Tourism, Sex Industry, and the Larger-than-Life Presence of "Farang" in Thailand

Language acquisition is about immersion in an environment where people constantly use common vocabulary from that particular language...yet, being in Thailand for little more than a day, and your foreign male tourist literally manage to pick up one single word...not "goodbye," not "hello," and not even "thank you" (tried and failed on that one).  Instead, it is a word that even short-term foreign expats in Thailand manage to pop into their conversation...in English.  The keyword of the day was "farang," a term for Caucasians derived (supposedly) from Arabic transliteration of "Franks."

Just like the "laowais" of China, and the "gaijins" of Japan, despite their small numbers, the "farang" in Thailand has made their presence felt, physically, economically, and most importantly, psychologically. They seem to loom so large within the Thai collective conscientiousness, and had such a massive impact upon the Thai psyche that it seems that daily life within the massive, seemingly mono-ethnic urban jungle that is Bangkok cannot continue without at least some references to the farang and their ways in one context or the other.

Yet, at the same time, it feels that the influence of the farang upon Thailand is more superficial than the counterparts had in China or Japan.  Of course, "yellow fever" draws many Caucasians to every part of Asia, and plenty of Asian girls everywhere take advantage of that for their own economic well-being.  Yet, Thailand, being a country where tourism, sexual or otherwise, plays a hugely significant portion of the economy, the phenomenon of Westerners being walking bags of cash waiting to be milked is perhaps not isolated to a relatively few places and locals as in the case of China and Japan.

The term itself is a case in point.  While farang strictly means "Caucasians" or at least non-Asians, "laowai" and "gaijin," while mostly applied to non-Asians as well, simply means "foreigners."  The emphasis of the words differ in that farang refers strictly to looks, while the other two can connect more with behaviors, ideas, and mentalities.  In other words, while the Chinese and Japanese consider how Western thoughts affect their societal arrangements, Thailand's dealings with farang seems to be thought of just in terms of business transactions.

In a way, identifying the dealings with foreigners as straightforward business is highly justified.  A short trip to the local red light district is enough to rationalize it.  Under the bright neon lights of go-go bars advertising "free live shows," seemingly endless string of young Thai women (...both the "Thai" and the "women" parts are questionable at times) do their best to draw in the farang "casually" strolling down the street with beers in their hands.  The result is a freaky spectacle of drunk guys openly molesting scantily clad women who only seem too willing to comply...

The business dealings with farang plays out slightly differently outside sex tourism, but with the same underlying principles.  Just like the go-go girls would stick to foreigners longer for more benefits (whether it be drinks, money, or envy from other Thai girls), the various taxi drivers, con artists, and peddlers in the historic city center of Bangkok would talk and drive around the farang in circles (literally sometimes) for more cash.  As the noise, crowds, traffic, and hot weather wear down their patience, some farang eventually give in to some ludicrous "business deals"...

Maybe the Thais' effort to simplify their relationship with the farang as pure business is a way to protect themselves from, or better yet, to justify to themselves the need for, the materialistic culture brought by the wealthy farang.  After all, just as Islam is taken seriously in Malaysia despite certain loopholes, Buddhism is taken very seriously by the Thais, who, even as they adopt the fashion and cultural sense of certain Western and East Asian countries, would passionately pray at the temples and speak no ill of a monarchy that also serves as a symbol of Thai Buddhism.

The sex-deprived, cash-loaded farang, then, become pivotal in explaining the eyebrow-raising juxtaposition of a storied, traditional Buddhist kingdom of serenity, respect, and harmony with its modern image as the premier destination in Southeast Asia for for bad Christians of European origin to indulge in their sins.  The word "farang" is, then, quite appropriate.  Just as the Arabs originally described them as a violent band of Crusading warriors descending upon Muslim Levant, the modern "Franks" are maybe doing the same to Thailand, slowing chipping away at its moral Buddhist values?