ASSIGNMENT 2: ARTICLE ANALYSIS

[Cristina Strahle]

Hello Liesel,

I am glad to learn that tourism is blooming in Thailand, especially after the pandemic. As you said, being part of this program allows us to positively contribute to the economy. It is notable that areas of tourism mentioned in the article (tour guide firms, travel agency business, currency exchange, and restaurants) have improved drastically.

I hope my presence, especially in the rural areas, can also contribute to the economic growth of disadvantaged communities.

Thank you for sharing an article!

[Cristina Strahle]

Hello Issy,

Thank you so much for posting about such an important topic.

When reading about the beauty standards in Thailand (I am referring to the dangerous practices to look thinner and whiter) I was shocked to learn that those collective practices are detrimental to future generations and their health. It is no different from other cultures/ countries where cosmetic surgeries have become a norm of beauty. Especially with the strong presence of social media in the life of young people, the obsession with this “perfect image/body” becomes an unattainable and unrealistic goal that many people even risk their lives to achieve. For example, in the United States female singers and influencers with excessive cosmetic procedures are very often portrayed as role models. Many rap singers, Pop artists, and celebrities (For example: Niki Manaj, Cardi -B, or Kim Kardashian) often share about their latest surgery with their followers and fans as if it is something to be proud of. In my opinion, promoting or even accepting these “beauty standards” is absurd and vain.

I am a strong advocate for healthy beauty practices where mental and physical health are a priority. I am all for healthy eating habits, exercise, self-care, and unnecessary cosmetic procedures.

[Cristina Strahle]

Article topic: “East Asian women’s dangerous cosmetic obsession”

Access link: “https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/459789/east-asian-women-dangerous-cosmetic-obsession”

Author: ARPAWAN VEJJAJIVA

This article criticizes the obsession of many women in East Asia and Thailand with their physical appearance.
According to the author, the features of this “beautiful” image include “Pencil thin body-type, white pale skin, strikingly huge doll eyes.” In order to attain this “desired image” many women either use skin whitening products or have plastic surgery. To begin, it is not surprising to note that women under the age 25 have had at least one cosmetic surgery in these countries. Additionally, due to excessive plastic surgery, women lose their ethnic and racial characteristics. One of the most popular surgeries is blepharoplasty to modify the shape of the eyelids and make the eyes look bigger. This trend became popular in part by many celebrities and their cosmetic surgeries. Mostly all pop-artist, in particular K-pop singers, have multiple surgeries to fit “the mold.” The author also mentions that “roughly 7.5 million people have travelled to South Korea to get work done” making this country the #1 place for cosmetic surgery.

Another dangerous practice is skin whitening. Many women decide to apply, inject, or consume dangerous substances to make their skin whiter. For example, in July of 2014 a college student in Thailand died from liver and breathing failure after self-injecting a glutathione with the hope of a lighter skin. Also, there is an increase in the market of the so called “whitening lotions” in social media (especially Facebook and Instagram) without disclaiming the potential health problems to their clients. The lack of health regulations of these products, make it easy to sell them online. This is particularly troubling because these dangerous lotions are accessible to young women who, in most instances, try to get closer to their goal in the most affordable way possible.

I agree with the author when she blames social media and the music industry for these standards. The unrealistic, bizarre, dangerous, and superficial image of beauty can only be changed by teaching younger generations to embrace their unique self and find healthier practices. This will never be achieved if we keep paying attention to artists and influencers who only care about themselves and their self-idolatry. I hope that, by being part of this team, I am able to celebrate young girl’s natural beauty in my classroom for the next seven weeks while in Thailand. My desire is to make them feel comfortable in their own skin and treasure how they look.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Cristina Strahle.

[Kiyanna Rama]

Culture in Thailand

Culture in Thailand
The article provides an overview of the culture in Thailand. It mentions that Thailand’s culture is influenced by Indian, Chinese, and unique Thai elements. The country’s diverse geography, friendly people, and beautiful scenery make it a popular destination. Thailand is divided into four regions, each with its own distinct cultural and geographic features.
The article highlights Buddhism as one of the most important influences on Thai culture, along with Hinduism, indigenous belief systems, and neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China. The majority of the population consists of ethnic Thai people, who have a strong sense of shared traditions and cultural identity. The Thai language is widely spoken and understood throughout the country.
The Thai government has made efforts to preserve and strengthen national culture and identity, but there has also been a resurgence of local culture and traditions. Thai people value respect, self-control, and a non-confrontational attitude. Maintaining a positive and friendly demeanor, even in difficult situations, is highly valued. Respect for elders, hierarchical social interactions, and close-knit family ties are important aspects of Thai life.
Women in Thailand have gained more freedom and rights in recent years, and respect for women is emphasized. The concept of “Sanuk,” which encompasses playfulness and a sense of humor, is central to Thai culture and way of life.
It is very important for someone traveling in Thailand to be educated in their belief systems in order to maintain respect for the community and preserve tradition. By becoming acquainted with their social norms, it helps to avoid offending someone and mutual respect can be formed. For example, appropriate dress code in certain places such as temples and never raising voices in public.

