#FightRacism 📌 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

#FightRacism 📌 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – March 21 is a global call to fight racism and ethnic discrimination. But while we condemn injustice elsewhere, have we ever confronted the deep-rooted prejudices within Thai society itself?

🚨 Discrimination isn’t always visible, but it causes real harm.

In Thailand, Southerners and Isaan Northeasterners face daily discrimination shaped by colorism, regional bias, and the rigid concept of ‘Thainess’:🚫 Southerners are stereotyped as “hot-tempered, rude, and violent."🚫 Northeasterners are stereotyped as “lazy, uneducated, just laborers."🚫 "Speaking with an Isaan accent = poor and rural" or "Speaking Southern = harsh and unpleasant."

These stereotypes are not reality—they are tools of exclusion, control, and marginalization, making certain groups feel inferior in their own country.

💭 Unconscious discrimination = hurting others without realizing it.

📍 Northeasterners are boxed into the stereotype of ‘servants’ or ‘cheap labor,’ despite their diverse skills, professions, and contributions.📍 Southerners are labeled as ‘thugs’ or ‘radicals,’ leading to unfair treatment and social exclusion, despite their kindness and resilience.

🔴 Why do we need to change?💡 Because skin color and accents should never determine someone's worth.💡 Because Thai identity should embrace all regional cultures, not erase them.💡 Because ‘whiteness’ is not superiority, and colorism fuels systemic discrimination.💡 Because decolonizing our mindsets is the first step toward true equality.

📢 Let’s dismantle discrimination together:✅ Challenge the obsession with whiteness—stop reinforcing beauty and social hierarchies based on light skin.✅ Reject the narrow definition of ‘Thainess’ that excludes regional identities.✅ Respect and celebrate local dialects and cultures—no region is superior to another.✅ Call out racist and classist language—phrases like "Isaan is poor" or "Southerners are tough" sustain discrimination.✅ #DecolonizeMindsets—break free from the systems that uphold discrimination and inequality.

🚩 On this #InternationalDayForTheEliminationOfRacialDiscrimination, let’s be reminded that everyone has dignity and equal value—no matter their region, accent, or skin color.

#WeAreManushyan Equal Human Beings 

#StopDiscrimination #EqualThais #DecolonizeThainess #EndColorism 

🔗 To learn more about the racial discrimination faced by Isaan People, and Manushya’s work to expose it, please:

👉🏼 Access our Blog ‘Khon Isaan: Voice of the marginalized community finally heard!’ here. 

👉🏼 Access our Blog ‘How do we #FightRacism against people from Isaan?’ here. 

🎥 Watch our REEL denouncing the ‘Racism faced by Isaan People in Thai media’ here. 👉🏼 Access the UPR Advocacy Factsheet on Khon Isaan here.

👉🏼 Access the Joint Civil Society Shadow Report for Thailand's CERD Review here.