News Forum - British man recounts shocking encounter with racist Russians in Phuket

[Khunmark]

1 hour ago, TWS60 said:

Tracked down the post on Reddit. 

Small details inadvertently omitted by Thaiger help fill in a few minor gaps.

The comment section below the post on Reddit, is interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/phuket/comments/16xx1cd/im_black_british_guy_with_a_thai_wife_ive_been/

Judging by the comments there seems to be two types of Russian tourists; short term big spending, draft dodgers with attitude and long term, modest, circumspect types. Which is hardly surprising.

[Karolyn]

1 hour ago, TWS60 said:

It's also "legal" in Florida, USA., but I wouldn't recommend walking down the street with a rainbow t-shirt on too far outside certain cities or you just might get lynched by retarded Russians, er I mean, red necks.  Same Same.   

You serious? 

[TWS60]

29 minutes ago, Karolyn said:

You serious? 

Yes, unfortunately.  The legislation passed there, and in Russia, is an unmistakable wink and nod for ignorant knuckleheads to bash the queers.   I alluded to that in my comment.  The part you cut out when quoting me here. 

Quote

Russia's nationalistic and ethnocentric shift under Putin the past 10 or so years isn't a closely held secret.  Putin's quite vocal about it in public, so not sure why you got so triggered.   Trump and the Jesus loving MAGA gaggle can only blush with envy at the legislation passed by the Duma in recent years. 

 

[Guest1]

5 hours ago, TWS60 said:

Exactly.  You mean the Russians, right? 

Have you ever thought about, visiting a Thai-Thai pub, asking there for playing YOUR playlist, if a bigger number of locals are there?

Or trying to do that in Nashville, asking for hip hop or such, while in a country bar?

[TWS60]

4 minutes ago, Guest1 said:

Have you ever thought about, visiting a Thai-Thai pub, asking there for playing YOUR playlist, if a bigger number of locals are there?

Or trying to do that in Nashville, asking for hip hop or such, while in a country bar?

No.  That's not what happened here.   

Personally, I wouldn't have confronted the Russians in this scenario.  Not in Phuket.  Especially right now.  You never know who you're dealing with.  I get the impression this Brit had years of easy going holidays in Phuket but didn't get the memo about what he was in for this time.  Lucky the manager and his wife got him to leave.  It could have ended very differently for him. 

[Marc26]

I don't know

 

If I walk into a restaurant that has only Russian music and I am the only one that wants my music on

 

I'm not making a big deal of demanding my music be played

 

 

 

[BigHewer]

25 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I don't know

If I walk into a restaurant that has only Russian music and I am the only one that wants my music on

I'm not making a big deal of demanding my music be played

Spot on. From the article:

On Reddit, many users expressed sympathy for the British man’s ordeal, with some even making allegations of disrespect, rudeness, ignorance, and loudness against Russian people. Conversely, some defended the Russian group, contending that it was unfair to impose his playlist on other restaurant patrons and that he should not have requested them to complete it.

Sure, there’s no condoning the racism post-escalation, but seriously, what an arrogant dipstick. Expects the whole restaurant to listen to his music, provokes a response and then goes online to post his outrage.

Some people just have very poor judgement.

[TWS60]

2 hours ago, BigHewer said:

Spot on. From the article:

On Reddit, many users expressed sympathy for the British man’s ordeal, with some even making allegations of disrespect, rudeness, ignorance, and loudness against Russian people. Conversely, some defended the Russian group, contending that it was unfair to impose his playlist on other restaurant patrons and that he should not have requested them to complete it.

Sure, there’s no condoning the racism post-escalation, but seriously, what an arrogant dipstick. Expects the whole restaurant to listen to his music, provokes a response and then goes online to post his outrage.

Some people just have very poor judgement.

Agreed.  If I rocked up to a bar where Russians were camped out, playing their music, I wouldn't demand a change.  I would keep on moving down the road.    

That's not what happened here. It was the other way around. This Brit fella was there alone with his wife.  Just them.  Chillin', playing his tunes.  Life is good.

Russians showed up.  He trred to stand up for himself and they went straight to racist BS and told him to fk off.  What would you do? 

