More tolerance needed to avoid deepening rifts in society

[snoop1130]

More tolerance needed to avoid deepening rifts in society

By Pratch Rujivanarom, The Nation

 

 

Thai people need to become more tolerant towards those who have different beliefs and ideologies if the Kingdom is to avoid worsening already-deep rifts in society, a seminar was told on Wednesday.

 

Academics told the gathering at Chulalongkorn University that Thai society was already beset by violence and that rising hate crimes were caused by people lacking tolerance towards those who think differently.

 

The forum called on people to respect others’ opinions and beliefs even if they conflicted with their own, while also urging the media to be professional and objective when reporting news, so as to provide accurate information to the public without polarizing political partisanship and inflaming the social discord.

 

Chantana Banpasirichote Wungaeo, a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, said the recent violent attacks on left-wing political activists Sirawith "Ja New" Serithiwat and Ekkachai Hongkangwan showed that hostility towards people of different political ideologies was getting worse and there was an urgent need to end the hatred before it sparked further violence.

 

“Everyone has different life experience and comes from a different background, so it is normal that each of us has a different view on the same issue and adhere to different values and ideologies,” Chantana said.

 

“However, many Thai people are taught to believe that ideas that contradict what they think is right are wrong and bad, so they strongly object and even fear these ideas, which lead to hatred and discrimination against those who think differently from them.”

 

She urged people to learn to accept diverse thoughts and respect other people’s rights to freedom of expression, saying that free speech and tolerance were essential for building a healthy democratic society.

 

Moreover, she said the government also needed to show tolerance towards those who disagreed with them, and must not oppress its opponents.

 

However, Chantana said it was also a crime to physically attack those with opposing beliefs. Therefore, the authorities needed to bring the wrongdoers to justice and ensure people’s freedom of expression was protected.

 

“We need to respect people across the political spectrum and live with those who have diverse ideologies. We can debate and defend our beliefs but it must not escalate into discrimination and violence,” she stressed.

 

Thammasat University’s Peace Information Centre director Chaiwat Satha-Anand also warned that some political hardliners’ efforts to devalue their opponents’ dignity and human rights in order to justify the discrimination against them, was very dangerous and could lead to terrifying violence.

 

Chaiwat said it was essential that people treated everyone else with respect and dignity, regardless of whether they shared the same beliefs.

Veteran journalist Vanchai Tantivitayapitak emphasized the influential role that the media had to play to mend the deep political rifts in society and prevent violent conflicts.

 

“Due to the shifting media landscape and political situation, many media organisations are now openly aligning themselves with political groups, so they are also responsible for the disunity and hatred in society,” he said.

 

“The journalists are now forced by the policy of their organisations’ owners to abandon professional objective journalism and instead produce dramatized and often biased news reports to attract audiences. That only serves to further polarise political ideas and foster hatred towards people who have different political standpoints.”

 

Therefore, he urged media organisations to stop being a mouthpiece for political groups and return to professional journalism so as to ease social discord and restore their companies’ credibility.

 

Source: http://www.nationthailand.com/news/30372304

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-04

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[SteveStevens]

This should be directed to the military junta and the yellow shirts.  But such a request for respecting some basic tenets of democracy in Thailand could land one in jail.

[holy cow cm]

46 minutes ago, SteveStevens said:

This should be directed to the military junta and the yellow shirts.  But such a request for respecting some basic tenets of democracy in Thailand could land one in jail.

So your saying it is a catch 22 for the opposition, but ok no problem as a sort of ghost amnesty for the pro groups and in control military. As long as the military and your illustrious demagogue leader is in control, it seems futile. 

[Brigand]

Well, if that's what you want, then how about creating a fairer society instead of the woefully unequal monster you have now. Pfft!

[StayinThailand2much]

Well, if that's what you want, then how about creating a fairer society instead of the woefully unequal monster you have now. Pfft!

That's true. The more unequal a society is, the more intolerance, misery, hatred and violence. No wonder, with Thailand having the highest wealth inequality in the world (one can easily google it; #2: Russia, #3: Turkey, #4: India), with the richest 1% controlling 66.9% of the country's wealth!

Sent from my SM-J415F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[worgeordie]

Even the Songthaew and Grab drivers cannot get along.

regards worgeordie

[kingdong]

basically its thailand,and if you are not a thai citizen you are a guest,their country their rules  and customs,i would be very carefull about what you post on public media.

[aqua4]

38 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

That's true. The more unequal a society is, the more intolerance, misery, hatred and violence. No wonder, with Thailand having the highest wealth inequality in the world (one can easily google it; #2: Russia, #3: Turkey, #4: India), with the richest 1% controlling 66.9% of the country's wealth!

 

Now there is the real stick in the mud. Everyone talks the economy up but in my street I saw two foreclosures last year and a car repo. Today I saw one more foreclosure. Never seen any of this in Thailand before at this rate. The Thai middle class is slowly become the bottom class and the middle class is disappearing. This is not going to end well in Thailand. 

 

Edited July 4, 2019 by aqua4
Spelling

[CLS]

Wise words spoken by Chantana.

His ideology should be taught at every Thai school and even flow intoThai soaps. Just a dream, I know.

Only someone who has traveled the world can be so sensible.

Had to google him and BINGO: studied overseas

A military academy can never educate you.




Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[NCC1701A]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“The journalists are now forced by the policy of their organisations’ owners to abandon professional objective journalism and instead produce dramatized and often biased news reports to attract audiences. That only serves to further polarise political ideas and foster hatred towards people who have different political standpoints.”

you mean like CNN and the BBC?

Edited July 4, 2019 by NCC1701A

[londonthai]

violence is in thai society stems already from families - children are physically punished and screamed at, mentally tortured from an early age.

