BangkokReady

I'm not attacking anyone and, as I said, the "special treatment" (I didn't say special rights) is fine for marginalised people. They deserve it if they are oppressed and need to "balance the scales" to make it so they are closer to being equal. However, once their treatment becomes normal and mainstream, the special treatment needs to taper off. If you believe that no one is asking for special treatment, then my stance should not bother you, as I then have nothing to object to.

Almost as though it was done deliberately...

And I disagree with your opinion. I think reality is not to your liking, so you are ignoring it. You're welcome to think that, of course, as I am to disagree.

Hardly. There's nothing wrong with oppressed or marginalised people wanting special treatment to balance the scales, but call it what it is. And I think you're overacting to basic critical thought because you don't like the result.

Why did you feel the need to point out that they're chubby or from Isaan? Is that funny?

There's nothing petty about what I have said, nor am I attacking anything or anyone. I'm merely thinking critically. As marginalised and oppressed groups become less so, as they become more mainstream and accepted, in various areas, it's logical that the level of support and special treatment they get will decrease. If there are people trying to keep up the support, finding different reasons to maintain it, there is obviously something else going on there.

Does that mean that Pride could never do that? Not exclusively. As I said, it could easily go the other way. By way of an example, I'm not sure how long Pride has included "oppression around the world". It seems like a recent addition. This is not unusual. A movement claiming to fight oppression that begins with something local and specific gets traction and success, people become empowered, so they look for more oppression to include so that they still have that "cache", that "power".

Will they test the teachers also?

Who's denying that in some rare cases of pre-existing conditions the covid vaccine could be harmful?

The point of "pride" is that people used to feel shame for being homosexual (and some still do struggle with it and with "coming out"). So the focus is on positivity and acceptance. The problem is, of course, that as the scales tip more and more, we can end up going from oppression, to equality, to supremacy. And I think that's something to be aware of. People like power and privilege, and once they get it they don't like to give it up. It's great to see the lives of previously marginalise people improve, but "oppression" has become a kind of social currency and we see people desperate to show how oppressed they are all the time.

Sure, I can't argue with any of that. I was just offering a possible explanation for the targeting of vapes because they appeal more to kids and are slightly more available.

Yes. One of the problems is controlling access, but this is Thailand and it's even a problem in developed countries. Kids want to vape for the same reason they want to smoke, to feel grown-up. But it's easier for them to access and use vapes; and they are apparently less harmful than cigarettes, therefore more attractive. So the solution is to try to put them off using them. They wouldn't want nicotine-free vapes.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there is likely a mismatch between the "decent Thai women" who are looking for (presumably successful) foreign men in their age group to marry and the men who marry much younger bargirls, and neither is interested in the other. The women probably want younger and more attractive, and the men want the same. ????‍♂️ It's kind of daft to ponder the question "If there are so many Thai women who are not bargirls looking for foreign men, why are there so many foreign men married to bargirls?" without thinking a little about what each group are and want.

Unlikely. Almost certainly, and it's not just self-righteous judgement. It probably relates to the answer to question 1.

Need to keep down any competition. It's also possible that people are concerned that young people are getting into vaping who would otherwise have had no interest in nicotine products.

So, he's saying that only poor people will join the army, so if we see a soldier we will know he is from a poor family, and that is inequality, and that's bad? Have I got that right?

Not really, because you can't know how many of those 6 million students faced a situation where self-control was required.

????

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. In case it helps, "trans rights" (as they are currently being discussed) target the rights, freedoms and life choices of women and children. Does that help? It's not clear what you're trying to say.

Exactly. It's a topic that most people are aware of and have some sort of opinion on. It's been discussed openly in many parliaments and lots of very normal people (even left-leaning ones) have spoken out. With bills being passed that go against what trans activist would like. Some people simply try to pretend that only far-right, Nazi White Supremacist types are concerned about these issues, in an effort to try and silence people.

I don't believe so. Where did you hear that?

What does that mean?

You would honestly rather be in your 70s than in your 20s?

If they can cause bad things to happen to people as a consequence of saying something they consider to be anti-trans, if people think about not wanting to upset them when they make a public comment, then they have power. It's actually very mainstream. There's a lot of pushback from very normal centre and left leaning people. I'm sure you deny a lot of things, doesn't make it not so though. That doesn't really mean much. Absolutely.

If he had the gold, how was it attempting to steal? Equally bad writing in the rest of the article. ????