Thai opinion: History as written by whom?

[webfact]

STREETWISE
History as written by whom?
Achara Deboonme

The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries.

BANGKOK: -- I was young when I first heard that fact and it straightaway struck me as weird. Why should we pay attention to the dead, when the present and future were what was most important? It took years before I realised why we still write obituaries and why they still have a large readership.

How you want to be remembered after leaving the world? Some of us don't care, while others ponder what their descendants will do to commemorate the anniversary of their passing. Some want to make it into the history books and be remembered by all. Others just get on with their daily tasks but make achievements that benefit millions long after they are gone.

Imagine a world without Thomas Edison's discovery. It's almost impossible: Powering factories, homes and much else, electricity is now indispensable in our daily life - even more so since we all became hooked on digital gadgets.

What would Asia look like today if Japan had continued to rule the region after World War II? That question links us back to Albert Einstein's equation, E=MC2, which was the base formula for atomic energy.

The New York Times marked the brilliant man's death in 1955 with an obituary headlined "Dr Albert Einstein dies in sleep at 76: World mourns loss of great scientist". The quotes that followed showed he was more than just a great scientist: "I do not want to remain in a state where individuals are not conceded equal rights before the law for freedom of speech and doctrine," Einstein said when he was forced to flee Nazi Germany.

Obituaries indeed serve as mini chapters of history on famous people. The public impression of their lives dictates the epitaphs that appear in print.

If American comedian Joan Rivers could read it, I'm not sure how she would feel about her obituary in the Economist. It was, I have to confess, the most unorthodox obit I have ever come across. The focus was almost exclusively on her dark side - from her obsession with beauty to her offensive behaviour.

"Thank God that old body had gone. Never pretty enough. It contained so much plastic she'd been going to donate it to Tupperware."

It shocked me, even if it was written in the acerbic voice of Rivers herself and meant as a loving tribute. Journalists tend to hold back on the nasty details when writing epitaphs for celebrities. But this article didn't spare any.

And then it dawned on me. You can't change what people think about you, even when you leave the world and deserve everyone's forgiveness. Death doesn't change what you did in the past, and obituaries reflect that.

Yet, obituaries can't predict how future generations can change the way we look at the famous dead.

More than a century after Karl Marx died, he and his collaborator Friedrich Engels are remembered as merely the fathers of a failed political regime. Communism fell foul of Soviet Russia's power-hungry rulers, and many continue to doubt whether the egalitarian philosophy can be successfully applied in our world of self-serving politicians.

Far from being the villain behind Stalin's dictatorship, Marx died in 1883 beloved and revered by millions of workers, from the mines of Siberia to the fields of California.

This is where the history books come into play, with full accounts that encompass both important individuals' lives and the effect they have had on the world in the decades or centuries after their death. Newspapers have been called the first draft of history. Like good historians, journalists are told to stick to the facts and let nothing unverifiable creep into obituaries.

One difference with obituaries is that some facts can be omitted out of respect to the deceased. History books, in contrast, must be comprehensive in their coverage of the facts so that readers gain a full picture of past events and figures.

Thai historians today follow this guideline, but whether their successors continue to do so is in serious doubt. Our historians of the future are now in school, and they are reading textbooks that have been twisted. When they reach the list of Thailand's prime ministers, they will find a blank where the name of the incumbent who served from 2001 to 2006 should be.

For whatever reason, our educators have taken a step which is entirely unnecessary. In this digital age, textbooks are just one element of teaching materials. Any student who clicks to www.britanica.com www.britanica.com will learn all about Thaksin Shinawatra: born July 26, 1949, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Thai politician who served as prime minister of Thailand (2001-06). The student will then query why those in authority have "deleted" this information from schoolroom history. Worse, we are teaching children how to avoid truth, when "only the truth will set you free".

Einstein once said there is no particular reason to expect the universe to be the way it is. "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."

But it is comprehensible only when we have the full facts at our fingertips.

Thai educators who seek to remove those facts may want to be remembered for their new way of teaching history. But history will judge them and find them lacking.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/History-as-written-by-whom-30243864.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-23

[Bluespunk]

"The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries."

I beg to differ.

[siampolee]

Bluespunk post # 2

"The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries."

Indeed true.

At my age I have to scan the obituaries to find out why I haven't heard from old friends for some time.

http://www.twainquotes.com/Obituaries.html

Edited September 22, 2014 by siampolee

[Fred Flinstone]

What is so unusual?

Leaders world wide expect Juntas to rewrite historical events and wipe out people from existence both figuratively and literally.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Fred Flinstone

[Bluespunk]

"Einstein once said there is no particular reason to expect the universe to be the way it is. "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."

