Violent Thai Dramas - Reflecting Reality Or Creating It?

[MrPlum]

I know Hollywood swamps us with violent images but in a culture where it is frowned upon to display anger, what's with Thail TV showing so many dramas where maids are being beaten or people being slapped around the head?

The message seems to be that it is the norm for 'Hi-So' or well-off Thais to abuse their maids. Is this reflecting reality or creating it?

[The understudy]

Hi there Y'all

It's a very interesting question Mr Plum Glad you asked. I believe it's more of an image creation by them scriptwriters of such Soap'n Dramas to make the Story more exciting and Action packed.
I'm a foreing born Thai and have too some friemds who are also from the Hi -So clientel and he told me: "If those things in the Thai Dramas'n Soaps where real then the Hi - So would have to do all the shores by themselves. No Maid would stay for long with a Family that is abusing them". Of course out of a hundred there are at least 10 to 15 rich arses Families who treat their maids very very Bad. Those Families you can call em "Newly Rich's" who doen't have anything better to do than copying the behaviors from the Thai Soaps/Dramas, That;s why I really Don't like Thai Soaps'n Dramas!!!

Your's The understudy!!!

[sandman67]

written in the 90s about the USA but seems increasingly to fit the bill here:

Television, Drug of the Nation
by Disposable Heroes of Hipocrisy (Michael Franti, 1991)

One nation under god has turned into
one nation under the influence of one drug

(chorus)
Television, the drug of the nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

T.V., it satellite links
our united states of unconsciousness
apathetic therapeutic and extremely addictive
the methadone metronome pumping out
150 channels 24 hours a day
you can flip through all of them
and still there's nothing worth watching
T.V. is the reason why less than ten percent
of our nation reads books daily
why most people think Central America means Kansas
socialism means unamerican
and apartheid is a new headache remedy
absorbed in its world it's so hard to find us
it shapes our mind the most
maybe the mother of our nation
should remind us that we're sitting too close to...

(chorus)
Television, the drug of the nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

T.V. is the stomping ground
for political candidates
where bears in the woods
are chased by grecian formula'd bald eagles
T.V. is mechanized politic's
remote control over the masses
co-sponsored by enironmentally safe gases
watch for the PBS special
it's the perpetuation of the two-party system
where image takes precedence over wisdom
where sound bite politics are served
to the fastfood culture
where straight teeth in your mouth
are more important than the words
that come out of it
race baiting is the way to get elected
Willie Horton or will he not get elected on...

(chorus)
Televison, the drug of the nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

T.V., is it the reflector or the director
does it imitate us or do we imitate it
because a child watches 1500 murders
before he's twelve years old
and we wonder how we've created
a Jason generation that learns to laugh
rather than abhor the horror
T.V. is the place where armchair generals
and quarterbacks can experience first hand
the excitement of video warfare
as the themesong is sung in the background
sugar sweet sitcoms that leave us with
a bad actor taste while pop stars metamorphosize
into soda pop stars you saw the video
you heard the soundtrack
well now go buy the soft drink
well, the only cola that I support
is a union C.O.L.A. (cost of living allowance) on...

(chorus)
Television, the drug of the nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

Back again, "new and improved"
we return to our irregularly programmed schedule
hidden cleverly between heavy breasted
beer and car commmercials
CNNESPNABCTNT but mostly B.S.
where oxymoronic language like
"virtually spotless" "fresh frozen"
light yet filling" and
"military intelligence" have become standard
T.V. is the place where phrases are redefined
like "recession" to "necessary downturn"
"crude oil" on a beach to "mousse"
"civilian death" to "collateral damages"
and being killed by your own army
is now called "friendly fire"
T.V. is the place where the pursuit of
happiness has become the pursuit of trivia
where toothpaste and cars
have become sex objects
where imagination is sucked out of children
by a cathode ray nipple
T.V. is the only wet nurse
that would create a cripple
on...

(chorus)
Television, the drug of the nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

[PeteC]

Has anyone ever seen the censors blotting out anything on a Thai soap drama? I don't think I have. I guess they are exempt as "Made in Thailand", therefore no evil foreign influence. Pete

[kendo]

Sandman,

I remember that tune well it's a blinder, so i had to go one better than you and dig it out of the closet..........enjoy




Kendo.

[sandman67]

Kendo

yep....some toonz never get old or less relevant.....

"Kalifornia Uber Allez" is another one of theirs I love....and "Amos & Andy"....

cool band way too ahead of their day.

try TackHead as well..... "Stealing" is a classic