A strange question to ask a Thai

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

A strange question to ask a Thai

By The Nation

 

Miss Thailand Universe gets us talking about social movements – not so much how they’re crushed under military rule

Maria Poonlertlarp, representing Thailand in the Miss Universe pageant, was given quite a question to answer in the contest’s final moments in Las Vegas on Sunday night local time. “What do you think has been the most important social movement of your generation, and why?” host Steve Harvey wanted to know.

 

“I think the most important social movement so far is that we have an ageing population, but the most important movement in our time is definitely the youth,” she replied. “So the youth is something that we have to invest in, because they’re the ones that are going to look after the earth we’re living on.”

 

Maria managed to smile 

 

graciously through her disappointment as the 2017 title went instead to Miss South Africa, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. Meanwhile there weren’t a lot of smiles back home in Thailand, where the social networks lit up with criticism over not just the judges’ decision but also Maria’s response to a challenging question.

 

Plenty of her countrymen said she’d done her best and had after all been one of the five finalists – the first time that had happened at the Miss Universe event in years. Others refused to be forgiving, though. In her reply to the “skill-testing question”, they said, Maria had completely missed the point. The debate continued all day Monday. Reporters decided they’d better ask Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha what he thought. He praised her as the country’s representative, but scholars and social activists kept repeating that Maria had blown the chance to tell the world what social movements were taking root in Thailand.

 

Both the premier and the critics seem to share a misperception, however, about the Miss Universe contest and the role that beauty queens play. 

 

First, beauty pageants are there to reap handsome profits for the private companies that run them. Second, can any individual genuinely represent her country or its national identity? Maria was representing the Miss Universe Thailand competition run by Chan25 Co Ltd, which has specific criteria in choosing a winner, but it’s not like citizens get to vote.

 

Maria, the daughter of a Swedish engineer and a Thai university lecturer, doesn’t “look Thai” and she was educated mainly outside Thailand. Other than in the “national costume” segment, no one could say she embodied “Thainess” on the Miss Universe stage.

 

Whether she won or lost had nothing to do with Thailand as a nation.

 

Third, her controversial answer was entirely her own. She perhaps failed to distinguish between a social movement and a segment of society (youth). Had she been better prepared, she might have cited the way the poor in Thailand have risen up to challenge the elite, or the ongoing struggle against the Songkhla coal-fired power plant. Fourth, it must be borne in mind that Maria’s perception or misconception about social movements has no bearing on actual situations here or elsewhere. 

 

Finally, while overreacting to Maria’s televised response, Thais should remember that the Prayut government routinely suppresses social movements. Opponents of the southern power plant got thrown in jail just because they sought to submit a petition. We should thank Steve Harvey for asking his question. Hopefully, Thais will keep talking a while longer about social movements under military rule.  

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30332831

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-30

[NCC1701A]

they knew she dare not answer.

[Jingthing]

34 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

they knew she dare not answer.

She didn't understand the question. 

[Ruffian Dick]

He would have preferred to ask "why haven't you overthrown your country's oppressive regime?" but he ran out of time.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Ruffian Dick

[ezzra]

Social movement? should be more like social media where, now days,

every person is fully committed to check thier status and be continusly

connected to the frivolous, trivial and dribbles of what most of

social medias are...

[rkidlad]

So many people that were so excited and ‘proud’ about this woman winning Miss Universe. Imagine if Thailnd was not suppressed and stifled by the very people who say they love it the most. Imagine if the country was allowed to develop and progress. You’d have a lot more to be proud of. You would be laughing at the whole idea of a Miss anything. 

[ramrod711]

47 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

So many people that were so excited and ‘proud’ about this woman winning Miss Universe. Imagine if Thailnd was not suppressed and stifled by the very people who say they love it the most. Imagine if the country was allowed to develop and progress. You’d have a lot more to be proud of. You would be laughing at the whole idea of a Miss anything. 

Well sure, it's politically incorrect and all that, but the bathing suit portion is still worth watching.

[mikebell]

Here's another question that will dumbfound a Thai; 'Do you understand how to work traffic indicators in your car?'

[Artisi]

5 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Here's another question that will dumbfound a Thai; 'Do you understand how to work traffic indicators in your car?'

What are traffic indicators? 

[mikebell]

1 minute ago, Artisi said:

What are traffic indicators? 

It's that stick thing attached to the steering wheel. Pressing it down indicates you intend to turn right.

