There are a few things I generally try to avoid writing about on my blog, and politics is one of them. Part of it is due to the fact that I’m too busy to write regularly about such topical and quickly-evolving subjects, but mostly it’s because there are other bloggers out there who speak much more eloquently on the whole shebang than I ever could. However, as I do often have an opinion or two, I thought I’d put up some pictures and write a short bit about the ongoing red shirt protest in Bangkok and how I feel about the whole mess.

Now, I don’t hold a degree in political science (or even political creationism) and am often too-quickly swayed when I hear one side of an argument, and then sway back to the other side when I hear the opposing one. But I’m kind of conflicted about this whole thing.

The crowd grows.

The crowd grows.

On one hand, I’m a pussy pacifist and would just like to see everything settle down, for the red shirts to go back home, and everything to get back to how it was, chugging along in the closest form of democracy that Thailand is apparently able to handle. Despite the incredible good will and welcoming attitude I saw when I attended the red protest the other day, I hate that the red shirts can just walk into the capital city and shut things down if they’re unhappy, using crude language and cruder tactics to try and discredit a government that is not evil, and is trying its best to keep a lot of plates spinning. Why don’t they wait until an election? Isn’t that how democracy works?

Wonder if these guys ever met again? Say, a few weeks later. With guns.

Wonder if these guys ever met again? Say, a few weeks later. With guns.

On the other hand, there is clearly – blatantly – a double standard in Thailand, and the red shirts represent the socio-economic class of people, mostly poor and mostly from Northeast Thailand, that usually gets the short end of the stick. In their minds, they are doing the only thing they can to force a change. They’ve been beaten down for so long this is the only option left.

Smile!

Smile!

I had a conversation with a friend today who has the annoying talent of intelligently analyzing everything from multiple angles. I said to him “This protest – and the one by the yellow shirts a few years ago

[that shut down the airport] – just sets a dangerous precedent. It says that whenever you disagree with something, hold the decision makers hostage and soon you’ll get your way.” My argument was: what’s next? Labor unions who pay low overtime? A hospital who won’t release a rival’s medical records? A movie theater who charges too much for tickets? He then answered back that in most western countries, when you’ve been wronged, there is legal recourse to see that things are set right. There are well-defined rules and it’s mandatory to follow them. Everyone has a chance to have their case heard, and, in theory, everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.

Epic.

Epic.

My friend then said this doesn’t happen in Thailand, and he’s right. If, for example, your car is totaled and your back injured because some powerful army dude/actor/doctor/TV star is driving drunk, they’ll likely pay you a pittance to keep your mouth shut and go away. Still want to fight? How about a beating in a dark alley after a movie, how does that sound? That’s the way things work here, and without money, connections or saucy blackmail material, you know what you are? You’re a red shirt. If you want change, you have to fight for it.

The universal sign.

The universal sign.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the red shirts are all good guys, or that the yellow shirts are all rich – as with anything, there is many blurring of lines going on. But, as much I hate the protests, as much as I hope the army doesn’t start shooting, as much as I think the red shirts spilling their blood is a disgusting waste of a precious resource, as much as I sympathize with their plight, as much as I want them to leave so I can get to work on time, and as much as I want them to succeed… I think this, or something like it, needs to happen if there is ever to be change. I’m just not sure they’re going about it the right way. Thoughts?

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