Posted 2009-04-30 18:11:31
The purpose of this thread is to monitor any incidents of phobia against Americans, Mexicans, Mexican related businesses (restaurants) in Thailand in reaction to the H1N1 flu virus.
As we know Thailand is not the most scientifically rational country on the planet. We already see evidence of this in the taxi driver mask program. There was a report in Pai of foreign bikers being stopped by cops in masks to ask about their infection status. And this is only the beginning.
Given that the USA is a neighbor of Mexico and has tens of millions of Mexican residents, and is the second major country to be hit with a major number of infections, I predict Americans in Thailand will start to experience phobic reactions from Thais. Of course Mexicans here are probably already experiencing this, but there are only a small number of Mexicans in Thailand.
This is the place to report these incidents if they do indeed occur.
Viva Mexico! "So far from God, so close to the United States."
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Edited by Jingthing, 2009-04-30 18:16:45.
Posted 2009-04-30 19:27:30
Interesting concept. And not beyond reason considering LOS logic.
Guess I will practice my British accent a bit more LOL.
Posted 2009-05-01 06:54:29
How many Mexicans actually make their home in Thailand? Why would they move here when they can get the same thing at home? How do you expect anyone to identify a Mexican? Do you think the typical Thai can differentiate between a Columbian dialect of spanish vs the dialect spoken in Baja? If you look at a few spanish speakers can you figure out who is from Chile or Mexico or Panama or Paraguay? How many Thais even know where these places are on a map? You do realize that alot of Thais cannot differentiate between a German and a Swede anymore than a lot of Europeans can differentiate between an Iranian and a Syrian.
You really are being silly here.
Posted 2009-05-01 10:04:21
Quote You really are being silly here.
Read the thread. It is mostly about AMERICANS because there are few Mexicans here. Thais ask where you come from. Most of us Americans TELL them. I am not being silly. I am concerned the Thais will be silly. So far the news from Bangkok with the flu spy line and the useless masks for non-Asian tourists supports my supposition.
Edited by Jingthing, 2009-05-01 10:22:10.
Posted 2009-05-01 11:24:31
 Jingthing, on 2009-05-01 10:04:21, said:
Quote You really are being silly here.
Read the thread. It is mostly about AMERICANS because there are few Mexicans here. Thais ask where you come from. Most of us Americans TELL them. I am not being silly. I am concerned the Thais will be silly. So far the news from Bangkok with the flu spy line and the useless masks for non-Asian tourists supports my supposition.
Ok, you are not being silly. You are demonstrating behaviour of someone that is paranoid. No one is running up to presumed Americans and pointing a dirty finger and saying "U 'merican, u bring flu death".
At this point the scanning at the airport is for public consumption. The only way to stop entry into Thailand of carriers is to seal the borders. That isn't going to happen. The reason masks might be distributed is to catch spray and phlegm from people that might sneeze or cough. I use the word might because the masks aren't being slapped on every visitor. The use of the mask is an accepted preventative procedure. I doubt anyone is being stopped ad hoc on the street to be checked for infections. If it was Pai, I'd expect any request made would have been a cover to check the foreigners for drugs.
Please take a deep breath and relax. No one is coming for you yet. And if they do, I'd expect them to do so for a different reason. You will be fine.
Posted 2009-05-01 11:31:58
It is a monitoring thread in case these incidents do happen. I do not appreciate your amateur pop psychology either.
BTW, you were WRONG about the Pai report, if we can believe the poster:
Quote We had pretty much strung out into separate groups, and some singles, riding at different speeds. At the police checkpoint, about 20km before Pai, my group of falangs was flagged to a stop by police wearing masks over their mouth and nose.
I was greeted by a very polite young Thai cop, who said "Hello, where do you come from?" I told him Chiang Mai and he said "No, I mean America, England,......?" To make a long story short, he asked if we had anyone from Mexico in our groups or if we had contact with any Mexican friends. After I assured him that we all lived in Chiang Mai and had not been out of the country recently we were sent on our way. I can't help but wonder what the next step would have been if we had "Yes, I just came from Mexico".
Edited by Jingthing, 2009-05-01 11:36:14.
Posted 2009-05-01 12:39:23
Have you been victimized before Jing?
I haven't.
Posted 2009-05-01 13:00:57
Texpat, on 2009-05-01 12:39:23, said: Have you been victimized before Jing?
I haven't.
The thread is not about victimization. It is about phobic behavior.
It is also about a phenom that is just STARTING here as the H1N1 virus has not yet even entered Thailand as far as we know.
No, I have not experienced any phobic behavior related to this topic as yet. As I said, this is a monitoring thread in case these types of incidents similar to the report from Pai do indeed occur.
BTW: I do hope it is OK with you if people start topics about things they have not personally experienced.
Edited by Jingthing, 2009-05-01 13:14:42.
Posted 2009-05-01 13:33:35
Last year around 36,000 people died from ordinary flu in the USA alone! People were not running round like headless chickens and there was no panic. All Of a sudden nobody is talking about the financial meltdown and we are all going to die of flu instead.  A guy from the WHO also said this morning on the BBC that scanners at airports and the wearing of face masks will do little if anything to prevent people catching the virus. Last year it was H5N5 we were going to die of then it was SARS. ??????
