It's time for Thai TV series to help advance society

[SunsetT]

A nation beyond salvation.

what..............The USA? ..............

[SunsetT]

Forget about TV first thing is to have STD clinics here and avoid people going into general hospitals asking embarrassingly 'where is the STD or Urologist clinic'?. That might improve HIV education and ALL sex education.

.............Again, Re. STDs.......3 cheers for the bum gun!

Edited December 8, 2015 by SunsetT

[SunsetT]

It's incredible that 35 years have passed since the appearance of this virus, and some people are still not aware that there is a difference between HIV and AIDS, how HIV is passed on, and that it cannot be caught by holding hands, hugging or kissing. It must be down to HSV, the human stupidity virus, the same virus responsible for the bizarre belief that you can catch a cold by going out in the rain.

......Or, the common belief here, that you can cure a cold with antibiotics.

[thesetat2013]

Jesus, is TH really that far behind? If Im not mistaken, the difference between HIV and AIDS has been common knowledge for nearly 30 years in the west. That's unacceptable, although not surprising. I mean, I rarely see hand soap in public restrooms here, even at high-end businesses and shopping malls. And I think some people still wipe with their hand.

As an aside......when hand washing with soap SHOULD be a given, the bum gun is the most fantastic advance in toilet hygeine. The filthy Western toilet paper habit, leaving you smeared with faeces, is disgusting especially when considering STDs and oral sex. Its use is even worse in Thai toilets with bins of soiled toilet paper hanging around.

Your comment leads me to believe you are pretty ignorant to American's use of toiletries. Toilet paper is always flushed. Only in cultures that make you spray feces all over your ass OR, worse yet, has a bucket of water for you to pour down your backside forcing you to use your fingers to get the water to wash it all in the right places before it hits the water, or that tell you DO NO PLACE PAPER IN THE TOILET leads to disease and infections as well as giving flies a places to lay their larvae is where your disease comes from. Spraying water still makes you reach all the way to your bumhole and so many thais don't use soap after. Just a quick rinse with water or the same bumgun you just used before them.

[trainman34014]

I seem to recall that shortly after the Big Pumpkin took over the country that he pledged that all the TV soaps containing violence, rape, gun crime and the like would be dropped and new stories shown that only reflected love and admiration among Thai's would be the diet for the future. He even stated that if the current writers could not come up with better than they were doing, then he would write the stories himself !

What he was going to do after lunch i have no idea but needless to say......bugger all has changed.

[SunsetT]

Aah, the classic Aristotelian mimesis. But, is it life imitating art (as suggested here) or art imitating life?

Excuse me, but maybe it's Thailand's patriarchal culture that's the problem. The society is as blasé about this as they are about corruption.

In any case, doesn't the country have censors to deal with what viewers can watch. Their main concern now should be junta propaganda!

"Even worse, many all-time favourite TV dramas include scenes in which heroes rape heroines and conclude with a sense of good feelings."

In the case of raping the heroine, who then falls in love with her abuser, does this not imitate the real life of a village wedding - where underage girls are abducted, and raped, so that an "amicable" settlement can be made with the parents?

Then the soap operas need to show how a pregnant girl is best discarded to fend for herself. But in the rich families of the soap opera, they rarely get pregnant, it seems.

Yes, I recall maybe 8 years ago being shocked by a Thai TV movie plot. The respectable male lead kidnapped and raped the adult object of his infatuation and lust and kept her, imprisoned and pregnant, alone in an isolated house for episode after episode. I expected the usual Western outcome where she would eventually be rescued and the villain killed or imprisoned by the 'Hero' figure. But no! It concluded with her having his baby and learning to appreciate his advances and undying 'Love' for her and they married and became the normal stereotypical happy Thai family............ !!!! Knowing the power of soap operas, I could not believe the message this must be sending out to Thai males!

[SunsetT]

Jesus, is TH really that far behind? If Im not mistaken, the difference between HIV and AIDS has been common knowledge for nearly 30 years in the west. That's unacceptable, although not surprising. I mean, I rarely see hand soap in public restrooms here, even at high-end businesses and shopping malls. And I think some people still wipe with their hand.

As an aside......when hand washing with soap SHOULD be a given, the bum gun is the most fantastic advance in toilet hygeine. The filthy Western toilet paper habit, leaving you smeared with faeces, is disgusting especially when considering STDs and oral sex. Its use is even worse in Thai toilets with bins of soiled toilet paper hanging around.