Me personally, I would let it go and bail, because I'm vaguely aware Russia has aborted all sort of people like Cuba did to Florida.  All sorts of fktards have rocked up to Phuket.  It's a place I will avoid for now.  He obviously didn't get the memo.

[BigHewer]

3 hours ago, TWS60 said:

Me personally, I would let it go and bail, because I'm vaguely aware Russia has aborted all sort of people like Cuba did to Florida.  All sorts of fktards have rocked up to Phuket.  It's a place I will avoid for now.  He obviously didn't get the memo.

You do make some good points here. It’s really no big deal. There are some missing details though from the story I’m curious about.

1. How many more songs did he have to play and how many had he played so far?
2. Had he arranged with the owner to go through his entire playlist?

3. What kind of music was it? 

4. How much money was he spending compared to the group that had just come in?

I’m trying to come up with a set of variables whereby the British fellow is sound of mind, but I’m struggling.

 

[ChicagoExpat]

12 hours ago, Karolyn said:

You serious? 

You are either incredibly low-information, or being purposefully obtuse.  It's literally illegal to publicly portray a same-sex relationship there.

 

"Individuals who spread or attempt to distribute what the bill calls 'LGBT propaganda' will be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,600). Legal entities can be fined up to 5 million rubles ($82,100). Foreigners can be arrested for up to 15 days or deported, according to the bill."

[Marc26]

8 hours ago, TWS60 said:

Agreed.  If I rocked up to a bar where Russians were camped out, playing their music, I wouldn't demand a change.  I would keep on moving down the road.    

That's not what happened here. It was the other way around. This Brit fella was there alone with his wife.  Just them.  Chillin', playing his tunes.  Life is good.

Russians showed up.  He trred to stand up for himself and they went straight to racist BS and told him to fk off.  What would you do? 

Me personally, I would let it go and bail, because I'm vaguely aware Russia has aborted all sort of people like Cuba did to Florida.  All sorts of fktards have rocked up to Phuket.  It's a place I will avoid for now.  He obviously didn't get the memo.

There will never be a time in my life that I walk into bar and demand they play my music 

 

And I love music and love to have a good time 

 

I'm in NYC right now

Meeting a client in Newark NJ Friday night 

 

I'm pretty sure we will be the only white people in anywhere we go

 

Whatever music they want to play is what I'm gonna have a good time to

[TWS60]

4 hours ago, Marc26 said:

There will never be a time in my life that I walk into bar and demand they play my music 

And I love music and love to have a good time 

I'm in NYC right now

Meeting a client in Newark NJ Friday night 

I'm pretty sure we will be the only white people in anywhere we go

Whatever music they want to play is what I'm gonna have a good time to

Roger that, me either.  But that's not what happened here.  "Demand" is a mischaracterization.

 

[Karolyn]

6 hours ago, ChicagoExpat said:

You are either incredibly low-information, or being purposefully obtuse.  It's literally illegal to publicly portray a same-sex relationship there.

"Individuals who spread or attempt to distribute what the bill calls 'LGBT propaganda' will be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,600). Legal entities can be fined up to 5 million rubles ($82,100). Foreigners can be arrested for up to 15 days or deported, according to the bill."

None of which violates pribacy rights, nor constitutes a oersecution, for essential characteristics. You can be an active homosexual, without proselytising the act.

[Wackamole]

urgh. Looking at the original post on Reddit, the way the Thaiger recounted the story seems to intentionally skew towards making the guy look like more of a whiny self-absorbed idiot than in actuality. Maybe trying to throw a few bones to some deplorables in the crowd here? Sure got a bunch of them excited.

[ChicagoExpat]

19 minutes ago, Karolyn said:

None of which violates pribacy rights, nor constitutes a oersecution, for essential characteristics. You can be an active homosexual, without proselytising the act.

Karolyn, the law doesn't exist in a vacuum.  While gays aren't being hunted down and thrown off buildings as in some places, you'd better believe that if you let your gayness be known you WILL face active discrimination and there IS a good chance a drunk (or even not so drunk) Russian will take a swing at you.

[HolyCowCm]

Just depends on the situation. I think I know what place he is taling about, and it has a big Russian clientel and weird feeling. I did not even concider eating or drinking in this place if it is the one on a kitty corner that over looks the beach and water. If he didn't pay anything for the tunes then he should not be upset as long as he got to listen to 2 or 3 of them. Life isn't always our oyster, and I for one would care less unless the Russian's had an heir of BS attitude as they walked in from the get go. But in any case I am smart enough to walk out and wash my hands of it. Big deal.

