Plastic bags: New public enemy number one - but is blurring them out on TV really necessary!?

[webfact]

Plastic bags: New public enemy number one - but is blurring them out on TV really necessary!?

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported that things were going well in the war against plastic bags after Thailand started a ban on January 1st. 

 

But by January 2nd the issue had descended into farce - Soap Opera style!

 

Thai TV started showing plastic bags blurred out like they do with other enemies of the state, namely cigarettes and alcohol.

 

Most of the public thought the media was barmy and the authorities nuttier still in demanding it. 

 

The Thai media said it was the talk of Thailand - what they refer to as an "online drama". 

 

Jatuporn Burutphat from the environment ministry quickly spoke up to spare the government's blushes. 

 

He said that his ministry and eight TV companies had come to an understanding that when filming things like series and the Thai soaps companies should stop showing the use of plastic bags. 

 

He also said that consideration should be given to cutting them out of scenes that had already been filmed before the ban came in. 

 

But he denied that there was a government call to blur them out like cigarettes and alcoholic drinks. 

 

Meanwhile, Thai Rath - Thailand's biggest news media - had an online poll asking the public if they thought censoring plastic bags by blurring them out was a good idea.

 

In no time 27,000 people had responded.

 

And 80% thought it was crazy. 

 

Though 5,300 people agreed with it. 

 

Thailand hopes to reduce single use plastic bags by as much as 30% after the ban at leading stores and convenience stores came in on Wednesday. 

 

Thai Rath said many Thais were already getting used to the idea of cloth bags. 

 

Sources: Thai Rath | Thai Rath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-01-03

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[johng]

1 minute ago, webfact said:

And 80% thought it was crazy.

I'm with the 80%   

[zydeco]

1 minute ago, webfact said:

but is blurring them out on TV really necessary!?

Of course it is. Because this hysteria has all the hallmarks of religious cultism. Never mind that shifting to cloth and reusable plastic is more damaging to the overall environment. Never mind that the store owners are hauling in money through this manipulation. Just pay attention to how this makes middle class Thais feel better about themselves, along with a bunch of virtue signalling old farangs. How the majority of the population has to deal with it? Well, let'em eat cake. Or buy expensive lunch boxes. Or buy cars and trucks to carry themselves and their reusable bags in. Who cares how they cope. Charge them four or five baht per bag, when they may make less than 300 per day and need to care if they can even afford a treat for their kid or a small bottle of powder for personal hygiene. It's all about making the Middies and the hi-sos feel great about themselves.

[jerojero]

Oh puh...lee...z!  Really?  Sheesh! 

[petermik]

Absolutely ridiculous what they blurr out here yet show cat fights/violence on Thai soaps that seem to glorify it as part of normal everyday life....

[thasoss]

35 minutes ago, petermik said:

Absolutely ridiculous what they blurr out here yet show cat fights/violence on Thai soaps that seem to glorify it as part of normal everyday life....

yep they blur out cigarette smoking,bare breasts but they're happy to show a thai man beating the <deleted> out of his wife or girlfriend,no wonder there is so much domestic violence.But then we have all come to realize thai culture is a really strange phenomenon too.

 

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thai TV started showing plastic bags blurred out

Attempted humor/humour?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm not sure what's going on with the guns deal these days on Thai TV.

 

In the past, yes, I recall the showing of guns being pixelated out. But lately, when the Thai wife is watching her lakorns, I'm seeing all kinds of folks pointing and using guns on TV and no pixelation -- cops pointing and shooting, bad guys pointing and shooting.

 

The times recently when I can recall there being pixelation is when someone is pointing the gun at someone as very close range, like directly at their head. And then I get the pixelation. But seemingly not otherwise these days....  Admittedly, however, I'm not an active Thai TV watcher.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, petermik said:

yet show cat fights/violence on Thai soaps that seem to glorify it as part of normal everyday life....

 Well, it is.... isn't it?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

Never mind that shifting to cloth and reusable plastic is more damaging to the overall environment.

 

How is using reusable cloth bags (vs. plastic) more damaging to the overall environment?

 

We for quite a long time have been using/reusing our own heavy cloth bags to carry groceries home from the markets. Take them to the stores with us empty, bring them home full. Wash them in the washing machine when needed. Continued to use the same several sturdy bags now for some years....

 

 

[legend49]

I was just in Rimping supermarket, Chiang Mai. LOL waiting with my cloth bags at checkout I suddenly notice the famous orange plastic bags GONE! Every Thai with shopping and waiting looked like they had crapped their pants, now they had to buy either small cloth bag 100 baht, larger at 200 baht. Som nam na, Thais!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, legend49 said:

I was just in Rimping supermarket, Chiang Mai. LOL waiting with my cloth bags at checkout I suddenly notice the famous orange plastic bags GONE! Every Thai with shopping and waiting looked like they had crapped their pants, now they had to buy either small cloth bag 100 baht, larger at 200 baht. Som nam na, Thais!

 

At least in BKK, a number of the stores lately have been giving out reuseable bags for free as part of various promotions, or offering them at pretty cheap prices.

 

That fine, but generally the cheapies they're giving away or selling at low prices are as expected cheap and probably not going to last very long or hold up to much wear.

 

Of the more durable ones we use at home, I got one quite a few years ago from Air Asia, another from Starbucks, and a third from my wife's office as part of some conference she attended -- all heavy cloth and with strong, well-reinforced handles that can carry a lot and survive repeated use.

 

[Isaan Alan]

Ban single use plastic bags and some think it's the end of the world. Like the Chicken Little story: the sky is falling!  It happened in Australia and some of my friends threw a very large wobbly. So funny. Just buy a reusable bag and remember to take it. And that seems to be the problem, the la-la-la people never remember to bring it and get it a panic about having to pay for a bag again. Man up. Let's hope it cleans up the beaches by 5 or 10%. And that's a big reason that the farang tourists are in decline: some beaches are garbage dumps.  

