QUOTE (Nangdee @ Nov 1 2009, 08:06 AM)

^Unlike some of the angry Lao people here who have ancestors or a connection there, I do not have any connection to Isan region only Northern Lao. However, any negative things some Lao on the east bank say about Isan is generally not the norm BUT they have really good justifications for some of them.
For example,
how do you think it feels for Lao people on the Eastern bank of the river to have Isan Lao claim EVERYTHING that IS CULTURALLY NATIVE TO OUR PEOPLE in the name of the Thai nation? Especially when IN FACT it did not originate there but was brought over there because of forced migration of our people? A lot of Isan even look different from ancestral Lao on the East Bank now because Siamese loved to combine and mix people (heck even they are heavily mixed themselves) in order to "thin" out bloodlines in hopes to have the newer generation see themselves as different! Sad think is that this has largely worked! I see and read it ALL the time when Isan even claim this self hate for themselves, saying how Lao on Eastern bank is generally lighter and better looking than them.
Unlike some Lao who want Isan to join with the "original motherland" again, I BELIEVE this will NOT benefit Lao of Muang Lao at all. Isan reminds me of a "rogue" place where a lot of people are resentful and angry at times (just look at how they treated all of the refugees back in the day just because Central Government told them to). To me, because they have been Siamese and Jek's b!tch for so long, the MAJORITY of them wouldn't think twice when it comes to betraying or killing their own kind because they've been influenced by them for FAR TOO LONG! They now have that "famous" Thai mentality that everyone around the world is so sick of. If some of you don't live by them or are around some of them, you may not know what I mean. The majority of Lao Isan is so heavily tainted by Central Thai now, that even A LOT OF LAO in the states who lived in neighborhoods eventually move away whenever Isan Thai-Lao move into areas because they can't stand that selfish, angry, and ignorant mentality a lot of them display to their own kind.
Because of all the $hit Isan Lao and Southern Malay Thai has had to deal with greedy Central Siamese and Jek for too long, the only beneficial thing for them now is to have their own separate states.For ALL YOU JEK WHO ARE IN DENIAL, you know it's dam well possible for new nations to form, even in our modern times. Nations rise and fall all of the time. Just because the world is more technologically advanced, doesn't mean humankind will not stop war with one another too.
Also, for all you Lao on AF who still have some relatives in Isan:Yes, blood is thicker than water but don't forget....there have been plenty of chances now days for Lao Isan to reunite or make more peace with Lao on the East but sadly the majority choose not to. We still have a LONG WAY TO GO because they now have that newly crafted "Thai" mentality! A lot of them may not mind living in denial or taking on a newly crafted identity taught to them by the fake Thai educational school system, but DON'T forget to PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE JUST LIKE IGNORANT JEK when the both of them try and disregard true Lao cultural history/historical contributions.

Dammit, when will you become the President of Laos? I would love to have a smart Lao woman like you represent our motherland. I really don't understand why some people worry so much about the people in Issan. Yes, many of them are related to us, but they're Thai citizens. You don't see British people worrying about their American descendants, do you? Laos and Thailand are two separate countries. Laos is growing at a fast rate and our future is bright. There's no need to bring drama to our country by getting involved with Thailand and its political problems. Laos is now very stable, peaceful, and SAFE.
I also do not have any connection to Isan, which is why it doesn't matter to me that they are Thai citizens...just please don't degrade our Lao culture and cuisine by referring to them as "Thai" and especially this made up term "Issan". I don't care that people in Issan are Thai citizens, but that doesn't make our foods and traditional music become Thai all of a sudden. Thai people have their own culture and foods and they need to keep them separate from ours.
Lao people in Laos do not look down on the ones in Issan, but we do feel sorry for them ONLY if they refer to our Lao dishes and other cultural things as "Issan" or "Thai". It's like this....stop eating our foods if you're not going to give credit to their origins in Laos.
As far as language is concerned, the dominant accent in Issan does NOT represent the Lao language. Even I sometimes would have problems understanding what is being said by someone from Issan. I think they've been too influenced by Khmer/Thai language that I think their accent is hard to understand. However, I do realize that there are some parts of Issan that's close to the Lao border where they do speak the same as their kinfolk in Laos. But a majority of Issan people seem to have a very different accent from us native Lao folks in Laos. From what I've seen, many of them don't really look like Lao people. They sort of look more Thai/Siamese IMO (i.e. darker than native Lao people).