Prime Minister suggests that people read George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”

[dinsdale]

[Gecko123]

Was so intrigued that Prayut recommended Animal Farm, I spent the day rereading it. The book is about how power corrupts, truth is controlled and manipulated, and how leaders control the masses by inventing internal and external enemies.

 

Prayut asks people to consider which animal in the book they most identify with. It's very difficult to believe that Prayut doesn't see himself as Comrade Napoleon, a pig which becomes corrupted and manipulates his way into power over the other farm animals. It's very strange that he wouldn't anticipate people quickly drawing this unflattering analogy between this character and himself.

 

Or is this merely a dog whistle message to the ruling elites that he understands the social hierarchy "natural" order of things? Or is it perhaps just a fawning attempt to seek their approval with a display of literary sophistication?

 

In any event, in the age of Trump, with his gaslighting and war on the truth, Animal Farm is a timely read.

 

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79a/complete.html

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Gecko123

[Burma Bill]

10 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

"All animals are equal, but some animals (the one's at the trough) are more equal than others !

Exactly. Can you imagine the feudal Bangkok elite being equal to the rural peasant farmers?? 

[brain150]

I think it's funny that everybody is bashing Thailand ...

 

There is a Napoleon in any Country in the world !!!

It's just not a single individual but it is the institution of Government itself !!!

Because Governments behave like Napoleon !!!

 

Worst to be named should be the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany as these are

the Napoleons who usually enforce their rule upon others ! They are the ones going to war

with anybody who does not agree to their rule !!!

[Libya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Irak, Iran, Syria, Yemen .... the list is long and gets longer and longer]

 

... Prayuth is Napoleon - but only one of many Napoleons in the world

[brain150]

Napoleon: Any Government "Leader" [or religious Leader]
Pigs: Any Government in any Country [or any Religion]
Dogs: Police and Military in any Country
Boxer: The People

 

... it works on any level !
Anybody who sees him/herself higher than somebody else becomes Napoleon !!!

Look in the mirror ... you will find him there !

Edited May 30, 2019 by brain150

[mmushr00m]

Seriously????

I read it in public school, high school and university.

Did he read it and if he did, did he understand it. Thai can be quite literal.

That pig on the cover is him and his government!!!

[Caldera]

Not having read the Thai translation, I cannot tell if he's insane or if the translation completely distorts the original. Probably a combination of both.

[bluesofa]

7 hours ago, GarryP said:

7 hours ago, khunPer said:

The book is a political satire, I wonder who comrade Napoleon is supposed remind one of...????

Could Pravith be Squealer? Not sure about Snowball. 

I'd think Prawit would be Boxer the horse, who seemed to spend his entire life trying to spell his name.

[Chang_paarp]

I would guess Uncle Too has read Animal Farm, but I'm trying work out which version, the illustrated one like in the cartoon earlier, or the one with pictures you keep under the bed.

[JAG]

Perhaps he could read extracts live on TV, let us say at 8pm on a Friday evening, all channels of course.

 

It would fill something of a void which has opened in our lives recently...

[rkidlad]

8 hours ago, brain150 said:

I think it's funny that everybody is bashing Thailand ...

 

There is a Napoleon in any Country in the world !!!

It's just not a single individual but it is the institution of Government itself !!!

Because Governments behave like Napoleon !!!

 

Worst to be named should be the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany as these are

the Napoleons who usually enforce their rule upon others ! They are the ones going to war

with anybody who does not agree to their rule !!!

[Libya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Irak, Iran, Syria, Yemen .... the list is long and gets longer and longer]

 

... Prayuth is Napoleon - but only one of many Napoleons in the world

And this is called ‘Thaivisa’ - a website that focuses on ‘Thai affairs’. 

 

Did you never experience the lesson in life when you’d do something bad and try to justify it by saying someone else did it as well? You’d be told by an adult that it doesn’t matter what someone else did - they were taking to YOU. Meaning you don’t get to do what you like because other people are doing it.  

[canuckamuck]

Considering there isn't a cartoon version of the book, Prayut knows no one is going to read it here.

[canuckamuck]

He is trying to kill off the critics with an overdose of irony.

[ocddave]

29 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Did you never experience the lesson in life when you’d do something bad and try to justify it by saying someone else did it as well? You’d be told by an adult that it doesn’t matter what someone else did - they were taking to YOU. Meaning you don’t get to do what you like because other people are doing it.  

I assume this is a lesson that Thai people have never been taught, its how I try to explain to my wife my anger at the idiots on the road, they act like 10 yr old children. Its like an entire society that has never learned the lesson you state above, maybe Thai's have never heard "if everyone jumped off a cliff, would you jump off with them?" 

 

I hate to say it, but I think every Thai would jump off a cliff in unison.

[zhounan]

Great book from the great Eric Arthur Blair, like "1984", who let us understand the dystopian society we are living in

[Pennywise]

This movie, with English subs is self explanatory....https://youtu.be/wkcshLfgvyo

 

[bluesofa]

38 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Considering there isn't a cartoon version of the book, Prayut knows no one is going to read it here.

Although there is (an English) cartoon version of the film, funded by the CIA in 1954:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047834/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 

 

[ZeVonderBearz]

this guy is a laugh a minute. Should be fun viewing when BJ gets into power in the UK and visits to Thailand or vice versa. 

[Chris Lawrence]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Some took it as a satirical jab at the ongoing power negotiations involving politicians, as the Thai translation of the book title literally reads “Politics: Matters of the Animals”.

I would recommend Catch 22

[DrTuner]

13 hours ago, brain150 said:

I think it's funny that everybody is bashing Thailand ...

 

There is a Napoleon in any Country in the world !!!

It's just not a single individual but it is the institution of Government itself !!!

Because Governments behave like Napoleon !!!

 

Worst to be named should be the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany as these are

the Napoleons who usually enforce their rule upon others ! They are the ones going to war

with anybody who does not agree to their rule !!!

[Libya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Irak, Iran, Syria, Yemen .... the list is long and gets longer and longer]

 

... Prayuth is Napoleon - but only one of many Napoleons in the world

Sure, sure. Just one quick question: have you ever voted in actual non-rigged elections? If so, then it's not a "government" - it's the boneheads that voted them there. And of those there's no shortage in any country.

 

And then there are countries with usurpers at helm. Although that doesn't make the general populace any better, usually even more idiotic.

Edited May 31, 2019 by DrTuner

[chickenslegs]

18 hours ago, khunPer said:

The book is a political satire, I wonder who comrade Napoleon is supposed remind one of...????

Not to mention Farmer Jones.

 

(Seriously, don't mention Farmer Jones, you could end up doing 15 years).

[PhilippBKK]

That's probably the last thing he wants people to read......

A proper PR Spin Doctor is needed here to avoid future embarrassment.

[overherebc]

I keep thinking of a couple of lines from Rabbie Burns

 

Wid some power the giftie gie us

Tae see oorsels as ithirs see us.

Edited May 31, 2019 by overherebc

[brianthainess]

On 5/31/2019 at 5:58 AM, JAG said:

Perhaps he could read extracts live on TV, let us say at 8pm on a Friday evening, all channels of course.

 

It would fill something of a void which has opened in our lives recently...

They could make it a sitcom.

[brianthainess]

On 5/30/2019 at 2:16 PM, wwest5829 said:

Assume you are not counting farang who were required to read it in high school? 555

And even at age 14 yrs we could understand it.