[Kiyanna Rama]

In response to Katie – This is such a heartbreaking thing to hear and it is such a culture shock as something like this typically wouldn’t happen in the UK. A lot of articles here have discussed the after-effects of COVID and it’s quite surreal to think about all the changes that it would have made to people’s lives. It makes me feel quite conflicted that I was complaining about being in a lockdown when there were children being forced to drop out of education in order to provide for their families.

[Tommy Boyd]

https://thediplomat.com/2023/05/cambodia-and-thailands-cultural-rivalry-has-serious-implications/
Cambodia and Thailand’s Cultural Rivalry Has Serious Implications by Sokvy Rim
Cultural tensions between Thailand and Cambodia were renewed at the recent South East Asian Games (SEAG), which were held in Cambodia, in May 2023. Culturally, Thailand and Cambodia have much in common: both countries are predominantly Buddhist; both believe in the fundamental triad of nationhood, religion, and monarchy; both share similar social norms, culinary traditions, and language origins; and both have similar cultural activities, such as kickboxing. Debate over the origins of these cultural similarities has in turn led to significant and even violent rivalry.
During the SEAG, Cambodian fans were seen chanting ‘Goodbye Thailand’ after the host country’s volleyball team beat the Thai national team. Additionally, the Cambodia Boxing Federation named its kickboxing event “Kun Khmer” rather than the traditionally used Thai equivalent, “Muay Thai”. These actions sparked outrage among Thai sports fans, harkening back to violent conflicts between the two countries, namely the disputes over the origins of cultural landmarks Angkor Wat in 2003 and Preah Vihear in 2008. As a foreigner living in Thailand, it is important to respect that although Thailand and Cambodia might have some cultural similarities, the two nations are still highly sensitive to discussions about origins and ownership.

[Tommy Boyd]

A concise yet comprehensive summary of the article, Georgina. I like how you’ve mentioned that although electric tuk-tuks have some advantages (such as reducing the risk of respiratory illness associated with air pollution), there are some downsides to their implementation, such as lower range and recharging difficulties. This suggests that electric tuk-tuks are just one solution to reduce air pollution in Thailand. Perhaps the article could have mentioned other environmentally-conscious transportation methods that are currently in used or being developed in Thailand, such as light rail. Travelers are not always aware of how big their carbon footprint is! Thanks for your insight!

[Emma Kuhnen]

https://theconversation.com/what-is-theravada-buddhism-a-scholar-of-asian-religions-explains-205737 – article from The Conversation, written by Brooke Schedneck, published May 31rst, 2023
This article caught my attention because it echoes a lot of the lesson content from this course on Buddhism in Thailand, whilst also providing a different insight. The author is here specifically outlining the history and practice of Theravada Buddhism, which is the dominant form of Buddhism in South-East Asia, including Thailand. She highlights two main features of this form of Buddhism which are the monks collecting alms in the morning, and young men traditionally joining the monastery for a short period of time when they are young. In the next section, the author describes the place of Buddhism in South-East Asian cultures, emphasising its strong link to the monarchy. An interesting point that is reflected in the course content is the author’s comment that Theravada Buddhism integrated indigenous beliefs rather than replace them. This echoes the point made in the course that Thailand has always integrated many different elements into its culture, making it dynamic and heterogenous.
The author then outlines the main scriptures of this religion, and their origins in the 5th century BC after the Buddha’s death, until they became a set number of written texts in the 1st century BC. When discussing the specificities of Theravada Buddhism in the different countries of South-East Asia, she mentions that Thailand is renowned for preserving the tradition of monastic life. She concludes by stating the rich depth and diversity of Buddhism, whose teachings serve as a spiritual guide and are integrated to its people’s way of life.
I believe this article to be firstly very interesting, and secondly quite useful, as it offers further insight into one of the most important elements in Thai people’s everyday lives. Understanding culture is key to be being respectful of it.

