'Totally inappropriate': Tourist's shock at Buddhist temple in Thailand

[Metapod]

America trying to export their morals onto everyone else yet again it seems.

I'm sure there are a lot of things that would be totally inappropriate and shock thai tourists in America too.

[Dancealot]

I guess only an American would call this inappropriate.

And you would be wrong...

That happens with guessing..

While assessing the painting subjectively, I find it fascinating to see the serpent bodies, symbolically inter-connect the fuel pump through the twin towers to the two evil demon heads.

Various interpretations can be concieved from looking at- and experiencing the painting, but the main direction of the message is still SET by the artist.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Do the people who find this well painted depiction of a historical and world changing event also find offence in the many paintings and statues that depict a person being sadistically nail onto a cross by the Romans centuries ago as offensive ? These are also found everywhere in places of worship just like this Temple.

The ignorance demonstrated by this comment is staggering.

It is a perfectly valid point actually!!!

It seems that you are easily staggered.

[chrisinth]

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mauGR1, on 10 Apr 2014 - 00:29, said:Quote

Neeranam, on 09 Apr 2014 - 23:55, said:Quote

mauGR1, on 09 Apr 2014 - 23:34, said:Quote

Well, if i go to a Buddhist temple, i go for relax and peace of mind, for all the rest we have everyday life & the <deleted>' media.

As i said in a previous post, i hate loud music and drunkards in the temple too.

Temples are like community centres in my country.

Not all that go to temples are enlightened beings. Just like not all that go to Churches in my country are enlightened. I used to go to church discos where many were taking drugs, alcohol and sniffing glue. Lots of people would go to the church for midnight mass straight from the boozer.

I often hear things like "I saw monks in Panthip plaza buying computers or smoking, aren't they hypocrites" etc. If you are one of those, think what your motive in trying to put them down is. I've drank whisky with a monk before, so what - he was an alcoholic that as trying to get well. Many men ordain as they have little other choice. Some are ex-criminals, some sick but they are accepted as of course they should be.

Anyone saying the picture is inappropriate doesn't understand the place of the Thai temple, IMHO.

The picture may be teaching a valuable lesson to its people - the evils of capitalism or something. There's a lot more to those twin towers that most Americans I know don't even ant to investigate.

.

While appreciating you point of view, i disagree... I would never drink whisky with a monk, and i don't go to temple to see violent images or behaviours.. What's next. a slaughterhouse in the temple premises ?

Whether you visit temples, churches, chapels, mosques, etc. the underlying subject of all of them is in celebration of somebodies death. Sure, other things are discussed/preached, but its generally about celebrating death.

Truth................

Edit: For clarity, the above comments are about the establishments and not about the art displayed therein.

Edited April 10, 2014 by chrisinth

[JoeThePoster]

How come they ignored Hitler?

They also ignored Tony Blair.

Tony who?

[thailiketoo]

How come they ignored Hitler?

They also ignored Tony Blair.

Tony who?

You know Tony; Wendi Deng's boyfriend.

[NoshowJones]

How come they ignored Hitler?

They also ignored Tony Blair.

Tony who?

He is a former UK premier who was responsible for mass murder in Iraq, and along with Gordon Brown was the worst PM the UK ever had.

[NoshowJones]

How come they ignored Hitler?

They also ignored Tony Blair.

Tony who?

You know Tony; Wendi Deng's boyfriend.

Who is Wendi Deng?

[Thaiready]

Any rational person who chooses to look into it will easily discover that 9-11 was a 'false flag' / inside job.

Okay, your turn to call me names....

time for rehab for you

[wvavin]

Hey! Two more. Gadaffi & Assad. Don't miss them out.

Edited April 10, 2014 by wvavin

[Thaiready]

I guess only an American would call this inappropriate.

You sir are out if line......if I could get my hands on you I'd teach you respect.

Its only a painting - the artist wasn't responsible for it happening. It is history, are you suggesting that history can and should be brushed under the carpet and forgotten???

Talking about a ludicrous over reaction. Should they ban all of these war movies as a darned sight more Americans were killed in the second world war!!

Get a life - BTW you can't teach respect you can only earn it!!!

