Focus
Rare Thai satire takes aim at all political colours
by William DAVIES

Image: The Nation

BANGKOK, March 5, 2014 (AFP) - The duo in dark sunglasses rattle off scathing, witty barbs at breakneck speed: all sides of Thailand's political crisis are fair game on "Shallow News In Depth", a satirical show taking Thailand by storm.

But they pause their banter for a moment to reflect on the severity of the divisions that have seized the country.

"How many more times do we have to offer condolences?" asked presenter Winyu Wongsurawat, referring to the growing death toll from violent protests aimed at chasing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office.

"When will you stop... hating one another and beating up one another... that is not funny," said the other half of the duo, Nattapong Tiendee, who sports a white suit and hair gelled into a shark-like fin.

The two comics -- Winyu more suave and sarcastic; Nattapong a self-styled shaman character and chaotic on-screen presence -- then resume the playful tone which has helped propel Shallow News In Depth, known as "Jow Kow Tuen" in Thai, to success.

Broadcast only on the Internet, the show owes its mounting popularity to the political crisis which began some four months ago, and has helped push ratings to more than 200,000 views for each of its monthly episodes.

Its creators say the programme is politically independent, a rare attribute made possible because it is broadcast only online.
Winyu, whose parents are academics, even highlighted its independence by conducting an interview while topless in order to deride the polarisation of Thai politics -- roughly cast between pro-government "red shirts" and the establishment-leaning "yellows".

"Jow Kow Tuen is a great show," said political commentator Verapat Pariyawong, who holds no grudge against the quickfire duo for mocking his rapid speaking style.

"We had seen political satire shows before but those focused on making jokes without much attention to substance. Jow Kow Tuen takes it to another level," he told AFP, praising its efforts for keeping "people politically sane".

The show's humour may feel a little safe to those from countries with strong traditions of satire, but it packs a punch in Thailand, which has many political television programmes but none as sharp as Jow Kow Tuen.

Coverage of the current political crisis is dominated by highly partisan channels, privately owned by supporters of the two opposing sides, while some experts say free speech is chilled by the nation's strict royal defamation law.

"It is very, very different," said Winyu, 28, described by the English-language daily The Bangkok Post as "like [The Daily Show's] Jon Stewart on crack".

- 'Funny people are forgiven' -

In the last show, available on YouTube, the head of the election commission -- accused by some experts of hampering snap polls called by the premier to ease the crisis -- was lambasted as "the one who does not want to vote".

Then came images of a pallid-looking Prime Minister Yingluck defending a troubled rice subsidy from allegations of widespread corruption.

"Is it the ghost of Thaksin, possessing her from Dubai?" said Winyu, referring to Yingluck's ex-premier brother, who lives in self-imposed exile to escape a jail term for a graft conviction and is said by the opposition to still run the country from afar.

Amid the bitter tumult of Thailand's politics, Winyu says the low-cost, high-impact show tries to push beyond the "emotional stuff".

It has won praise for its even-handed treatment of both sides of the debate, with a January piece in the Bangkok Post saying it struck a "sublime balance between lunacy and intelligence".

Thailand has been riven by political divisions since 2006 when Thaksin Shinawatra -- Yingluck's older brother -- was ousted in a bloodless military coup, sparking years of political turmoil punctuated by deadly street protests.

The comic team scrutinises policy statements made by both sides over the years, pointing out their contradictions.

The show has not touched on Thailand's Royal family, who are protected by a strict lese majeste law.

Thailand is classed 130th out of 180 countries for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders, primarily due to the lese majeste law -- otherwise, its media enjoy freedom beyond that available in neighbouring countries.

"Our acting, our expressions and our smiles are a way to protect ourselves, because in our culture, smiling shows that we are nice people and are not dangerous. Funny people are forgiven more than serious people," said Nattapong.

For those trying to make head or tail of the long-running political crisis, the show can both educate and amuse, says Nattapong.

