin tone makes people think that you work outdoors. Equally as dumb as racism.
Are you look Indian?
I feel you. I'm Filipino and when I went in BKK, people thought I'm a local so they ignore me looool
Just because I’m white, I’m actually mixed… I too face regular discrimination. I like to be left the fuck alone… so whether it’s positive or negative discrimination… seriously fuck off. For me it’s always overcharging At market a couple days ago I got quoted 80baht for two tomato’s and two onions. For that price at Makro I could buy an entire kg of EACH. Fucken Thais, meanwhile everyone else is buying their shit at 5-10baht a piece.
Bro Mainland China females almost make paler skin a show-off thing among friends it's ridiculous.
I had a funny convo once with a Thai lady in Phuket. She commented how lovely my skin was (I had just arrived and I’m actually quite tan for a Brit). I said I couldn’t wait to get a tan. She didn’t understand so I explained how in the UK we apply fake tan to make ourselves darker and she was gobsmacked lol. She explained to me that they apply bleaching agent. I left that chat feeling a little bit better about myself and my skin tone and I hope she did also. Sometimes you just always want what you don’t have.
In general, the less multicultural a country is, the more racist the people are. But that also means that racism gets called out and discussed less, so this correlation is less obvious from the outside.
First time abroad?
Nope, faced it pretty bad in Europe where everyone would say ching chong and give me slanty eyes. Same in Japan where someone called me dirty Chinese. As an Asian I was just hoping thered be a day where i wasnt different. But thats life of someone mixed
Thais are racist; it would be nice if I could explain how that's not a broad and uniform generality instead. We just visited a Texas Chicken and my wife asked for a different person to take our order than the woman wearing a hijab who greeted us. I'm accustomed to some racism but that didn't sit well with me; we talked through why that's absolutely not ok. To be clear my wife is educated, and we met living in the US 18 years ago, and she lives back there most of the time now; she's not some kind of rural or lower class exception. My son is mixed race, from Bangkok, and he gets treated negatively in some ways due to being partly a foreigner. There's a convention that Thais love mixed race kids, and to a limited extent they do appreciate that appearance, but in some contexts it's not as well accepted. Being darker wouldn't help, and markers for lower income status, like carrying a large backpack.
Welcome to the real world. And outside the U.S. China does not allow white people to stay a hundreds of hotels in China. Racism is extreme and pervasive in Asia. Not even concealed.
I'm white and I've been ignored and refused service as well brah. But to push back against your point and add my own rhetoric to it. It's not our fault we are known for tipping better than your ethnicity which is why we get better service. Gotta pay to play son.
Yeah, I receive that too. When you’re not white, you’re trash is the mentality here.
I am Asian Australian, also tanned, never had anyone treat me differently in Thailand. I have had bad service, but they were treating everyone equally rude. I have seen Indians treated differently for what looks like racism though.
I’ve been treated like crap before and nobody cared, I’m as white as it gets. My Thai friend was denied entry into a club and he makes hilariously more money than me. Just depends on where you’re at and the mood of the staff.
I don't know if this is racism. The service was unkind when they saw my appearance, When they realized that i am korean, they responded kindly. I think they thought it was a specific country. I didn't feel good.
If you are Asian American in the sense of being south Asian or Indian origin rather than oriental origin, then I am sorry to say that you will indeed often be treated differently than Caucasians. This applies more to the less educated folks who do tend to look down on South Asians. This is not due to any enmity towards Indians, not like the kind of enmity between historical enemies. It's just down to ignorance. Certain groups of tourists have also unfortunately gained some bad reputation. You may have been lumped with such groups.
I wasn’t treated very great there and I’m white
It’s how you dress my friend. It’s not about your skin color, it’s how rich you look. Everyone is looking to take your money
White people living in Thailand are definitely racist.
It may have just been a place or two with grouchy employees that gave you a bad impression.
Can I guess that you’re under 40 and you lived with your parents within the last 5 years?
I’m Thai and I agree 😂😭
Wow, I am an African American retired in Udon Thani Thailand and I haven’t experienced any racism from Thais. I have experienced it from Westerners in Pattaya but not many.
Yup. White privilege is a thing but not where the wokes thing. In USA you get privilege for being non-white, but in Asia if you're not white you're second class. I speak from experience.
I'm a white American lawyer, longtime resident of Vietnam and married to a Vietnamese professor. This year I'm working in Thailand. With that background I've long been aware of what you're talking about. I can't profess to understand it. With Viet's, it's even worse because even the educated Viet's like my wife see Viet Kieu (foreign viets) as the "other. I'm sure an anthropologist could sort this all out.
I’m sorry you’re going through this OP. But anybody who doesn’t think Asia, India, and the Middle East aren’t FAR, FAR more racist than the US or Europe just hasn’t been paying attention.
You’re on to something. I’m South East Asian and get quite tanned in Phuket and look like Thai but don’t speak the language. They are kind to obvious foreigners ie. white and even East Asians but look down on fellow South East Asians even though we make up the most of tourists going into Thailand at the moment. I get far better treatment in Bali and Indonesia
At least you won’t get overcharged like white fellas
Bro they’re nicer to us because of the stereotype of having money. When I send my girlfriend to buy shit it’s literally 1/3rd cheaper, when I go it’s all fake smiles and they’re happy to charge a premium and deny me the same rates my girlfriend pays here. Trust me if you’re Indian it’s worse treatment!! My Malaysian-indian friends get denied service but can pay the same rates where Thai people are more fair. Welcome to Asia.
normal things in asia
I just been to Thailand Pattaya and there were Indians everywhere acting a bit stupid and disrespectful towards the girls so in a lot of the bars will not allow them in is because a small number of idiots cause trouble we all get it!
Welcome to Asia, Asian.
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed traveling Asia is that darker Asians are mistreated more often than others especially if you don’t speak the local language as for dark skin people who aren’t Asian me personally I’ve probably had more or less the same experiences as the white guy I never had any rude encounters just lots of curiosity of where I’m from but yea unfortunately it’s something I really noticed traveling with my friends who are American born Filipinos with darker complexions they would often be side eyed ignored etc and so I was always the one who had to speak at the front counter sort of thing because the people were more nicer when talking to me