Familar with the term...."Speak when spoken too"

[rwhoov]

I guess only an American would call this inappropriate.

I was wondering when the anti-American comments would come. Thanks for not disappointing me.

[thailiketoo]

They also ignored Tony Blair.

Tony who?

You know Tony; Wendi Deng's boyfriend.

Who is Wendi Deng?

Chinese chick. Hi so uni girl. MBA Yale. Used to hang with Rupert an Aussie bloke.

Edited April 10, 2014 by thailiketoo

[StreetCowboy]

So if non-Muslims non-Americans make images of Allah 9/11, the Muslims Americans get upset.

the graving of images of Allah or the prophet are specifically prohibited lest people worship the images, rather than God in all his omnipresent glory - something to ponder upon, when next one kneels in prayer in front of a hewn carving of a chap nailed to a couple of planks.

[peterbkk9]

I expect the moronic justification from the powers that be will be more shocking than the actual mural itself. (which I think is in bad taste btw)

Just watch, the blame game and denial will be in full swing soon. I can state with almost certainty, no one will apologize or take any responsibility for it or the repercussions. Watch and see it unfold. Think of it as an exercise in understanding Thailand.

Doubt local media will even touch on this as a story, since it might make someone look bad...

Absolutely spot on.

[StreetCowboy]

I guess only an American would call this inappropriate.

You sir are out if line......if I could get my hands on you I'd teach you respect.

Its only a painting - the artist wasn't responsible for it happening. It is history, are you suggesting that history can and should be brushed under the carpet and forgotten???

Talking about a ludicrous over reaction. Should they ban all of these war movies as a darned sight more Americans were killed in the second world war!!

Get a life - BTW you can't teach respect you can only earn it!!!

Familar with the term...."Speak when spoken too"

You'd look harder without the homonym.

Edit: Homophone. That's a bit pots and kettles, isn't it

Edited April 10, 2014 by StreetCowboy

[Som wat]

Perhaps somewhere in an American church there is a painting of Thai navy ships towing 1000 men, women and children out to sea and then setting them adrift with no food, water, shelter or engines to die, as happened in 2008.

[thailiketoo]

So if non-Muslims non-Americans make images of Allah 9/11, the Muslims Americans get upset.

the graving of images of Allah or the prophet are specifically prohibited lest people worship the images, rather than God in all his omnipresent glory - something to ponder upon, when next one kneels in prayer in front of a hewn carving of a chap nailed to a couple of planks.

Ya.

[Som wat]

modern technology, making Thais look like stupid, ignorant, self-absorbed idiots since the Information Age began... And set to continue for a long, long time.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Som wat

[slipperylobster]

As for art...pure B_ S_. Cartoons do not belong there. It belittles the event. If daffy duck was tatooed on a Buddha statues...it would be equally offensive.

[thailiketoo]

modern technology, making Thais look like stupid, ignorant, self-absorbed idiots since the Information Agen began... And set to continue for a long, long time.

I guess you didn't much care for Manet?

[quidnunc]

How come they ignored Hitler?

The Hitler symbols and images have now become past tense and no longer in fashion.

This in my opinion is a total mockery and travesty of one of the worst tragedies of modern times. This so-called work of art that depicts 9/11 in such an insensitive manner is of extremely bad taste and is bound to offend and probably cause great upset and grief to those who survived or lost loved one`s in the 9/11 disaster and to many Westerners that witnessed these horrific events taking place during the times. I still have the terrifying images of people jumping to their deaths in my mind.

This is the work of a warped mind, by someone who has no sensitivity to horrific and tragic events such as this.

The question is; how many more times are the Thais going to plead ignorance to their creation of these offensive so-called artworks and imagines? Because there can be no excuses. Only one word to describe this: outrageous.

I hope that tourists will decide to boycott that temple until those offensive images are smashed down and destroyed.

The reality and there were no super heroes around at the time to rescue them:

One of the worst tragedies of modern times? You mean comparable to what happened in cambodia or rawanda or sierra leone or iraq or afghanistan or etc.. Try to keep things ih perspective.

[belg]

maybe it was made by a thai fortune teller before 2001 that had a dream ?

