{"id":471,"date":"2025-09-28T03:58:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T03:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/?p=471"},"modified":"2025-09-28T06:54:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T06:54:32","slug":"prejudice-racism-phuket-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/prejudice-racism-phuket-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting out Prejudice and Racism from our Phuket Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

Just a snippet of some of the prejudiced and racist echoes out there in our Phuket community and now in semi-rabid rants for various online \u2018vloggers\u2019 aiming their<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\u00a0Not my words, but words you and I have heard: \u201cI don\u2019t like to go there, too many Russians\u201d, \u201cThat event is \u2018very Thai\u2019 so not for me\u201d, \u201cForeigners need to learn how to behave in Thailand\u201d, \u201cThais need to stop cheating foreigners\u201d. \u201cI don\u2019t trust foreigners with dark\/black skin\u201d.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Just a snippet of some of the prejudiced and racist echoes out there in our Phuket community and now in semi-rabid rants for various online \u2018vloggers\u2019 aiming their poison, sometimes dressed up in pretty filters and poses, at whatever they see as \u2018local\u2019 or \u2018foreign\u2019. In addition, social media applying to both domestic and international news \u2013 and the news outlets themselves \u2013 continue to engage in deliberate provocative \u2018extreme\u2019 reporting methods designed to enrage and engage readers to click and comment. The algorithm, the advertisers and those benefitting from the revenues, don\u2019t generally care about the content and how inflammatory or socially destructive it may be.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

In the sauna and spa that I like to frequent, many Eastern European, Russian and other dialect\/related language voices can be heard chattering away, furtively or conversationally. As a previous London resident, educated in London and working there before heading here, \u2018foreign\u2019 voices do not disturb me in general.<\/p>\n

We can all detect, even if we can\u2019t understand a language, if there is ill intent in a \u2018foreign\u2019 discussion. Body language, stares and intent might be positive, neutral or actively negative. Unfortunately. what I can see \u2013 and have seen in other countries with migrants and changes in demographics \u2013 is a \u2018friction\u2019 and \u2018resentment of differences\u2019 often accelerated by a catalyst of miscommunication. That sauna and spa is a source of business, an employer, a social hub and a very positive addition to Phuket\u2019s amenity offerings. I love the fact it is a symbol of upscale and innovative Russian investment. More of that please, I love to have good choices.<\/p>\n

Perhaps ironically, a lot of the do-good \u2018pretenders\u2019 jumping on the \u2018social justice theme of the day bandwagons\u2019 don\u2019t actually realise that contrary to the divisive politics being played out in the media, there are in reality many Ukrainians, other Eastern Europeans and Russians, and Israeli Russians and Middle Easterners mixing in Phuket in the same social circles, playing sports and engaging in other activities \u2013 together. They are not government representatives on the whole, and as smart people know \u2013 most of us don\u2019t actually truly choose our governments, even those who have a right to vote.<\/p>\n

In the murky undergrowth of our \u2018Reels\u2019, \u2018Threads\u2019, \u2018Shorts\u2019 and other video feeds on our \u2018smartphones\u2019 and devices, we are regularly fed incidents designed to provoke us to comment, as aggressively and as controversially as possible. News outlets might show a foreign man running partially naked and drunk after a very heavy night out on the town, mumbling nonsense and not behaving very well \u2013 bait for those that like to cast the first stone.<\/p>\n

Many years ago, the risk of being caught on a video was low, and said miscreant might wake up with a sore head, a lot of regret, an angry spouse and maybe even a police interview depending on how far things went. But now, the comments flow freely, without accountability for rationality or disciplined analysis: \u201cCancel their VISAs<\/em>!\u201d \u201cKick them Out!<\/em>\u201d \u201cWe don\u2019t need visitors like this!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

If it is an objective to \u2018secure\u2019 millions of tourists from a \u2018source country\u2019 then, statistically speaking, the more visitors the more likely there will be some bad eggs in the mix. But they will always be\u2026 in the minority.<\/p>\n

