Bangkok: Chula students celebrate graduation with Hitler

[Dap]

Thailand is a gnat in world politics, and Thai students count for less than a gnat in intellectual discussion. Just let these kids grow up to be politicians and plunder the country, like generations before them, the people are just bending over for it. It really wont make a difference to the price of rice, even if thats what they hope for.

But by the time these kids grow up, there may not be anything left of Thailand to plunder.

Not if things keep going in the current direction

[hellodolly]

just another showcase of how ignorant local students they are.

besides, just look at the banner itself.. look worse than a elementary school student work

I think you are being a little harsh on the students. I would blame it on the education system. The students are not tought any thing about the horrendous acts of barbarity carried out by the Nazi's under Hitler's orders.

Does any one know if the last name of Hitler is used much in Germany now?

[Songhua]

The question is, what is the significance or meaning of the banner? What is it supposed to portray? Does it depict dorms, houses, fraternities, mascots?

[Maseratimartin]

Stop bringing your western values to Thailand... they don't work here.

Hitler is just a historical figure, no worse than Chairman Mao.. so get over it.

Oh really? Then why not just throw in Stalin and Pol Pot in to round off the picture... "just a historical figure" REALLY?!

And the Romans, Napoleon, ...who was the US president throwing 2 atomic bombs on Japan...!!!

[Scott]

A number of off-topic, racist posts and replies have been deleted.

[Briggsy]

History as an academic subject in schools is very heavily weighted towards the monarchs, their battle victories, their achievements and pretty much little else except for a constantly pushed yet totally untrue implication that the current borders of Thailand have always been so. By extension everything outside of them is of little consequence.

[Rumpole]

Betting the reason PolPot ain't up there is because some of them know he was real...

In the rather unlikely event that some of them have actually heard of Pol Pot, the probable reason he is not up there is because he was Khmer - who register even further off the Thai radar than farang.

[hellodolly]

goes to show just how dumbed down kids in Thailand are, they have no idea about hitler at all, really have to wonder at how the govt is going to improve the kids knowledge when they are this stupid.

Well your post is kind of no it is ignorant.

The schools could very well teach them about Hitler and his list of atrocities. The kids can not learn what they are not taught.

[keemapoot]

Betting the reason PolPot ain't up there is because some of them know he was real...

In the rather unlikely event that some of them have actually heard of Pol Pot, the probable reason he is not up there is because he was Khmer - who register even further off the Thai radar than farang.

Actually, I think the reason some may know Pol Pot is precisely because he was Khmer, and that he was a bad guy reinforces a narrative and puts him on the radar.

[hellodolly]

Stop bringing your western values to Thailand... they don't work here.

Hitler is just a historical figure, no worse than Chairman Mao.. so get over it.

Oh really? Then why not just throw in Stalin and Pol Pot in to round off the picture... "just a historical figure" REALLY?!

And the Romans, Napoleon, ...who was the US president throwing 2 atomic bombs on Japan...!!!

You two have forgotten the worst of the bunch Genghis Khan. It is estimated he killed 1/4 of the earths population. And he didn't have guns or atomic weapons and bombs.

[Morakot]

[Dr Strange]

Betting the reason PolPot ain't up there is because some of them know he was real...

In the rather unlikely event that some of them have actually heard of Pol Pot, the probable reason he is not up there is because he was Khmer - who register even further off the Thai radar than farang.

Actually, I think the reason some may know Pol Pot is precisely because he was Khmer, and that he was a bad guy reinforces a narrative and puts him on the radar.

Though they will probably ignore how many refugees the Thai government forced back across the border to face likely death...

[Diablo Bob]

Stop bringing your western values to Thailand... they don't work here.

Hitler is just a historical figure, no worse than Chairman Mao.. so get over it.

Stop bringing your western values to Thailand... they don't work here.

Hitler is just a historical figure, no worse than Chairman Mao.. so get over it.

Really... I dont see allot of historical figures in the mural and certainly unless my western eyes are deceiving me cant see Mao. What I can see is allot of suoerhero's of which hitler is being betrayed as one...

Given 90% of the world would regard Hitler not of the ilk of superhero then perhaps its time more western values were bought here so these people actually can have a clue about history. If the mural is supporting and congratulating the students and making the connection that they are superheros as well then i cant see what relevance hitler has unless its just to demonstate their ignorance... you may want to get your eastern values attuned to what the rest of the world would regard as appropriate.

