A tarnished beauty queen: Thai editorial

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EDITORIAL
A tarnished beauty queen
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Why are we lambasting a student for remarks made months before she became Miss Universe Thailand, yet allowing our politicians to spew "hate speech" daily?

Thailand's political challenges extend far beyond the question of how the country will emerge from under martial law. Our bitter conflict has opened deep wounds of division in almost every sphere of national life. The latest test for Thais' ability to live in peace with one another has been delivered by an unlikely individual - Miss Universe Thailand. How the country responds to her will go a long way to telling us whether there is truly light at the end of the tunnel.

Crowned Miss Universe Thailand 2014 at the weekend, Weluree "Fai" Disayabut suddenly found herself lashed by an online social-media storm. Her biggest "crime" was to be open about her political views, which she had aired online long before winning the title.

A Facebook post in November had Weluree professing her devotion to His Majesty the King and lambasting red-shirt protesters as "dirty" individuals whose exit from the country would make it a "cleaner" place. Predictably, the remarks caused uproar, with many people asking whether she was the right person to go forward and represent Thailand in the Miss Universe contest overseas. Weluree responded by apologising publicly and vowing to "improve".

But, having ignored the beauty-queen stereotype by not expressing her love of children, pets and nature, Weluree is not fit to wear the crown, say many self-appointed "judges". Why such a strong reaction? Are beauty queens barred from expressing ideas? Doctors, academics, actors, businesspeople and just about everyone else have expressed their opinions during the political crisis. So why is it so alien for Weluree, a student at the time, to express hers?

Could sexism be the reason? Whatever the answer, the public needs to do some soul-searching over the backlash.

Beauty pageant contestants are often perceived as "all looks and no brain". Onstage they are supposed to stick to light chat about entertainment and tourism. Cross the line by mentioning politics and they no longer fit the profile.

Responding to online critics who branded her "a big-mouth", Weluree admitted using impolite words in the Facebook post, but explained: "I was talking to my friend. I was a teenager and hadn't thought carefully before posting." Her Facebook page was "private" back then, shared only with a small network of "friends". Her remarks are nothing when compared to the foul words that spill daily from the mouths of politicians and are broadcast to the nation on TV. Think of the rally speeches by the likes of Suthep Thaugsuban, Dr Seri Wongmontha, Kaewsan Atipoh, Jatuporn Promphan, Weng and Thida Thavornseth, Nuttawut Saikuar and Veerakan Musikapong.

The furore over Miss Thailand's remarks is only the latest example of Thailand's has longstanding double standards when it comes to human rights. Suriyasai Takasila, a prominent critic of the government, says he doesn't understand why people are complaining about the threat to rights posed by martial law when they have turned a blind eye to the killing of anti-government protesters this past few months. The truth is that we have always shown this kind of inconsistency when it comes to questions of rights.

Weluree has been crowned a beauty queen, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't enjoy the same rights as any other citizen. The student-turned-Miss-Universe Thailand will do no political harm to the country. Our focus should instead be on the real cause of damage: speeches aired on the political stage that are picked up by world media and become the image of Thailand. If we start censuring our politicians for "hate speech" as seriously as we do our beauty queens, we have a chance at a peaceful future.


-- The Nation 2014-05-22

[kurnell]

All beauty? Based on the pictures I saw of her and other contestants is seemed like they all need to get a bit of exercise.

[impulse]

All beauty? Based on the pictures I saw of her and other contestants is seemed like they all need to get a bit of exercise.

New rule. Gotta post pictures of your own gut whenever you pass judgment on others'.

As if that's what the OP was about...

Edited May 21, 2014 by impulse

[TVGerry]

It's plain hypocrisy. It's easier to go after a defenseless girl for what she said rather then the idiot politicians who spew worse crap daily. These people are just plain bullies.

[Bluespunk]

Ah, the khaosod article, I recall (I could be wrong but), talked about her saying the reds should be executed. Was this a publishing error on their part then? Oh boy, they must be feeling embarrassed.

[Seastallion]

I wish she had stuck to her guns and not apologised. Perhaps a diplomatic apology for impolite words, but with no hint of regret at the message within. And even that was unnecessary as her words were said in private and not intended to be "eavesdropped" on. Her one mistake was not checking her content before opening her page to the public.

She is in a position to spin it around and ask why she is condemned for loving the King.

As a loyal subject who loves the King, it is her duty to criticise his detractors, and natural for her to despise them.

She should remain staunch in her stance.

[kurnell]

All beauty? Based on the pictures I saw of her and other contestants is seemed like they all need to get a bit of exercise.

New rule. Gotta post pictures of your own gut whenever you pass judgment on others'.

As if that's what the OP was about...

I'm not entering a beauty contest am i?

[somjitr]

Ah, the khaosod article, I recall (I could be wrong but), talked about her saying the reds should be executed. Was this a publishing error on their part then? Oh boy, they must be feeling embarrassed.

Before you accuse Khaosod of publishing error, why don't you do a little search? I found the screen capture of her facebook post in Thai and she did say the red activists should all be executed as Khaosod reported. CNN also reported on this. It's not that hard to find.

