Thai opinion: Nong Laila shows us how to scold 'thieves'

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Nong Laila shows us how to scold 'thieves'
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- Her actions are the equivalent of a composer using just two notes to create a masterpiece. Nong Laila's first note is the obscene curse repeated time and again in her viral video. Her second is the looping emphasis of just how much the chicken and sticky rice meant to her. Add the cute southern accent and innocent young girl's face and we have a three-minute clip that is sending practically everyone in Thailand into a frenzy.

A lot has been said already about "What we have learned" from Nong Laila's case, but let me jump on the bandwagon. Take away the "I don't want to miss the trend" impulse driving much of the public reaction, and this latest social media phenomenon is intriguing and charming. A girl lost her cheap meal and senior officials scrambled to give her "compensation" while the media fell over themselves to pursue the story. Are you kidding me?

Here are my thoughts on the Nong Laila issue: If you steal Bt100, you are a petty thief. If you break into a house, tie up the owner and take his belongings, you are a robber. If you dupe someone into giving you Bt1,000, you are a conman. If you loot a few ships, you are a pirate. If you take a gun and go on a shooting spree at a fast-food restaurant, you are a random killer.

Now, multiply everything by a lot. Say you lay your hands on Bt200 million that isn't supposed to be yours. You will likely be proclaimed a financial genius and poised to take a hedge fund executive position. If, in the old days, you broke into a country, killed its "owners" and took away their belongings, you were an emperor. In this modern era you would be primed for promotion in a superpower's military. The same goes if you destroy an entire maritime fleet or take more innocent lives than all campus shootings combined could ever do.

When bad things are done on a grand scale, feelings can change. That's why a lot of people identified with Nong Laila, but that's also why the outpouring of support and sympathy for her is anything but a collective message on where we stand on theft or robbery. By "theft or robbery", I mean taking anything that isn't yours, no matter how big or small or by what means.

Her case involved the most minuscule form of theft. The culprit could have been a hungry child in the neighbourhood or a starving street dog. Or it could have been a secret admirer fooling around. Or it could have been another girl who didn't like Nong Laila that much. But Nong Laila was angry and we, in unison, understood why.

When higher forms of theft are concerned, we start to get divided. We "willingly" paid the insurance companies or investment funds, didn't we, so why accuse them of stealing? Tax evasion? It's not even stealing. Moreover, don't blame the evaders, blame the loopholes. Besides, everybody else is doing it. When politicians loot state coffers, it's not just our money. And, again, who isn't doing it? When national resources are plundered, well, don't use "plunder" to begin with: Thai resources like crude oil are as likely to be exploited for private gain by Thais as by Western companies, so what's the point?

Nong Laila came out with all guns blazing against whoever stole her meal; we can only wish society had the same attitude towards the bigger thieves. And we hope the culprit behind the disappearance of her sticky rice and chicken doesn't grow up to steal a chicken farm or its tax money to the state. And if it really was a hungry dog, as police suspect, we hope the media doesn't track it down and make it a hero. After all, there are other starving dogs out there that choose to rummage in garbage piles rather than steal.

We wonder what would happen if someone scolded corrupt politicians or fraudulent insurers in the style of Nong Laila. The reality is the video would be taken off YouTube in an instant and the lawsuits would fly. There's a great chance the scolding would backfire and the crooks become living martyrs. And forget about "compensation". We all know asset seizures never happen under normal circumstances, and unless the crooks are made to compensate in an "acceptable" way, the punishers can end up branded "thieves" themselves.

Can we treat all whistleblowers like we treat Nong Laila? She is a celebrity now, having appeared on more TV news reports and front pages than, say, the official who was among the first to cry foul over the rice-pledging scheme. Nong Laila, for all the absurdity in the wake of her outburst, is a teacher who has finished giving us all a lesson. It's up to us what we do about it.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Nong-Laila-shows-us-how-to-scold-thieves-30248063.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-19

[terryp]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

[Suriya4]

Now u know why people hate Thaksin and Yinluck so much. They did not steal 30 baht. They stole billions from Thai people.

[KarenBravo]

Now u know why people hate Thaksin and Yinluck so much. They did not steal 30 baht. They stole billions from Thai people.

If that was true, how did they win every Thai general elaection? Don't say buying votes. That dog won't hunt.

Maybe you should refrain from speaking for all the Thai people as quite clearly you don't and just show your own bias.

[ezzra]

I nominate Nong Laila to the position of chief police commissioner, surly she can do better

than him....

[RustBucket]

Tulsathit....... Thanks for your insight..... Now return to your spaceship, your people are waiting.

[rkidlad]

If she has plenty of money to buy more rice and chicken, assume it was a poor person who stole it, and think of it as a good deed.

