A video clip titled 'Hitler' by the Thai rock band SLUR is simply tasteless and offensive.
The previous articles on the Thailand blog have already shown that the education system is in a sad state Thailand. As a result, many Thai see their own country as the center of the earth. A history lesson to the members of this band might prevent them from recording this nonsense. The Second World War was a 'far from my bed show' for many Thai people. They really have no idea what happened in Europe and other parts of the world at the time.
In October 2009, there was a riot over a life-size billboard with an image of Hitler, promoting a new waxworks museum in Pattaya (waxworks museum).
Both the German and then Israeli ambassador Itzhak Shoham protested to the Thai government. The Israeli ambassador said at the time: “The image of Adolf Hitler is offensive to both Holocaust survivors and anyone who rejects racism. Adolf Hitler is a dictator who systematically and gruesomely murdered 11 million people, men, women and children, during the Second World War.”
Apparently the message didn't get through then and a couple of Thai young people think they have to do it all over again. If the goal is to get media attention, they succeeded. The music video has gone viral and has been viewed more than a million times.
There will now also be the necessary protests in the Thai government.
I have decided not to post the video clip because it is hurtful to many people. If you still want to see it, you can watch it on Youtube: http://youtu.be/ydRxCUZp8Bg
Let me first say that I am absolutely not a fan of Hitler (indeed small letter) or follow any of his ideas.
At the intro of the video there is a lot of Thai written, I will have my wife translate it tomorrow morning and publish it here, it also says, in English, “this music video has no intentions to insult any individual or groups.
In itself it seems more like a protest against the police, government and or system.
The 2nd WW is indeed a far from my bed show for the Thais, I know very few who know anything about it and I know quite a few Thais
Furthermore, the Thais are very tolerant, against other population groups, religions, sensual orientation, you name it.
They have a very special sense of humour, very special even and then a pink rabbit between a number of Hitler's, I don't think you should take this too seriously and get a translation before you give an opinion.
There are plenty of videos with other mass murderers circulating and usually meant as a parody or statement.
(What will I get a comment)
I just read my comment and here it is; I apologize for my sloppy spelling and style errors.
What I would also like to add is this, Thai people will rarely or never consciously hurt or offend people, it is more a kind of naivete, which occasionally misleads us Westerners (Farangs).
Post from Franco has been deleted. Not according to the rules.
I thought the video was too tasteless to watch in its entirety. Even though you shouldn't take this too seriously, it still hurts a lot of people. I think SLUR was all about the sensation, but I hope they will be boycotted. I like a lot that comes from Thailand, but this one I watched with secondhand embarrassment. Good thing the video wasn't posted.
Alfons: watch from start to finish and only then give an opinion and what do you mean replace shame, you are Dutch and they are Thai, give those people the right to their artistic expression, whether we agree with it or not, we make that don't leave the service, we're guests there.
What's artistic about Lex here? Of course we don't call the shots there just like they don't here, but to keep adding that “we are guests there” is a clincher. As if because you are a guest somewhere, you are no longer allowed to have an opinion about it.
Of course you are allowed to have an opinion about something, you just have to vent it everywhere and at all times, that is not a freedom of opinion restriction, more taking into account the feelings of your host or wife.
I have already experienced a few times where my wife was terribly hurt about a tourist's opinion of her island, that man did not like the fact that there was often no electricity, the road was not good, in short nothing was good, but he stayed. because it was nice and cheap
another reaction Hnek, I was recently watching TV (in the Netherlands) that was about cutbacks in art and saw a woman who covered herself completely with custard and yogurt, what is artistic about that? but she was complaining that her artistic freedom was curtailed by the budget cuts, my wife's opinion of the artistic part of her performance is her opinion, she is entitled to, she thought it was total nonsense and too crazy for words that people are paid to waste food.
You cannot answer the question of what is artistic about something if you do not consider it artistic yourself.
Personally I think this is a clip of nothing, but that singer and his group are incredibly popular in Thailand and when I'm in Thailand I don't get annoyed by that clip, that's a waste of time.
Artistic expression? I think you're going too far, Lex. An artistic expression can also go too far, right?? I don't think you're that old yet, judging by your responses. Have you already forgotten the history? Or you didn't learn much from it either. For me the word SHAMELESS comes to mind. You think that as a “guest” you are not allowed to have an opinion?? Your knowledge about people is very limited (a bit naive), even though you act as if you know it all so well. Do you not find this insulting or hurtful? The latter for sure.