[Showbags]

Get over it.

Its now an historic event.

All this feigned sensitivities from people not even affected by it in reality.

Leave it to those that were directly affected to deal with it each year and move on...same same all these war story remembrance days.....past their use by date much.

[robert888d]

T.I.T. This is THAILAND.

Edited April 22, 2014 by metisdead
Oversize font reset to normal.

[Donnie Brasco]

I did not find anything offensive to me in this mural, actually I like it, looks like a pimped out paint job for a muscle car, makes me wanna go and visit and hopefully sneak some pix...As for being appropriate in a temple? Well, who decides that? Temples have to be solemn. contemplative, quiet, introspective, not challenging, rebellious, unconventional!! Jails have to be dreary, gray, forbidding, terrifying...Hospitals have to be mournful, smelly, hush hush...and so on...We, the societies of mostly western countries developed these "appropriate" traits for certain institutions and then exported tem to other cultures and if someone decides to experiment or play around with those traits then our collective panties are up in a punch...chill out.

Careful there Klaus bringing any measure at all of intellectual prowess can stifle casual chit chat.

Intelligent exchanges are frowned on in many circles.

And a pack of brain dead tosspots can turn this into a religion.

"Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit. . . . "

[Konini]

Good, bad or indifferent, this mural has done what art should do; inspired debated.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Konini

[NanLaew]

I did not find anything offensive to me in this mural, actually I like it, looks like a pimped out paint job for a muscle car, makes me wanna go and visit and hopefully sneak some pix...As for being appropriate in a temple? Well, who decides that? Temples have to be solemn. contemplative, quiet, introspective, not challenging, rebellious, unconventional!! Jails have to be dreary, gray, forbidding, terrifying...Hospitals have to be mournful, smelly, hush hush...and so on...We, the societies of mostly western countries developed these "appropriate" traits for certain institutions and then exported tem to other cultures and if someone decides to experiment or play around with those traits then our collective panties are up in a punch...chill out.

Careful there Klaus bringing any measure at all of intellectual prowess can stifle casual chit chat.

Intelligent exchanges are frowned on in many circles.

And a pack of brain dead tosspots can turn this into a religion.

"Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit. . . . "

Great! Thanks for the new word tosspots there Donnie. TV's new-fangled, politically correct, automatic badword incinerator has recently made <deleted> and <deleted> totally unusable. It makes trying not to be a <deleted> pretty <deleted> <deleted>.

Edited April 10, 2014 by NanLaew

[BB1955]

Im an American and seeing that didn't piss me off or even upset me .... Maybe I ve lived here too long .... Yes the event bothers me but this drawing doesn't

[PiPiFFS]

It happened people. Whether you believe the official line or not it is now a part of history. The picture in no way glorifies the attack so just where is it wrong ? It seems that today outrage and offence are to be found in every little thing regardless of any intention to cause offence or outrage.

Would a painting of an unmanned drone have caused such outrage I wonder. Considering the "Collateral damage " they have wreaked since 9/11

I also never understood the outcry over the Hitler nonsense last year. It seems it is fine to print T shirts of bin Laden, Stalin and Lenin yet Hitler is a total no no.

Ignore it or grow some thicker skin.

Never understood? As you have noticed, the Holocaust and 9/11 were the two biggest tragedies ever to hit mankind. Nobody can trivialise them. No matter that other tragedies on a bigger scale have happened, they did not involve the more valuable lives of Americans or Jews.

Of course the painting is not inappropriate. A good friend of mine's daughter died in a Chiang Mai hotel but he does not think it inappropriate for bed bug spray or the hotel to be advertised. The tragedy he experienced, he knows, is his problem and the rest of the world, Thailand in particular, does not have to walk on eggshells to make him feel better.

I think you've missed one or two of the biggest tragedies to hit mankind. Like the invention of the Atom Bomb and dropping the first two on Hiroshima and Nagasaki I can think of a good few more but everyone has their own idea of what 'the biggest tragedy to hit mankind' actually was.

I'm sorry but the holocaust and 9/11 don't come anywhere near my top tragedies to hit mankind. not even close.