A People And Country Left In Shock And Awe: Thai Opinion

[yoshiwara]

This is a quite laughable opinion piece. Let's start with the claim in the first "shock and awe" that "no country in the world would allow its second airport to be inundated like this." As if losing a major airport to shutdown might be a major security breach. The author makes this claim, despite the fact that Suvarnibhumi airport was kidnapped by a political group known as PAD and shutdown with a "sit in/camp in" from September 26 , 2008 to December 5, 2008, plus a disputed number of days to do a security check, check out equipment and cleanup. The government and the military just standing by watching. It is totally bewildering how a The Nation opinion piece could slip by the editors with this frivolous and preposterous claim.

Since The Nation doesn't publish bios of its opinion writers, one can only wonder about this one. The writer goes on to list several additional "shock and awes", a characterization that he or she probably lifted and plagiarized from the USA's use of that expression in the opening salvos of bombing Iraq during Bush II. The expression shock and awe is typically used in a military context to reflect utter military rapid dominance. For example, something like the 2 AM 2006 military coup, which abrogated the existing Thai constitution, and filled the streets with tanks, might be "stretched" into referring to it as "shock and awe", if the author was looking around for some Thai illustration. It is unfathomable that this The Nation opinion piece would refer to any, let alone all, of these ten incidents of shock and awe as such. Again, on the basis of this type of preposterous writing and utilization of expressions without understanding their meaning is bottom feeding journalism at its worst.

I would exchange all of those 'Shock and Awes' for one 'Gotcha!'

[LuckyLew]

Wow. Shit writing. Isn't the term shock and awe a phrase from "Dubbya" Bush's rain of bombs on Tehran? Are there any Thai journalists who can write about serious issues in decent English. The last two Opinion articles have read like high school projects.

Nice of you to criticize Thai

It was Baghdad not Tehran, but good for you, at least both those countries stat with an "I"

[Skywalker69]

"This is unprecedented. No country in this world would allow one of its major airports to be inundated like this"... with water.... but people are fine, the army won't even bother you.

shock and awe would be no one mentioning thaks.... oops.... for a day

Major,international airport Sendai was flooded,airplanes flooded,jetfighters thrashed like paper planes just half a year ago.

Short memory - Mr.Nation - Altzeimer progressing?

IAbsolutly, she dosen´t have what it takes to lead the Country.

[Buchholz]

This is a quite laughable opinion piece. Let's start with the claim in the first "shock and awe" that "no country in the world would allow its second airport to be inundated like this." As if losing a major airport to shutdown might be a major security breach. The author makes this claim, despite the fact that Suvarnibhumi airport was kidnapped by a political group known as PAD and shutdown with a "sit in/camp in" from September 26 , 2008 to December 5, 2008, plus a disputed number of days to do a security check, check out equipment and cleanup. The government and the military just standing by watching. It is totally bewildering how a The Nation opinion piece could slip by the editors with this frivolous and preposterous claim.

Since The Nation doesn't publish bios of its opinion writers, one can only wonder about this one. The writer goes on to list several additional "shock and awes", a characterization that he or she probably lifted and plagiarized from the USA's use of that expression in the opening salvos of bombing Iraq during Bush II. The expression shock and awe is typically used in a military context to reflect utter military rapid dominance. For example, something like the 2 AM 2006 military coup, which abrogated the existing Thai constitution, and filled the streets with tanks, might be "stretched" into referring to it as "shock and awe", if the author was looking around for some Thai illustration. It is unfathomable that this The Nation opinion piece would refer to any, let alone all, of these ten incidents of shock and awe as such. Again, on the basis of this type of preposterous writing and utilization of expressions without understanding their meaning is bottom feeding journalism at its worst.

Shame on The Nation's editors, if this is true.

It's not.

.

[tonglen]

shock and awe off....

Shock and awe in Thailand would be:

1. Politicans/goverment officals actually being prosecuted/ convicted and seving jail time for corruption

2. Our man in Dubai actually serves his time in the nick

3. The BiB actually doing their job

4. Jet ski scammers being hung by their nuts on beach road

5. The goverment/BiB admitting that all Farang deaths in Thailand may not be suicide

Well said!

