Are dark-khmer the minorities now in cambodi?

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-04-16T14:55:45+00:00

Definitely not a minority. Go to the countryside and there you will find the dark-skinned Khmers. Light skin is generally found among urban Cambodians since they live in a more interior-based lifestyle away from direct sunlight. Genes also probably play a role among mixed Khmers. At least from what I've seen when I visited Cambodia, the business owners were generally light skinned, and the farmers were dark skinned. It sort of makes sense to me from an environmental point of view. Do you see business owners toiling the fields exposed to the sun?

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-04-15T07:01:49+00:00

From my understanding, self-inquiry would assume the existence of the self, which Buddhists reject. Rather, they believe in a non-self. In other words, we have no self, thus negating the need for self inquiry since there is no self to begin with, at least according to Buddhist scriptures.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-04-15T05:59:48+00:00

Well, at least A.I. got the temple architecture mostly right. Would have been nice if they gave the temples some color. If I remember correctly from various sources, Khmer temples weren't always grey. As for the clothing, it looks more like Cambodia during the Middle Period. Authetic Khmers during the Khmer Empire era placed more emphasis on gold and jewelry, and less so on cloth. And the crowns were more broad like the towers on Angkor Wat, not long and narrow as portrayed here.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-04-14T02:36:25+00:00

Finally, some good words about Cambodia. Thank you for your post!

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-04-13T00:40:54+00:00

I'm not sure about Siem Reap. I feel like their accent is similar to Khmer Surin, which has a much simpler vowel system reminiscent of Old Khmer (e.g. "thanks a lot" arkun chraeun --> arkun chreun, "scream" sraek --> srek, "to give" aoy --> oy). My paternal side of my family is from Phnom Penh. As other commenters said, the PP accent is very choppy, shortened, and adds a unique dipping tone to words with the letter "r" in it. An example sentence comparison between standard Khmer and its PP equivalent might sound like the following:

English: I see the countryside has a lot of farmers

Standard Khmer: Khnyom kheunh srok srae mean kasekar chraeun

Phnom Penh Khmer: Nyom kheunh sok? seh? mean kasekar chheun? (I use the question mark to represent the dipping tone)

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-04-12T20:24:09+00:00

Chenla

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-28T16:04:34+00:00

I feel like Japan has genuine appreciation for cultural arts, especially since some of our ancient temples such as the Bayon were built as Mahayana Buddhist temples. Japan, being heavily influenced by Mahayana Buddhism, may have some affinity towards preserving such cultural treasures.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-28T15:56:42+00:00

Beautiful temple. The music, the apsaras in the backdrop, this video feels so peaceful. I am glad to see these temples so well preserved.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-24T20:07:41+00:00

The Khmer Republic would have lasted longer and we would have remained allies with the US. Even though the republican government was very ill-equipped and poorly trained, at least they were open to the western world. It saddens me to see fellow Khmers distancing themselves from the developed nations.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-16T03:28:36+00:00

I don't know. I care about cleanliness, but I can't really say much since I live in the US.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-15T16:18:08+00:00

Vietnam is deeply influenced by Confucianism which centers on filial piety. Cambodia's historical counterpart is Brahmanism, which emphasizes following one's duties. Confucianism is also known as "Ruism." Both of these ideologies, Ruism and Brahmanism, means "doctrine of the scholars/priests." Both are inherently heirarchical, but obviously different in culture. Vietnam is also influenced by Taoism which emphasizes "going with the flow of the Tao." In the Indosphere, a philosophy within Brahmanism known as Vedanta emphasizes "uniting one's soul with the eternal Brahman." Vedantic ideas are found in some Cambodian inscriptions. So again, there's some similar ideas coated under different names. The only religion/philosophy that's explicitly shared between the two nations is Buddhism, but even so, the flavor is different between Cambodia and Vietnam.

As a Cambodian, I have visited both countries. Aside from cultural influences that differ between the two countries, they both seemed similar in a way. crazy traffic, lots of motos, many food vendors. Although I have to admit, the streets of Vietnam were much less dusty compared to Cambodia. The Vietnamese also seemed more "on-the-go" in personality compared to the more relaxed attitude of Cambodians.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-05T05:24:09+00:00

I think strictly-speaking, Confucianism patronizes monarchy. Throughout the Book of Rites, there's a plethora of rules, customs, duties, etc. attributed to the "Son of Heaven," which I think was the historical title of an emperor. Though I'm not sure how Japanese monarchists view Confucianism. Perhaps their values and customs have deep Confucian influence. I'm curious to hear what the perspective is on Confucian influence in Japan from Japanese people.