On the anti-Thai prejudice and racism side, the situation is equally unacceptable. Witnessing Tuk-Tuk drivers or taxi drivers in a public fight, apparently all Thais become condemned as somehow linked to a very niche segment of Thai society: \u201cViolent Thais<\/em>\u201d. \u201cAlways the aggressor<\/em>\u201d. \u201cAlways teaming up on foreigners<\/em>\u201d, \u201cBunch of Scammers\u201d. Again, not my words, but unfortunately words we can see on comment forums and hear in lazy conversations.<\/p>\n

The battle for a better society is being waged invisibly and nature will take its course. However, \u2018nudging\u2019 societal behaviours towards a more positive direction is possible with some concerted effort from residents and visitors to avoid being sucked in as suckers to the prejudicial racist provocation mantra.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Are you rushing to make a judgment on a news or information piece on-line, so you can move on to the next reel\/snippet? Take a moment to consider whether there might be bias or inaccuracy \u2013 or if the objective of the piece is to provoke you to engage.<\/li>\n
  • Is the news organisation the type of low-grade double standard outlet using a well-dressed (sometimes not so well dressed) \u2018front-man\u2019 or \u2018front-woman\u2019 to hyper-moralise stories by adding their often outrageously subjective and poorly supported \u2018opinions\u2019 to news without any opportunity for direct challenge other than \u2018commenting in the box below\u2019 (feeding the algorithm) or \u2018clicking like or subscribe\u2019?<\/li>\n
  • If the news or gossip relates to an allegation of criminality, and the masses start jumping on the bandwagon of hurling rocks and stones at the \u2018accused\u2019, consider whether you believe you deserve to be \u2018innocent until proven guilty\u2019 and whether you would like others to be treated in the same way. If you see a photo of someone arrested, and in a police station, that isn\u2019t quite the same as a final judgment after appeals\u2026<\/li>\n
  • In a social setting, if someone is openly racist, talking about \u201cRussians do this\u201d, \u201cBritish do that\u201d, \u201cThais always are this\u201d, consider expressing an alternative explanation, or differentiating the story from the people you know so that it is clear you don\u2019t agree in blanket stereotypes. Whilst this can create social awkwardness because many express opinions wishing only to be agreed with, it will have an impact over time if you stick to your values and principles<\/li>\n
  • Do you stick to your own social group that you feel \u2018comfortable with, due to language or culture? Many people do this, and sometimes it is fine. However, it is also worth making an effort to break the routine and tendency for comfort, to create a more interconnected local community and find common ground and harmony of interaction.<\/li>\n
  • Children are, in certain educational institutions, being taught to be \u2018inclusive\u2019 and \u2018non-discriminatory\u2019, at least with some \u2018theory\u2019.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    However, what they see in practice, including amongst their teachers, are the back channel prejudices and stereotypes, and the same children also go home and witness their parents and guardians actually behaving contrary to the \u2018noble\u2019 values on billboards and marketing materials.<\/p>\n

    True inclusion doesn\u2019t mean singing five different national anthems. True inclusion means not leaving somebody out because they are different, not making assumptions about their preferences based on their nationality or religion or other beliefs \u2013 and encouraging your own children or friends to mix it up with people from different walks of life.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \n

    By Desmond Hughes, Senior Partner of Hughes Krupica
    \n<\/strong>
    \nHughes Krupica is a law firm which specialises in Real Estate; Construction; Hospitality; Corporate; Commercial; Tech; Dispute Resolution; and Litigation, operating from Phuket, servicing clients in relation to their business activities in Thailand and in other regions of Asia.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Just a snippet of some of the prejudiced and racist echoes out there in our Phuket community and now in semi-rabid rants for various online \u2018vloggers\u2019 aiming their \u00a0Not my words, but words you and I have heard: \u201cI don\u2019t like to go there, too many Russians\u201d, \u201cThat event is \u2018very Thai\u2019 so not for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":527,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions\/527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thephuketnews.net\/WOP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}