tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162482350304935910.post6625945168676411777..comments2023-09-27T15:40:56.529+07:00Comments on Thailand Jumped the Shark: Bangkok Post and The Nation: Editorials on the Jatukarm Ramathep CrazeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162482350304935910.post-84510380007030778852007-04-26T02:10:00.000+07:002007-04-26T02:10:00.000+07:00About the "juvenile" Thai psyche, I don't see much...About the "juvenile" Thai psyche, I don't see much difference between the Thai amulets, ghosts, idol and ancestor worship, and the US's superstitions, pseudo-Christian scam cults (basically all religions invented in the US, with Mormonism at the top of the list I suppose), fair-weather Christianity, and alternative medicine. I suggest Sagan's Demon-Haunted World for a sober look at the danger of American anti-intellectualism and pseudoscience. In a way, the American situation is more volatile because at least Thailand is unimportant in the big picture.<BR/><BR/>It's the law of conservation of social stupidity: all cultures have their share of fools.<BR/><BR/>Also, there is a law of conservation of laziness. Americans can easily be characterized as lazy or stupid: we (I'm American) are the fattest, illiterate, unrefined, McDonald's society, lawsuit-happy, lottery-playing, middle-east-wrecking, red state-having bumpkins of the civilized world. Bush believes that he was chosen by God to be the president.<BR/><BR/>Don't get me wrong: I find Americans to be among the smartest and hardest-working people in the world. I'm just saying it's easy to call people juvenile and lazy. Many foreigners blow up in a rage the moment some dumb ass Thai does some dumb ass thing; but that rage is considered juvenile from the Thai perspective.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751411273444768568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7162482350304935910.post-72724949397482911732007-04-14T09:36:00.000+07:002007-04-14T09:36:00.000+07:00Quite right. I suppose I am probably as close to b...Quite right. I suppose I am probably as close to being an expert in western occultism as you are going to find in Thailand and I can say this superstition doesnt even have any local magicak cointent. It is just superstition, proof if any were needed of the juvenille state of the Thai psyche.<BR/><BR/>It is very sad to see this frenzy going on when as the article rightly points out, what is sought here is something for nothing, passing exams or increasing wealth without having to work for them. Another aspect of the Thai psyche I am afraid, laziness. <BR/><BR/>With this background, it is no wonder at all that the Thais look to the King for magic rice seeds, for magic rain and magic fertility for the land. They might just as well crawl on their bellies to the cookie monster. I sometimes wonder if these people will ever grow up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com