It is "like candy stuffed with useful material like vegetable or vitamin," he adds.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-03-05

Webfact, can you please, give us the link to that show, so we can all enjoy it?

http://jorkawteun.spokedark.tv/

"Shallow News In Depth"

Gotta love that name. But then, wouldn't that also apply to pretty much all news in Thailand?

As we used to say -- "Cool!"

Boiiiiiiiing.

Who needs satire when its a real life comedy.

"Shallow News In Depth"

Gotta love that name. But then, wouldn't that also apply to pretty much all news in Thailand?

It applies to every "news" EVERYWHERE except the web.

Here on the web we can research, verify and source and attribute.

Then we can edit.

Intelligent critical thinkers can survive on their own without being spoonfed

"Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit."

Have watched a couple of these shows and expected SATIRE.

What I encountered instead was a pair of slapstick clowns of the sort you could watch in any neighborhood comedy shack (a.k.a. "Cafe" in Thai), who besides their ridiculous over-acting had to drive their points across with assistance from the usual whistles, hoots, boings, bangs and other assorted noise effects without which it seems the average Thai person won't know when they should laugh, chuckle, wince, cheer or applaud. In short: dreadful!

Thailand just isn't ready for sophisticated satire. But hey, better than nothing and I appreciate the effort.

But why not hire Chalerm and put him on the show? I mean, that guy is a natural and won't need childish noise effects to make the audience roll on the floor in laughter.

"Shallow News In Depth"

Gotta love that name. But then, wouldn't that also apply to pretty much all news in Thailand?

Johnny Depth he likey Shallow nudes,find blondes two inter lecher all.

Old Wether Fourcast say

"! swallow doesn't make a summer"

Have watched a couple of these shows and expected SATIRE.

What I encountered instead was a pair of slapstick clowns of the sort you could watch in any neighborhood comedy shack (a.k.a. "Cafe" in Thai), who besides their ridiculous over-acting had to drive their points across with assistance from the usual whistles, hoots, boings, bangs and other assorted noise effects without which it seems the average Thai person won't know when they should laugh, chuckle, wince, cheer or applaud. In short: dreadful!

Thailand just isn't ready for sophisticated satire. But hey, better than nothing and I appreciate the effort.

But why not hire Chalerm and put him on the show? I mean, that guy is a natural and won't need childish noise effects to make the audience roll on the floor in laughter.

What were you expeciting? "Have I got News for You?"

I gave a copy of Private Eye to a Thai once. He didn't get it.....

Boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggggggggggggggggg. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

They hardly understand irony, sarcasm or critical comments without applause orders and audio effects over here,- but they understand "thainess"

The sound effects made me instantly stop the video. Unbearable.

Have watched a couple of these shows and expected SATIRE.

What I encountered instead was a pair of slapstick clowns of the sort you could watch in any neighborhood comedy shack (a.k.a. "Cafe" in Thai), who besides their ridiculous over-acting had to drive their points across with assistance from the usual whistles, hoots, boings, bangs and other assorted noise effects without which it seems the average Thai person won't know when they should laugh, chuckle, wince, cheer or applaud. In short: dreadful!

Thailand just isn't ready for sophisticated satire. But hey, better than nothing and I appreciate the effort.

But why not hire Chalerm and put him on the show? I mean, that guy is a natural and won't need childish noise effects to make the audience roll on the floor in laughter.

What were you expeciting? "Have I got News for You?"

I gave a copy of Private Eye to a Thai once. He didn't get it.....

Boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggggggggggggggggg. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Exactly my point, Thai at Heart.

Zzzzinnngggg!

They hardly understand irony, sarcasm or critical comments without applause orders and audio effects over here,- but they understand "thainess"

But then again, having absolutely no sense for irony, sarcasm and satire is of course just as much PART OF "Thainess" as is public nose-picking and insisting on saying "my friend you".

Have watched a couple of these shows and expected SATIRE.