Did it occur to you that the author of this article might have paraphrased it as "exit from the country" instead to suit his/her own agenda?

Anyway back to the topic. I don't think "the beauty queen" receives any more public scrutiny than the politicians the author named. Perhaps the author doesn't understand that calling for the execution of political activists is a pretty big deal, especially when done by someone who will represent Thailand in the world stage? Don't get me wrong. She deserves forgiveness and since she has apologized, we should move on. However, people who criticize her do have a point.

Edited May 22, 2014 by somjitr

[BSJ]

Maybe she should visit the North East and see for herself that the peasants aren't dirty at all!

[stickyrice2000]

It reminds me of Mark AF when he made a comment about politic. His was not about the Reds, but on the opponent side. It got pretty nasty that he had to drop out of being a contestant. Politic is a sensitive topic. If you are a public figure, it is best to avoid the topic all together. You have tigers on the left side and wolves on the right side. It looks like her stardom is fading fast.

Edited May 22, 2014 by stickyrice2000

[ChrisY1]

Another case of Thai people and the "tall poppy" outlook on things.......it happens everywhere...not just here.

Maybe some of this hate mail is directed at the judging criteria......was she favoured...or connected....she was a movie actress in the past....jealousy is rampant here.....!

[srsv1238]

for the good of the country, she should resign and let someone more fitting represent Thailand. In America, the owner of the Los Angeles clippers is being investigated for making racist remarks. Those accusation have been proven and now he has been fined and is barred from the NBA. For national healing to occur, this Thai beauty queen must accept responsibility for her actions and resign. Only then can the country move forward. How can anyone feel proud of her knowing what she feels in her heart?

http://nba.si.com/2014/04/26/donald-sterling-nba-investigation-racist-comments-clippers/

[fab4]

Ah, the khaosod article, I recall (I could be wrong but), talked about her saying the reds should be executed. Was this a publishing error on their part then? Oh boy, they must be feeling embarrassed.

Don't forget that we're talking about The Nation here. You may recall they reported abhisits comments about Yingluck as calling her a stupid "woman" not stupid "bitch" as the real media reported (and what was actually said) as it would have gone against their usual partisan stance.

Likewise here - if they had mentioned the "redshirts should be executed" part of the diatribe, as in the rest of the media, their poor little girl, everybody is against her and she doesn't deserve it story would be just what it, is a expose of politicians using hate speech in Thailand. Not much of a story then, is it?

[fab4]

I wish she had stuck to her guns and not apologised. Perhaps a diplomatic apology for impolite words, but with no hint of regret at the message within. And even that was unnecessary as her words were said in private and not intended to be "eavesdropped" on. Her one mistake was not checking her content before opening her page to the public.

She is in a position to spin it around and ask why she is condemned for loving the King.

As a loyal subject who loves the King, it is her duty to criticise his detractors, and natural for her to despise them.

She should remain staunch in her stance.

How very PAD.

[simon43]

Maybe she should visit the North East and see for herself that the peasants aren't dirty at all!

She would also discover that most of the Red Shirt supporters love HM King more than she does....

[fab4]

I wish she had stuck to her guns and not apologised. Perhaps a diplomatic apology for impolite words, but with no hint of regret at the message within. And even that was unnecessary as her words were said in private and not intended to be "eavesdropped" on. Her one mistake was not checking her content before opening her page to the public.

She is in a position to spin it around and ask why she is condemned for loving the King.

As a loyal subject who loves the King, it is her duty to criticise his detractors, and natural for her to despise them.

She should remain staunch in her stance.

You have a very twisted sense of loyalty and morals.

[Seastallion]

for the good of the country, she should resign and let someone more fitting represent Thailand. In America, the owner of the Los Angeles clippers is being investigated for making racist remarks. Those accusation have been proven and now he has been fined and is barred from the NBA. For national healing to occur, this Thai beauty queen must accept responsibility for her actions and resign. Only then can the country move forward. How can anyone feel proud of her knowing what she feels in her heart?

http://nba.si.com/2014/04/26/donald-sterling-nba-investigation-racist-comments-clippers/

If you hadn't mentioned the LA Clippers, I would have thought you were making a sarcastic parody of the ridiculous red shirt ravings at this poor girl.

Really? The country can't move forward unless a pageant winner resigns?

A pageant winner has to quit because she has a political opinion?

People can't be proud of Thailand because a pageant winner loves the King?

On the contrary, the Thai public should be proud that the pageant winner loves the king genuinely and doesn't just pay lip-service to him.

[Echo Tango]

Miss Universe is a business owned in America. They have strict rules about conduct, height (she's too short) personal history and etc. She is breaking these rules, plain and simple.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Myaimistrue]

All beauty? Based on the pictures I saw of her and other contestants is seemed like they all need to get a bit of exercise.

New rule. Gotta post pictures of your own gut whenever you pass judgment on others'.

As if that's what the OP was about...

Not a good analogy. Beauty contestants ask to be judged! Edited May 22, 2014 by Myaimistrue

[Seastallion]

I wish she had stuck to her guns and not apologised. Perhaps a diplomatic apology for impolite words, but with no hint of regret at the message within. And even that was unnecessary as her words were said in private and not intended to be "eavesdropped" on. Her one mistake was not checking her content before opening her page to the public.