[eddie61]

Cognitive dissonance can be a real bitch sometimes...

Impeach and kick her out of office before the next crises

Impeaching her would be the next big Shock and Awe.

Boy you got that right. Most Thais still think she's THE MAN.

Shock and awe would be the Democrats actually winning a popular, fair election, against the pork barrel politics that have dominated Thailand for so long.

They would need to convince voters that 200 baht on election day is not worth a flood, an overpriced railway line or a puppet master in Dubai. But what have they done to realise their (my!) dream....? Not much so far, and the railways were approved on their watch.

They should ditch dubious coalition partners, and stand as a party committed against corruption at all cost, be it in opposition or in power. Then Thailand might, maybe start playing catch-up in Asean, if they ever get elected.

Running with the hare while hunting with the hounds will never work!

[KeyserSoze01]

"A people and country left in shock and awe"

When I read the headline of the thread, for a second I thought the Merikans had bombed the crap out of Bangkok.

[culicine]

"This is unprecedented. No country in this world would allow one of its major airports to be inundated like this"... with water.... but people are fine, the army won't even bother you.

shock and awe would be no one mentioning thaks.... oops.... for a day

Major,international airport Sendai was flooded,airplanes flooded,jetfighters thrashed like paper planes just half a year ago.

Short memory - Mr.Nation - Altzeimer progressing?

That's a poor comparison. How can any government respond to a tsunami in a matter of minutes to hours. The Thai government should have better managed water releases from dams and despite that, they had months to clear waterways, study possible water flow patterns and more adequately protect infrastructure. Let's hope heads roll over this fiasco.

[toenail]

Why would ThaiVisa (or is it Nation) publish such bias and emotional crap?

[noitom]

This is a quite laughable opinion piece. Let's start with the claim in the first "shock and awe" that "no country in the world would allow its second airport to be inundated like this." As if losing a major airport to shutdown might be a major security breach. The author makes this claim, despite the fact that Suvarnibhumi airport was kidnapped by a political group known as PAD and shutdown with a "sit in/camp in" from September 26 , 2008 to December 5, 2008, plus a disputed number of days to do a security check, check out equipment and cleanup. The government and the military just standing by watching. It is totally bewildering how a The Nation opinion piece could slip by the editors with this frivolous and preposterous claim.

Since The Nation doesn't publish bios of its opinion writers, one can only wonder about this one. The writer goes on to list several additional "shock and awes", a characterization that he or she probably lifted and plagiarized from the USA's use of that expression in the opening salvos of bombing Iraq during Bush II. The expression shock and awe is typically used in a military context to reflect utter military rapid dominance. For example, something like the 2 AM 2006 military coup, which abrogated the existing Thai constitution, and filled the streets with tanks, might be "stretched" into referring to it as "shock and awe", if the author was looking around for some Thai illustration. It is unfathomable that this The Nation opinion piece would refer to any, let alone all, of these ten incidents of shock and awe as such. Again, on the basis of this type of preposterous writing and utilization of expressions without understanding their meaning is bottom feeding journalism at its worst.

Spot on. To say the author plagiarised the expression "Shock and Awe" is a little unfair as it is in common usage now but it is, however, a criminal misuse of the expression. It is, overall, a lazy, insipid opinion piece

Yes, not only laughable, for sure a lazy and insipid opinion piece. Just for information, "Shock and Awe" is a military doctrine and technically refers to utter military rapid dominance of an enemy force as first "published" in a paper in 1996 and is a "product" of the National Defense University of the United States. Therefore, this lazy, insipid piece of opinion writing fails to acknowledge credit in any way for using this expression, but attempts to use it in contexts that are so disconnected from its intended meaning that it is laughable, as was pointed out in the original reply post. With the exception of two dozen trademark applications made to the United States from military games manufacturers and a handful of cleaning products, golf, and fireworks marketers, "shock and awe" has rarely if ever been used in writing to refer to anything other than military action with dramatic objectives. Sony Corporation even registered the trademark "shock and awe" immediately after the Iraq invasion, for an action game, and then withdrew it as a "regrettable exercise in bad judgment."

