Thais, for all their smiling fame and naturally friendly nature, are actually pretty racist, an issue that is, like many things here, deeper and more complex than what you see on the surface. Actually, ‘racist’ isn’t the right word – perhaps ‘xenophobic’ better describes the general vibe. When I sit on the skytrain or subway with empty seats on either side of me and 40 people standing 2 feet away, I wouldn’t call that racist – but its definitely noticeable (although the guy who once literally walked up and down the car peering for empty seats before deciding to stand rather than sit beside me was slightly more obvious). At any rate, the constraints of political correctness are generally ignored, which often leads to some double-takes – such as Black Man cleaning products.
I first saw Black Man mops, brooms, dustpans and sponges in the local Villa supermarket, but have since seen them everywhere, from village flea markets to upscale mega-malls. At first you think “No, that can’t be right…” but when you see the logo – a smiling black man – and consider that there are no Black Man noodles or Black Man cameras, it becomes pretty clear.
Things you won’t find in Harlem.
On top of that, you have Darlie toothpaste, which seems pretty harmless… until you know its history. A quick search online will bring up a nice little picture where you can see the progression of the brand as they slowly came around to a more politically correct marketing approach. Unlike Black Man, who have stood tall and proud of their racial obliviousness.
Al Jolson likeness purely coincidental.
And while we’re on the subject, how about this photo from the Bangkok immigration office displaying the YES and NO ways to dress if you want to get some respect. The guy on the left has dark skin and is clearly a slob; the guy on the right has the more preferred Chinese/light skin tone, and is clearly a doctor or some other highfalutin’ aristocrat.
Guy on left: No Soup For You!
Or how about this unbelievably hard to understand Thai commercial that’s either directed by a true artiste, or mind-blowingly un-PC:
But still, this being Thailand, none of this is done with any venom and the descrimination is mostly out of a lack of exposure to the wide world, not deep-rooted hatred of other races, which I guess is a good thing. There are rarely any crimes commited against people based on their race, and jokes that poke fun at someone’s skin tone or racial stereotype are just that – jokes, and not to be taken seriously (often a nice change from the overly-protective attitude back home, where a slip of the tongue might get you a visit from the ACLU). I’m just waiting for the day that they offer vanilla flavoured Cracker Crackers – now that would be a day when we’re all truly equal.
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