Are white people seen as celebrities?

Chad Sexington · Post by **Chad Sexington** » Wed May 04, 2022 7:51 pm

GMJS-CEO wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 6:59 pm "Celebrities" is a bit much, but you do get more attention from Khmer people. In the provinces where there are not as many visitors and some of the locals do not run into many foreigners in their lives, they will be interested in you. Adults may stare at you, kids keep saying hi to you, etc...

In Phnom Penh & Siem Reap you will get much less of that reaction as they see plenty of foreigners visiting & living there.

They won't be asking for autographs and the like as if a Celebrity, just more interested in you. Never experienced this "divide" you are referring to. If anything they would love a beer with you more often than not, and besides tuk tuks they won't be asking you for anything in return.

As the only barang in the village I’ll say it’s definitely more curiosity than celebrity.

xandreu · Post by **xandreu** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:15 pm

Without reading all the responses, so I'm at risk of repeating what's already been said, but in my opinion, I think the choice of the word 'celebrity' was perhaps a poor choice of vocabulary.

In Phnom Penh, white foreigners are a common sight and are thought of as simply 'foreigners' and nothing more. The main thing that differentiates you from other 'foreigners' is your command of the Khmer language. If you can speak Khmer reasonably well, it's clear that you've been here long enough to know how things work, and you will generally be treated as a local. If you can't speak Khmer, or your Khmer is extremely poor, you do run the risk of being taken advantage of. Not all the time, it depends on the situation, what you're buying (if you're buying something that doesn't have a stated price) and who you're dealing with. Khmers are as individual as anyone else. There is no default Khmer attitude towards foreigners.

In normal, everyday life, you are neither given more respect nor treated with less respect just because you're white. Racism (in the way it exists in Western countries) doesn't exist here. Khmers don't think of themselves as somehow superior to you just because you're clearly a foreigner living in 'their' country. That's not part of the culture here and certainly not how they think.

When it comes to relationships however, there is still an assumption amongst many that because you're white, you've probably got money. Does that mean you've got more money than them? Again, there is no default answer. I've had relationships with Khmers both richer than me and poorer than me. The same as you would in a western country. But remember that because this is a developing country, you're more likely to meet people with less money than you, but that's not necessarily a given. It depends on many, many factors.

But no, simply being white doesn't make you a 'celebrity'. Maybe back in the 70's, 80's and possibly 90's, I'd say yes. But certainly not anymore.

Chuck Borris · Post by **Chuck Borris** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:22 pm

I feel celebrity every time when I walk at 2 am to the bar...

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Wed May 04, 2022 10:15 pm

xandreu wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 8:15 pm But no, simply being white doesn't make you a 'celebrity'. Maybe back in the 70's, 80's and possibly 90's, I'd say yes. But certainly not anymore.

I recall coming out of the Capitol Guesthouse in 99/00 and there were about 50 motodops, beggars and glue sniffing kids who would throng you. So it was like being a hounded celebrity with tons of paparazzi harassing you every time you went outside. You could just brush them all off and head to Monivong and get a lift from there. Anyway other than being a mild amusement to kids in off-the-beaten-track areas it's nothing except curiosity. It's nice to chat to intrigued rural folk sometimes. In the capital nobody would bat an eyelid at a foreigner. The average middle class Cambodian has far more resources than most foreign residents and while they might enjoy a friendly chat they are not particularly impressed with anyone just because they are from beyond the borders. As mentioned, communicating in Khmer is the key.

violet · Post by **violet** » Wed May 04, 2022 10:37 pm

Grand Barong wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 7:15 pm
violet wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 9:46 am
ego bibere nimis wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 7:40 am
KornMermaid wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 5:50 am Hi, as a foreigner in Cambodia do you find that the locals treat you as celebrities/sources of $$$ where the relationships are shallow or is it possible to develop real and meaningful relationships with locals? Will there be a divide between locals and foreigners where they are friendlier to you simply because you're a celebrity in their eyes?
You mention shallow relationships - Its impossible to have anything other unless you can properly communicate. So, unless you speak the language or befriend locals who speak your language the relationships will be 'shallow' as you describe them.

Life is all about Karma. I am sure if you are nice to them (locals) they will be nice to you irrespective of economic disparities that may or may not exist.
Couldn’t help but laugh considering the number men married to Cambodian women - unable to do more than a basic convo in very broken pigeon English

Strange how that makes you "Laugh" It is a commonly shared attitude of a lot of Western women who like to negatively comment on western/khmer relationships. It almost comes across as jealousy....

That may be so, but my comment - hand on heart - has zero jealousy. It is based on my own observations of some there and also on the comments of some posters on k440 in the past where they themselves have said they don’t speak Khmer, their partner doesn’t speak a lot of English - and they like it that way. They don’t want much meaningful conversation.

I’m not saying this is the situation across the board with Khmer/western relationships. Of course it’s not. Personally, the people I knew when in Cambodia were not in relationships where they could barely hold a conversation. Far from it.

I can see how my poorly written post came across the way you interpreted though.

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Wed May 04, 2022 11:43 pm

violet wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 10:37 pm
Grand Barong wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 7:15 pm
violet wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 9:46 am
ego bibere nimis wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 7:40 am
KornMermaid wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 5:50 am Hi, as a foreigner in Cambodia do you find that the locals treat you as celebrities/sources of $$$ where the relationships are shallow or is it possible to develop real and meaningful relationships with locals? Will there be a divide between locals and foreigners where they are friendlier to you simply because you're a celebrity in their eyes?
You mention shallow relationships - Its impossible to have anything other unless you can properly communicate. So, unless you speak the language or befriend locals who speak your language the relationships will be 'shallow' as you describe them.

Life is all about Karma. I am sure if you are nice to them (locals) they will be nice to you irrespective of economic disparities that may or may not exist.
Couldn’t help but laugh considering the number men married to Cambodian women - unable to do more than a basic convo in very broken pigeon English

Strange how that makes you "Laugh" It is a commonly shared attitude of a lot of Western women who like to negatively comment on western/khmer relationships. It almost comes across as jealousy....
That may be so, but my comment - hand on heart - has zero jealousy. It is based on my own observations of some there and also on the comments of some posters on k440 in the past where they themselves have said they don’t speak Khmer, their partner doesn’t speak a lot of English - and they like it that way. They don’t want much meaningful conversation.

I’m not saying this is the situation across the board with Khmer/western relationships. Of course it’s not. Personally, the people I knew when in Cambodia were not in relationships where they could barely hold a conversation. Far from it.

I can see how my poorly written post came across the way you interpreted though.

I'm with violet on this one, the same makes me laugh here in Thailand. If two people can barely communicate with each other, watching them interact as a married couple is, indeed, often quite comical.

Are white people seen as celebrities?

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