reflections and deflections and occasional imperfections in and on Thailand

Things I will miss about Thailand.  (In blogs you are supposed to link to things.  So I linked to things that may or may not be useful)

And yes, of course I am happy to return to my family and friends and colleagues.  I am treasuring the moment I return to work and attend the Dean-a-thon where I learn, through a 42 page powerpoint presentation and after three years of sabbatical, that the Dean of Agriculture has found a new way to double cumquat production in Bali.

We also learn that ‘cumquat’ is a funny word either referring to a fruit or an exercise proposed by Masters & Johnson.

Now getting to things I will miss.. I just had my last free breakfast that costs four dollars a day.  I pay for the free breakfasts when I check out of the hotel, so every day they’re free.  True Fact:  if you don’t pay for something the moment you get something, it’s free.  Every bank heist you commit is a total success until you get caught.  

I
 will miss laying by the pool every morning.  Is laying in the sun each day good for you?  No.  But my friends, family and colleagues require empirical proof as I return some January day, that I was in Thailand.  And that means a tan to show off.  As well as several irregularly shaped areas on my skin, three of which look like (from left to right) Australia, Africa and Idaho. 

I will miss Thai food.  I will miss pointing to pictures on menus since after 6 years of visiting Thailand I still can’t speak the language except for theThai words for “hello”, “thank you” and “Yes, I love happy endings—you saw the Wizard of Oz, too?”

But back to the food.  Be careful of the little red peppers.  Small but pack a powerful punch.  Kind of like Madeline Albright.  Coconut milk is added to so many dishes.  And for no extra money since the food is donated by the makers of Simvistatin.  Fun fact:  did you know the cholesterol reducing drug’s name “Simvistatin” comes from the Thai word “making you not die now.”? That is the truth as far as I know given the lack of research.  

The people are warm and wonderful.  And I remember well being told that everybody in Bangkok speaks English.  It is true that every Thai I met knew the word “English” as in “I speak a little English” meaning they knew how to say “I speak a little English.” But I almost always received a smile.  True story that’s true:  I went to the mall in Thailand to buy a fan.  I asked the salesperson in perfect English for a “fan.”  She laughed and walked away.  Then I found a group of salespeople and asked in a louder voice and more slowly, for a “fan.”  A larger group of young women walked away.  What I learned later is that “fan” is the Thai word for “girlfriend.”  So I was asking a bunch of Thai women to be my girlfriend.  And they all laughed and walked away.  I took note that representatives of all women in the continent of Asia laughed at me thinking I was asking for a girlfriend. So, not all Thai people are warm and wonderful.  Some are mocking.  

Night life of Thailand.  I am 58.  There are many TV stations offered at the hotel.  Some in English.  There are many soaps on Thai TV.  In every Thai soap opera, the mother says wise things to their children who sit patiently and listen to their mother.  The kids nod and then go on to playing head games with people of other genders—just like American children.  On Thai soaps, whenever the mother talks, they play flute music.  I don’t understand Thai, but I know that it’s the mother talking because she sounds wise and they are playing flute music.  I have bought a file of flute music that is now on my I-phone.  I will now play the flute music whenever I talk so people will think I am wise.  Try it.  It works.  If you play flute music while reading this, all my words take on added wisdom.  

I am about to embark on my 24+ hour plane trip home.  So I hope you enjoy these last sane words.  Sure United is about to engage me in a day’s worth of cramped seats, bad food in cramped trays, cramped terminals and probing airport security hands.  My life will be a solid day of disrespect, disregard and other words beginning with “dis-“.  But I get a lot of frequent flyer miles.  See you all soon.

Rick, December 29,2017

Of swastikas and public relations

        Sometimes a great public relations firm will count on the laziness of the journalist.  The hope of organizations is that the lazy editor of a newspaper will print the press release verbatim without fact checking.  The country of Thailand thanks the lazy journalists of America for letting them get away with one...or more.

So when Chulalongkorn University, a prestigious Thai university, allowed students to include Hitler among superheroes painted on a wall, many around the world responded with shock.  When the university responded with an apology explaining that the students didn't really know who Hitler was, the matter was settled.  American and international journalists ran the apology.

What journalists did not follow up on is that the issue goes back to 2011, when an article noted that the swastika had become chic attire for Thailand's young.  What journalists did not mention was a fried chicken stand in Bangkok that uses a picture of Hitler with a bow tie on its window.  What journalists missed is pieces of a story were there among the t-shirts of swastikas and fried chicken parts.

I can tell you that not one Thai student I spoke with here in Bangkok knows what the swastika means or who Hitler is.  A separate comment on the state of education may well be needed here.  And perhaps might make a good story.  What you read here is not an indictment of Thailand or the excellent people I have met here.  It's an indictment and one more bit of evidence that some of our journalists are getting lazier. And public relations firms thank them for their support.

reflections of a well respected guava

I am a guava in Thailand.  Foreigners, especially Americans, are referred to as "farangs", a Thai word for guava.  It is said with respect.  As much respect as a traveling guava might get.  I am treated very well here.  I have learned a lot.  And have many questions.  And I answered many questions from the students from the dozen or so countries that I have met.

Why doesn't America release Burma from all of the economic sanctions.  The Burmese students answer the question in a way that Hillary Clinton was too politic to answer.   It is because they are not free.  Yet.  They are optimistic that the process that has begun will be successful.  In about 15 years, they say.  A long process they admit, but freedom takes time.  I have not met citizens of any country with more pride and hope for its future than those of Burma.

