Thailand

Censorship in Thai Cinemas

Despite Thailand's leaders promoting the country as a democracy, it's still got quite a way to go until it truly is what they claim. Nowhere is this more evident than when you go to see a movie, where scenes deemed 'harmful to Thai society' are routinely blurred, pixelated, or just plain excised. In my latest post for The Hollywood Reporter, I detail the fight that celebrated director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has with the censorship board and their outrageous, archaic decisions to cut his film; it seems that every country in the world recognizes his films as classics, except his own, which truly sucks balls. It's pretty ridiculous, actually - when you see a guy holding what appears to be a gun-shaped blob of pixels in his hand, you have to wonder what would have brought more scrutiny - a guy with a gun or a guy with a gun-shaped blob of pixels. Most people with a brain would say the former, but hey - this is Thailand. Often, the censorship isn't even noticeable until you see the movie a second time - check out the screencaps below that I got from the Thai version of Music and Lyrics, versus the international version.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:03+00:00Current Events, Movies, Politics, Thailand|0 Comments

Putting The ‘Gig’ In ‘Adultery’

Ahhh, the ambiguities of Thailand. I think I've included this phrase before in my blog, but my friend John summed it up quite nicely - "there are no rules in Thailand until there are rules. Then they're unbreakable." Finding a single reason for any problem is often impossible, in much the same way that finding two Thais to explain an aspect of Thailand to you the same way is also impossible. One of these is the concept of 'gig'. If you've been in Thailand for any length of time, you've likely heard the term, which can also be spelled 'kik', 'gik', 'kig' or any variation thereof. It pays to be familiar with the term, because you're probably going to be asked by someone (probably a taxi driver) if you have one. Basically, (very basically), a 'gig' is someone who is more than a friend but less than a boy/girlfriend. However, if you ask five different people, you'll get five different answers.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:04+00:00Thailand|0 Comments

Brain Schools in Thailand

There was an article today in the Bangkok Post titled Brain Schools Gain Popularity, which discussed the glut of new schools popping up in Bangkok that purport to give youngsters a leg up in their cerebral analytical skills. It sounds a bit like quackery, but they do have a point. I love Thailand and Thai people but there's a serious lack of 'thinking on your feet' skills here; when presented with a situation that is different from a previously-described or planned situation, many Thais will simply freeze and shrink away from the problem like a snail on a salt plain.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:04+00:00Education, Thailand|0 Comments

Of Rice and Men

My friend John recited something very funny to me today, a quote from around the 15th century from a Thai person describing the then-strange sight of white European explorers. We laughed a lot because, despite being written about half a millennium ago, it's still an amazingly succinct and strangely accurate description. I imagine that it still sums up your average Thai person's view of us whities.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:05+00:00Fun Stuff, Thailand|0 Comments