What I encountered instead was a pair of slapstick clowns of the sort you could watch in any neighborhood comedy shack (a.k.a. "Cafe" in Thai), who besides their ridiculous over-acting had to drive their points across with assistance from the usual whistles, hoots, boings, bangs and other assorted noise effects without which it seems the average Thai person won't know when they should laugh, chuckle, wince, cheer or applaud. In short: dreadful!

Thailand just isn't ready for sophisticated satire. But hey, better than nothing and I appreciate the effort.

But why not hire Chalerm and put him on the show? I mean, that guy is a natural and won't need childish noise effects to make the audience roll on the floor in laughter.

What were you expeciting? "Have I got News for You?"

I gave a copy of Private Eye to a Thai once. He didn't get it.....

Boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggggggggggggggggg. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm not surprised. That's like giving a four year old War and Peace to read.

Better enjoy it while it lasts. One joke out of place and they'll be up to their necks in defamation suits.

"Our acting, our expressions and our smiles are a way to protect ourselves, because in our culture, smiling shows that we are nice people and are not dangerous. Funny people are forgiven more than serious people," said Nattapong

Translation: Please don't come and throw a grenade at my house this evening or turn up at my mother's place mob-handed with your own concrete barriers and P.A.truck.

This isn't news!

This show has been around for weeks now.

Slow news day???

Boiiiiiiiing.

Who needs satire when its a real life comedy.

Yeah with some of the utterances and actions regarding anything to do with politics you'd think the script writers would say " F*** it we can't top that".

It's like NTN. So close to the truth sometimes it's delightfully painful.

Boiiiiiiiing.

Who needs satire when its a real life comedy.

Yeah with some of the utterances and actions regarding anything to do with politics you'd think the script writers would say " F*** it we can't top that".

It's like NTN. So close to the truth sometimes it's delightfully painful.

Someone should produce the non-lese majeste articles in NTN in Thai. I wonder if they would get it.

Baby steps is what it will take. Any type of political satire is a step in the right direction.

Remember Thailand is decades behind in sophisticated entertainment. How hard cutting was political satire in western programming in the fifties. Lots of sound effects and laugh tracks in those days. But eventually many sacred cows were left bleeding in the ditch. ( Probably we have taken it too far these days though)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-tBUHJf8zU

Proper policial satire about secessation. (apoliogies for spelling. I think they are talking about having Smoking Cessation in Lanna maybe, and its all a big misunderstanding).

The sound effects made me instantly stop the video. Unbearable.

Ewe know wanna understand Thigh Way

Dare they do Spitting Image

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

They hardly understand irony, sarcasm or critical comments without applause orders and audio effects over here,- but they understand "thainess"

But then again, having absolutely no sense for irony, sarcasm and satire is of course just as much PART OF "Thainess" as is public nose-picking and insisting on saying "my friend you".

You guys obviously can't speak Thai then.

Very succinct, "when we smile we show we are nice people and not dangerous" When a dog or a monkey shows it's teeth it is time to get to hell out of the way.

 

Very succinct, "when we smile we show we are nice people and not dangerous" When a dog or a monkey shows it's teeth it is time to get to hell out of the way.

Could you tell me if this show is red or yellow, so I know whether to agree with you or defend it?

Have the dates been announced already, when their defamation, slander and libel court cases will start ?

This isn't news!

This show has been around for weeks now.

Slow news day???

same as the other 364

Well this was in the New York Times a month ago.

Looks like some people read the article and decided to get out there on story a MONTH LATER

wow

That of course was back when the Nation and cronies were howling about how the Foreign Media did not understand the complexties of the Thai Crisis.

So I guess we ciould not see it back then ...

Looks like some people read the article and decided to get out there on story a MONTH LATER

The usual, it has to go through twatter, face, wazzup, email lists etc until it finally reaches some "reporter"s eyes, who then copy-pastes it as "news". When you think of the salaries they receive here, can't really blame them for being lazy.

Selecting part of the text, preferably a quote and hitting right mouse button with "search google" usually gives the source.