Behaviour Programmed By Soap Operas

[lifeisrandom]

if your thai spouse watches soaps on a regular basis i think its highly unlikely that you are going to be raising intelligent children sort of like "how many times did your thai wife get distracted and drop little timmy or jammie on their luk krung head?"... its not looking good but alteast they will still be pretty

[dannyman]

Leave Thai's alone ! They watch soap's in your country also. Who make's them any different !

[Smithson]

They also are shown that the standard for physical beauty is having light skin and Sinitic features and those with darker skin and Tai features are relegated to servant roles.

You mean like in real life?

Hi Heng,

Just curoius of your opinion of the soaps?

[sylviex]

Leave Thai's alone ! They watch soap's in your country also. Who make's them any different !

The purpose of this thread is -- of course -- not to attack but to try understand the interaction between Thai culture/society and the particular soap operas that seem to be very popular here.

Please look back to the quotations from other members used to begin the thread.

There have been some very interesting responses and I hope there will be more. In addition to the general discussion, I'd really like some specific examples of mannerisms/behaviours/attitudes observed in real life and possibly learnt from soaps.

If I think of Australian soaps, like Home & Away or Neighbours (sorry if very out of date, been quite a while away; do know Neighbours was a very successful export), I simply cannot imagine anyone emulating the characters ! (I seem to remember the overseas popularity was largely attributed to the "easy going" lifestyle of sunshine and swimming pools and neighbourliness it portrayed ).I'd say that while those characters are "types", they were largely drawn from life.

Was Brazil the country that successfully made use of a popular soap opera to educate the poublic about birth control or HIV ? Details elude me.

[Heng]

They also are shown that the standard for physical beauty is having light skin and Sinitic features and those with darker skin and Tai features are relegated to servant roles.

You mean like in real life?

Hi Heng,

Just curoius of your opinion of the soaps?

I don't watch much of the main free to air channels, but IMO the soaps are just like any other product, they are made by folks who want to make money. They don't care whether it changes your beliefs or not, just as long as you keep watching so that they can continue to sell ad time.

May as well argue that people who make and market powdered baby formula are trying to break down the bond between mother and child.

[lifeisrandom]

Leave Thai's alone ! They watch soap's in your country also. Who make's them any different !

there are stupid people everywhere, it doesn't change the fact that Thai women or men or farang women who watch Thai soaps on a regular basis are not likely to be intelligent human beings and are not likely to raise intelligent children. Excuses about the government or Chinese Thais forcing them to watch tv or whatever blame you want to pass to someone else "everyone everywhere watches soaps" - no, they dont... good luck...

[teacup]

The purpose of this thread is -- of course -- not to attack but to try understand the interaction between Thai culture/society and the particular soap operas that seem to be very popular here..........

In addition to the general discussion, I'd really like some specific examples of mannerisms/behaviours/attitudes observed in real life and possibly learnt from soaps.

Ok after much thought......I will give it a go - below are just a few....

- Its okay for your parents to act as your pimp.

- Mobile phones are useless, either no reception, low batteries or left it in the car when someone is trying to call with important information.

- When talking to each other….. one person always turns his/her back to the other.

- There's always a feud over “the will”.

- The idea of a divorce seems to never exist between the main couple no matter how crappy the marriage is!!!

- Those fainting medication for the nose is quite popular for everything!!!

- It takes forever to solve things or to find something out.

- The bad girl is so good at being annoying.

- If the couple is happy in the beginning, it won't be long before something causes a misunderstanding.

- The bad girl never gets the hint that the main guy isn't interested in her.

- Someone in your family is always in need of rescue.

- The rich girls who keep their cellphone in a large purse/bag, has to dig for 5+ mins, before she finally retrieves it.

- A guy always aim first for a girl’s neck when kissing.

- A girl always starts out immature or doing embarrassing stuff in front of a guy to get attention.

- A girl likes to change the way a guy’s acts after they fall in love.

- All the rich kids usually go to school out of country.

- You know Thai people are in a foreign land …..when they have on 10 layers of clothing, hats, scarves and gloves, because winter is the only season that exists outside of Thailand.

Etcs

PS -The thai soaps generally make me feel better about my own life!

Edited August 15, 2008 by teacup

[Thai at Heart]

QUOTE (DualCitizen @ 2008-08-14 13:32:09) Well, much of the "Hi-so" set are pretty dam_n superficial. And this attitude spills over to the soap operas that dominate the airwaves, and consequently gets programmed into the minds of the masses. You would be surprised by the inane behavior mechanisms that get programmed into Thai women from these dam_n soap operas!

Here..Here..well said....my Thai is not that good, but have watched some of the facial expressions and mannerisms on these soap operas...after which realised my darling wife was copying them....

I find this theory very interesting. Can you elaborate on how you see this happening and give examples ? What about men -- are they affected, too ? (I think they are less likely to watch soaps ?). At what age do girls/boys begin to watch soaps here ?