Einstein also once said

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

After lunching with journalists one suspects.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Bluespunk

[terryp]

His-Story is written by the winner/civilisation its often so embellished it bears little fact of the real STORY or facts

[englishoak]

Bluespunk post # 2

"The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries."

Indeed true.

At my age I have to scan the obituaries to find out why I haven't heard from old friends for some time.

http://www.twainquotes.com/Obituaries.html

Urban myth, the most popular section without even having a choice is the headline news items. Do papers even have obituary sections still ?

PS on topic history is always written by the victors, at least the populist version right after. Later as time goes by history fills in a lot of the gaps and truth but it rarely becomes main steam and accepted until it no longer affects the present or matters in the present .

Edited September 22, 2014 by englishoak

[Thai at Heart]

Communism fell foul of Soviet Russia's power-hungry rulers, and many continue to doubt whether the egalitarian philosophy can be successfully applied in our world of self-serving politicians.

What koolaid is this guy on?

Politicians ruined communism, so better to stick to capitalism? Why's that? Because capitalism spreads the wealth better? Ergo, Thaksin version of communism was doomed to fail because he was corrupt? What utter tosh.

Communism failed because central planning cannot efficiently allocate resources. Capitalism can be equally if not more corrupt than communism. The rule of law saves either from corruption.

[IMA_FARANG]

"The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries."

I beg to differ.

-----------------------

You know your really getting old when there is more that interests you in the obituaries than the headlines.

[chooka]

I want to know what people are saying about me

[Bluespunk]

I want to know what people are saying about me

Just read TV threads. You get mentioned a lot. ;-}

Edited September 23, 2014 by Bluespunk

[jaltsc]

"The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries."

Very true. The first thing I read in the morning. If I see my name in the obituaries, I don't get out of bed.

[NongKhaiKid]

" I waken each morning and gather my wits,

I get out of bed to read the obits,

if my name isn't there i know I'm not dead,

so I have a good breakfast and go back to bed. "

Apologies that I can't remember who wrote it.

[NongKhaiKid]

His-Story is written by the winner/civilisation its often so embellished it bears little fact of the real STORY or facts

and if you are Japanese you don't have to worry about re-writing history you can conveniently ignore it a la 1936 - 46.

[BestBitterPhuket]

Why take Thaksin out of the history books? Let him stay, but give him a negative spin instead. Hitler was much worse than Thaksin, and he is in every history book in Europe, described in a way that students will know what a bad and terrible person he was. Removing facts from history, will make the students feel that the text books are unreliable and not trustworthy. History was written by the victors, so why not just do it?

[ChrisY1]

I want to know what people are saying about me

No you don't...)

[Commerce]

I always thought the most popular section was page 3.

[NongKhaiKid]

I want to know what people are saying about me

Do you ever find yourself singing " Please Don't talk About me When I'm Gone ' ?

[Halion]

History, A subject mater that may or may not have happened so often written by those who were not there.

[Saan]

"The most popular section among newspaper readers is the obituaries."

I beg to differ.

Do you prefer the comics?

[geodesic]

Why take Thaksin out of the history books? Let him stay, but give him a negative spin instead. Hitler was much worse than Thaksin, and he is in every history book in Europe, described in a way that students will know what a bad and terrible person he was. Removing facts from history, will make the students feel that the text books are unreliable and not trustworthy. History was written by the victors, so why not just do it?

Because the whole point here isn't to "win" it is to remove the divisive element of society and allow people the necessary room to remember why they are one country and one people. That is the primary objective of the current government. Allowing a school text book with propaganda either way would simply inflame the situation.

This is what newspaper editorial writers don't seem to realize. Prayuth has said it countless times, but certain journalists just don't seem to understand. What the government wants right now is not freedom, but peace. Only after wounds have had a chance to heal can the country once again afford freedom. Or "truth", as any particular group might see it.

[sangfroid]

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

Oscar Wilde

And in death I would imagine.

[Saan]

Deleting Thaksin when teaching Thai history is the least of it. Thai kids are taught Thailand is the centre of the universe and the rest of the world does not really matter. Ask a Thai what countries border Thailand and very few will be able to answer you.

The problem with this inward looking attitude is it sets no bench marks for excellence on a world standard. The result is Thailand churns out students with degrees that just don't rate in the rest of the world. It is a shame as Thailand spends a lot more than many countries on education for little real result. Thai kids deserve better. They deserve an education system that will put them on par, at least, with other leading Asian countries for a start.