[Emma Kuhnen]

Hi Cristina
Your post reminded me of two ads that I saw on the London tube the other day: they were ads for supplements, both by the same company, but one was aimed at men and the other at women. Whilst the one for men promoted ‘vitality’, the one for women promised ‘beauty’ by taking care of hair, skin and nails. I found it particularly shocking since I was able to directly compare these two ads side by side, which really made the pervasiveness of beauty standards in female gender norms particularly clear. Your post also reminded me of the fact that most sun cream in Thailand comes with whitening agents in it de facto, even though the original purpose of sun cream is to avoid sunburn and health hazards, rather than being/remaining white. Although I agree that popular culture is an important source of reproduction of toxic norms, I also believe that through the power it holds over people and culture it holds the potential for engaging change. Of course, it’s more complicated than that, but a proper discussion of cultural forces wouldn’t fit in this short post, so all in all, there is lots of food for thought here!

[Edvinas Cesnulis]

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023/thailand

The Digital News Report 2023 focuses on Thailand and its landscape of the media. The Report argues that online news consumption in Thailand is high, and many users rely on social media as their primary source of information. I am particularly interested in the media and how it functions in the Central and Eastern Europe, thus it was interesting to find some similarities between very distinct regions.

The study reveals that Facebook is the most popular platform for news consumption among Thai internet users, followed by YouTube and Line. While Facebook and YouTube are extremely popular in Eastern Europe, Line is something that I have not familiarised myself with before. Interestingly, Thais’ trust in media is higher than in many countries in Europe. I believe that too little or too high trust in media during the times of the consolidation of democracy can be dangerous. It is important to build trust in the media and promote media literacy as well as transparency and accountability. It would allow Thai people to critically evaluate news sources and combat the spread of misinformation.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism discovered no change in trust in media from 2021 to 2023. This finding suggests that, during Covid-19 pandemic, there was no change in trust in media although conspiracy theories and misinformation were widely spread online and offline. It would be interesting to compare the narratives regarding the Covid-19 pandemic online in Europe and in Thailand. Thailand still has a long way ahead since it ranks only 107th among 180 countries in the world in the Press Freedom Index.

[Edvinas Cesnulis]

This is a very interesting article. Thanks for sharing this. I want to find out about it more from the local rural community in which I am going to teach and compare how their attitudes are different from those in Bangkok. It will be very interesting to hear their thoughts about how they connect the LGBT issues and possible contradictions in religion.

[Jakub Sypek]

Kate D, reading your summary and the original article has got me thinking about how we can best use low budget alternatives to the iPads and so forth that we often see in western schools and indeed I agree that these fancy things are not necessary for a high quality education. In fact in my experience high budget gadgets often distract pupils and don’t especially enhance learning. Perhaps we should be wiser in pertinence to how we utilise technology in the classroom and a silver lining of the low budgets of Thai schools is that we as teachers will be forced to get creative and generate new ways of using modern technology in the classroom when its accessibility is limited.

[Jakub Sypek]

Source: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/thailand
Democracy is on the rise across the globe from the protests in China to the recent graduation of Guinea into a democracy but Thailand has remained on the edge of being a royal dictatorship and a constituational monarchy, hopping from one to the other every 5-10 years. Currently though, unfortunately, it is a dictatorship with a strict law banning criticism of the monarch. Children have been put in jail for doing so.
Recently pro-democracy demonstations have been on the rise again and are spearheaded by students. The iconic three finger salute is a sign of these protests, which somewhat reminds me of the Hunger Games salute!
As someone who is very much pro constitutional monarchy, I support these protests but I must resist the temptation to take an active role in them because foreigners that do so risk deportation and arrest.
The article describes the violent suppression of protestors and the prime minister’s use of covid-19 as a pretext to enact a state of nationwide emergency and justify his cracking down of protestors and republicans, and suppress freedom of speech.