So the critical comments about The Nation's opinion piece and its use of "shock and awe" as a key component of its writing are clearly justified. It is misrepresentation, and because it doesn't acknowledge credit in any remote way to the authors of the original military doctrine paper and would meet by any reasonable definition, an instance of plagiarism, it deserves to be pointed out. The imitation, use of, appropriation of another author's "language, ideas, expressions and representations as one's own original work." The opinion piece clearly sought to leverage another author's ideas to give their own story a "sensational context" without even understanding the meaning nor without attributing acknowledgement. Even though its examples were natural disaster results, corruption, criminal court findings, government manipulation of amnesty decrees,...etc. It's a disgraceful example of amateur writing masquerading as informative journalistic opinion.

[Friendlyisle]

As an occasional visitor to Thailand and as an amateur student of the country's government and culture for the last five years, I am continually amazed at the degree of bribery and corruption that exists. In a country so large and blessed with resources, it seems incredible that the majority of Thais permit such thievery to continue. Corruption has apparently become the norm for the majority of politicians, high ranking police, and senior military officers. How sad for the vast majority of ordinary citizens! The corruption is so pervasive you would have to go a long way to find it's equal. I pray a peaceful solution will be found one day where such thievery and graft are no longer tolerated. In the meanwhile, Thailand is lagging far behind in its potential prosperity and development in S.E. Asia. Effective voting at the ballot box might be a good place to start. . . . I can only imagine the results if all the money stolen were used for education and improving infrastructure.

[bumpkin]

Why do people on this web site continually put down articles in other Thai publications??

Does it make you feel better about yourself?

Does it make you feel superior or smarter?

I would like to see you people write an article in Thai

Guess opinions are like backsides, everyone;s got one ... but some are smellier then others

Pssst . . THE NATION is an English language newspaper,

One would expect that contributers to a Thai language newspaper be able to write articles in that language.

Or, have I missed the point you are trying to make ?

[elliss]

Impeach and kick her out of office before the next crises.

JAI DAM ,

go to the temple ,

or three hail marys.

:jap:

[theblether]

This is a quite laughable opinion piece. Let's start with the claim in the first "shock and awe" that "no country in the world would allow its second airport to be inundated like this." As if losing a major airport to shutdown might be a major security breach. The author makes this claim, despite the fact that Suvarnibhumi airport was kidnapped by a political group known as PAD and shutdown with a "sit in/camp in" from September 26 , 2008 to December 5, 2008, plus a disputed number of days to do a security check, check out equipment and cleanup. The government and the military just standing by watching. It is totally bewildering how a The Nation opinion piece could slip by the editors with this frivolous and preposterous claim.

Since The Nation doesn't publish bios of its opinion writers, one can only wonder about this one. The writer goes on to list several additional "shock and awes", a characterization that he or she probably lifted and plagiarized from the USA's use of that expression in the opening salvos of bombing Iraq during Bush II. The expression shock and awe is typically used in a military context to reflect utter military rapid dominance. For example, something like the 2 AM 2006 military coup, which abrogated the existing Thai constitution, and filled the streets with tanks, might be "stretched" into referring to it as "shock and awe", if the author was looking around for some Thai illustration. It is unfathomable that this The Nation opinion piece would refer to any, let alone all, of these ten incidents of shock and awe as such. Again, on the basis of this type of preposterous writing and utilization of expressions without understanding their meaning is bottom feeding journalism at its worst.

You forgot to start your astonishingly patronizing response with 'Gather round children'.

To be fair I would say the response to the article was spot on, and not patronizing at all.

[Jingthing]

The shock and awe thing was clearly just literary license. Those who are obsessed with not liking that come off mostly as barely disguised pro Thaksin, pro PTP, pro red agenda advocates. Why play games by attacking the Nation and an admittedly less than Pulitzer prize winning opinion piece? Better to just spit out what you really mean.