I havent seen the missus talking out loud to herself much recently as she plots my downfall with 30 people in earshot.

But yes, these soap operas do effect people massively. Still can't bear the male hero getting pissed and then driving home with no seatbelt. As for one show I caught view of, where the star was basically raped, tied up and then seen to be crying profusely when she was emotionally torn between staying with the hero or not, I shrugged my shoulders and wondered when this country will get anywhere near the 19th century let alone the 21st.

[Samuian]

Post #12 and in particular #13 of JohPa said it all!

I find the "intrigue" parts quite intriguing!

Does someone has to expect any more of "Soap Operas"?

And I agree they are bad, really bad "acting", the endless dialogues and hysterical behavior, the screaming, physical abuse... the locations are pretty remarkable posh, I love the displayed "Thai-Baroque-Italian-Chinese-Renaissance-Con" it's so wonderfully over the top!

And sure a whole lot of the female population seems to have decided to be socially "educated" by these cheapo' s!

Edited August 15, 2008 by Samuian

[RusticCharm]

Yeah, the Thai soaps are pretty bad

...until I think about "Jerry Springer"

Tha show makes the Thai soaps look like classic Greek tragedies by comparrison

Are you kidding? 

The Jerry Springer Dwarf Fight is an all-time piece of classic tv-

[aehn]

QUOTE (DualCitizen @ 2008-08-14 13:32:09) Well, much of the "Hi-so" set are pretty dam_n superficial. And this attitude spills over to the soap operas that dominate the airwaves, and consequently gets programmed into the minds of the masses. You would be surprised by the inane behavior mechanisms that get programmed into Thai women from these dam_n soap operas!

Here..Here..well said....my Thai is not that good, but have watched some of the facial expressions and mannerisms on these soap operas...after which realised my darling wife was copying them....

I find this theory very interesting. Can you elaborate on how you see this happening and give examples ? What about men -- are they affected, too ? (I think they are less likely to watch soaps ?). At what age do girls/boys begin to watch soaps here ?

Well, what is so strange about people getting influenced by media? You see it everywhere in western countries as well, "sex and the city" is just one of many examples were females get a lot of influences, attitudes, mannerism, and all reality shows that brings "celebrity drama" to the home of the average family.

[Travel2003]

Leave Thai's alone ! They watch soap's in your country also. Who make's them any different !

The purpose of this thread is -- of course -- not to attack but to try understand the interaction between Thai culture/society and the particular soap operas that seem to be very popular here.

Please look back to the quotations from other members used to begin the thread.

There have been some very interesting responses and I hope there will be more. In addition to the general discussion, I'd really like some specific examples of mannerisms/behaviours/attitudes observed in real life and possibly learnt from soaps.

If I think of Australian soaps, like Home & Away or Neighbours (sorry if very out of date, been quite a while away; do know Neighbours was a very successful export), I simply cannot imagine anyone emulating the characters ! (I seem to remember the overseas popularity was largely attributed to the "easy going" lifestyle of sunshine and swimming pools and neighbourliness it portrayed ).I'd say that while those characters are "types", they were largely drawn from life.

Was Brazil the country that successfully made use of a popular soap opera to educate the poublic about birth control or HIV ? Details elude me.

I would believe that Thailand has more or less the same % of so called stupid and intelligent people, as most countries in the world.

That also means that the same % know that the Soaps are pure entertainment and fantasies.

Nomatter what hidden message a producer try to place, most people will still recognize the soaps as what they are. Entertainment only.

[petitechevre]

according to IQ averages by countries, thailand is pretty far down there...

[elkangorito]

The purpose of this thread is -- of course -- not to attack but to try understand the interaction between Thai culture/society and the particular soap operas that seem to be very popular here.

Television in Thailand has nothing to do with "culture". It's all about making money & "programming" or "dumbing down" a population that is readily able to be manipulated. In case you haven't noticed, the "huge" choice of Thai "free to air" programs are very limited. In a nutshell, one has the choice of News (if you can call it that), idiot game shows, idiot "comedy" shows or idiot soap operas. When one first arrives in Thailand & watches "free to air" television, one may easily get the impression that they are watching programs designed for children or the "mentally challenged".

Considering that 80% of the worlds population are complete idiots, it's no surprise to me that certain people choose to emulate what they see on television. Of course, this problem is excaserbated when the choice of programs is limited.

People are not "programmed" by this crap on television...they CHOOSE to be programmed. When an "authority" recognises that the masses are mindless morons, they will manipulate the media (as much as possible) to ensure that the masses remain mindless morons. This is a relatively easy thing to do unless you are a "thinking" person. "Authorities" don't like "thinking" people.

Of course, once a "culture" or "religion" is embedded in a country/society, it is then very easy for a government to "control" the country/society.