[Anna Sanderson]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/16/thailand-in-limbo-as-move-forwards-electoral-impetus-hits-political-roadblocks
In this article, Ratcliffe reflects on the aftermath of the Thai elections a month after they occurred. She argues that the country is in a stagnant position where there is little clarity about whether the most popular party, ‘Move Forward’ will be able to take position of highest power. Move Forward recently sent shockwaves through Thai politics when winning the most seats in May with a progressive manifesto following Thailand being ruled by coup-maker Prayuth Chan-ocha for 9 years. Their manifesto focused on guiding Thailand away from conservative roots including policies to remove the military from politics and scrap mandatory conscription, as well as the controversial idea reform the strinct lese majesty law that prevents the monarch from being criticised. This idea of progress attracted many young voters in particular. As Gemma Hucker’s analysis of an article shows (in the forum), there has been building discontent especially amongst younger generations about Thai politics being dominated by ‘coups, collusion and corruption in the state’. The reason why there is a lack of clarity on the future of this party and therefore Thai politics, is because its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat is under investigation. The electoral commission is pursuing an investigation into Pita to determine whether he ran despite being aware that he was ineligible. The case is base off claim that Pita owned shared in media company, which would mean a breach of electoral rules.
Pita denies these allegations and says that the shares were inherited from his late father and the company in question has not operated as a media business since 2007. Indeed, he announced he had transferred ownership of shares to prevent any potential revival of the company conflicting with his interests as a politicians. It is a serious accusation because if Pita is found to be guilty, he could fact up to 10 years in jail, a 20 year ban on politics and a fine. Political commentators say this case doesn’t only have serious consequence on Move Forward but also on public’s relation to politics. Khemthong Tonsakulrunguang, a lecturer of law at Chulalongkor University says that Move Forwards success offered ‘a glimmer of hope’ against a backdrop of politics that had been stagnant for a long time. If this hope is crushed then distrust towards public institutions will increase. THis is particularly the case given that only three years ago, in 2020, Move Forward’s predecessor party Future Forward was dissolved and its leaders banned from politics for 10 years after the constitution court declared it to breach funding rules. As a teacher and tourist in Thailand it is important to educate oneself about this current topic that is pervading Thai politics. Firstly, it gives insight to generational differences and emerging tensions that are being enacted through the ballot box. Furthermore, as a politics and anthropology student travelling in Thailand it is interesting to understand to what extent instability and stagnation in the public political sphere dissipates to affect other aspects of Thai culture, such as what culture such as music and art is being produced and how it affects relations between different groups of people.

[Anna Sanderson]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/16/thailand-in-limbo-as-move-forwards-electoral-impetus-hits-political-roadblocks
In this article, Ratcliffe reflects on the aftermath of the Thai elections a month after they occurred. She argues that the country is in a stagnant position where there is little clarity about whether the most popular party, ‘Move Forward’ will be able to take position of highest power. Move Forward recently sent shockwaves through Thai politics when winning the most seats in May with a progressive manifesto following Thailand being ruled by coup-maker Prayuth Chan-ocha for 9 years. Their manifesto focused on guiding Thailand away from conservative roots including policies to remove the military from politics and scrap mandatory conscription, as well as the controversial idea reform the strinct lese majesty law that prevents the monarch from being criticised. This idea of progress attracted many young voters in particular. As Gemma Hucker’s analysis of an article shows (in the forum), there has been building discontent especially amongst younger generations about Thai politics being dominated by ‘coups, collusion and corruption in the state’. The reason why there is a lack of clarity on the future of this party and therefore Thai politics, is because its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat is under investigation. The electoral commission is pursuing an investigation into Pita to determine whether he ran despite being aware that he was ineligible. The case is base off claim that Pita owned shared in media company, which would mean a breach of electoral rules.

Pita denies these allegations and says that the shares were inherited from his late father and the company in question has not operated as a media business since 2007. Indeed, he announced he had transferred ownership of shares to prevent any potential revival of the company conflicting with his interests as a politicians. It is a serious accusation because if Pita is found to be guilty, he could fact up to 10 years in jail, a 20 year ban on politics and a fine. Political commentators say this case doesn’t only have serious consequence on Move Forward but also on public’s relation to politics. Khemthong Tonsakulrunguang, a lecturer of law at Chulalongkor University says that Move Forwards success offered ‘a glimmer of hope’ against a backdrop of politics that had been stagnant for a long time. If this hope is crushed then distrust towards public institutions will increase. THis is particularly the case given that only three years ago, in 2020, Move Forward’s predecessor party Future Forward was dissolved and its leaders banned from politics for 10 years after the constitution court declared it to breach funding rules. As a teacher and tourist in Thailand it is important to educate oneself about this current topic that is pervading Thai politics. Firstly, it gives insight to generational differences and emerging tensions that are being enacted through the ballot box. Furthermore, as a politics and anthropology student travelling in Thailand it is interesting to understand to what extent instability and stagnation in the public political sphere dissipates to affect other aspects of Thai culture, such as what culture such as music and art is being produced and how it affects relations between different groups of people.

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