Your comment leads me to believe you are pretty ignorant to American's use of toiletries. Toilet paper is always flushed. Only in cultures that make you spray feces all over your ass OR, worse yet, has a bucket of water for you to pour down your backside forcing you to use your fingers to get the water to wash it all in the right places before it hits the water, or that tell you DO NO PLACE PAPER IN THE TOILET leads to disease and infections as well as giving flies a places to lay their larvae is where your disease comes from. Spraying water still makes you reach all the way to your bumhole and so many thais don't use soap after. Just a quick rinse with water or the same bumgun you just used before them.

I am a filthy English Westerner and have also lived in the US.

If you got mud on your hands would you not bother washing them and go straight to a towel and wipe them. Well thats what you do using toilet paper on your butt after you have taken a dump! And how prone does this leave your genitals, especially a woman's, to contamination with faeces. Think about this next time you go downtown for lunch!

Edited December 8, 2015 by SunsetT

[tomacht8]

They could show every day for 15 minutes a traffic show.
Typical mistakes with the consequences, showing accidents and analyzing how to drive better and safer.
Would save the lives of thousands.
Such traffic education tv shows has been around in other countries for over 50 years.

[eldragon]

Jesus, is TH really that far behind? If Im not mistaken, the difference between HIV and AIDS has been common knowledge for nearly 30 years in the west. That's unacceptable, although not surprising. I mean, I rarely see hand soap in public restrooms here, even at high-end businesses and shopping malls. And I think some people still wipe with their hand.

As an aside......when hand washing with soap SHOULD be a given, the bum gun is the most fantastic advance in toilet hygeine. The filthy Western toilet paper habit, leaving you smeared with faeces, is disgusting especially when considering STDs and oral sex. Its use is even worse in Thai toilets with bins of soiled toilet paper hanging around.

Your comment leads me to believe you are pretty ignorant to American's use of toiletries. Toilet paper is always flushed. Only in cultures that make you spray feces all over your ass OR, worse yet, has a bucket of water for you to pour down your backside forcing you to use your fingers to get the water to wash it all in the right places before it hits the water, or that tell you DO NO PLACE PAPER IN THE TOILET leads to disease and infections as well as giving flies a places to lay their larvae is where your disease comes from. Spraying water still makes you reach all the way to your bumhole and so many thais don't use soap after. Just a quick rinse with water or the same bumgun you just used before them.

I am a filthy English Westerner and have also lived in the US.

If you got mud on your hands would you not bother washing them and go straight to a towel and wipe them. Well thats what you do using toilet paper on your butt after you have taken a dump! And how prone does this leave your genitals, especially a woman's, to contamination with faeces. Think about this next time you go downtown for lunch!

My girls wash up before every meal.

[gandalf12]

Get rid of the stupid soap's on TV and start putting some educational programs on. The soap's only seem to condone corrrupt and bad behavious. Have a watershed time were movies / soap's can not be shown due to violence or sex. In the West this is 9pm but whatever time is considered appropriate for Thailand should be used.

Further, come into the real world. The TV blanks anything to do with love, sex, smoking or drinking but is happy to show people being shot, stabbed and violently abused. Hardly surprising that we have the crimes that we do when the TV is basically condoning violent behaviour.

PS Having 10 channels on all showing sports may be entertaining but it isnt educational just as the chat shows with people who consider themselves stars do nothing to provide education

Edited December 8, 2015 by gandalf12

[nozzer614]

I seem to recall that shortly after the Big Pumpkin took over the country that he pledged that all the TV soaps containing violence, rape, gun crime and the like would be dropped and new stories shown that only reflected love and admiration among Thai's would be the diet for the future. He even stated that if the current writers could not come up with better than they were doing, then he would write the stories himself !

What he was going to do after lunch i have no idea but needless to say......bugger all has changed.

I think he has done it,a new soap called Apocolypse Now,or some other name............any suggestions viewers?

[kiwikeith]

How can television series' educate when so many topics are off limits such as corruption ?

If soaps started to get serious they'd lose their audience fast.

Maybe they could start a TV series about road carnage and driving habits

[SunsetT]

Eldragon...............Sorry, Dont know how to get rid of those excess blocks of text, so......................

My girls wash up before every meal.

........Yep, thankfully the Thai girls do..........usually using the bum gun!

But what about the California girls that the Beach Boys have immortalised?

Im sure I recently read that there is a worrying increase of STD's in the US at the moment.

[eldragon]

Eldragon...............Sorry, Dont know how to get rid of those excess blocks of text, so......................

My girls wash up before every meal.

........Yep, thankfully the Thai girls do..........usually using the bum gun!

But what about the California girls that the Beach Boys have immortalised?