Edited November 25, 2011 by Jingthing

[snarky66]

Quote "Shock and awe 5: Even before the floods became more threatening, the government announced the New Thailand Project, worth almost Bt1 trillion. The announcement of this big-time spending scheme shocked and awed fiscal conservatives and the like because the figure is equivalent to 10 per cent of Thailand's gross domestic product. The New Thailand Project will sow the seeds of a Greek tragedy for Thailand."

In other words "Thailand adopts Greek spending model" With predictable results. Is Yingluck trying to mimic Obama's throwing money about like confetti?

[sawadeeken]

shock and awe off....

Shock and awe in Thailand would be:

1. Politicans/goverment officals actually being prosecuted/ convicted and seving jail time for corruption

2. Our man in Dubai actually serves his time in the nick

3. The BiB actually doing their job

4. Jet ski scammers being hung by their nuts on beach road

5. The goverment/BiB admitting that all Farang deaths in Thailand may not be suicide

Nobody could say it better................ Thanks for adding that....

[moe666]

Quote "Shock and awe 5: Even before the floods became more threatening, the government announced the New Thailand Project, worth almost Bt1 trillion. The announcement of this big-time spending scheme shocked and awed fiscal conservatives and the like because the figure is equivalent to 10 per cent of Thailand's gross domestic product. The New Thailand Project will sow the seeds of a Greek tragedy for Thailand."

In other words "Thailand adopts Greek spending model" With predictable results. Is Yingluck trying to mimic Obama's throwing money about like confetti?

If I remember correctly all spending bills have to be approved by the Congress all the President does is sign the bill or veteos it. What does Obama have to do with Yingluck and thailand anyway as this is a Thai forum

[whybother]

"A people and country left in shock and awe"

When I read the headline of the thread, for a second I thought the Merikans had bombed the crap out of Bangkok.

Ask a few Americans back in the US what they thought about Bush's "shock and awe" bombing of Bangkok. You'd get a positive response.

[mahtin]

Shock horror probe: NZ man almost blown up out of all proportion ...

www.guardian.co.uk/.../new-zealand-air-compressor-buttock - Cached25 May 2011 - New Zealand truck driver gets compressed air hose lodged in buttock, inflating his body at industrial pressure.

[anterian]

I find it droll the way some members drag Thaksin into every thread rather than discussing Thanong's article.

[whybother]

I find it droll the way some members drag Thaksin into every thread rather than discussing Thanong's article.

Shock and awe 6: At a time when millions of Thais are still suffering from the floods, the Cabinet held a secret meeting last week to deliberate on a royal decree to give ousted ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra a pardon. This was part of the shock-and-awe strategy to bring Thaksin back and allow him to regain official control over the country.

Edited November 26, 2011 by whybother

[animatic]

This is a quite laughable opinion piece. Let's start with the claim in the first "shock and awe" that "no country in the world would allow its second airport to be inundated like this." As if losing a major airport to shutdown might be a major security breach. The author makes this claim, despite the fact that Suvarnibhumi airport was kidnapped by a political group known as PAD and shutdown with a "sit in/camp in" from September 26 , 2008 to December 5, 2008, plus a disputed number of days to do a security check, check out equipment and cleanup. The government and the military just standing by watching. It is totally bewildering how a The Nation opinion piece could slip by the editors with this frivolous and preposterous claim.

Since The Nation doesn't publish bios of its opinion writers, one can only wonder about this one. The writer goes on to list several additional "shock and awes", a characterization that he or she probably lifted and plagiarized from the USA's use of that expression in the opening salvos of bombing Iraq during Bush II. The expression shock and awe is typically used in a military context to reflect utter military rapid dominance. For example, something like the 2 AM 2006 military coup, which abrogated the existing Thai constitution, and filled the streets with tanks, might be "stretched" into referring to it as "shock and awe", if the author was looking around for some Thai illustration. It is unfathomable that this The Nation opinion piece would refer to any, let alone all, of these ten incidents of shock and awe as such. Again, on the basis of this type of preposterous writing and utilization of expressions without understanding their meaning is bottom feeding journalism at its worst.

You forgot to start your astonishingly patronizing response with 'Gather round children'.