[Travel2003]

according to IQ averages by countries, thailand is pretty far down there...

Really?

There is such a thing?

Pls kindly let me have the link to that study.

[elkangorito]

People who use the "IQ" response unequivocally believe in a "flat earth". There is no such thing as IQ.

[sylviex]

Elkangorito, I was using the term "culture" in the broader sense.

If you compare Australian soaps to American soaps to Thai soaps to (...) soaps, there will be differences.

A few posters noted in another thread that they saw Thai people in real life using mannerisms and behaviours that the posters believed derived from soaps.

This is what I wished to hear more about.

[elkangorito]

I have no idea what "broader cultural sense" of which you speak.

I'm sure that all "soap opera addicts" could mimic their perceived "favourite soap stars"...for better or for worse.

Behavioural copying is quite common throughout the world. My point is that although this behaviour is common, the minimal program choices available to the viewers of "free to air" Thai television could excaberbate such behaviour.

[sylviex]

"Culture" used broadly, as in:

CULTURE

SOME DEFINITIONS

• Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.
  
• 
  
• Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.
  
• 
  
• Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning.
  
• 
  
• A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.
  
• 
  
• Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action.
  
• 
  
• Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation.
  
• 
  
• Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.
  

http://www.tamu.edu/classes/cosc/choudhury/culture.html

I certainly take your point about availability.

Edited August 16, 2008 by sylviex

[Heng]

I see A&M finally got on the Internet.

[lifeisrandom]

Elkangorito, I was using the term "culture" in the broader sense.

If you compare Australian soaps to American soaps to Thai soaps to (...) soaps, there will be differences.

A few posters noted in another thread that they saw Thai people in real life using mannerisms and behaviours that the posters believed derived from soaps.

This is what I wished to hear more about.

ever consider that art immiates life?

let me guess video games invented murder

[aehn]

The purpose of this thread is -- of course -- not to attack but to try understand the interaction between Thai culture/society and the particular soap operas that seem to be very popular here.

Television in Thailand has nothing to do with "culture".

of course it has

When one first arrives in Thailand & watches "free to air" television, one may easily get the impression that they are watching programs designed for children or the "mentally challenged".

My exact impression when i first arrived to the US. Cheap artificial commercialized media. American television is not for the intellectual people, but in the end who cares. In fact i prefer "bad" culture before "fine" culture...

[aehn]

Leave Thai's alone ! They watch soap's in your country also. Who make's them any different !

The purpose of this thread is -- of course -- not to attack but to try understand the interaction between Thai culture/society and the particular soap operas that seem to be very popular here.

It is pretty much the same everywhere, people tend to like easy accesseble tv, the same in the US, Uk etc...

[Samuian]

according to IQ averages by countries, thailand is pretty far down there...

You mean some need the soaps for their programming?

[sylviex]

A few early posters seemed to understand the purpose of this thread. Thanks !

[petitechevre]

public tv doesnt have to be idiotic and cheap.

in canada theres 4 free channels, 2 of them are highly intelectual. the other one is average.. none of them have soap shows, just regular teleseries

And those who deny iq tests are those who failed them

[sylviex]

public tv doesnt have to be idiotic and cheap.

in canada theres 4 free channels, 2 of them are highly intelectual. the other one is average.. none of them have soap shows, just regular teleseries

Agreed. In Australia the best television channels by far were SBS and ABC (govt/non-commercial). Tax payer supported but often excellent.

Back to soaps ...

Describe the soaps in your home country.

Did their style reflect the culture of your country/region ?

Did people emulate the mannerisms/styles/behaviours of those soaps ?

Edited August 16, 2008 by sylviex

[Heng]

If you think the soaps are that bad, you should get your butt back to the factory for another shift.... then maybe you could afford cable or a new sat dish to get some "better" entertainment.

[think_too_mut]

If you think the soaps are that bad, you should get your butt back to the factory for another shift.... then maybe you could afford cable or a new sat dish to get some "better" entertainment.

Noo.

The farangs get their stupidity fix from CNN and Bloomberg.

The kings of rubbish.

Those TVs made America elect GWB twice (GWB enablers) , stampedo after whatever looked viable (shares of Amazon.com must be 250$, shares of vmware must be 500$ (they are now 34$, half the IPO price).

Who is <deleted> the population here? Soapies or those that have produced people who post here like:

"Problems"

"Advice desperatelly needed"

"Why is this"

"Help please"

"I wonder"

"Information needed"

[Johpa]

Noo.

The farangs get their stupidity fix from CNN and Bloomberg.

The kings of rubbish.

The English speaking Farangs get their absolute stupidity fix from that paragon of idiocy Ruppert Murdoch, a bloody Aussie, via his FOX network.

As for El Kangarito's claim that TV has nothing to do with Thai culture, may I humbly suggest he, and others with similar thoughts, read some of the classic works by Marshall McCluhan, a Canadian by the way.