The History of Thailand's Future: Protest, Democracy, Big Men, Coups, Bombs, Killing People, and Forgiveness
Tired of being told "foreigners can never understand Thai ways"?
Assuming that protest and free speech are desirable qualities in Thai democracy misses the fundamental impulses of the culture. Supposing that all expect to be treated as equals overlooks the basic assumptions that govern personal interaction (and explains why Thais are so shy when one first meets them)
When the world sees soldiers marching through the streets to confront protesters, it sees events in Western terms. But is a long Siamese peace being broken? Is something unprecedented happening? Or does blood go hand-in-hand with the Thai smile? If we assume that all people naturally recoil at state-sponsored killing, this entirely misses the climate that makes killing people appear to be a common-sense solution.
The Thai Book is the history of Thailand's future. It illuminates the constants of Thai culture and the challenges it faces--protest, democracy, big men, coups, bombs, killing people and forgiveness.
The Thai Book is not a dry recounting of the boring politics that always has Thais and foreigners alike running for the exits. No listing of dictators, prime ministers, constitutions, and coups will lead the viewer any closer to understanding Thai ways. It is instead the fascinating tale of why people do the things they do. The Thai Book creates a portrait of Thailand at once painfully honest and genuinely sympathetic.
It is a portrait only visible to those who can connect the dots of its cultural and societal inclinations. Thai challenges, limitations, and strengths are all on show. The reader will never see the Thai universe in the same way again. The REAL story of Thai Ways.
Tired of being told "foreigners can never understand Thai ways"?
Assuming that protest and free speech are desirable qualities in Thai democracy misses the fundamental impulses of the culture. Supposing that all expect to be treated as equals overlooks the basic assumptions that govern personal interaction (and explains why Thais are so shy when one first meets them)
When the world sees soldiers marching through the streets to confront protesters, it sees events in Western terms. But is a long Siamese peace being broken? Is something unprecedented happening? Or does blood go hand-in-hand with the Thai smile? If we assume that all people naturally recoil at state-sponsored killing, this entirely misses the climate that makes killing people appear to be a common-sense solution.
The Thai Book is the history of Thailand's future. It illuminates the constants of Thai culture and the challenges it faces--protest, democracy, big men, coups, bombs, killing people and forgiveness.
The Thai Book is not a dry recounting of the boring politics that always has Thais and foreigners alike running for the exits. No listing of dictators, prime ministers, constitutions, and coups will lead the viewer any closer to understanding Thai ways. It is instead the fascinating tale of why people do the things they do. The Thai Book creates a portrait of Thailand at once painfully honest and genuinely sympathetic.
It is a portrait only visible to those who can connect the dots of its cultural and societal inclinations. Thai challenges, limitations, and strengths are all on show. The reader will never see the Thai universe in the same way again. The REAL story of Thai Ways.