90% of the world? I think that you should take another look at the rest of the world.......

Aside from North Africa, the rest of the this continent could care less about Hitler and his crimes, they have their own home grown purges happening today to deal with...... not sure where South Africa would stand in this debate.

The Middle East? Even though they might be sympathetic to the Jews and their treatment by the Germans, given the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel, you probably won't find much outrage these days over this issue.

South America is much like Africa in their regard to WWII aside from Argentina, Chile and Uraguay who have had long associations with Germany and Germans. To the rest, well its' past history, and the USA is the new villan on the block.

As far as Asia goes, most East and Southeast Asians are only concerned about the Pacific war. It wasn't that long ago where Japanese businessmen wouldn't go to the Philippines for fear of being murdered. The atrocities in Singapore, the rape of Nanjing...... no the Asians focused on Japan until Japan became their economic savior.

Thailand? Well Thailand has chosen not to bring attention to their involvement in WWII so they just avoid the subject!

Your rest of the world is Europe, N. America and Australia. The poster is in bad taste, true. Parts of our world should be disgusted, but don't be surprised that most of the world (By land mass) could really care less about this issue.

[Bluespunk]

This is going to be hard for the "Swastikas are Buddhist meme" apologists as there is NO swastika in this one.

Also, this Hitler doesn't look at all like Charlie Chaplin, so forget that excuse too.

I think this is actually a seriously offensive thing, coming from a so called elite educational institution in Thailand.

Would it be so hard to teach about Hitler and Nazism?

Would it be so hard to teach that Neo-Nazis today in Russia are targeting Asian people racially for violence and killings?

To those who say we're meddling westerners, I say, Thailand wake up to reality, it could use some meddling with its continuing shameful flirting with Hitler. Nazis and Hitler aren't heroes. Neo Nazi movements still exist today and they are something to be fought against, not propped up as something cool or a fashion statement.

Yes I would say "meddling westerners" leave them to it. We don't need to force our western views on these people.

Satire?

[Dr Strange]

Stop bringing your western values to Thailand... they don't work here.

Hitler is just a historical figure, no worse than Chairman Mao.. so get over it.

Oh really? Then why not just throw in Stalin and Pol Pot in to round off the picture... "just a historical figure" REALLY?!

And the Romans, Napoleon, ...who was the US president throwing 2 atomic bombs on Japan...!!!

You two have forgotten the worst of the bunch Genghis Khan. It is estimated he killed 1/4 of the earths population. And he didn't have guns or atomic weapons and bombs.

In terms of deaths, he would be less than Mao. Plus he was the greenest of them.

"The Mongol leader, who established a vast empire between the 13th and 14th centuries, helped remove nearly 700million tons of carbon from the atmosphere, claims a new study.

The deaths of 40million people meant that large areas of cultivated land grew thick once again with trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere"

[morpho]

The only things most Thai students know anything (and actually care) about are their mobile phones and laptops...of course Apple is preferred so they look rich and important, even if they're not.

[MaxYakov]

Stop bringing your western values to Thailand... they don't work here.

Hitler is just a historical figure, no worse than Chairman Mao.. so get over it.

Yuh, and history is bunk. It's the comic book super heroes that are pertinent, right? If that's the case, I'll go with Unca Scrooge.

[lemonjelly]

Yet to hear of any reactions from the Bangkok Jewish community.

[Jingthing]

Yet to hear of any reactions from the Bangkok Jewish community.

How many Jewish Thai citizens do you reckon exist? Perhaps two. Two people, not two percent.

[amykat]

This Hitler stuff is becoming less shocking (for me) because it seems to be getting more and more common here. Although of course I still think it is just as terrible as when I was SHOCKED. However, I wonder if this is just snowballing ...the more they see it, the more people copy it. It is really ridiculous that Hitler is only among superheros in the banner (I think, and most or all of them are fake, cartoon characters?)

Why don't we, or someone, who should do it, I don't know, complain to some minister of something, like Thais complain when Lady Gaga used the Thai flag in her show, or made a comment about fake Rolex watches, or whatever, many, stupid, trivial things that Thais get all up in arms about.

