Too Few Heroes

[centrico]

Most nationalities have heroes. True heroes, not storybook ones. Heroes who inspire and stand the test of time throughout history.

We English have Nelson and Wellington, to name but two of many. Yet what heroes do the Thai people have? I have googled for Thai heroes and came up with one listing only.

'The villagers of Bang Rachan bravely fought against the Burmese army in 1765 during the reign of King Ekkathat of Ayutthaya. Though the Burmese had many more troops than the villagers, the Burmese had to attack 8 times before the villagers were defeated due in the main to a shortage of weapons.'

That begs the question, 'Does Thailand need some true heroes?'

Are the lack of heroes part of the reason Thailand seems in such turmoil over history? It seems they have no one to look up to to inspire them, apart from their deep love of the Royal Family, but we cannot discuss the royal family in any depth.

[Slip]

Thailand has many heroes. Google is not always your friend.

[Birdman]

[Loz]

Thau Suranari is a hero(ine) to the Thai people. Her monument stands pround in the middle of Korat town centre. She fought for the freedoms of thais agianst jonny foreigner and is forever to be revered. I think you should look more closely into thai history before making such strong claims.

King Rama V and Rama iX are huge heros for thai people. Hard to enter building here and not see there picture.

How long have you been in Thailand?

Couple of years back there was a film released about (forgive the spelling) "Narre Sawan" who has a palace in Ayuttaya in his honour.

plenty of Thai heros if you care to look into it.

Nb. Yule Brinner is not on the list.

[elkangorito]

I reckon the Thai people who beligerently rail against censorship etc ('etc' encompasses many things, one of which is a forbidden subject on TV) are the 'modern day' Thai heroes. These people are akin to Martin Luther King, who happily 'paid/pay the price' in the name of 'freedom':

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.

[uptou]

To me its important to think what i would consider a national hero to begin with.Some people could & ,do think of Napoleon as a mass murderer,others a national hero.

I would say that the real heroes of thailand are some of the famous monks that you see photos of everywhere & who i could not possibly name.At least theyve had a positive influence on peoples lives???

[JetsetBkk]

Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Sri Soontorn.

Do I get a prize?

[centrico]

Then I stand corrected. And, no, google is not always your friend for information

[Birdman]

Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Sri Soontorn.

Do I get a prize?

yes, a solatium

because everyone in Phuket knows that

[centrico]

Thau Suranari is a hero(ine) to the Thai people. Her monument stands pround in the middle of Korat town centre. She fought for the freedoms of thais agianst jonny foreigner and is forever to be revered. I think you should look more closely into thai history before making such strong claims.

King Rama V and Rama iX are huge heros for thai people. Hard to enter building here and not see there picture.

How long have you been in Thailand?

Couple of years back there was a film released about (forgive the spelling) "Narre Sawan" who has a palace in Ayuttaya in his honour.

plenty of Thai heros if you care to look into it.

Nb. Yule Brinner is not on the list.

What has the length of my time in Thailand got to do with it? I do not have to be resident in Scotland, the USA or other countries to know about their heroes.

[MiG16]

a bit of a controversy in his death, but

'phan thai norasing' is also considered a hero in his own way......

[britmaveric]

Nai Chan

[lannarebirth]

Well, there's Sri Thanonchai. I think he inspires a lot of Thais.

[whiterussian]

You are missing one of the greatest!

Chulalongkorn

Edited April 14, 2010 by whiterussian

[canuckamuck]

Has there been one since the era of talking pictures?

[elkangorito]

It's all well & good to quote the 'heroes of the past'. The 'new heroes' will be on everyone's lips in the years to come.

Thailand is now on the cusp of something that will either be great or catastrophic. The Thai people OF TODAY who stand & fight for fundamental things like 'human rights', 'freedom of speech' & general equality, are the people who are Thailand's modern day heroes. Notwithstanding this, the 'old' heroes will always be remembered.

[dudemeister]

Tiger Woods - one quarter Thai apparently.

But not so much a hero nowadays!

[Soulwy]

For the Thai there is one big hero: The King.

A friend told me she loves the King sooo much... she has his picture as screensaver. I think she loves the King more than her husband. And I bet many many Thai feel the same.

