I mentioned to my dear wife yesterday about the sad news of the passing of Nelson Mandela........and got a "Who is he then?""

Even after explaining ( or trying to!) she was non the wiser, and mentioning Apartheid and the history of South Africa elicited an even bigger blank look!!. Now my wife is very far from stupid ( she married me after all )but I just want to ask if this is endemic within the Thai education system that there appears to be little or no education of things outside the borders?

Anyone else found this?

A lot of schools are using course materials that were printed whilst Mandela was still a terrorist, probably why he never gets a mention !

I saw the news before she did but of course she knew who he was and felt sad at his passing. To be fair she was probably more upset at the passing of Paul Walker.

Does she know Winston Churchill, Lincoln, Marc Bolan? Why should she know Mandela

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Marc Who? My wife and I know the other guys though.

My wife knows who he is, says he was great in Driving Miss Daisy.

edit: typo

I think he might not be a popular subject in the conservative Thai educational system. Considering Thai youth seem to think Hitler is some kind of cool super hero, I would hardly expect one of the greatest forces against racism in history would be high on the local radar. If you think too much about racism, you might have to think about the racism inherent in THAI society.

Wasn't Marc Bolan a Dinosaur or something?

Seriously though, I was not just referring to the fact that she did not know the name, but more that there was absolutely no knowledge of the world outside of Thailand

Jingthing, I do believe you have just hit the nail squarely on the head!!

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

I don’t know about you, but I learned most of what I know, after I graduated from university. My wife went through the same system as everyone else but seems to have broader interests than what is being implied here.

Interaction with your partner, friends, travel and reading all play a part in how worldly someone becomes. My wife is 39 and still taking classes at the university. You get the partner you choose to some extent but there is room to nurture their development, if one takes the time.

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Yes, but there would have been more irony, if he had been driving.

No, my Mrs didn't have a clue who he was - thought it was Morgan Freeman when she saw a pic of him on Facebook!

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Why? What has he done for the world? I did not even know who he was until he first got splattered all over a tree and then all over the press.

Do most young Americans, Brits, Germans, Aussies know who Mandela was? I doubt it.

VillageFarang, I do see your point and concur with you. Learning begins once you leave school, I believe the term for it is life! I am constantly trying to broaden my families knowledge, and I think there may be light at the end of the tunnel, though it is often blocked by Som Tam and sticky rice!!

Marc Who? My wife and I know the other guys though.

Oh how I pity those with a short musical memory.

Lead singer with T Rex for the UK in the 1970s and was killed in a car crash.

I never thought tha much of him personally.

Marc Who? My wife and I know the other guys though.

Oh how I pity those with a short musical memory.

Lead singer with T Rex for the UK in the 1970s and was killed in a car crash.

I never thought tha much of him personally.

I moved to Thailand in the late 1970s so perhaps I missed a few things along the way.

so .............who is he?

My wife is an ordinary Thai woman with a few facebook friends. Her group had an on line discussion about Mandela and posted notes that mourned his passing. And then she asked me for a candy crush life.

Marc Who? My wife and I know the other guys though.

Oh how I pity those with a short musical memory.

Lead singer with T Rex for the UK in the 1970s and was killed in a car crash.

I never thought tha much of him personally.

Had a few good songs, they tell me his last hit was a tree.

_{No. I did ask her but she did had no Idea. I doubt very much that she or indeed many Thai folks have ever been told. only last night she asked me. Why he go to prison.}

She is only 45 so she would be young when it was big news.

I don't think many in Thailand care what goes on outside. Too much going on inside. Sad really but that's the way it is.

Mark Bolan. T Rex i have to admit I did go to see him twice. Ride a white swan was probably his biggest hit. Mini"s and trees do not mix well.

She does know about Fredy Murcury. Only because I have told her and she likes his music. Understandable that Thai folks would not know about Farang Pop groups. But Nelson Mandela Quite another thing.

Thailand could do with a man like him at this very moment.

My wife did not who Mandela was either. It was all on TV Friday morning. According to Thai newspaper report Mandela visited Thailand twice. Wife still none the wiser.

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Still trying to figure out why he turned a blind eye !

I think he might not be a popular subject in the conservative Thai educational system. Considering Thai youth seem to think Hitler is some kind of cool super hero, I would hardly expect one of the greatest forces against racism in history would be high on the local radar. If you think too much about racism, you might have to think about the racism inherent in THAI society.

Thailand did not establish diplomatic relations with S.A. until the end of apartheid; don't you think there was a link to Thai government dislike of apartheid in S.A.?

Mandela was/is a cause celebre in Western media as well as with major (thinking) youth icons such as U2. Unless they are private fee paying schools, I would seriously question that Mandela's political philosophy/ideology is taught or referenced in Western schools and definately not in Thailand. Personally I would not link this to racism/bigotry in Thailand; am I wrong or were you just making a throw away comment?

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Why? What has he done for the world? I did not even know who he was until he first got splattered all over a tree and then all over the press.

Do most young Americans, Brits, Germans, Aussies know who Mandela was? I doubt it.

Aussies do.

My wife knew who he was for the record. Not what he stood for though so much.

Rip Mandella. A true leader in every sense.

never heard of him, even pictures didnt ring any bells. She does not know where South Africa is.

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Why? What has he done for the world? I did not even know who he was until he first got splattered all over a tree and then all over the press.

Do most young Americans, Brits, Germans, Aussies know who Mandela was? I doubt it.

Aussies do.

My wife knew who he was for the record. Not what he stood for though so much.

Rip Mandella. A true leader in every sense.

I meant young as in school age...

Marc Who?  My wife and I know the other guys though. 

 

Oh how I pity those with a short musical memory.

 

Lead singer with T Rex for the UK in the 1970s and was killed in a car crash.

 

I never thought tha much of him personally.

Yeah, his biggest hit was a tree.

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Also the passing of Family Guy Brian. Also by a car. Ironic.

Although my GF has a short education, she follows the World and Thai news daily on both TV and The Internet.

She is often the one to inform me, when something special happens in Thailand or the World. She knew and told me Mandela died, but her general knowledge of Apartheid and South Africa is quite limited, when I asked her.

So she functions as the news feeder and I then explain the history behind the news, if required and asked. Put she considering her short education, I am often surprised about how much information, she has managed to pick up herself.