Samak Looks Like A Pig?

[Jai Dee]

Thai PM has a nose for trouble

A FIREBRAND with a career studded with defamation and corruption allegations, Thailand's Samak Sundaravej was never going to be a conciliatory prime minister.

But the first controversy of his administration had an unlikely source: the size of his nose. Television signers for the deaf are under fire from the ruling People Power party for holding their noses as a shorthand reference to him.

A signer said: "We have touched our noses for years to refer to Samak, but people noticed this time because we had to repeat the movement over 300 times."

Source: The Age - 01 February 2008

[sriracha john]

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej

Talkers: Sign language interpreters in Thailand have run afoul

Something stinks here

BANGKOK, Thailand - Sign language interpreters in Thailand have run afoul of some ruling party supporters by holding their noses to refer to the new prime minister. Samak Sundaravej, chosen in Parliament on Monday as the first elected prime minister since a September 2006 coup, has been nicknamed “Mr. Rose Apple Nose” because many claim his nose resembles the fruit.

Thai sign language interpreters often indicate prominent facial features as shorthand for dignitaries, and during a live broadcast of Monday’s parliamentary session, they held their noses between two fingers numerous times to refer to Samak.

One interpreter, Kanittha Rattanasin, said this gesture has long been used for Samak but is drawing wide notice only now.

“It is not meant as a nose joke,” she said. “We have touched our noses for years to refer to Samak, but people noticed this time because we had to repeat the movement over 300 times.”

- Kansas City Star (USA)

[sriracha john]

Nose reference stinks, say PM's supporters

As a right-wing firebrand with a career studded with defamation and corruption allegations, Samak Sundaravej was never going to be Thailand's most conciliatory prime minister. But the first controversy to beset his government stems not from an outburst or a political scandal, but from the size of his nose.

Television signers for the deaf are under fire for holding on to their noses as a shorthand reference to the short-tempered veteran politician. Samak's nose has long been a target for cartoonists, and the National Association for the Deaf in Thailand said sign language translators had been using the shorthand for more than a decade without complaint.

But with the new parliamentary session televised this week, supporters from Mr Samak's ruling People Power Party noticed the reference and complained. "It is not meant as a nose joke," said one signer. "We have touched our noses for years to refer to Samak, but people noticed this time because we had to repeat the movement over 300 times."

Samak, 72, fares badly against the fresh-faced Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, 43, who gets a gesture highlighting his handsome features.

Stung by the controversy, the association has been examining other ways to indicate Samak, for instance a reference to his passion for cooking.

- Sydney Morning Herald

Edited February 1, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej: Touching the nose is the most easy-to-remember part of the premier's face.

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva: Moving a hand around the face means ''good looking'' and a raised thumb represents Orr Ang, the first letter of Mr Abhisit's name.

FUSSING OVER ROSE-APPLE

In her career as a sign language interpreter for nearly a decade, Kanitha Rattanasint has never before seen the media so frenzied by her interpretations like what she experienced early in the week. ''Media members kept calling us the whole day. TV crews even jumped with excitement in our interpreters' room and asked us to give every politician a name in sign language,'' Ms Kanitha said, referring to Monday's parliamentary session. That came after media reports that executives of the People Power Party were angered after watching the interpreters touching their noses when referring to PPP Leader Samak Sundaravej. The party has requested that a more appropriate gesture be used in sign language to describe the new prime minister who has a unique rose-apple-shaped nose. Ms Kanitha insisted that interpreters had used the same sign to identify Samak for years without facing any complaints or fuss. Other prominent politicians are also being identified through their special facial features or height.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/02Feb2008_news92.php

Edited February 2, 2008 by sriracha john

[Tony Clifton]

I doubt you could get a pig to resemble Samak as much as this.

[sriracha john]

The story certainly seems to be circling the globe...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Sign-language interpreters in Thailand are under fire for holding their noses to refer to the country's new prime minister.

Samak Sundaravej, whose nickname "Mr. Rose Apple Nose" refers to his schnozz's resemblance to that fruit, like other Thai politicians has had his most noticeable physical trait used by sign-language interpreters as shorthand.

Members of Samak's ruling party have complained that the sign does not befit the Thai leader.

- New York Post

[jackr]

I thought he looked like Jabba.

Yep, Jabba the Hutt for sure

[DP25]

What's the sign for fire truck? Maybe they could use that instead.