You wanna be taking your rage out on the people in charge of this country; government, police etc. They're stealing a lot more and they don't even need it.

[daoyai]

video link to youtube?

[NongKhaiKid]

Does this mean that children will now be taught how to protect their property by letting go with a barrage of expletives and who is going to teach them those or is it don't worry they'll pick them up in the school playground ?

For good measure will police recruits be taught to deal with drunk drivers by handcuffing them, putting them on the ground and kicking them in the head as the public will love them for it ?

[arthurboy]

Yes, the people in my office have spent about 30 minutes a day laughing over this since it came out.

These educated professionals are far more interested in taking the mick out of her 'cute southern accent' than decrying or discussing the incident itself.

I know, my oh so kind hearted colleagues told me so. 'Sanook, eh? Why you not think funny?'

[ramrod711]

Can we treat all whistleblowers like we treat Nong Laila? She is a celebrity now, having appeared on more TV news reports and front pages than, say, the official who was among the first to cry foul over the rice-pledging scheme. Nong Laila, for all the absurdity in the wake of her outburst, is a teacher who has finished giving us all a lesson. It's up to us what we do about it.

We will all see on December 25th, but I know what I expect. Yingluck will be an example of the, too powerful to be jailed, elite in Thailand.

[maxme]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

IMO the thief did that by making a rebuttal on youtube. I thought the gal was funny and had a point.

[casualbiker]

Where is this wonderful YouTube clip??

[recycled]

Now u know why people hate Thaksin and Yinluck so much. They did not steal 30 baht. They stole billions from Thai people.

If that was true, how did they win every Thai general elaection? Don't say buying votes. That dog won't hunt.

Maybe you should refrain from speaking for all the Thai people as quite clearly you don't and just show your own bias.

You just can't accept that vote buying in many forms is why they won the election. Why ask the question when you are in denial? Money is the driving force behind everything in Thailand so time to accept the truth.

[binjalin]

Now u know why people hate Thaksin and Yinluck so much. They did not steal 30 baht. They stole billions from Thai people.

pathetic

this has nothing to do with Yingluck and Thaksin and elections will show who Thais love not you

[lemonjelly]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

Good grief.... the Stannah Stairlift Owners Club members started posting early this morning,...........

[noitom]

This guy is getting impossible to get through. He's wondering and dreaming all over the place. He perceives that his wonders and dreams are really important to people and that he is making a difference.

[A1Str8]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

Agreed.

What masterpiece the author is talking about nobody knows.

It was just a dumb kid talking cr.p.

A while ago my cigarette was taken from my motorcycles compartment.

Anybody wants to see a video of me cussing like a truck driver?

[maxme]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

Agreed.

What masterpiece the author is talking about nobody knows.

It was just a dumb kid talking cr.p.

A while ago my cigarette was taken from my motorcycles compartment.

Anybody wants to see a video of me cussing like a truck driver?

She puts her diatribe on youtube, you post yours here. How are you better than her?

[Jonmarleesco]

'The reality is the video would be taken off YouTube in an instant and the lawsuits would fly.' The reality is that we are in Thailand, and whatever the grumble, whether politicians bilking the taxpayer, motorcyclists misusing pavements, taxi drivers dictating where they will go, it all comes back to the Thais' mai pen rai culture.

[A1Str8]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

Agreed.

What masterpiece the author is talking about nobody knows.

It was just a dumb kid talking cr.p.

A while ago my cigarette was taken from my motorcycles compartment.

Anybody wants to see a video of me cussing like a truck driver?

She puts her diatribe on youtube, you post yours here. How are you better than her?

I didn't say i was.

[NeilSA1]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

Agreed.

What masterpiece the author is talking about nobody knows.

It was just a dumb kid talking cr.p.

A while ago my cigarette was taken from my motorcycles compartment.

Anybody wants to see a video of me cussing like a truck driver?

She puts her diatribe on youtube, you post yours here. How are you better than her?

I didn't say i was.

Can hardly call A1's comment as a diatribe - "a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something."

[CapeCobra]

video link to youtube?

search for น้องไลลา

ลักเหนียวไก่[น้องไลลา]:

[maxme]

IMO she came across as a dumb immature foul mouth fool

Agreed.

What masterpiece the author is talking about nobody knows.

It was just a dumb kid talking cr.p.

A while ago my cigarette was taken from my motorcycles compartment.

Anybody wants to see a video of me cussing like a truck driver?

She puts her diatribe on youtube, you post yours here. How are you better than her?

I didn't say i was.

Can hardly call A1's comment as a diatribe - "a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something."

Then how would you define it?