[HolyCowCm]

Besides, I like almost all music and can easily adapt. Noise level maybe the pressure point on me if not the righ level at the right time.

[TSS]

of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world, you had to walk into theirs 

[Karolyn]

45 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

Karolyn, the law doesn't exist in a vacuum.  While gays aren't being hunted down and thrown off buildings as in some places, you'd better believe that if you let your gayness be known you WILL face active discrimination and there IS a good chance a drunk (or even not so drunk) Russian will take a swing at you.

That assumption is racism, or at least Russophobia. Not all Rissians hate homosexuals. 

[TWS60]

21 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

Karolyn, the law doesn't exist in a vacuum.  While gays aren't being hunted down and thrown off buildings as in some places, you'd better believe that if you let your gayness be known you WILL face active discrimination and there IS a good chance a drunk (or even not so drunk) Russian will take a swing at you.

It's illegal by extension.  Reminds me of Bill Clinton's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for the US Military, which I thought was a reasonable middle ground compared to having lone gay guys getting attacked and severely beaten by gangs of Ronald Reagan conservative soldiers helping him make america great again.

Don't Ask Don't Tell was an improvement but still a slippery slope exploited by the religious nutters associated with the conservative bowel movement.  Putin intentionally reinserted the church/religion as a ruling body over Russia and Russians, whether they like it or not.   Putin's not fooling anyone with his gay polices. 

[TWS60]

13 minutes ago, Karolyn said:

That assumption is racism, or at least Russophobia. Not all Rissians hate homosexuals. 

A fair assumption is folks who go straight to "Go home Ni**er" are very likely to have strong, possibly violent, tendencies toward gays and transgenders.  Birds of a Feather. 

Putin dances in the daisies with it, but he's not fooling anyone.

[Rookiescot]

10 minutes ago, TWS60 said:

It's illegal by extension.  Reminds me of Bill Clinton's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for the US Military, which I thought was a reasonable middle ground compared to having lone gay guys getting attacked and severely beaten by gangs of Ronald Reagan conservative soldiers helping him make america great again.

Don't Ask Don't Tell was an improvement but still a slippery slope exploited by the religious nutters associated with the conservative bowel movement.  Putin intentionally reinserted the church/religion as a ruling body over Russia and Russians, whether they like it or not.   Putin's not fooling anyone with his gay polices. 

I suspect Putin doth protest too much.

[TWS60]

14 minutes ago, Karolyn said:

That assumption is racism, or at least Russophobia. Not all Rissians hate homosexuals. 

It's not an unreasonable assumption that people who go straight to racist insults and tropes, such as the Russians in this case, have negative, possibly violent, tendencies toward gays and transgenders.  Birds of a Feather. 

Putin dances around it a bit with this slippery slope gay policies, but he's not fooling anyone.  The people who idolize Putin, and I don't just mean Russians in Russia, all know EXACTLY what he thinks and means.  Same way Trump operates.  Wink wink.  Nod Nod.

[Karolyn]

2 minutes ago, TWS60 said:

It's not an unreasonable assumption that people who go straight to racist insults and tropes, such as the Russians in this case, have negative, possibly violent, tendencies toward gays and transgenders.  Birds of a Feather. 

Putin dances around it a bit with this slippery slope gay policies, but he's not fooling anyone.  The people who idolize Putin, and I don't just mean Russians in Russia, all know EXACTLY what he thinks and means.  Same way Trump operates.  Wink wink.  Nod Nod.

So insults = violence.

[TWS60]

1 hour ago, Wackamole said:

urgh. Looking at the original post on Reddit, the way the Thaiger recounted the story seems to intentionally skew towards making the guy look like more of a whiny self-absorbed idiot than in actuality. Maybe trying to throw a few bones to some deplorables in the crowd here? Sure got a bunch of them excited.

Finally!  Yes.  Feels like the pervasive binary brain cancer.  No nuance.  No middle ground.  Black or White.  Right or Wrong.  Good or Bad.  IMO, both parties had a share in being wrong here.  The Russians were the most offensive is all.