Im sure I recently read that there is a worrying increase of STD's in the US at the moment.

HPV seems to be a big concern at the moment. They say if you've had three or four partners, then you most likely have it.

[hutchings1963]

You just have to look at them eat with there fingers,roll the sticky rice into a ball,i do not see them washing there hands this is the 21 century we use knives and forks and spoons,but theses are really not educated at all.

[Stoker58]

If the TV soaps could tackle the road death holocaust here that would be a good thing. I never watch them, but every time I walk through the room there seems to be goons pointing guns at each others heads. I've never yet seen one dealing with the aftermath of a road accident. Maybe they could show dashcam footage of real accidents with boings and whistles added.

[realenglish1]

This violence against woman on Thai TV has got to stop. All it does is tell male children that this is the way you should act when you are older against woman.

This is a sad commentary about the most important resource Thailand has . Woman should be held in very high regard and not something you throw away after you finish with them.

Thai men should learn to honor woman for the important role they play in nurturing and bringing up the next generation.

Not to do this only holds back inner potential in these children and all of Thai society

[thhMan]

I banned Thai TV in my house 2 years ago and in its place I got AppleTV and since then, my family speak better english, know more about the world, wife cooks more western style food and generally are a lot more wiser to their surroundings.

Now they find Thai TV just as repulsive as I did many years ago and refuse to watch it.....

My eldest who is 11, loves watching COSMOS and has gotten to the point that I purchased a Celestron Telescope for her, so she can enjoy the cosmos in real time

My youngest is 6 and prefers western cartoons over Thai cartoons

Removing that horrible and destructive brainwashing was the most productive thing I have done for the family.... They still read/watch news and watch Thai movies, its simply the Thai BS Soapies/Gameshows/Lifestyle shows that are no longer welcome (their choice not mine as they all can access that content should they wish)

I havent heard a "kablam, Owww, Zing, dong, wahhh" in a long time, except when I am at a hospital or Govt office....

Edited December 8, 2015 by thhMan

[SunsetT]

You just have to look at them eat with there fingers,roll the sticky rice into a ball,i do not see them washing there hands this is the 21 century we use knives and forks and spoons,but theses are really not educated at all.

Knife, fork, spoons for sandwiches? baguettes? burgers? hot dogs? pizza? pasties? sausage rolls? cakes? doughnuts? Breaking bread with soup???

[carter1882]

I wouldn't watch Thai soaps but i sure as hell would like to be paid to be in them. Anybody know some producers who need an extremely handsome fifty something English guy fluent in Thai who doesn't mind acting like a complete tool for lucre.

[bangarang]

So you have to blur the glass of alcohol only if its being drunk but not drinking it is ok to show the glass and same with guns... but yet its ok to show the act of rape....

[dotpoom]

Long Overdue, Violence on Thai TV is Out of Control and they Mimic this Behavior...

Aren't we the lucky ones that have none of that on "Farang TV"

[SunsetT]

Jesus, is TH really that far behind? If Im not mistaken, the difference between HIV and AIDS has been common knowledge for nearly 30 years in the west. That's unacceptable, although not surprising. I mean, I rarely see hand soap in public restrooms here, even at high-end businesses and shopping malls. And I think some people still wipe with their hand.

Soap is one thing

a paper towel is another nice addition to the bathroom.

having said that, overall, I would choose a Thai bathroom in a mall or even a gas station (in the city) over one in the US.

Never understood the need for tree wasting paper towels or a powerful CO2 producing electric hand dryer when your hands dry naturally in seconds, especially in this heat. Not to mention the stupid Thai hand towels/dolls which are so small they must be full of bacteria after only one or 2 people have used it. I suspect they rarely get changed either.

[SunsetT]

I just wish Thai TV shows had subtitles. I think it would be a really interesting look into the Thai mindset to be able to really follow what is happening.

...........Dont go there!.......lol.

[DM07]

Never going to happen!

White skin = good!

Dark skin= stupid!

Women= objects

Men= everything is allowed

Hi-So= good

Peasants= bad

and so on!

[Yann55]

Ah ... Films, TV, video games and their influence on society ... A burning issue indeed. Not only in Thailand.

I know I'm not the only old(ish) geezer here so I bet a lot of TVF member remember the time when TV soaps that were seen around the Western world were :

1/ immensely stupid,

2/ exclusively American,

3/ enormously popular.

Just like so many american products, the soap industry spread like wildfire. Yes, an industry, yes, a product.

