Utter Rubbish

[womble]

Spotted this in The Nation today, and I just though what a load of rubbish, did the writer have a friend who was in the comp and lost?

every one of these shows you can phone unlimited, that's the point, they make $$$ out of those who are so bothered about winning!

It's a telecom scam worldwide, nothing new. And winners of these comps have not always been the best performers, often people vote on looks etc.

I kinda know what the writer is trying to get at, but cummon, what a load of tripe, can't believe it was printed.

Maybe a slow news day?????

BURNING ISSUE: Show is a lesson in democracy

Published on October 13, 2005

Voting system on TV hit ‘Academy Fantasia’ demonstrates the dark power of money

The hoop-la has all but ended with the curtain coming down on one of Thailand’s most exciting and successful reality-TV shows, but the dark side of capitalism still lurks.

We’re talking about UBC’s “Academy Fantasia” and the fact that the fair “one phone, one vote” system was thrown out to make way for unlimited votes. The change ensured that the richer you are, the more SMS votes you can cast.

If we are going to teach our children about democracy, then Fantasia’s voting system is the good example of how democracy can be corrupted.

Something must be seriously wrong if the unlimited-vote policy does not bother or annoy voters.

Simply put, the Fantasia principle means that rich people with more money or resources can cast more votes on the outcome of the show and have more influence than less well-off voters. One very rich voter admitted that she even asked her secretary to vote for her favourite contestant when she was busy.

There is an elephant standing in the room but it does not get to be talked about. If voters can disregard the one-person, one-vote system, then it is not hard for them to accept such a thing as “vote buying”.

Voters who play along with the Fantasia system are not fighting for fairness, but letting themselves be sucked into a whirlpool that just might lead them to a black hole brought on by rampant capitalism.

Another voter admitted: “I’m starving right now because I have spent all my allowance on votes for my favourite contestant.”

The late revered monk Buddhadassa Bhikkhu warned us that if we do not realise the dark side of capitalism, the human race will be destroyed. Are we approaching destruction?

Take this testimony as an example: “I don’t feel it [voting] is a waste of money. I think it’s worthwhile if my spending can help the guy realise his dream,” another voter said.

What dream are we talking about here? If it’s to be a singer, then the contestants must be able to hold a note.

“Nine of out 12 sang out of tune, but they dream to be singers,” a music professor was quoted as saying.

In fact, the opinions of the judges, who were former singers or in the music industry, did not hold sway on the show’s outcome.

All the judges agreed that Patcha Anekaryuwat, the “V6” contestant, sang “perfectly” while “V4” contestant Suphanat Chalermchaicharoen’s fast song was riddled with flaws.

But it was Suphanat who ended up the winner, thanks solely to the voters, who were responsible for the final choice, no matter what the judges felt.

It’s another way of saying “I do not care whether you have what it takes to be a singer, I like the way you are, so with the power of money I will catapult you into stardom, regardless of your singing skills”.

It’s no surprise then that the music industry is full of commercial singers and not “quality” singers who are the real artists.

When the business of capitalism finds its way into the essence of anything, it causes destruction. It ruins principles, destroys the beauty of art and even drives you out of your mind.

As one fan who spent a whopping Bt20,000 on voting for her favourite contestant admitted, “You can call me crazy.’’

Said another voter: “I didn’t intend to dump money on voting, but when I regained consciousness, it was over 100 votes.”

Will other voters regain “consciousness”? Will they learn not to blindly follow such an unfair rule (from a democratic point of view)? And will this mania end any time soon?

Judging from the more than 100-per-cent increase in income for UBC this year compared to last year, the answer is a resounding “no”.

The mobile networks, Orange, DTAC and AIS, and cable firm UBC are reported to have made a massive Bt60 million from 10 million votes, excluding fixed-line calls and chat. UBC earned Bt10 million from each Fantasia sponsor.

The lesson we should all learn is that dreams can come true only through hard work and not through the principle that money can buy anything.