Want to hear my favorite Canadian joke? Here it is: Two Canadians, let’s call them Bob and Doug, are snowed in and bored. Bob says, “I’m bored, eh. Want to play a game?” “Doug says, “Sure, why not – how about 20 questions? I’ll go first.” So Doug thinks of something that Bob couldn’t possibly guess – moose cock. Bob says, “Okay, animal, vegetable or mineral…is it animal?” Ummm, yes it is.” “Is it bigger than a bread box?” “No, smaller than a bread box.” “Is it something you can eat?” “Hahaha, well, yes, I guess you could eat it if you had no other choice.” “Is it moose cock?” (Pause for laughter) Okay, maybe it’s not a great joke, but I like it for its pure stupidity, and it goes to show something interesting: us Canadians love making fun of ourselves. I was thinking about this over the past few days when a story a friend wrote blew up online, showing that Thais most definitely do not like people – even Thais – poking fun at Thailand.

The story in question – How to Be a Bangkok Local: Ten Tips on Faking It – has caused a huge uproar on the internets, shooting past 6,000 shares on Facebook in only two days, re-tweets coming fast and furious, a huge amount of discussion on Thai message boards, and a lively comment thread full of ignorance, abuse and reason in equal measures. Well, almost equal measures. Essentially the article is a lighthearted jab at some Bangkok stereotypes – office workers shielding themselves from 30 seconds of sun with their purses, standing in front of a BTS/elevator door and rushing in when it opens, ignoring problems instead of facing them head on to find solutions…that kind of thing. But from the reaction online you’d think it was an all-out assault on Thai culture. Some comments from the story, all (sic):

The author knows too much about Bangkok. This is a (hilarious) inside joke. Probably not fit for a tourist journal though.

I don’t understand why people have to take this seriously and get offended…..I mean I’m a Bangkokian my whole life and I find this pretty hilarious, 5555. Just chill out man.

The writer has really crab English. I wonder how he/she is employed as a journalist?!?

Hated this article… it isn’t funny at all… it is disgusting!!! you shoul apologize from the world’s friendly beautiful and amazing people of thailand.. shame on you.. the editor’s note isnt enough and means nothing to me!!!

Well, some of the things are true but Im sure that nt everyone in Bangkok are like that. I guess the author doesnt know the city well enough.

Of course the author – whose name has been taken off the article, so I won’t repeat it here – is a good friend of mine, a Thai who was born and raised here and is certainly as Thai as any of the commenters, but maybe that was lost on some.

Somehow failed to line these up properly.

Somehow failed to line these up properly.

Now, humor isn’t an easily defined thing – one man’s Monty Python will be another man’s Bio-Dome – and many Thais reading the story are obviously not native English speakers, so I can see where some of the subtler undertones of sarcasm, exaggeration and tongue-in-cheek-iness might be lost. But it does speak to the bigger issue, which is that Thais – some, not all – often have a very short fuse for being mocked, even light-heartedly.

I tried to explain this to a Thai friend during a chat session; their English is excellent, but they were also having a hard time understanding the shades of gray in the story:

Friend: What do farang think?

Greg: Generally people are saying that Thais don’t understand satire to well and should lighten up. It’s like no one is EVER allowed to poke fun at Thailand, not even Thais. Some Thais DO stand in the way of the elevator; they DO spend big money to look trendy, etc

Friend: Yes, but Thais are not so open.

Greg: So the problem isn’t that it’s true…the problem is that someone wrote about it?

Friend: Well, the majority of people don’t do those things.

Greg: You’re right, but that’s also why it’s funny, it’s an over-generalization. Like me joking that Canadian’s are all lumberjacks, or that all Russians drink vodka or all Americans are violent, or all Australians are criminals. Of course they aren’t true for everybody, but they form the basis for many jokes and funny stories. Because Canada DOES have lots of lumberjacks; Russians DO drink a lot of vodka; America IS violent; Australia WAS founded as a penal colony. You’d have to be mental to think these rules applied to everyone, but but the fact that’s it’s exaggerated makes it funny. It’s a funny form of satire, but when people are leaving comments like the author isn’t a real Thai and things like that, that’s just ignorant and small-minded.

Of course, Thais generally have a wonderful sense of humor – Thai variety televisions shows notwithstanding – but I’d be a moron if I claimed to have some magic insight into it. The first time someone made a fat joke about me right in front of my face was a bit of a shock, but that’s Thai humor, and it took me a while to figure out a tiny part of it. I imagine that just like the story that got everyone riled up, Thai humor has its subtle undertones and shades of gray too…but I wonder if a similar story in a Canadian paper about Canadians would get a similar reaction? Maybe only if moose cock was involved.

Pictured: Hosers in their natural environment.

Pictured: Hosers in their natural environment.