Hollywood has turned 90% of what used to be known as 'The Seventh Art' into a marketable product. Just a product. People like John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick and a handful of other were/are like loose cannons inside that industry, because they are artists, first and foremost, and not merchants (with or without talent) such a Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron and most film directors nowadays, especially in the US. In the States today, the storyline (and often much more than that) is determined not by the author/scriptwriter and not by the director either, but by the producers, who rely strictly on one major factor : profitability. Art ain't got nothin' to do with it.

That's how US society works and that is the model which is being eagerly followed by countries both developed and developing, not because it's good or beautiful, but simply because it's a goldmine and human beings love gold. It is a system focused on making money, with some very positive effects but also a lot of scary collateral damage. The latter is considered inevitable by most Americans in every field, the best example being the gun market, where money and hypocrisy are in charge.

Creating idiotic heroes like Rambo or Luke Skywalker (both are totally inept, unrealistic and have a distinct taste of marshmallow) had/has a much heavier impact on society than what is usually acknowledged. Same goes for video games which are 95% about killing people (or getting killed), and end up making some people live in a parallel/virtual world and occasionally erupt into absolute madness. Yes, it's a small minority, albeit a very dangerous one. The world suffers more from minorities than majorities, let's not forget that, and ISIS is a perfect example.

This is not an anti-American post, and before American readers start lashing out at me, please keep reading.

So OK, American capitalism has given birth to monsters that are so cleverly designed, they find their way under the skin of most human beings, bringing millions of dollars into american pockets, and many other pockets. I'll bet the producers of the Thai soaps which are rapidly turning the brains of Esarn farmers (to name but one 'target population') into bubble gum, are making enough money to bathe in Dom Perignon Champagne twice a day.

But the US are not just a capitalist T-Rex, they are also the country of John Cassavetes, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen and a lot of great artists who are perfectly aware of what is going on and using their well-deserved fame to maintain a different approach.

When 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' were all over the TVs of the world, and anyone with two cents of brain knew that TV soaps were made of nothing but clichés, cheap sentiment and over-simplified psychology, it was commonly understood that this specific pattern could produce nothing but horse manure.

And then suddenly a comet appeared in the Hollywood sky, taking everyone by surprise. A certain Alan Ball, who had written and directed one extraordinary film called 'American Beauty' (1999) decided that the idea of a long running movie divided into many episodes was actually a very challenging and interesting concept, and didn't have to be brainless.

He created the series called 'Six Feet Under' (2001 - 2005) and that series changed everything in the world of TV series. He was not entirely alone of course and works like 'Sex and the City' (1998 - 2004) were along the same line. He just went much further than any of his colleagues.

Could the same change occur in Thailand ? Money rules here, but it certainly rules in the US too, and Europe and the rest of the world, but that factor can obviously be overcome. Allan Ball, and many others since, have proved that intelligent series can also make a lot of money. So, what's stopping Somchai Ball from fighting his way through the Thai showbizness and creating the Thai equivalent of Six Feet Under ? A series that would bank on the fact that most people are not, in fact, stupid ? And that if you offer quality to the public, the public acknowledges that quality and welcomes it ?

[tuanku]

Aah, the classic Aristotelian mimesis. But, is it life imitating art (as suggested here) or art imitating life?

Excuse me, but maybe it's Thailand's patriarchal culture that's the problem. The society is as blasé about this as they are about corruption.

In any case, doesn't the country have censors to deal with what viewers can watch. Their main concern now should be junta propaganda!

"Even worse, many all-time favourite TV dramas include scenes in which heroes rape heroines and conclude with a sense of good feelings."

In the case of raping the heroine, who then falls in love with her abuser, does this not imitate the real life of a village wedding - where underage girls are abducted, and raped, so that an "amicable" settlement can be made with the parents?

Then the soap operas need to show how a pregnant girl is best discarded to fend for herself. But in the rich families of the soap opera, they rarely get pregnant, it seems.

Yes, I recall maybe 8 years ago being shocked by a Thai TV movie plot. The respectable male lead kidnapped and raped the adult object of his infatuation and lust and kept her, imprisoned and pregnant, alone in an isolated house for episode after episode. I expected the usual Western outcome where she would eventually be rescued and the villain killed or imprisoned by the 'Hero' figure. But no! It concluded with her having his baby and learning to appreciate his advances and undying 'Love' for her and they married and became the normal stereotypical happy Thai family............ !!!! Knowing the power of soap operas, I could not believe the message this must be sending out to Thai males!

Read up about the lifestyle of .................................................................... (using sources outside LOS of course)

[Maybole]

The original article was a bit scrappily written, but made a lot relevant points. Unfortunately it is unlikely to be published in Thai and thus it will pass unnoticed..

