News Forum - US YouTubers face backlash after ‘uneducated Thai & Filipina women’ slur

[Marc26]

21 hours ago, Highlandman said:

Although I am now fluent in Thai and have no need to use English in Thailand, I agree. English is everywhere in Thailand. On highway signs throughout the country, on billboards and advertisements and on most restaurant menus. Even in multilingual Europe, it amazes me how few restaurants have a bilingual or English language menu. In Thailand, it comes standard. Europe has as many if not more foreigners traveling around, so the lack of an English menu say in Denmark, a country where many residents speak English quite well is quite offensive. Do they expect Germans, Dutchmen, Poles all to understand Danish? 

Other SE Asian countries are similar. You have English language menus, highway signs (though in Malaysia, most signs are only in Malay, probably due to anti-colonial, pro Malay policies) though Thailand has probably gone further than its neighbors in this respect. Even in former British colony Burma, now known as Myanmar, you rarely see English in the countryside either on restaurant menus or highway signs. It's like the military has deliberately tried to distance itself from any vestiges of its former colonial master, in many cases to the detriment of society. Meaning that in rural Myanmar, English language proficiency is probably worse than in rural Thailand. However, despite being held back by the military, you will probably be able to find an English speaker in Myanmar with similar ease to Thailand..meaning someone will be found to help you if it becomes necessary.

So yeah even if Thai English proficiency on the whole isn't great and many Thais speak only "pidgin English", you could be stranded in nakorn nowhere and easily find an English speaker to help you out, if needed. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are similar. 

It's a lot more difficult to get by with English in Japan, Korea and China. Forget about Latin America from what I have heard, no one speaks anything other than Spanish (or Portuguese in Brazil). It's like they're deliberately trying not to speak English in those countries. Mexico is better due to the influx of Americans and Canadians though.

The funny thing about Latin America is I don't look like a local in Central America 

 

But in South America so many of them look like me!

So people just blurt out Spanish 

 

And yes, English is almost non-existent in many places 

 

I wanted to get a sim card in the middle of Medellin

At a big mall

Not one person spoke English 

 

You could get that done in Nakhon Nowhere in Thailand 

[Marc26]

13 hours ago, Soidog said:

Even funnier is all Americans don’t speak English well

I lost "R's" completely 555

[Nace]

All this is going to do is create a bigger influx of Americans looking for wives. What’s never mentioned by all these women are the female sexpat spots in Africa and South America these women flock to just for sex. The backlash in the US at least has been loud, harsh and swift! These women didn’t help their cause one bit. They just proved the point. 

[Nace]

On 2/10/2023 at 11:58 AM, Grumpish said:

I have to agree on the poor Thai language skills, but that is everyone - even in the tourist oriented section of the hospitality sector English language skills are often very poor. Quite the opposite to the Philippines, where English is widely and generally well spoken.

Everything else - utter bollux.

My college educated Thai wife speaks English better than any of those Super Sized Donut Boxes insulting her. Not to mention she speaks 2 other languages. When the loudmouths can insult her properly in Thai let me know! Lol

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

15 hours ago, palooka said:

went to Uni has 2 degrees and fails interviews

Let’s guess, degrees in HR and Social Work? Definitely wouldn’t have been English Lit.

[Nace]

On 2/10/2023 at 3:51 PM, robsamui said:

Speaking generally, Thai English skills are almost non-existant, although that is beginning to improve as increasing more people move from rural areas towards the cities, where they hear English being spoken.

Unfortunately, as the vast majority of teachers of English in Thai schools are semi-literate themselves, it's a case of one-eyed teachers leading the blind.

The majority of  students nationally don't want to make the effort to learn English, still believing that it is of no use to them - particularly now, with translation apps so readily to hand on their phones.

Those who do make the effort, manage to pick up a working knowledge of basic English quite quickly. But it's rough, crude and sounds 'pidgin' compared to those nations which use English as their second language. 

Much as Thailand desperately wants to be thought of as a modern, advanced, nation, it'll remain on the back burner internationally, due to not only its stubbon Nationalistic pride, but also its frequently hilarious pantomime-style politics.

Uhhhh have you seen Joe Biden and the democrats? Thai politics seems pretty tame compared to that clown show! Lol

[Nace]

On 2/11/2023 at 8:52 AM, Highlandman said:

Although I am now fluent in Thai and have no need to use English in Thailand, I agree. English is everywhere in Thailand. On highway signs throughout the country, on billboards and advertisements and on most restaurant menus. Even in multilingual Europe, it amazes me how few restaurants have a bilingual or English language menu. In Thailand, it comes standard. Europe has as many if not more foreigners traveling around, so the lack of an English menu say in Denmark, a country where many residents speak English quite well is quite offensive. Do they expect Germans, Dutchmen, Poles all to understand Danish? 

Other SE Asian countries are similar. You have English language menus, highway signs (though in Malaysia, most signs are only in Malay, probably due to anti-colonial, pro Malay policies) though Thailand has probably gone further than its neighbors in this respect. Even in former British colony Burma, now known as Myanmar, you rarely see English in the countryside either on restaurant menus or highway signs. It's like the military has deliberately tried to distance itself from any vestiges of its former colonial master, in many cases to the detriment of society. Meaning that in rural Myanmar, English language proficiency is probably worse than in rural Thailand. However, despite being held back by the military, you will probably be able to find an English speaker in Myanmar with similar ease to Thailand..meaning someone will be found to help you if it becomes necessary.

So yeah even if Thai English proficiency on the whole isn't great and many Thais speak only "pidgin English", you could be stranded in nakorn nowhere and easily find an English speaker to help you out, if needed. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are similar. 

It's a lot more difficult to get by with English in Japan, Korea and China. Forget about Latin America from what I have heard, no one speaks anything other than Spanish (or Portuguese in Brazil). It's like they're deliberately trying not to speak English in those countries. Mexico is better due to the influx of Americans and Canadians though.

I had a vacation home in an American dominated area of Mexico just south of the Arizona border for many years. I can categorically say the Thais are far ahead on their English skills. 

[Soidog]

42 minutes ago, Nace said:

I had a vacation home in an American dominated area of Mexico just south of the Arizona border for many years. I can categorically say the Thais are far ahead on their English skills. 

So is Mexico the aspirational benchmark then for Thailand and the ability of its people to speak the language of international business? 
 

I have no issue with the language skills as such in Thailand. Unless in rural parts and generally with the older populations, you can at least get by. The only issue I have is when you call one of the large corporations such as a Bank or Mobile carrier and select the “English” options, you often still struggle with the pronunciation. Why not just employ some people who’s native language is English?  Oh of course, no, it’s not allowed! 

[Craig]

I would have been angered by this years ago but having retired here now, I agree. 

[JohninDublin]

On 2/10/2023 at 11:58 AM, Grumpish said:

I have to agree on the poor Thai language skills, but that is everyone - even in the tourist oriented section of the hospitality sector English language skills are often very poor. Quite the opposite to the Philippines, where English is widely and generally well spoken.

Everything else - utter bollux.

I am reminded of the following joke quote:

If a man speaks many languages, he is multi-lingual

If a man speaks two languages, he is bi-lingual. 

If he speaks one language, he is English or French.

If he speaks half a language, he is American.

Seriously though, why should it be a subject for discussion about the uneducated status of most of these countries? They are all poor countries relatively speaking. Being uneducated does not necessarily equate with lack of intelligence.

I notice that the countries cited are all part of the world tour for sex-tourism. I'm wondering if the real agenda here is along the lines of "These women may well be far more desirable than I, but at least I can speak English".