[ratcatcher]

I doubt you could get a pig to resemble Samak as much as this.

Great pictures!

King Khlong? Nosebud? That which we call a Nose, by any other name would smell as sweet.

Schnozzle Sundaravej? PPP = Prominent Proboscis Party.

I think he's adorable. Maybe some company will make a stuffed toy in his likeness.

[traveller5000]

These PPP are an oversensitive lot!

They just need to face up to the fact that their leader is an ugly bugger, deal with it without crying, and get on with their real jobs.

[BigSnake]

He is a Pig.

[Far Angst]

What with the coup, rising energy prices and the imminent world financial implosion I am happy to

see the Thais, again, manage to deal with the most essential, the most urgent: the appearances.

Do the people in Thailand know how the world is laughing at their Prime Minister?

[popshirt]

Actually we have a pig at the farm in Pakchong that is better looking than Khun Samak!

[sriracha john]

A "pig" controlled by a "rat"...

The Nation

Edited February 3, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

The level of discourse is sinking lower and lower. If Thai people in the United States were blogging about Barack Obama looking like a baboon, you'd really hear quite a bit of flack about it. Seems farang in Thailand posting the same arrogant racist comments about Thai politicians is just fine and dandy amongst the elite right-wing junta lovers.

I didn't see anybody here say Samak looked like a baboon ? Pig, yes, but not baboon.

If you detect "arrogant racist comments" here, you might consider reporting it to the mods, who in my experience are correctly very impatient with racism, so that they can take appropriate action.

And I'm afraid that, in many western countries, political humour does indeed sometimes focus upon the appearance or dress or habits of politicians, but they accept that this will happen & don't react as strongly as you have. Perhaps the popular, in some cases, Thai practise of issuing a billion-baht defamation-suit shows a certain reluctance, to live up to these standards of tolerance.

Isn't Samak himself currently supposed to be in jail, having lost a defamation case, or is sauce for the goose not also sauce for the Thai gander ?

Lastly would you care to name some of "the elite right-wing junta lovers" you refer to as posting these comments ?

Actually sunrise07 has a very fair point.The threads on Samak's appearence complete with pictures and insulting comments are as close to racism as makes no difference.He certainly not a goodlooking fellow but the repeated insults ignore that his features,shared by many Thais, are essentially ethnic characteristics.The fact that the Thai press is also guilty makes no difference but in any case it is doubly offensive when foreigners are involved.

In an effort to keep the discussion in the appropriate thread, will address these misrepresentations, from another thread, here.

To take notice of Samak's nose is no more racist than taking notice of Richard Nixon's infamous nose. An unusual nose is but one of their shared traits, along with their criminal tendencies.

The Thais themselves take notice of his nose because, even by their ethnic characteristics, it is unusual. That's the whole point of this thread and why the Thai sign language interpreters have used it for years. To attempt to play some sort of racism "trump card" is no different than the PPP unjustifiably wishing to silence the deaf language.

Samak should learn from Nixon, who, despite his criminal shortcomings, was quite self-effacing about his unusual physical characteristic and would poke fun of it himself from time to time.

Edited February 3, 2008 by sriracha john

[ratcatcher]

The level of discourse is sinking lower and lower. If Thai people in the United States were blogging about Barack Obama looking like a baboon, you'd really hear quite a bit of flack about it. Seems farang in Thailand posting the same arrogant racist comments about Thai politicians is just fine and dandy amongst the elite right-wing junta lovers.

I didn't see anybody here say Samak looked like a baboon ? Pig, yes, but not baboon.

If you detect "arrogant racist comments" here, you might consider reporting it to the mods, who in my experience are correctly very impatient with racism, so that they can take appropriate action.

And I'm afraid that, in many western countries, political humour does indeed sometimes focus upon the appearance or dress or habits of politicians, but they accept that this will happen & don't react as strongly as you have. Perhaps the popular, in some cases, Thai practise of issuing a billion-baht defamation-suit shows a certain reluctance, to live up to these standards of tolerance.

Isn't Samak himself currently supposed to be in jail, having lost a defamation case, or is sauce for the goose not also sauce for the Thai gander ?

Lastly would you care to name some of "the elite right-wing junta lovers" you refer to as posting these comments ?