[Guitar God]

Whenever I see anything blurred out I just assume it’s a Japanese dick. 

[csmith]

Blurring images of Bags on TV .… so rediculous all I can do is smile and sigh.

 

BTW human beings do illegal stuff all the time .… I think we should also blurr them out on TV .... and maybe even on Radio.

 

.… and there is the use of clothing to blurr out people .… oh wait … didn't I already see that somewhere?

 

[DPKANKAN]

6 hours ago, johng said:

I'm with the 80%   

It's a pity they don't blur out Uncle Too and the sleeping Watchman!!????????????????????

 

55555????????????????

[Naturesway]

People should live their life consciously by using their conscious mind not, just see or not to see things don’t make any difference they are still there as a remaining problem anyway,  if our eyes take control instead of our brain on our acts that’s won’t be working the way it should be. 

[DrTuner]

Blurring in general belongs somewhere in the dark victorian ages. Which is exactly where the official Thailand wades in.

[Kinnock]

If something is blurred out, then it never happened.  I noticed on the news reports about the opening of Thai Parliament that all the watches were blurred out.

 

[Markus Rider]

Rimping is offering wonderful textile bags which replaces the plastik bags..... of course properly packed in strong plastic.... every single bag..... and imagine all that useless plastic around fruits ? Next step or wishful thinking ?

[zydeco]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

How is using reusable cloth bags (vs. plastic) more damaging to the overall environment?

 

We for quite a long time have been using/reusing our own heavy cloth bags to carry groceries home from the markets. Take them to the stores with us empty, bring them home full. Wash them in the washing machine when needed. Continued to use the same several sturdy bags now for some years....

 

 

I've post the links time and time again. I'm tired of it. Look for it yourself and you'll find the studies easily enough

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that his ministry and eight TV companies had come to an understanding that when filming things like series and the Thai soaps companies should stop showing the use of plastic bags.

Soon we'll just get an edited version of the credits... nothing else will be allowed.

Farcical!

[hkt83100]

It might be a good idea to blur the complete soap opera, I am sure this would contribute to better health and minds of the people.

[canuckamuck]

They could eliminate Thai TV all together, It's the best way to keep everyone safe.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 minutes ago, zydeco said:

I've post the links time and time again. I'm tired of it. Look for it yourself and you'll find the studies easily enough

 

I'm not sure what exact issue you're raising, but the main one I'm aware of is health related, not environment related, in that there are various kinds of reuseable bags (polypropylene, etc)  that aren't washable and have been found to harbor bacteria and lead in some cases.

 

But AFAIK, those issues go out the window if the reusable bag someone is using instead is a regular fabric cloth bag that can be wash, cleaned in bleach and then reused.

 

Also, some of the issues about studies finding fecal matter in reuseable bags apparently relate to people placing the bags in the seat area of shopping carts where young children are sometimes seated by their parents... I can understand that, but also can understand that it's pretty easy to simply not place one's bags or food items on that part of the shopping cart.

 

Overall, I don't find anything reasonable that suggests washable, reuseable cloth grocery bags are somehow more of an environmental problem than non-degrading plastic bags so commonly in use here. despite a lot of media and PR efforts by the international plastics industry to publicize one-sided issues as a means of opposing the increasing societal efforts to ban plastics.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

...

Edited January 3, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[zydeco]

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm not sure what exact issue you're raising, but the main one I'm aware of is health related, not environment related, in that there are various kinds of reuseable bags (polypropylene, etc)  that aren't washable and have been found to harbor bacteria and lead in some cases.

 

But AFAIK, those issues go out the window if the reusable bag someone is using instead is a regular fabric cloth bag that can be wash, cleaned in bleach and then reused.

 

Also, some of the issues about studies finding fecal matter in reuseable bags apparently relate to people placing the bags in the seat area of shopping carts where young children are sometimes seated by their parents... I can understand that, but also can understand that it's pretty easy to simply not place one's bags or food items on that part of the shopping cart.

 

Overall, I don't find anything reasonable that suggests washable, reuseable cloth grocery bags are somehow more of an environmental problem than non-degrading plastic bags so commonly in use here.

 

Okay, this is the last time. Look up some of this stuff yourself, instead of doting on emoticons.  http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/Documents/RaISe/Publications/2014/environment/8314.pdf

[Kinnock]

1 hour ago, Guitar God said:

Whenever I see anything blurred out I just assume it’s a Japanese dick. 

So funny - (but of course I have no idea what you are talking about ???? )

 

But my watching of Lakorns will be fun now I know what's really behind the blur.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

Okay, this is the last time. Look up some of this stuff yourself, instead of doting on emoticons.  http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/Documents/RaISe/Publications/2014/environment/8314.pdf

 

That's hardly any kind of convincing document, and mostly concerns itself with comparing the greenhouse gas and municipal solid waste impacts of plastic bags vs paper and polyethylene, etc. It doesn't address at all the broader impact of plastic pollution in the seas and impacts on wildlife, etc... 

 

But more to my broader point here re using reuseable cloth bags, it only barely mentions reuseable cloth bags, except in its greenhouse gas analysis.  And frankly, considering I've been using my cloth bags for several years now, I'd say I've already met their thresholds for reuse to make my cloth bags a better alternative than the others solely based on the greenhouse gas analysis.

 

Lastly, for a serious scientific evaluation of the overall merits of such things, I don't think I'm going to rely on a 5-page document produced by the Northern Ireland Assembly.   

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[daveAustin]

Surely the more of the screen that is blurred, the better. Here's hoping bad acting gets the spotlight too. ????