I for one will not be losing any sleep about this latest scare!
Edited by H2oDunc, 2009-05-01 13:34:04.
Posted 2009-05-01 13:40:02
Agreed, panic is not helpful. However, the H1N1 as a NEW virus (meaning people have no defense against it) has the potential to mutate into being a massive killer of healthy young people, completely unlike a normal flu season. I for one am happy the global health authorities are on the job working on this.
Edited by Jingthing, 2009-05-01 13:40:49.
Posted 2009-05-01 17:25:41
Well, it does happen--discrimination. I returned in early April--before the flu was reported. Since then I have two adult classes and they were pretty scared I could infect them. I know them well and they are nice people so I just kept my physical distance during classes. We did some reading and once they realized I had long since surpassed the incubation period everyone got relaxed.
In the meantime, it's back to telling everyone I am Canadian--just like I did for 8 years while Bush Jr. was president. Yes they have it there, but those people too ignorant to know I am not infected, are too ignorant to figure out they have it in Canada.
Oh well, this to will pass.
Posted 2009-05-01 17:57:04
Yeah Canada, that's in Europe, isn't it?
Thank you for your report. Not surprised at all.
Edited by Jingthing, 2009-05-01 17:57:42.
Posted 2009-05-01 19:52:03
Once it either spreads everywhere, dies down (or out--at least for a time), or they find a vaccination, then life will get back to 'normal' so to speak.
Posted 2009-05-01 20:02:11
Why is it that America blames Mexico for the epidemic just because the first case was reported there. The Americans even blame their earth quakes on some poor Mexican, by saying "it's that San Andreas fault".
Sorry I couldn't resist it.
Edited by coventry, 2009-05-01 20:07:00.
Posted 2009-05-01 20:06:29
Back in 2004, i went to Nepal for a month long trek in the middle of a civil war going on.
George W decided to back the wrong side (90% of the people were for the other side which eventually won)
So, there were "Yankee go Home" and "Down with American Imperialism" signs painted around the country here and there.
One of the first questions people from these countries ask is: "where you from?"
We learned to say "World Village" after a while. It kept them confused enough to not push for further questions (most of them)
Once, we had to explain where it was, we said it was in the Caribbean near Cuba.
Might work here if things get bad, although i agree it is very minute at this time and regular flu kills a lot more. People will remember the SARS epidemic i believe and how that got overblown and Thai people never panicked.
Posted 2009-05-01 20:15:46
fiddlehead, on 2009-05-01 20:06:29, said: One of the first questions people from these countries ask is: "where you from?"
We learned to say "World Village" after a while. courage and honesty not your strong suit?
Posted 2009-05-01 20:23:12
What an utterly stupid topic, in fact I would say you just help starting the phobia.
In the states it is already the right wing idiots telling people that it is all the fault of the illegal alien Mexicans.
This whole flu thing is really leading to an outburst of self importance and "expert" behaviourism.
Posted 2009-05-01 20:32:08
Texpat, on 2009-05-01 20:15:46, said: fiddlehead, on 2009-05-01 20:06:29, said: One of the first questions people from these countries ask is: "where you from?"
We learned to say "World Village" after a while. courage and honesty not your strong suit?
An American trait ?
Posted 2009-05-01 20:32:18
Carib, on 2009-05-01 20:23:12, said: What an utterly stupid topic, in fact I would say you just help starting the phobia.
In the states it is already the right wing idiots telling people that it is all the fault of the illegal alien Mexicans.
This whole flu thing is really leading to an outburst of self importance and "expert" behaviourism.
I started the phobia? So Somchai on the street reads thaivisa? That is daft.
Posted 2009-05-01 20:33:56
It's part of human nature to blame the victims. They should have done this...It's because they are dirty people....It's because of....
Posted 2009-05-01 20:51:06
Funny
Yanks feeling victimized.. what goes around comes around.
Are you one of those guys that starts to rant about discrimination also when you don't get your way ?
Just chill out this will all blow over.
Posted 2009-05-01 20:56:35
Hi All,
Pandemic 'could kill 750,000 in UK'
I don't think that Jing started the panic, as I just read this on yahoo news.
Yahoo news
I hope that I am allowed to post a link on this topic. If not then sorry Mods.
Cheers, Rick
Posted 2009-05-01 21:03:35
I noticed that Thailand celebrates cinco de mayo. I imagine that is in honor of the mexicans living here.
Posted 2009-05-01 21:05:23
bangkokrick, on 2009-05-01 20:56:35, said: Hi All,
Pandemic 'could kill 750,000 in UK'
I don't think that Jing started the panic, as I just read this on yahoo news.
Yahoo news
I hope that I am allowed to post a link on this topic. If not then sorry Mods.
Cheers, Rick
This is just the media hyping things up rehashing a 6 month old report and not specific to the current flu outbreak.
Posted 2009-05-01 21:13:42
bangkokrick, on 2009-05-01 20:56:35, said: Hi All,
Pandemic 'could kill 750,000 in UK'
I don't think that Jing started the panic, as I just read this on yahoo news.
Yahoo news
I hope that I am allowed to post a link on this topic. If not then sorry Mods.
Cheers, Rick Chill 'Bangkokrick', we''ve never believed anything the UK government said, since they concluded with the Americans that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
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