Actually sunrise07 has a very fair point.The threads on Samak's appearence complete with pictures and insulting comments are as close to racism as makes no difference.He certainly not a goodlooking fellow but the repeated insults ignore that his features,shared by many Thais, are essentially ethnic characteristics.The fact that the Thai press is also guilty makes no difference but in any case it is doubly offensive when foreigners are involved.

In an effort to keep the discussion in the appropriate thread, will address these misrepresentations, from another thread, here.

To take notice of Samak's nose is no more racist than taking notice of Richard Nixon's infamous nose. An unusual nose is but one of their shared traits, along with their criminal tendencies.

The Thais themselves take notice of his nose because, even by their ethnic characteristics, it is unusual. That's the whole point of this thread and why the Thai sign language interpreters have used it for years. To attempt to play some sort of racism "trump card" is no different than the PPP unjustifiably wishing to silence the deaf language.

Samak should learn from Nixon, who, despite his criminal shortcomings, was quite self-effacing about his unusual physical characteristic and would poke fun of it himself from time to time.

I can see no likeness between the handsome Mr Obama and the beautiful baboon (mandrill). Can you?

However.........

Edited February 3, 2008 by ratcatcher

[Ricardo]

Wow, that one in the middle, he certainly looks a colourful character.

But also somehow familiar ...

Does he have his own TV-show, perchance ?

Or was he formerly the executive in-charge, at Chiang Mai's famous Night Safari, who proposed an all-you-can-eat exotic-meats buffet, with lion/giraffe/elephant meat on it, but not baboon, as I now recall ?

[younghusband]

The level of discourse is sinking lower and lower. If Thai people in the United States were blogging about Barack Obama looking like a baboon, you'd really hear quite a bit of flack about it. Seems farang in Thailand posting the same arrogant racist comments about Thai politicians is just fine and dandy amongst the elite right-wing junta lovers.

I didn't see anybody here say Samak looked like a baboon ? Pig, yes, but not baboon.

If you detect "arrogant racist comments" here, you might consider reporting it to the mods, who in my experience are correctly very impatient with racism, so that they can take appropriate action.

And I'm afraid that, in many western countries, political humour does indeed sometimes focus upon the appearance or dress or habits of politicians, but they accept that this will happen & don't react as strongly as you have. Perhaps the popular, in some cases, Thai practise of issuing a billion-baht defamation-suit shows a certain reluctance, to live up to these standards of tolerance.

Isn't Samak himself currently supposed to be in jail, having lost a defamation case, or is sauce for the goose not also sauce for the Thai gander ?

Lastly would you care to name some of "the elite right-wing junta lovers" you refer to as posting these comments ?

Actually sunrise07 has a very fair point.The threads on Samak's appearence complete with pictures and insulting comments are as close to racism as makes no difference.He certainly not a goodlooking fellow but the repeated insults ignore that his features,shared by many Thais, are essentially ethnic characteristics.The fact that the Thai press is also guilty makes no difference but in any case it is doubly offensive when foreigners are involved.

In an effort to keep the discussion in the appropriate thread, will address these misrepresentations, from another thread, here.

To take notice of Samak's nose is no more racist than taking notice of Richard Nixon's infamous nose. An unusual nose is but one of their shared traits, along with their criminal tendencies.

The Thais themselves take notice of his nose because, even by their ethnic characteristics, it is unusual. That's the whole point of this thread and why the Thai sign language interpreters have used it for years. To attempt to play some sort of racism "trump card" is no different than the PPP unjustifiably wishing to silence the deaf language.

Samak should learn from Nixon, who, despite his criminal shortcomings, was quite self-effacing about his unusual physical characteristic and would poke fun of it himself from time to time.

Speaking for myself I don't think it's a huge issue.But one has to recognise there is a sensitivity in foreigners mocking a Thai for what are undoubtedly ethnic characteristics - even as in this case if they are rather pronounced.The same essential "look" can be found in any Thai market.I'm all for freedom of expression and if I'm honest it's the puerile and dim bulb mentality behind these postings as much as the insensituvity that's at least as striking.Your laboured and patronising advice on how to use the "ignore " feature overlooks that Thai Visa is a community so I at least feel the need to take the mediocre and second rate along with the interesting and perceptive.I do also recognise there's no real hard core racism here (we all in our different ways have real affection for this country and its people) just silliness and insensitivity.

[Lilawadee]

Very well said.

[Jai Dee]

I do also recognise there's no real hard core racism here...

As do I... but this thread has run it's course.

/Closed.