I have a new favorite YouTube star. And she’s from Thailand. Her name is Bon.
She has only just started her YouTube videos this month and she’s already garnering a lot of hits for her main series, Learn Thai the Bon’s Way, which gives funny and easy to understand lessons on Thai language.
But what got my attention wasn’t her enjoyable Thai grammar lessons, but this other side project she has, Jaidee TV.
The intro sequence is cheesy, the soundtrack is awful but those are exactly what makes this series awesome. She parodies different Thai stereotyes, such as ab-baews (a girl acting/talking/making faces like she’s a 12-year-old Japanese anime character), kradae inter kids (speaking Thai like you’re a farang even though you’ve only been living a broad for only a month), and a nature mockumentary about farangs.
Only five videos and I’m already a fan.
Here’s the mockumentary. It’s a parody of this old, conservative documentary series shown on Thai national TV, called Krajok Hok Daan or six-sided mirror. I don’t know if they’re still producing it. It’s very traditional, with an old Thai teacher kind of character doing the narration, just like in this parody. The funny part in this video is when she pronounces English words in a very Thai-teacher accent.
Too bad it’s only in Thai right now. These parodies can really open a window into the world of modern Thai culture. Rikker, get started on those subtitles right now!
—–
Edit: Here’s Rikker’s subtitle!
Scientific name: Farang.
The farang is native to the Western Hemisphere, but can be found in large numbers in Thailand.
Especially Khao San Road, Silom, Sukhumvit, Pattaya, Phuket, and other tourist destination around the country.
The Farang is tall and light-skinned, with golden-colored fur, sometimes with mixed with other colors.
Farang fur is thin and silky, but on some species it grows in bunches, known as ‘dreadlocks’.
Other species have large puffy fur growing in all directions, known as an ‘afro’.
The farang carries a camera and large backpack wherever it goes.
On occasion they remain stationary long enough for Thais to photograph and show to their friends.
The farang was introduced to Thailand during the reign of Rama V.
Thai people are very fond of the farang, and often taken their children to see them in the wild. Some even reach out to pet their skin or fur, causing much laughter and delight.
The farang is known for its wealth, enabling Thais to increase prices for goods and services by at least three times.
The farang is not ashamed to hold hands or display affection in public, which frequently causes Thais embarrassment on their behalf.
The female farang wears little clothing, and many drink and smoke. They are social creatures that enjoy gatherings, known as ‘parties’.
The male farang is known for consuming large quantities of alcohol, displaying its bare midsection, and shouting to get attention.
As a result of the growing farang population, Thais have begun to mimic farang behaviors, such as scanty clothing, smoking, throwing parties, rhinoplasty to increase nose size, hair coloring, skin whitening, and speaking Thai with a bad accent, better known as ‘lingual palsy’.