My Nigerian students ask why do the American media portray Nigeria as a country wholly consumed with civil war and the bombings that serve as evidence of such a war?  Nigerian students speak with pride about their country.  There are divisions and troubles and prejudice, they admit.  There is also peace in much of the country, a strong culture and an articulate people.

Why does America portray Somalia as the land of pirates and starvation?  The pirates and terrorists are a small percentage of the population.  Somalia has a strong culture and a strong people.  Simple respect would be appreciated.

My Muslim student from Thailand answers my dopey questions about her religion.  I get to admit to her the very much that I don't know about her religion.  She is glad to share since it is her belief that once I understand her religion that the next natural step is that I will want to join her religion.  We compared and contrasted our religions, Judaism and Islam.  We share much and also differ significantly.  She asked why Americans think that she and all her Islamic friends are all terrorists.  I truthfully tell her that not all Americans think all Muslims are alike.  I tell her it is just the ignorant ones.  

She says that watching American media, how could Americans come to any other conclusion except that they are all terrorists?  A fair question and I have no answer.

The person from Bhutan is proud of her country that consistently rates among the ten happiest countries in the world.  She is proud to share literature from her national airline.  The overly complex English sentences included in the magazine tells me that her country does not look down on those that read about it. They lift them up with articulate, though overly complex sentences.  It is also a country that wants tourists but will not sacrifice the safety of its treasured natural resources just to accommodate a few more tourists. Very wise people.  It is a beautiful country.

My Zambian student does not talk about her country that much.  I do know that she is 19 years old and has written a novel and keeps a blog with tips for young women on how to stay safe.  Based on all the people I now know from Zambia, it is a remarkable place.  Victoria Falls, according to those that have visited the Zambian treasure, is worth the trip all by itself.

I ask, to no one in particular, why can't all Americans learn about these and other countries?  Why do American media have to define countries and religions by the acts of a few?  The first answer is that I have been given the gift of meeting these people through my travels to Thailand.  The second answer is also easy.  

Watching America From Afar--part 2

Here in Bangkok, my students from Asia, Europe, Canada and Africa asked me about things they see trending on Yahoo.  I can only do an eye roll and explain...that I can't explain.  I can only apologize.  And then I explain the eye roll video.

Thanks to Yahoo, I relearned that people can read nonverbal behavior, particularly that of Michelle Obama.  I learned that a blogger can draw conclusions about what certain nonverbal behavior  is reacting to, though the blogger is utterly ignorant of the context of the reaction.

Video from the inaugural luncheon shows Michelle Obama doing an eye roll after Speaker of the House Boehner says something.  We can not hear what the Speaker said.  Maybe he was talking basketball and Michelle may be tired of talking basketball.  Maybe the Speaker was saying that gays should only be allowed to marry aardvarks.  We don't know.  But her eye roll video went viral and trended number one on Yahoo.  How sad.

I learned a new word today. Photobomb.  Bill Clinton can be seen supposedly gawking at Kelly Clarkson during the inauguration.  Nice to know Bill Clinton can still recognize a pretty girl when he sees one.  And knowing he still knows one when he sees one makes me.....quite shallow, actually.

With all the important things that President Obama said during the inauguration speech, so many are focusing on the trivial.  It is easy to understand the trivial.  Journalists do not have to analyze and provide context to the trivial.  And nobody ever accused Yahoo of challenging its readers to new ideas.

There is so much to talk about as the President laid out his hopes for a second term.  And intelligent people can debate those priorities.  If such debate is going on, it will not be via Yahoo. 

It makes me sad to see what the priorities are of people searching the internet.  It is hard for me to explain to my students.  Picture me doing an eye roll.  Because I am.   

Watching America From Afar...

Watching America from afar is fun.  Watching CNN international in Bangkok and staying updated via internet while spending days with students from a bunch of different countries is fascinating.  A great perspective change.  CNN in America covers politics. CNN International covers...news.  It's a very nice change.  Here is some of what else I have learned so far:

For one thing, America, let's not get too cocky about how cool we are.  According to Reporters Without Borders  rankings of countries by degree of press freedom, the USA ranks 47th out of 179 countries. (Why can't we be actually cool like Canada in tenth place?) 

Some other notes I gathered in my travels in Bangkok:

--A young lady from Iran wants to know why American media focus on the Iranian president when the actual power in Iran resides in its religious leaders.

--Young people from Burma tell me that through the extraordinary work of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country is on the rise but still very much a work in progress.  The Burmese media are sources of amusement, though not sources of facts.

--Some Canadian and British nationals say that socialized medicine is not perfect--but it works very well and they don't understand the American issues regarding health care reform.

--A charming young woman from Bhutan taught me two things:  the country of Bhutan exists and it is has been ranked the 6th happiest country in the world. (United States is merely average among the happy countries of the world.) 

Finally, why is Piers Morgan doing whatever he does?  Intelligent debate about gun control is necessary.  He is not capable of carrying such on such a debate or interview or apparently any other journalistic endeavor.  His "questions"--and "questions" needs to be in quotes--seems to be rattling off statistics that he wants opponents of gun control to acknowledge.  Piers, getting people to acknowledge a statistic is as useful as getting people to agree the flu makes you sick.  Develop points of view, debate perspectives... oh, c'mon Piers, you have actually made me miss Larry King.

This is some of what I have observed in Thailand while watching America from afar.  America is great.  With some hard work by our journalists helping us understand our world a bit better, we can definitely be greater.