She is in a position to spin it around and ask why she is condemned for loving the King.

As a loyal subject who loves the King, it is her duty to criticise his detractors, and natural for her to despise them.

She should remain staunch in her stance.

You have a very twisted sense of loyalty and morals.

Can you explain, please? I am really bewildered by your comment.

[Bluespunk]

deleted

Edited May 22, 2014 by Bluespunk

[Seastallion]

Miss Universe is a business owned in America. They have strict rules about conduct, height (she's too short) personal history and etc. She is breaking these rules, plain and simple.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

You may find there are exceptions to the rules for countries that do not have many tall women. How tall is she BTW? And what are the height rules?

What conduct has breached the rules "plainly and simply"?

What in her history "plainly and simply" breaks the rules?

[jayjayjayjay]

It's plain hypocrisy. It's easier to go after a defenseless girl for what she said rather then the idiot politicians who spew worse crap daily. These people are just plain bullies.

Drivel! You have not addressed the question. The reality is that given her stance she has directly alienated half the Thai population because of her beliefs, of which she has every right to do, but that half of the popultion clearly believe she is not fit to represent them in the public environment in the ambassadorial role of MissT. Simple. Got it...

[Bluespunk]

Ah, the khaosod article, I recall (I could be wrong but), talked about her saying the reds should be executed. Was this a publishing error on their part then? Oh boy, they must be feeling embarrassed.

Before you accuse Khaosod of publishing error, why don't you do a little search? I found the screen capture of her facebook post in Thai and she did say the red activists should all be executed as Khaosod reported. CNN also reported on this. It's not that hard to find.

Did it occur to you that the author of this article might have paraphrased it as "exit from the country" instead to suit his/her own agenda?

Anyway back to the topic. I don't think "the beauty queen" receives any more public scrutiny than the politicians the author named. Perhaps the author doesn't understand that calling for the execution of political activists is a pretty big deal, especially when done by someone who will represent Thailand in the world stage? Don't get me wrong. She deserves forgiveness and since she has apologized, we should move on. However, people who criticize her do have a point.

Wow! You really don't like anyone questioning khaosod do you? Or is it just questions in general?

However if she did say it I wonder if it's absence from the story could be part of the new censorship rules on the media.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Bluespunk

[Civil War]

Ah, the khaosod article, I recall (I could be wrong but), talked about her saying the reds should be executed. Was this a publishing error on their part then? Oh boy, they must be feeling embarrassed.

Publishing error?..... hell no!

[gemini81]

I'm sure the author is 100% saint, 0 % sinner. This is the least of Thailand's concerns for crying out loud- besides, they have few who can compete with the likes of Lohan, Hiton or Spears.

[somjitr]

Ah, the khaosod article, I recall (I could be wrong but), talked about her saying the reds should be executed. Was this a publishing error on their part then? Oh boy, they must be feeling embarrassed.

Before you accuse Khaosod of publishing error, why don't you do a little search? I found the screen capture of her facebook post in Thai and she did say the red activists should all be executed as Khaosod reported. CNN also reported on this. It's not that hard to find.

Did it occur to you that the author of this article might have paraphrased it as "exit from the country" instead to suit his/her own agenda?

Anyway back to the topic. I don't think "the beauty queen" receives any more public scrutiny than the politicians the author named. Perhaps the author doesn't understand that calling for the execution of political activists is a pretty big deal, especially when done by someone who will represent Thailand in the world stage? Don't get me wrong. She deserves forgiveness and since she has apologized, we should move on. However, people who criticize her do have a point.

Wow! You really don't like anyone questioning khaosod do you? Or is it just questions in general?

However if she did say it I wonder if it's absence from the story could be part of the new censorship rules on the media.

No. I don't really care about Khaosod. I don't even read it outside of TV. I was just frustrated that you could have done a little search to verify that information.

I doubt the absence was a part of a censorship rule. I mean, the author didn't have to quote her. The author could have paraphrased what she said in a much more accurate way.

[chainarong]

In a Democracy you can say what you like and do what you like , within certain limits of a social frame work , the law, what you said was well within that frame work , what your opinions are is your right , you did well .the red shirts say what they like, a pity a few more Thai's didn't say what they think, Thailand might, Just might be then on the road to some sort of Democracy

Edited May 22, 2014 by chainarong

[NongKhaiKid]

I'm sure the author is 100% saint, 0 % sinner. This is the least of Thailand's concerns for crying out loud- besides, they have few who can compete with the likes of Lohan, Hiton or Spears.

Some decades ago, living in Hong Kong, I watched part of a Miss HK Pageant on television and one of the questions contestants were asked was which historical character she would like to have met and why.

One lady answered " Adolf Hitler becaise my love would have made him a good person. "

She didn't win but the press next day loved it.

[pookiki]

Certain people in society are held to higher standard than others when exercising 'free speech' - or at least they should be. Whether it is a beauty queen talking about the execution of people who hold differing political views or a politician engaging in misogynist speech -- they had better expect to be judged by the public at large.