[elkangorito]

Tiger Woods is not Thai. He is, essentially, American.

If Thai people classify him as a 'hero', they are fools & are clutching at straws.

Edited April 14, 2010 by elkangorito

[JetsetBkk]

Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Sri Soontorn.

Do I get a prize?

yes, a solatium

because everyone in Phuket knows that

Everyone? I bet there's a few thousand in Patong who have no idea.

Not that there's anything wrong with Patong.

Much.

[dudemeister]

Tiger Woods is not Thai. He is, essentially, American.

If Thai people classify him as a 'hero', they are fools & are clutching at straws.

According to WIKI he is a quarter Thai

So what about the other 3 quarters you may ask?

THAI GER(man) FOR(mosa) EST(onia)

[canuckamuck]

It's all well & good to quote the 'heroes of the past'. The 'new heroes' will be on everyone's lips in the years to come.

Thailand is now on the cusp of something that will either be great or catastrophic. The Thai people OF TODAY who stand & fight for fundamental things like 'human rights', 'freedom of speech' & general equality, are the people who are Thailand's modern day heroes. Notwithstanding this, the 'old' heroes will always be remembered.

There is also the potential of a super villain rising up that the whole world will remember

[elkangorito]

Tiger Woods is not Thai. He is, essentially, American.

If Thai people classify him as a 'hero', they are fools & are clutching at straws.

According to WIKI he is a quarter Thai

So what about the other 3 quarters you may ask?

THAI GER(man) FOR(mosa) EST(onia)

'Blood' has nothing to do with 'behavioral traits', which are generally as a result of an exposure to a predominant lifestyle.

I know people who are legally declared as 'Australian Aboriginals' but have no concept or desire to live like the 'real' Australian Aborigines do.

It's all well & good to quote the 'heroes of the past'. The 'new heroes' will be on everyone's lips in the years to come.

Thailand is now on the cusp of something that will either be great or catastrophic. The Thai people OF TODAY who stand & fight for fundamental things like 'human rights', 'freedom of speech' & general equality, are the people who are Thailand's modern day heroes. Notwithstanding this, the 'old' heroes will always be remembered.

There is also the potential of a super villain rising up that the whole world will remember

I have no idea of whom you speak, however, 'villians' are usually remembered as villains. Only time will tell in this regard.

Speaking of future perceived villians, I think that the future will 'tell all' about something in the future...in much the same way that all 'significant' people are discussed.

I hope I'm around in 10 years or so...the 'reading' will be absolutely fascinating!!!!

[DP25]

Then I stand corrected. And, no, google is not always your friend for information

Google isn't always that great for searching for things Thai, unless you can read and write well in Thai. There is an enormous Thai internet world out there that does not even register if you search google in English

[elkangorito]

Google isn't always that great for searching for things Thai, unless you can read and write well in Thai. There is an enormous Thai internet world out there that does not even register if you search google in English

This comment could be the title of a whole new thread

[bendejo]

Tiger Woods - one quarter Thai apparently.

But not so much a hero nowadays!

I was thinking about this one the other day. Aside from endorsement pictures of him at the tony malls you don't see images of him, even before the incident. Indonesians like Obama because he went to school there. JFK got a great reception in Ireland due to his heritage, and they loved his part-French wife in France.

I guess the Thais see Tiger as being polluted by farang blood.

[Spee]

plenty of Thai heros if you care to look into it.

Nb. Yule Brinner is not on the list.

Yul Brynner either.

[Spee]

Tiger Woods - one quarter Thai apparently.

But not so much a hero nowadays!

Otherwise known as the "hero to zero" syndrome.

[wallhigh]

Tiger Woods....

Put a normal thai guy to shame with how many gigs he's had...

[Spee]

OP asked ...

"That begs the question, 'Does Thailand need some true heroes?'"

If by heroes you mean a group of people who are willing to make major sacrifices for the common good, then yes, Thailand may need some true heroes with respect to the current and recent crises.

At the same time, just like in many other countries, the everyday man and woman are heroes. The people who go to work an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, stay loyal to their spouses, stay loyal to their families, they are heroes to their children by setting an example for them to follow. I think Thailand has these kinds of men and women by the tens of thousands.