[Artisi]

7 minutes ago, mikebell said:

It's that stick thing attached to the steering wheel. Pressing it down indicates you intend to turn right.

Oh! that thing, thought it was to hang the somtam on - understand now why the lights flash 2 bags are hung there. 

Edited November 30, 2017 by Artisi

[sklmeeera]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

they knew she dare not answer.

No they probably did not even know that Thailand has had political troubles recently . Its not exactly world news is it . A little country like Thailand is off most people in the worlds radar .

[faraday]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

It's that stick thing attached to the steering wheel. Pressing it down indicates you intend to turn right.

What about turning left Michael?

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Here's another question that will dumbfound a Thai; 'Do you understand how to work traffic indicators in your car?'

some understand, they just don't want to bother

[fantom]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

It's that stick thing attached to the steering wheel. Pressing it down indicates you intend to turn right.

Nonsense!!!! Pressing it down indicates you are turning right. Do not under any circumstances press it before, it just confuses everybody.

[anon537687643]

“Social movements “ in Thailand? We could start a top 100 of things that will never “move” \ No 1. Not questioning someone who is in a higher position than you, because they are always right even when they are clearly wrong !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[anon789561]

now i'm just guessing here but i reckon that article was written by someone living in isaan. could be wrong, often am but my that smells of isaan

[tandor]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

they knew she dare not answer.

..Thailand is the Universe.

[seminomadic]

Good article. Points out that:

 

1) She isn't really Thai, and wouldn't know/understand any existing Thai social movements any more than you know who the favorites are to win the Mongolian wrestling matchups in Ulaan Bataar this Sunday.

2) She's daft anyway, unable to distinguish age from social movements

3) Used the most boilerplate answer in that milieu, basically mouthing a Whitney Houston hit, because of #1 & #2 above.

 

Beauty is a premium, but it's reasonable for the respectability of the whole thing to have contestants prove they're not dumb as a post. It would be an opportunity for TVers to pile on Thailand if she'd been educated here in TH, but because she's educated abroad, she's a special kind of stupid. Ought not to win.

[Jonnapat]

How can rubbish like this cause so much discussion. Far too many of these outdated ridiculous competitions which are now totally meaningless in many countries

[masuk]

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Here's another question that will dumbfound a Thai; 'Do you understand how to work traffic indicators in your car?'

ii   Do you understand they are meant to be used before you pull out, not after?"

[anon537687643]

I The most movement of any kind be it social, economic or religious has got to be the mass illegal migration of the Middle East & Africa to the rest of the world, the rest is just snowflakes.

Yes! And it will destroy our way of life and culture if it is allowed to continue! The politicians in Europe ( Merkel and others, ie Labour Party in UK )have to be stopped! Stand up and fight! The Uk making a good start by leaving the disastrous EU!


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[WHYWHY]

2 hours ago, faraday said:

What about turning left Michael?

You stumped him lol

[Jonmarleesco]

It's a beauty contest. There's nothing strange about the questions asked of the contestants other than their generally being beyond the capacity of the individual to provide an intelligent answer. But better, I suppose, than the banal questions asked of them twenty years ago, and more.

[canuckamuck]

I would like to hear some forum members answers to that question. It is not exactly an easy question to answer off the cuff.

[Thaidream]

It's  not an easy question to answer on the spur of the moment and it takes time to actually formulate an answer that would have some accuracy. In addition, she probably does not keep up with any type of news in Thailand as she has studied and works abroad. The interesting thing is that the greatest social movement in Thailand IMHO over the last 20 years has to be the 'Red Shirts' but even if she knew- I doubt she would have mentioned it.

[MaeJoMTB]

7 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

they knew she dare not answer.

Facebook .................. easy to answer that one, the under 30s females can't leave it alone, probably the most important social movement in the history of man (and not in a good way).

Edited November 30, 2017 by MaeJoMTB

[Sid Celery]

“What do you think has been the most important social movement of your generation, and why?” 

 

If she's Thai, she probably said it was Facebook.

[coulson]

Who cares what she said

8 hours ago, webfact said:

social activists kept repeating that Maria had blown the chance to tell the world what social movements were taking root in Thailand

Who eve listens to what they have to say? Its a bloody pageant, not the G20 summit...

[Baerboxer]

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

It's that stick thing attached to the steering wheel. Pressing it down indicates you intend to turn right.

 

Why do some indicate left when turning right or vice versa?