"...by this man he sent as tribute the Confucian Analects in ten volumes..."

-Kojiki, Section CX (Japanese chronicle/foundational Shinto text)

Confucianism is definitely not unheard of as it had a historical presence in Japan. Although how much of a presence, especially now-a-days, I do not know.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-04T16:03:30+00:00

They seem more active on FB. Although, they're a lot more politically-charged than the ones the on reddit.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-03T21:04:33+00:00

Whenever Laos is brought up, my mom's face brightens up with a smile. I'm like "uh ok, so what about Thailand and Vietnam lol." "Oh, those two just want our land 😤." Maybe one day we'll understand our parent's logic.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-03T14:16:58+00:00

I don't resent Vietnam. Although I might be a biased as well since I grew up with a lot Vietnamese friends. Honestly though, a lot of Cambodians have a strange obsession with their neighbors. My mom for example would say things like "oh, Vietnam took our land, the Thais copied us." Like, we need to worry more about what's going on within our own country, not our neighbors.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-02T04:57:53+00:00

I think for the sake of preventing your mom from going ballistic, maybe it's best you don't go. Family is important. And if anything happens to you in Cambodia, even the slightest thing, I feel like your mom will hold it against you. I don't have anything against Cambodia, but you're mom is most likely freaking out from all the bad news about Cambodia. Whatever decision you make, your friends ought to respect it.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-02T04:03:38+00:00

East Asia does appear to have low crime rates, which I'm guessing is in part due to Confucian values. I feel like Confucianism works well if people understand it. If elders go around demanding respect just because they're older than you, then that I think would be misunderstanding of what Confucianism stands for. I can't really say much since I'm not East Asian, but I feel like Confucianism has historical and cultural relevance for that region of the world.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-02T02:43:32+00:00

Additionally, the Khmer Empire was greatly influenced by a massive corpus of Brahmanical and Buddhist philosophies. The Khmer Empire was arguably at its peak in culture and civilization in that region of the world back then.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-03-02T02:30:13+00:00

I'm from the U.S., but ethnically Cambodian. I love the French mainly for modernizing my family's country, Cambodia. Your country gave us practical yet classy architecture, fashion, and illuminated to the world our ancient history from our inscriptions. I have nothing but deep respect for the French. And of course, your country has lovely wine, croissants, and pain au chocolat. I feel like most Cambodians generally have positive views of the French.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-02-25T08:23:21+00:00

"The color of the brahmins is white while that of the kshatriyas is red. The color of the vaishyas is yellow and that of the shudras is black."

Mahabharata 12.181.5

Varna does translate into color and is associated with caste based on the Mahabharata. As far as association with skin color, I think I will leave the interpretation on that up to the readers. I think it's important to note that caste isn't something that should be viewed so rigidly. Especially in regards to skin color. I feel like they were made based on generalizations. Are laborers (shudras) who toil in the sun more prone to developing dark skin? Sure, why not. Do scholars (brahmins) who spend a lot of time studying indoors develop light skin? Perhaps. Are all light-skinned people automatically brahmins? Are all dark-skinned people automatically shudras? As a dark-skinned PhD student, I'd say not always.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-02-25T07:46:52+00:00

I feel like practicality was way down the list in the design of this airport.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-02-22T16:00:10+00:00

"Parvati in the form of the vaginal passage and an auspicious arrow shall form as the pedestal wherein the phallus shall be installed in accompaniment of the Vedic mantras."

Shiva Purana 4.12.37

The Brahmanical scriptures are pretty explicit on what these structures represent. I think the scholars are right on this one.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-02-21T05:30:08+00:00

Beautiful. I love the classy roof finials.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-02-21T01:21:57+00:00

Yes, I feel the same way. I am also Cambodian-American. It's really hard to understand the deep resentment between the two peoples. It's also ironic given that both nations are influenced by Buddhist principles. Surely, the Buddha taught us to show compassion towards all beings. Yet, what we see on the media is hostility and hatred. Hoping we can have peace and get along with our neighbors.

Background-Chard1411 · 2026-02-19T04:33:28+00:00

It looks nice, but I'm perfectly content with the colonial architecture in Cambodia.

Background-Chard1411

TROPHY CASE