Racist signs in Thailand
Juston Payne sent us a couple of photos reminiscent of the racist Japanese signs I posted yesterday.
The one on the left says "OUT SIDE PEOPLE CAN NOT GO UPSTAIRS." The one on the right, from the Wild Orchid Villa in Bangkok, says "NO! Thai people permitted into this guesthouse rooms."
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It seems to go without saying that outside people can't go upstairs. Then they would be inside! Of course, maybe it's some sort of roof patio.
The first one is actually a PSA - you see, in Thailand, "Out Side People" is the slang term Thai people use to describe Daleks. And as we all know, Out Side People (read: Daleks) CAN NOT GO UPSTAIRS.
Betcha the Doctor has one of these posted in the Tardis.
you realize what the second sign is trying to accomplish?
hookers bringing tricks back.
there was a cool place called The Mouse in Bangkok, that all the peace corp kids would stay at. I remember seeing similar signs like this ...
less racist, and more whore-ish ...
Is this racism or is it ethnic bigotry? Either way it's a shame.
rac·ism
a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
www.dictionary.com
I think you will find that these are anti-prostitution measures. For the first sign I'm guessing they mean "non-guests" as opposed to people form outside the country. In a country with Thailand's reputation if a foreigner takes a Thai to their hotel room it will usually be for one thing only.
I went hill-trekking in Thailand last summer, our party all slept in one dormitory in the hill villages, but our local guide had to sleep in another room. I don't know if this was because of Thai Tourist Police rules, or just the tour company covering itself.
I was just in Thailand and I saw these signs in a few places, especially Bangkok. They are definitly concerned with keeping prostitutes out of visitor's rooms and have nothing to do with rascism.
The inclusion of the exclamation mark in the second image suggests the possibility of the adamant denial of racism. Perhaps as an exasperated response to a too often asked question:
"Are Thai people banned from these guesthouse rooms?"
"NO! Thai people permitted into this guesthouse rooms."
Re #2
"ED-209 people can not go downstairs"
yeah, this isn't racist ... it's just preventing hookers from coming back to guest houses to bang travelers. as they do. often.
to the people insisting that this isn't racist because it's supposed to prevent prostitution:
regardless of whether prostitution is a problem, the signs make the assumption that all thai people going into the guesthouse are of ill repute, which is not necessarily true.
when i traveled around by myself in china last summer, i encountered a similar attitude from the maintenance staff of hostels although there were no explicit signs. i was a single female traveler of east asian ethnicity, and i was often stopped by the staff doing things that other travelers were allowed to freely do.
for example, one night, i was coming back late with a (western) friend. the night watch guy stopped me and was very rude to me even after i told him that i was a guest and which room i was staying in. when i was leaving that hostel, they wouldn't let me get all my bags at first because they just assumed that i was stealing the valuables of westerners.
it is not racism to discriminate against poor people
@#10
I don't know if people in East Asia are more submissive than the Indian Sub-Continent, but if any hotel tried that in India, Indians will beat the shit out of them. Of course, we excel at other kinds of bigotry! :)
@10 XIAOSQUARED
Glad to see people can be racist against their own race.
What if it were a male visitor or a business colleague you were bringing to your guest house.
Then it is not a matter of prostitution - it is social
That is where the unfairness lies
Perhaps the managers would look the other way on those occasions because it would be bad for business
it's sexist to imply there are no male prostitutes
"Glad to see people can be racist against their own race."
I take it you're not familiar with Affirmative Action?
@15
There are quite a few male prostitutes in Thailand. And quite of few of them look like female prostitutes in all but the last few details.
Google "Kathoey" for the term somewhat unique to Thailand. Not all Kathoey are hookers, of course, but there are quite a few hookers who are Kathoey.
not the point
Now that our angry superhero knows about such injustice in Thailand, he should go there and save our world from racism.
Or
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
ah, you mean the Chinese in Tibet should behave as Tibetans, instead of raiding savages? Quite.
Oh for FSM's sake!
The signs are very common in guest houses intended for farang. That would be you and me. As in, NOT Thai people. They would never stay in such a crazy place. Or visit you in one for that matter... unless it were for, ummm, "business". Hence the signs.
They are in no way racist, and to suggest so is not only ridiculous but displays a complete ignorance of Thai social conventions.
They are pretty much strictly for the benefit of farang to let them know that the operators of the guesthouse would rather not have it turn into some type of brothel or opium den. Sadly, that's what those crazy farang seem to do when carousing about in Bangkok... hook up with bar girls, prostitutes, smoke dope, and generally make a nuisance of themselves with no sense of propriety whatsoever.
Case in point: Thanon Kaosan
Fortunately Thais are on the whole very astute about such things and can differentiate easily between the social classes that exist in their country. You may have noticed that they don't tend to take things too literally, so neither should you.
Of course the signs also serve as a warning to let potential thieves, drug dealers and such know they are not welcome and in this sense they are there to protect you -- the "backpacking" farang ignorant of Thai social customs.
Ungrateful hooligans.
Hi,
My (Thai/Australian) wife just translated the first sign as "no members of the public allowed inside".. well at first she also said "no outside people allowed in" as the literal translation, but it's meaing is along the lines of no random members of the public, i.e. this is a private space.
On that note we did cop some discrimination trying to find rooms to stay on Khao Sarn rd in the past.. now we stay elsewhere in Bangkok away from the backpacker ghettos.
"Glad to see people can be racist against their own race."
This really isn't a case of racism, as the statement above sort of points out along with my initial post regarding it's definition. Anthropologically speaking, Asia is primarily made up of people of "mongolian" descent, so this is more ethnic insensitivity and bigotry. A case in point: people often use the term racism when describing attrocities against Jews and/or Arabs; neither are a race by definition, as anthropologically (again) they are both descendents of causasoids.
Racism was at one time alive and well and the root of slavery starting in the early 1700s, mainly in the Americas (implimented by the then commerce focused Dutch). Eventually it became more focused in the American South, where slavery was exploited to benefit the agrarian economy, but racism still existed up north in spite of the North's efforts and successes in abolition. The primarily caucasoidal people back then would and tended to see people of African descent to be inferior and often used the Old Testament to justify their actions:
So anyhoo, sorry to come across as long winded, but I tought there might need to be some clarification.
It's just the owner's way of saying that he's not running the kind of place where it's okay to bring prostitutes.
That's all. It's not mean spirited.
This is a different world over here. Our western templates can not be used to understand what is going on. I have been here one year and I am still confused.
In many ways, in spite of its reputation, Thailand is a very old-fashioned place sexually. For instance pornography is not legal. I just finished watching "Shoot'em Up" and all of the breasts were blacked-out.
When I use my neighbor's toaster, she always leaves the front door open.
When the lady comes to get my laundry, she always brings one of the property's attendants.
When I spend time alone with a colleague in her apartment, I am warned to not mention this to the other co-workers because of social implications.
It is also very common for Thai girls to bring friends on the first few dates.
I could go on, but the point is that when a proprietor says no Thai in the bedroom, they are simply making an effort to maintain a traditional Thai environment, and no way, no how would a Thai person not understand the intent.
BOInGBOING YOU FAIL AGAIN