I think this needs to become a major movement, so we can EDUCATE Thais, to stop making this same, ridiculous mistake. And you have to note, that in this banner, I don't see any other "villans" of the world, mistakenly added. So why is it just Hitler??

Why don't we start a FB posting all this stuff, or some kind of movement, action, to help this stop? Any ideas or leaders out there?

[keemapoot]

Yet to hear of any reactions from the Bangkok Jewish community.

How many Jewish Thai citizens do you reckon exist? Perhaps two. Two people, not two percent.

Extremely small. For all Jews, Thais or otherwise, there are only 3 synagogues in Bangkok, and only one kosher restaurant. No, I'm not Jewish, just read on the BKK jewishthailand website.

[Suradit69]

Zero Mostel was born Samuel Joel Mostel on February 28, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York, one of eight children of an Orthodox Jewish family.

(Mel Brooks) Melvin James Kaminsky was born on June 28th, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, his father died when he was a child of 2 years, and he claims that all of his angry humor comes from that.He was of Jewish descent

(Gene Wilder) Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 11, 1933, Gene Wilder is the son of William J. and Jeanne (Baer) Silberman. He adopted "Gene Wilder" for his professional name at the age of 26

[iloveny]

There may be a little more too it than just dumb students who don't know anything about hitler. A matayom student at our school when asked to write about someone they admire wrote about Hitler. The concerned teacher who assigned the homework called him in to quiz him on his choice.

T: What do you know about Hitler?

S: He was a strong man.

T: Was he good or bad, did he do good or bad things?

S: I think he was okay.

T: Do you know he killed a lot of people?

S: He kill a lot of Jew.

T: Do you think it is ok to kill jews?

S: Emmmm ..Iduno... em .... no.

T: Do you know what Hitler would have done to you?

S: No.

T: He would have put you in the gas chamber. Do you know what a gas chamber is?

S: No.

T: [Explains]

T: So know you know Hitler was not someone to admire.

S: Ok sorry teacher.

That was very disturbing. We also had students wanting to dance to this for a christmas show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRxCUZp8Bg

The thai teachers were oblivious to how insulting this might be.

Yes some are oblivous to history some not so much.

Edited July 12, 2013 by iloveny

[Payboy]

This must be Thailand, because Superman couldn't find a proper phone booth to change in.

[Jingthing]

Yet to hear of any reactions from the Bangkok Jewish community.

How many Jewish Thai citizens do you reckon exist? Perhaps two. Two people, not two percent.

Extremely small. For all Jews, Thais or otherwise, there are only 3 synagogues in Bangkok, and only one kosher restaurant. No, I'm not Jewish, just read on the BKK jewishthailand website.

I was talking about Thai CITIZENS that are Jewish. I think I saw the number listed once as two people. You are talking about Jewish RESIDENTS who are foreigners. Yes there is a small visible community in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Foreigners have no importance politically in Thailand.

If LJ was talking about the Israeli embassy, I seriously doubt they will comment on this one. They did before in reference to the Chiang Mai school Nazi style parade and the Hitler billboard for the Pattaya wax museum.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Jingthing

[geriatrickid]

A Buddha in an art gallery in Germany is disrespectful to the Thai people, but this should be ok because it is in Thailand and not in Europe /Germany ? Another example of so-called respect in Thai culture.. it only applies one way. .... it is in the culture to say "that is thai culture".. for the rest a meaningless statement.

We are not discussing Germany. We are discussing Thailand. The use of a perceived wrong to justify an ignorant act does not work.

IMO, the Hitler addition was intentional and the consequences were forseen. This is an attempt to create a stir and gain attention. Why not ask the students responsible why they did it? Then a complimentary trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. They can spend a few hours being educated and then come back and share what they learnt. Some judges have sent young offenders found guilty of hate crimes for a visit, and it has worked wonders. An hour or so next to the exhibit on the medical experiments on children should do the trick.

Edited July 12, 2013 by geriatrickid

[Dr Strange]

Interesting read here;

http://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/springtime-for-neo-nazis-in-thailand/

Edited July 12, 2013 by Dr Strange

[bri1guy]

There are people that believe that what hitler did is only a story (make believe) so they think that its related to batman & superman as well..

[angiud]

An answer to a deleted post has been deleted

[Theoutsider]

Are they trying to wind us up?

That not Hitler that's the TFC man