Same at schools - patronising, obedience, discipline and caning instead of partnership, dialog and education. The longer kid spend in thai school, their IQ lowers - that's opposite from schooling in advanced countries. 

Teachers are state employees, dressed in military-like uniforms. Same goes for civil servants. The whole society is deeply militarised, with police and army at every part of social life.

In crisis situation they behave with a scheme they learned all their lives - attack and kill. 

 

 

[greeneking]

1 hour ago, kingdong said:

basically its thailand,and if you are not a thai citizen you are a guest,their country their rules  and customs,i would be very carefull about what you post on public media.

Thai citizens attending this university have had trouble asking for tolerance for their beliefs.  Such as not having to grovel to statues of rulers who themselves had said Thais should not have to grovel to them in real life!

The privileged are asking for their superiority to always be tolerated.

555

[wisperone]

3 hours ago, kingdong said:

basically its thailand,and if you are not a thai citizen you are a guest,their country their rules  and customs,i would be very carefull about what you post on public media.

Yup, and unlike other countries, you will never have a chance of being anything more than that.

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

you mean like CNN and the BBC?

I can’t see how he would. 

[lannarebirth]

A Thai doctor friend of mine, super smart, as a rule, super nice, unless talking about Red Shirts, Thaksin or Thanathorn. Barely a sentence escapes his lips that does not describe the followers of these people as low bred animals and congenital idiots. It's a major chasm and not just in Thailand. You see it everywhere where some segment of the population prospers and the rest is left behind.

[Puchaiyank]

Respect, decency, polite conversation are no longer in vogue...

 

Shouting expletives and physical abusiveness are now the new communications methods employed by those too ignorant to make a grammatically correct complete sentence or engage in civil discourse...sad...not going to end well...????

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, lannarebirth said:

A Thai doctor friend of mine, super smart, as a rule, super nice, unless talking about Red Shirts, Thaksin or Thanathorn. Barely a sentence escapes his lips that does not describe the followers of these people as low bred animals and congenital idiots. It's a major chasm and not just in Thailand. You see it everywhere where some segment of the population prospers and the rest is left behind.

 

So here's a man with Thanathorn and ordinary people on his hate list?

 

Your "friend" sounds to be very much part of the reactionary, conservative, class/caste bound, intolerant.......problem.

 

Please feel free to pass on my comment to him.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2019 by Enoon

[JAG]

1 hour ago, lannarebirth said:

A Thai doctor friend of mine, super smart, as a rule, super nice, unless talking about Red Shirts, Thaksin or Thanathorn. Barely a sentence escapes his lips that does not describe the followers of these people as low bred animals and congenital idiots. It's a major chasm and not just in Thailand. You see it everywhere where some segment of the population prospers and the rest is left behind.

I can't help but wonder whether his approach to his medical practice mirrors his approach to politics?

[lannarebirth]

3 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

So here's a man with Thanathorn and ordinary people on his hate list?

 

Your "friend" sounds to very much part of the reactionary, conservative, class/caste bound, intolerant.......problem.

 

Please feel free to pass on my comment to him.

 

 

 

Oh, we've had that discussion. It mostly comes out in social media, which exacerbates all divisions, given there are no consequences for being an a-hole. In fact I think the platforms thrive on the conflict.

[lannarebirth]

1 minute ago, JAG said:

I can't help but wonder whether his approach to his medical practice mirrors his approach to politics?

He's a very fine doctor, currently at Bumrungrad.

[Enoon]

 

 

15 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

He's a very fine doctor, currently at Bumrungrad.

 

Dr Josef Mengele also very "nice" and a "fine" practitioner.........if you weren't the "wrong" sort.

 

The fact is that your "friend" reveals himself to be a middle class Nazi, but you're happy to keep him as.....your "friend".

 

 

 

[lannarebirth]

37 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

 

 

Dr Josef Mengele also very "nice" and a "fine" practitioner.........if you weren't the "wrong" sort.

 

The fact is that your "friend" reveals himself to be a middle class Nazi, but you're happy to keep him as.....your "friend".

 

 

 

 

Settle down my friend.

[FarFlungFalang]

6 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

you mean like CNN and the BBC?

I think they mean the Thai media which has been run by the military since inception. 

[mikebell]

Money (or lack of it) is the root of all evil.

[wreckingcountry]

There’s no hope for people at the lower end and now it’s creeping up to the middle ! Nastiness and anger is everywhere particularly in the urban areas ! Not gonna end well


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[FarFlungFalang]

4 hours ago, wisperone said:

Yup, and unlike other countries, you will never have a chance of being anything more than that.

Maybe a small chance might be more appropriate than "never have a chance" as there are documented cases here on this forum of falangs gaining Thai citizenship and residency.  

[FarFlungFalang]

31 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Money (or lack of it) is the root of all evil.

It's also the root of the blues!

[ZeVonderBearz]

3 hours ago, lannarebirth said:

He's a very fine doctor, currently at Bumrungrad.

Sounds like a bit of a vanker does your mate and exactly the kind of person this article is refering to.

[Eligius]

What utter hypocrisy!

This 'event' was hosted by Chulalongkorn Unversity. Remember how a Chula official literally manhandled and dragged off a student a couple of years ago for not 'conforming' ....?!

So much for 'tolerance of differing viewpoints.'

 

That whole concept of 'tolerance of opposing views' is of course utter, undiluted, cosmically-proportioned nonsense in Thailand - for reasons I need not mention ...

[lannarebirth]

15 minutes ago, ZeVonderBearz said:

Sounds like a bit of a vanker does your mate and exactly the kind of person this article is refering to.

Right, that's why I mentioned it.