[claffey]

What is so unusual?

Leaders world wide expect Juntas to rewrite historical events and wipe out people from existence both figuratively and literally.

Its not just Juntas that rewrite history. Every government uses education to instill its own views and values. Take the UK's view of History for example. WW1 is blamed on the emergence of the Kaiser Wilhelm and his aims of finding 'a place in the sun'.Not much is mentioned about the British Empire and its role in the causes of WWI....

However, I do agree that not mentioning Taksin by name and his role in the country's history is taking it a bit too far!!

[claffey]

Deleting Thaksin when teaching Thai history is the least of it. Thai kids are taught Thailand is the centre of the universe and the rest of the world does not really matter. Ask a Thai what countries border Thailand and very few will be able to answer you.

The problem with this inward looking attitude is it sets no bench marks for excellence on a world standard. The result is Thailand churns out students with degrees that just don't rate in the rest of the world. It is a shame as Thailand spends a lot more than many countries on education for little real result. Thai kids deserve better. They deserve an education system that will put them on par, at least, with other leading Asian countries for a start.

Every country instills patriotism in its citizens through the education system...

Take USA for example. The majority of people there are so insular they never even leave their own country!!They are also taught that America is the centre of the universe and that if any other country doesn't conform to our 'democratic' way they are terrorists and should be destroyed!!!

I can also guarantee you that most Thais can name some of the countries surrounding Thailand. I've just come from a teaching post in the UK and believe me, the level of geographical knowledge of the young people there was just as bad....

[Thaimaishoe]

"Imagine a world without Thomas Edison's discovery. It's almost impossible: Powering factories, homes and much else, electricity is now indispensable in our daily life - even more so since we all became hooked on digital gadgets."

Well there's an embarrasing irony, Edison's discovery (apparently the author means electricity) doesn't power any factories or homes. It is a modern myth born of the fact that Edison was American, and Nikola Tesla was not. Tesla discovered AC, and also invented the AC motor, and it is AC that powers the modern world. Americans have a very loud voice and this myth has completely replaced reality within it boarders, and apparently as far away as Thailand as well!

So the author is writing a piece about remembering history fully and correctly, but begins by regurgitating historical drivel, oops.

[Squeegee]

This is what newspaper editorial writers don't seem to realize. Prayuth has said it countless times, but certain journalists just don't seem to understand. What the government wants right now is not freedom, but peace. Only after wounds have had a chance to heal can the country once again afford freedom. Or "truth", as any particular group might see it.

And if you believe that nonsense you're as naive as they are. Suppressing and re-writing the truth is not going to heal any wounds, it just makes the wounds fester. It's precisely this kind of attitude that lead to the problems in the first place.

[khunjamesjohnson]

What is so unusual?

Leaders world wide expect Juntas to rewrite historical events and wipe out people from existence both figuratively and literally.

New textbooks being delivered to Thai schools have Thaksin erased from history.

Read that on the Bangkok Pundit blog the other day.

[wwest5829]

Why take Thaksin out of the history books? Let him stay, but give him a negative spin instead. Hitler was much worse than Thaksin, and he is in every history book in Europe, described in a way that students will know what a bad and terrible person he was. Removing facts from history, will make the students feel that the text books are unreliable and not trustworthy. History was written by the victors, so why not just do it?

Because the whole point here isn't to "win" it is to remove the divisive element of society and allow people the necessary room to remember why they are one country and one people. That is the primary objective of the current government. Allowing a school text book with propaganda either way would simply inflame the situation.

This is what newspaper editorial writers don't seem to realize. Prayuth has said it countless times, but certain journalists just don't seem to understand. What the government wants right now is not freedom, but peace. Only after wounds have had a chance to heal can the country once again afford freedom. Or "truth", as any particular group might see it.

I disagree with your accesment. I agree that the goal of the military junta is to keep peace and I do think their overthrow of the elected government was necessary to keep open civil war. However, Thaksin is not the decisive issue. He served as a critical lightening rod by paying more attention to the needs of the poor than previous governments. I do not dismiss the serious flaws during his rule but with or without Thaksin, the causes of a good deal of social stress in Thai society remains and until the root causes are addressed to allow for a better balance, there will be no long term peace. Personally, I favor giving the junta some time to address the causes but I am not so sure those who control Thaland (see the wealth gap report) will allow the necessary changes. I think the focus needs to be placed on causes, neither Thaksin nor the Suthep camp. As a student of history and retired educator I oppose any official modifying of historical facts.

[willyumiii]

History is the lies we choose to believe.

I believe Winston Churchill said that.