Taking The Temperature Of Foreigner Support For The Red Shirts

[thaihome]

Good poll, JT. But I'm going to reserve judgment until the "demonstration" is over.

atyclb wrote "Intelligent and/or educated Isaan people largely do not back Thaksins employees."

I assume that's either a personal opinion, or based on talking with the people he mentioned. It infers that unintelligent and/or uneducated people do back "Thaksin's employees." Don't know where you live, atyclb, but if you don't live in Isaan, come on up to the villages. You may find yourself surprized.

What part of Issan? Obviously one controlled by a faction that indeed supports Thaksin. There are many areas where that is not true and the people do not support him or the redshirts. Who are the MP that represent your village?

TH

[Huey]

And furthermore, where red shirts ever NOT annoying? I think Star Trek had it right all along.

[Jingthing]

Please note I deliberately stated the question was about how the red shirts ARE, and not how you wish they were. Many of us feel strongly that they are joined at the hip with Thaksin and that totally spoils their potential appeal. Some agree they are tied to Thaksin, but can tolerate that. Others feel they aren't that tied to Thaksin. I think the poll results would be much different (much more supportive) if there was a pro reform populist political movement that had clearly stated policy goals and was led by morally credible leaders.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Jingthing

[dobadoy]

bias |ˈbʌɪəs|

noun

1 prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

Having trouble following your 'debate', messr burbank and bkk james.

Are the poll questions fair? Seems so, to me.

Does the poll show the majority of members who answered the poll are anti-red. Yep.

Does that mean the forum members are biased? I refer you to the definition of 'bias' at the top of my post. Maybe it'll help settle your 'debate'.

[Jingthing]

Double Standard! Just kidding.

[PhilHarries]

It is not only about Taksin, they also want a fair and democratically elected government.

Amd as for the comments of rent a mob, weren't the protesters at the airport (yelloow Shirts) being paid 500bt a day??????

Where in my post did I even mention the yellow shirts?

The poll and the question is about the RED shirt movement, if you want to talk about any other colour shirts please feel free to do so on some other thread, preferrablt one about coloured tee shirts.

And if you believe that the current protests is anything to do with a fair and democratically elected govenrment you are niaive in the extreme. It is orchastrated, paid for and whipped up by one man for his own ends.

[atyclb]

Based

Good poll, JT. But I'm going to reserve judgment until the "demonstration" is over.

atyclb wrote "Intelligent and/or educated Isaan people largely do not back Thaksins employees."

I assume that's either a personal opinion, or based on talking with the people he mentioned. It infers that unintelligent and/or uneducated people do back "Thaksin's employees." Don't know where you live, atyclb, but if you don't live in Isaan, come on up to the villages. You may find yourself surprized.

Based upon talking with those people, maybe 12-15, admittedly not a scientific survey. Intelligent bar girls did not support thaksin. Nurses from Issan did not support him. Even Thai-Chinese from Issan, Thaksins own people, did not support him. At least the ones I spoke with.

Are you saying that low intelligence and/or low education Issan people do not support Thaksin?

[Ulysses G.]

I agree with post #2.

I agree with post #6.

Me too!

[rixalex]

And if you believe that the current protests is anything to do with a fair and democratically elected govenrment you are niaive in the extreme. It is orchastrated, paid for and whipped up by one man for his own ends.

Well said that man.

[Jingthing]

Conclusion, about 2 to 1 AGAINST the reds, with much more of the opposition feeling STRONGLY about it. Thanks, foreigners, for seeing the reds for what they really are!

[rixalex]

After reading the BS on this forum over the last few days I support the reds more than before.

Why because I know all the BS I hear in the news is just that B.S.

If people are writing BS about the reds as you claim, i can see how that would affect your opinion of the people doing the writing, but how that equates to supporting the reds more i'm not so sure.

[7by7]

Please note I deliberately stated the question was about how the red shirts ARE, and not how you wish they were.

And therein lies the problem. What is people's perception of how the red shirts are?

It seems to me that many of those (not all) who are against the red shirts are basing their view upon prejudice against one individual (whether warranted or not) rather than an understanding of, and then disagreement with, what the protest may actually be about!

I have seen many posts along the lines of "I am against the red shirts because they are Thaksin's puppets and I hate Thaksin" but precious few saying what it is about their aims and policies that people here disagree with.

There are even some who 'hate' the red shirts simply because their lifestyle is being inconvenienced by the protests, for God's sake!

Not living in Thailand and not knowing enough about the rights and wrongs of both sides, I'm neutral by the way.

[473geo]

If the proletariat has almost no say in the running/aims/and future of a country - where is the democracy?

Elitism or military dictatorship or...a mixture of both could prevail......if that is what you wish, then continue to deride the efforts of the reds, ill judged at times and awkward as they may be!!!

[mmushr00m]

The Reds Lost my support when they decide to cast it as a "class struggle", city against the country, the workers against the elites.

Well who are the elites??? is everyone in the cities against them???

The term is too polarizing and instead of helping to achieve their goals its will lead to both sides entrenching their positions.

For me, terms like "class struggle" makes me wonder when the progroms will start... is everyone who lives in the city an elite, anyone who can read and speak english an elite? or simply they are an elite if they are not originally from the country??

They are ratcheting up the retroric and as we have seen last year when words like "revolution" was thrown around, words have power to incite.

I hope Im wrong but the progroms will be starting........

[473geo]

The Reds Lost my support when they decide to cast it as a "class struggle", city against the country, the workers against the elites.

Well who are the elites??? is everyone in the cities against them???

The term is too polarizing and instead of helping to achieve their goals its will lead to both sides entrenching their positions.

For me, terms like "class struggle" makes me wonder when the progroms will start... is everyone who lives in the city an elite, anyone who can read and speak english an elite? or simply they are an elite if they are not originally from the country??

They are ratcheting up the retroric and as we have seen last year when words like "revolution" was thrown around, words have power to incite.

I hope Im wrong but the progroms will be starting........

If 1% of the population are running a country by controlling money and positions, they are the elite, and guess what, in his day, yes, Thaksin was probably one of them!!!..........the demographics are not really relevant......where the 'elite'....'controllers' live is of little consequence......where the 'power' lies, defines the elite.