What activity does this "don't do this in a Thai taxi" image refer to?

Question

The recent question Do taxi colors matter in Thailand? links to Amazing Planet's March 14, 2014 Bangkok’s Multi-Colored Taxis which includes a reproduction of the image shown and credited below.

I think I know what all of these "don'ts" refer to except the one on the far left, shown separately cropped, zooomed and sharpened.

Question: What activity does this "don't do this in a Thai taxi" image refer to?

source: Adam Bowers' 2011 Flickr photo "forbidden taxi" https://www.flickr.com/photos/ill_dawg/6807960308/in/photostream/

What's the second one from the right, next to no-smoking…? No… chestnuts? — deceze, Jan 01 '24 at 02:23
@deceze No durians, a famously stinky fruit. Me, I'm more intrigued by what exactly is going on in the 3rd from the left. — lambshaanxy, Jan 01 '24 at 02:25
@lambshaanxy Ah, yes, the fruit from hell. The other one is clearly No Brazilian jiu-jitsu. — deceze, Jan 01 '24 at 02:48
@Midavalo since all of the others are straigh-forward, diagrammatic and not stylized, I'm not sure the googly-eyed, oversized head and horns illustration is a no-nonsense representation of livestock. There may be more context here. — uhoh, Jan 01 '24 at 03:44
It means that they won't take you to the local Freemason lodge. — Robert Columbia, Jan 01 '24 at 17:27
@lambshaanxy: I think it might be "Don't deliver a baby." But I have no idea how that could possibly be such a common problem that they felt the need to make a sign for it, so maybe I'm wrong. — Kevin, Jan 02 '24 at 17:29
I think third from left is "no sex". Which... yeah. Can't believe they felt the need to point it out. — Martha, Jan 02 '24 at 18:51
@Martha some people get really skewed ideas of what's normal from watching adult content. — Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight, Jan 02 '24 at 20:40
@DanIsFiddlingByFirelight Sex in moving vehicles is as old as vehicles, both for sex work and "spontaneous combustion" between couples. Hugh grant got caught back in 1985 (though it was his own parked vehicle). By the angle of legs we can tell one is probably a Ladyboy making a bit of money to help pay for her brother's school or her parent's health care or for her gender-affirming surgery. — uhoh, Jan 02 '24 at 22:16

Franck Dernoncourt · Answer 1 · 2024-01-03T21:14:06.653

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From Reddit, the symbol represents a water buffalo, and the Thai word for buffalo also means idiot, so the sign means no idiot / don't be an idiot. Ask the taxi driver if that sign means that the car is a self-driving car.

edited Jan 03 '24 at 21:14

answered Jan 01 '24 at 04:40

Franck Dernoncourt

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I have a feeling that asking the driver might also be one of the don'ts. Perhaps it's also covered by the same symbol :-) – TooTea Jan 01 '24 at 12:33
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This is reminiscent to some South Asia country which uses the cow as the "stupid animal", whereas some Western countries use the donkey. – Clockwork Jan 01 '24 at 21:12
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@Clockwork I wonder whether any countries use humans as the stupid animal. – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 01 '24 at 21:40
@TooTea yes that's why I use ride-sharing apps. – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 01 '24 at 21:42
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@Clockwork, so you’re saying that an appropriate translation would be “don’t be an ass”? – Carsten S Jan 02 '24 at 10:57
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@CarstenS I was just saying that one of these countries have a saying, which is: "stupid like a cow", which means some countries use other animals as the equivalent of the donkey in some Western countries. – Clockwork Jan 02 '24 at 11:13
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@Clockwork, I was trying to make a donkey joke. – Carsten S Jan 02 '24 at 11:29
Oh yes, putting the prohibition sign solves that problem. Sounds riiiiight. – SJuan76 Jan 02 '24 at 23:12
@SJuan76 I have a photo somewhere of a similar sign in a taxi in Taipei - it's essentially "no vomiting". Similarly questionable efficacy? – uhoh Jan 02 '24 at 23:44
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@uhoh About as efficacious as countries/jurisdictions where it’s illegal to die. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jan 03 '24 at 14:24

What activity does this "don't do this in a Thai taxi" image refer to?

1 Answers1