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No matter where the word comes from, its use in Thailand seems to me to be both neutral and negative by Thais.
In my experiences it is both their generic term to 'neutrally' describe someone from a western country, and also an insult when spoken in a certain way/tone. I have had the word spoken to me in both the neutral and negative way - but never as a positive. Thais generally see their own culture and people as 'better' than western (or Asian neighbors), and I have no heard it used as a positive when describing a westerner.
I know the 'official' origins of the word as per Wikipedia, and no Thai I have spoken to is sure of where it came from, but it would not also surprise me if part of its origin is the attempt by Thais to say the word 'foreign'.
I know some guys who view it use as a negative and feel insulted when they hear it. By from my experience it is mostly used in a neutral sense, and is not often used as any form of insult or in a negative sense. The further you get away from Bangkok and the big cities, the more 'xenophobic' Thais tend to become. But, I know some guys in remote villages and once everyone got to know them, they started to be treated equally and politely. And that politeness tended to then be shown to other 'farangs' that come to visit them. I assume 30 years ago it was very different, but these days many Thai villages have their 'own farang'.
In my experiences it is both their generic term to 'neutrally' describe someone from a western country, and also an insult when spoken in a certain way/tone. I have had the word spoken to me in both the neutral and negative way - but never as a positive. Thais generally see their own culture and people as 'better' than western (or Asian neighbors), and I have no heard it used as a positive when describing a westerner.
I know the 'official' origins of the word as per Wikipedia, and no Thai I have spoken to is sure of where it came from, but it would not also surprise me if part of its origin is the attempt by Thais to say the word 'foreign'.
I know some guys who view it use as a negative and feel insulted when they hear it. By from my experience it is mostly used in a neutral sense, and is not often used as any form of insult or in a negative sense. The further you get away from Bangkok and the big cities, the more 'xenophobic' Thais tend to become. But, I know some guys in remote villages and once everyone got to know them, they started to be treated equally and politely. And that politeness tended to then be shown to other 'farangs' that come to visit them. I assume 30 years ago it was very different, but these days many Thai villages have their 'own farang'.
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