Edited December 8, 2015 by Maybole

[teatree]

Thai TV always looks like children's TV to me.

[SunsetT]

Ah ... Films, TV, video games and their influence on society ... A burning issue indeed. Not only in Thailand.

I know I'm not the only old(ish) geezer here so I bet a lot of TVF member remember the time when TV soaps that were seen around the Western world were :

1/ immensely stupid,

2/ exclusively American,

3/ enormously popular.

Just like so many american products, the soap industry spread like wildfire. Yes, an industry, yes, a product.

Hollywood has turned 90% of what used to be known as 'The Seventh Art' into a marketable product. Just a product. People like John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick and a handful of other were/are like loose cannons inside that industry, because they are artists, first and foremost, and not merchants (with or without talent) such a Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron and most film directors nowadays, especially in the US. In the States today, the storyline (and often much more than that) is determined not by the author/scriptwriter and not by the director either, but by the producers, who rely strictly on one major factor : profitability. Art ain't got nothin' to do with it.

That's how US society works and that is the model which is being eagerly followed by countries both developed and developing, not because it's good or beautiful, but simply because it's a goldmine and human beings love gold. It is a system focused on making money, with some very positive effects but also a lot of scary collateral damage. The latter is considered inevitable by most Americans in every field, the best example being the gun market, where money and hypocrisy are in charge.

Creating idiotic heroes like Rambo or Luke Skywalker (both are totally inept, unrealistic and have a distinct taste of marshmallow) had/has a much heavier impact on society than what is usually acknowledged. Same goes for video games which are 95% about killing people (or getting killed), and end up making some people live in a parallel/virtual world and occasionally erupt into absolute madness. Yes, it's a small minority, albeit a very dangerous one. The world suffers more from minorities than majorities, let's not forget that, and ISIS is a perfect example.

This is not an anti-American post, and before American readers start lashing out at me, please keep reading.

So OK, American capitalism has given birth to monsters that are so cleverly designed, they find their way under the skin of most human beings, bringing millions of dollars into american pockets, and many other pockets. I'll bet the producers of the Thai soaps which are rapidly turning the brains of Esarn farmers (to name but one 'target population') into bubble gum, are making enough money to bathe in Dom Perignon Champagne twice a day.

But the US are not just a capitalist T-Rex, they are also the country of John Cassavetes, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen and a lot of great artists who are perfectly aware of what is going on and using their well-deserved fame to maintain a different approach.

When 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' were all over the TVs of the world, and anyone with two cents of brain knew that TV soaps were made of nothing but clichés, cheap sentiment and over-simplified psychology, it was commonly understood that this specific pattern could produce nothing but horse manure.

And then suddenly a comet appeared in the Hollywood sky, taking everyone by surprise. A certain Alan Ball, who had written and directed one extraordinary film called 'American Beauty' (1999) decided that the idea of a long running movie divided into many episodes was actually a very challenging and interesting concept, and didn't have to be brainless.

He created the series called 'Six Feet Under' (2001 - 2005) and that series changed everything in the world of TV series. He was not entirely alone of course and works like 'Sex and the City' (1998 - 2004) were along the same line. He just went much further than any of his colleagues.

Could the same change occur in Thailand ? Money rules here, but it certainly rules in the US too, and Europe and the rest of the world, but that factor can obviously be overcome. Allan Ball, and many others since, have proved that intelligent series can also make a lot of money. So, what's stopping Somchai Ball from fighting his way through the Thai showbizness and creating the Thai equivalent of Six Feet Under ? A series that would bank on the fact that most people are not, in fact, stupid ? And that if you offer quality to the public, the public acknowledges that quality and welcomes it ?

I became so averse to so much TV and movie , mainly US, garbage, that I spent many years not watching any and realise I must have missed out on some good thought provoking stuff such as you mention. I concluded it was not worth wading through all the garbage just to find a few diamonds. I prefer learning from real life anyway.

..........Your conclusion...........

So, what's stopping Somchai Ball from fighting his way through the Thai showbizness and creating the Thai equivalent of Six Feet Under ? A series that would bank on the fact that most people are not, in fact, stupid ? And that if you offer quality to the public, the public acknowledges that quality and welcomes it ?

Im very sorry but Ive come to believe that, due to the appalling education system and certain inward looking and restrictive close-minded cultural factors, Thai people, through no fault of their own, are indeed stupid so could not in fact appreciate and benefit from a Somchai Ball offering quality TV. Their neural pathways have simply not been sufficiently opened.