check_bin_krap Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Big_Kahuna said:Thailand is hypocritical when it comes to their religion. You're damned right they would not think twice about making fun of Jesus or Muhammed, but they expect all the world to respect Buddhism to the point of absurdity. Fuck it. I'm always ashamed when Western companies back down instead of sticking up for freedom of expression. Thailand is one of the countries who respect other religions. I think the King is the highest protector of Christianity in Thailand. Buddhism has that as one of their main points! Respect towards others beliefs and religions. I don't enter the poster arguement, but your post is far off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 << Franco's times are over ya know... at least around here... >> Thank God for that! Main problem is the way Thais are raised. In schools there will be three pictures on the wall at the front of the classroom: flag, religion, monarch. These are the three "landmarks" of Thai nationhood. Students actually take classes in Buddhism, some times taught by monks. They are taught to chant in Pali in class, unless they happen not to be Buddhists. (Only about 7% aren't.) Thus when anyone insults one or the other of these national symbols, the Thais instinctively come unglued. A couple of years ago, some idiot woman in the US began using a photo of HM the King retouched to look like sort of an Elvis impersonator in an advert for her restaurant -- and it wasn't even a Thai restaurant! (Asian of some other types, and she obviously thinks all "gooks" are the same. She was a thickie.) The Thais had a spasm over it, and the woman refused to back down -- until after she had got a lot of free international publicity over it. This is what I imagine the Froggish film maker had in mind too ... piss off the Buddhists to get free publicity in the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 << Furthermore I am appaled by the near total lack of knowledge Thais have on all about geography and history, outside of Thailand, even all about nazis and the WWII. >> Not many years ago, Thais were only required to complete 6 years of education. Nowadays, it is 9 years -- but how many outside the cities don't do even that? (Think of the nearly illiterate bar girls you'll meet.) The students in these lower years learn little about western history, but then how much Asian history is taught in the west to the same age group? Quite simply, to the average Thai a Nazi swaztika means the country of Germany (even today's FGR) ... though the Nazis came from other countries as well. (Remember the Flemish SS volunteers?) They do not associate it with the atrocities Nazism commited first in Germany, then later in the countries Hitler occupied. I've seen Nazi party flags flying from cars, on T-shirts etc. The idiots with it don't even know what it means or that others are likely to get pissed off enough to punch them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Opinion seems to be that swastika means different things to Thai and farang. Sorta the same as a piece of stone statue of a head means different things to the director of the film and to the Thais. Argument is that Thais don't have respect/awareness/care for the sensitivities of the farang view regarding this, but expect farang to have respect/awareness/care for the sensitivities of the Thai view. The 1-way street seems unfair to me. Director removed the image from the website. Would Thais do the same if a complaint were made? BTW, the image is still in the press kit being distributed online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummigut Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 The swastika and the buddhist symbol are different if I remember correctly. The swastika is rolling counter clockwise and the buddhist symbol is the clockwise. Course it could be the other way around depending on how you look at it. <<burp>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 At last, I was trying to get to the end of the thread, yes, budhist and swastika are different in that they face different direcctions. Thia kids who come to my flat can't for the most even identify Thailand on a map, a number of times I have been told - No Thailand is bigger than that. Problem, like most things here, is education. Core of the arguement is not what happens in other countries, but what happens, here. in that respect KS is quite right in that there are many double standards, Budhist temples that are very dodgy, but dont get busted right away. Dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 [color:"red"]Hi, Outrage over a visual statement? From a nation where walking around with a Bin Laden t-shirt or a German WW2 helmet (complete with swastika) is perferctly acceptable? Sanuk! [/color] So Bin Laden (the arse) is the same as Lord Buddha to you? I also was taught that Jesus was to be respected, not in the same context as Bin Laden or the guy next door!! Also, repect other religions, whether I believe or understand them or not, there is enough conflict in this world for the sake of religion already (not to sound like a preacher here). Sorry to say, you and LP (I am not surprise) and some others, IMO are comparing the apples with oranges here. :: Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 [color:"red"]The 1-way street seems unfair to me. [/color] It is unfair, however, some Thai views are also hard to understand by the so-called-farangs, even with the ones who are making a living in Thailand. On the t-shirts things, IMO, these Thais don't know what they are wearing. I saw a young woman wearing a t-shirt with "Fishing and Fucking" with the "Fs" exactly on each nipple, and I asked, she said "Oh it was a gift and I just like the color, didn't know that the writing was bad!. I embarassed her and really felt sorry. On Bin Laden, saw a kid wearing a t-shirt with such picture, asked him, he said "I don't care who he is, this is the ONLY decent t-shirt I have to wear!!". So, not only there is ignorant, but there is also a need here! So should we, the Thais foret about the Hollywood guy because he needs some publicity? IMO, it is not the same needs as the kid who had the only decent t-shirt to wear. Just my humble opinion. Jasmine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 "When a man talks alone, we say he's schizophrenic When a man talks to god we say he's praying..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 Hi, "So Bin Laden (the arse) is the same as Lord Buddha to you?" I think you miss the point. It is not about whether they are the same or not, it is about showing respect. And in Thailand it is often expected for their customs, but not given to customs of others. "IMO are comparing the apples with oranges here." No, I do not think so. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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