you didn't phrase your friend's experience with being black in thailand very well lol this:
People weren’t looking at me any more than they looked at any other farang, and though my students find random pictures of black guys and say “Teechaaa! It’s you!” and the people at the store call me Obama (which, to be fair, I’ve encouraged), those are about as harmless as racism can get and way more harmless than some of the “black jokes” I’ve gotten in the States. No one has asked if it is hotter for me during the summer or asked to feel my hair or any of the other things black people suffer.
I was having lunch with my school coordinator, who is a Godsend, btw, when I think I got a glimpse into the Thai psyche that explained why. We started talking about Muay Thai, which, of course, led to talking about Buakaw. Buakaw is revered amongst Muay Thai fans as an all around beast and basically the best kickboxer on earth. Youtube him and you’ll be able to see him wreck some very, very capable men.
Anyway, we were talking about Buakaw when she mentioned that Buakaw is his nickname, not his real one. This was before I knew all Thai people went by nicknames, so I was surprised. “Oh. What does it mean?” I asked, while riding a unicycle and juggling fiery chainsaws (I figured all this serious talk is getting boring for you dear readers).
She then explained that “Buakaw” means “White Lotus” and that it is a bit of a joke, given that his skin is really dark.
“He has dark skin, like you,” she said.
This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but I felt really…accepted? Comforted? I don’t know exactly what it was, but I had a good feeling in my chest when I heard her say that. In America, skin color is inseparable from race (for most). The idea that an Asian man could have skin “like me” had never crossed my mind. And the fact that this was a man who is an idol for Thai boys, respected by Thai elders and adults, among the most internationally famous and recognizable Thai people, and, most importantly, praised just as much for his discipline, skill, intelligence and demeanor as he is for his athletic accomplishments really meant a lot to me. All my wariness and confusion evaporated and I would’ve seriously hugged her if it wouldn’t have been odd and uncomfortable. I don’t think she understood how big of an impact her words had on me.
is a far cry from:
every day he has students (we'te teaching him) bringing him pictures of random black people and laughing and saying the people in those pictures are my friend. children and adults alike joke with him and call him 'obama.'
i mean you should've focused more on the comparison between him and buckaw instead of random people bringing up pictures of black people and saying that they're him and calling him obama because anons are certain to get pressed over it
i think i referenced that in particular because it is exactly what people would find the most offensive, but he's found a way to look at it in a different way. i mean, he does experience those things, but he's found a unique way to understand it. i should've focused more on that understanding than the offensive side of things, but i kinda just got home from being mobbed by thai thirteen year olds so you'll have to forgive me haha.
Re: a story about asia and skin color
(Anonymous) 2012-12-19 09:29 am (UTC)(link)People weren’t looking at me any more than they looked at any other farang, and though my students find random pictures of black guys and say “Teechaaa! It’s you!” and the people at the store call me Obama (which, to be fair, I’ve encouraged), those are about as harmless as racism can get and way more harmless than some of the “black jokes” I’ve gotten in the States. No one has asked if it is hotter for me during the summer or asked to feel my hair or any of the other things black people suffer.
I was having lunch with my school coordinator, who is a Godsend, btw, when I think I got a glimpse into the Thai psyche that explained why. We started talking about Muay Thai, which, of course, led to talking about Buakaw. Buakaw is revered amongst Muay Thai fans as an all around beast and basically the best kickboxer on earth. Youtube him and you’ll be able to see him wreck some very, very capable men.
Anyway, we were talking about Buakaw when she mentioned that Buakaw is his nickname, not his real one. This was before I knew all Thai people went by nicknames, so I was surprised. “Oh. What does it mean?” I asked, while riding a unicycle and juggling fiery chainsaws (I figured all this serious talk is getting boring for you dear readers).
She then explained that “Buakaw” means “White Lotus” and that it is a bit of a joke, given that his skin is really dark.
“He has dark skin, like you,” she said.
This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but I felt really…accepted? Comforted? I don’t know exactly what it was, but I had a good feeling in my chest when I heard her say that. In America, skin color is inseparable from race (for most). The idea that an Asian man could have skin “like me” had never crossed my mind. And the fact that this was a man who is an idol for Thai boys, respected by Thai elders and adults, among the most internationally famous and recognizable Thai people, and, most importantly, praised just as much for his discipline, skill, intelligence and demeanor as he is for his athletic accomplishments really meant a lot to me. All my wariness and confusion evaporated and I would’ve seriously hugged her if it wouldn’t have been odd and uncomfortable. I don’t think she understood how big of an impact her words had on me.
is a far cry from:
every day he has students (we'te teaching him) bringing him pictures of random black people and laughing and saying the people in those pictures are my friend. children and adults alike joke with him and call him 'obama.'
Re: a story about asia and skin color
(Anonymous) 2012-12-19 09:30 am (UTC)(link)Re: a story about asia and skin color
(Anonymous) 2012-12-19 09:31 am (UTC)(link)and someone already has ^
Re: a story about asia and skin color
(Anonymous) 2012-12-19 09:33 am (UTC)(link)