Sun, May 19, 2013 11:59:01 AM
Bangkok Post
Sun, May 19, 2013 11:59:01 AM
Bangkok Post
Red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan has always been referred to as "the toad". Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut got the nickname pla bu chon khuen (crushed goby fish-face). The yellow shirts call Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin Shinawatra's legal adviser, ting leh (the squint).
Each got their unpleasant nickname from their political rivals who coined the epithets from that person's physical looks - their negative appearance, to be precise.
Teasing or making fun of the way other people look is very common in Thai society. Some people may think there is nothing wrong with this, others may argue that taunting is a way to ease tensions, to entertain or to express a close connection with a person. Many friends of mine and people I know got a weird or funny nickname as a result of their imperfections.
Teasing a person about the way they look might be acceptable if it is not done with ill-intent, although I'm sure that not many people are particularly happy about the embarrassing nicknames they've been given.
I don't like it when comedians ridicule or mock their fellow jesters' inferiorities or even physical impairments to make people laugh. However, this is still kind of acceptable for me because it is a performance that is based on mutual consent between the teased and the teaser.
But it's totally unacceptable for grown-up public figures, like politicians and lawmakers, to adopt such a practice as they are supposed to be role models for the younger generation.
Ridiculing other people's appearances has become a routine sport for politicians, yellow- and red-shirt supporters, social critics, state officials, and even journalists.
It can be found everywhere, from the chamber of the House and the People's Alliance for Democracy's ASTV television station, to the Democrat Party's Blue Sky channel.
The goal seems to be trying to create names that embarrass their targets the most when instead they should be focusing on the wrongdoings of the people they are criticising.
I once listened to Sirichok Sopha, Mr Chavanond and Thepthai Senpong _ the three hosts of the Sai Lor Fah talk show on Blue Sky _ spend more than 10 minutes ridiculing Mr Jatuporn's face and making fun of Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit, whom they called ai wok (monkey-face). Wok in Thai also has the connotation of being unnaturally white.
Democrat leader and former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva recently jumped on the sneering bandwagon. During his speech at the party's anti-reconciliation bill campaign held at Wong Wian Yai on June 2, Mr Abhisit ridiculed the high-pitched voice of Pheu Thai MP for Surin Prasit Prasit Chaisrisa, who has a habit of protesting against Democrat MPs' speeches in parliament.
A video clip of Mr Abhisit mocking Sgt Maj 3rd Class Prasit has been widely circulated on the internet. Some viewers found it entertaining but others questioned if such a practice is appropriate.
Permanent secretary for commerce Yanyong Phuangrach is the latest public figure employing the teasing tactic to discredit his opponents. He coined the name pla bu chon khuen for Mr Chavanond, who sharply criticised the ministry's failure to tackle the rising cost of living.
In a bid to promote the nickname, Mr Yanyong sang the theme song of pla bu thong (Golden Goby) folklore during a party for the press in Pattaya last week with a senior Commerce Ministry official dressed like a goby fish and wearing a paper mask in Mr Chavanond's likeness.
Mr Yanyong ended his performance by reading out a poem to convince the audience that Mr Chavanond really looked like an ugly fish. He also likened Sathit Wongnongtoey, another Democrat MP, to "a bug-eyed miniature dog".
Widespread use of such rhetoric shows that Thai politics has become dirtier and more absurd than ever.
It seems politicians, officers of the state and the media do not realise that a far more powerful tool to overcome one's opponents is an allegation of substance, not a gibe about a person's physical appearance.
We all know that a person's good or bad deeds do not depend on the way they look and we should pass this doctrine on to the younger generation.
Kultida Samabuddhi is Deputy News Editor, Bangkok Post.