And as for those “other” videos, we don't talk well about them either. The Second World War is also far from your bed.
Indeed very tasteless. Made without any knowledge of history.
Ruud
Don't you dare use one of their symbols anywhere in the world in any commercial or non-commercial venue. Then the room is too small. There are already previous ones, both in the US and in Europe.
Ruud, first of all thank you for the compliment, I am 1 and my father grew up without a large part of his Jewish family, I was made very aware of the misery of the 54nd World War by him.
Artistic expression can indeed go too far, I have regularly been hurt by certain Dutch comedians who thought it necessary to kick certain religions or disabled people or Buckler drinkers into a corner under the guise of artistic freedom, of course you are allowed to have an opinion as a guest, it is however, too far to force it on others and to expect that your opinion is blissful, just because you come to celebrate a few weeks' holiday with your fat wallet
I dare say that my knowledge of Thailand is not limited, I have been coming there for 25 years, of which the last 15 years 4 months a year, I have been married to a Thai for 11 years,
with a very large family and I have traveled half the country with normal public transport between and with the Thais, I avoid the popular tourist places like the plague, that has nothing to do with authentic Thailand anymore.
That clip is not meant to hurt or offend, that's what they write at the beginning, I don't feel hurt because I watch that clip for what it is, a total nonsense clip from the beginning to the end.
I agree with Lex. Oh, that small country. When will they learn to keep their mouths shut there? Believe me, the Dutch have a bad reputation in that respect, also in Thailand.
We are indeed guests here. We are allowed to say something but not to criticize things that do not concern us. That is going too far. That is their business
Well Lex, we certainly don't call the shots in Thailand and we are definitely guests, but that doesn't mean we always have to keep our mouths shut. There are once generic values that apply worldwide. If you call this clip a form of artistic expression, my (swimming) shorts fall off. It is also technically a worthless clip.
Hans, I almost completely agree with you, but watch Thai television one evening, then you will notice that the Thai have a different definition of artistic expression than we do, and we certainly don't have to keep our mouths shut there, but we have to think carefully about what and how we are going to say it before we open that mouth
Rubbish, in the trash with it
And Napoleon, Caesar, Alexander The Great, Atilla the Hun…..
Dear people, these greats from history were also guilty of genocide (on a smaller or larger scale).
Of course, none of these rulers should be glorified.
Hitler is still “of our time” (I'm from '58), and is therefore fresh in our memory and therefore very sensitive.
In 200 years it will just be a lesson in some history lesson.
As for the clip:
I would actually like to see a translation of the text before judging.
We might all fall back in amazement when we learn why the Hitler figure was used here.
So I have no judgment until further notice.
I showed the clip to my (Thai) wife, the translation of the opening part into Thai is something like “we don't mean to hurt or offend anyone, we just want to have fun and make music, the clip she herself didn't find it particularly inappropriate, she has, like so many Thais, little idea of the 2nd World War
So this is Hitler ridicularisren and of course there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, I would say. Watch the movie with Charly Chaplin 'The Great Dictator', where the same thing happens, of course on a higher level and through a different medium, but in fact it comes down to the same thing, making fun of the man. Those who take offense to this 'miss the point'.
Finally someone who says exactly what I've been trying to say all along
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The film about Sophie Scholl (German student resistance in WW2) was shown 10 times on Thai TV last year. Spoken in Thai and, if your TV is suitable for it, can be switched to German with English captions. If you like the subject, quite a fascinating film.
But I'm almost certain that hardly anyone is interested in this here in Thailand. Just as people are not interested in Hitler and other matters of WW2. Strange thing But yes, different culture. Tomorrow another bridge too far and battle of the bulge but which one thai looks?
I am from '31 and have consciously experienced the entire 2nd World War in Rotterdam. What irritates me again and again in Thailand is that Motorbike riders who wear SS helmets and that I still get an inclination to resist when I see a Swastika in a shop window .
Now there is a movie with Hitler or something and a riot immediately breaks out (in the west), but you can easily walk across the street in the Netherlands in a Mao or Stalin T-shirt.
I think it's a case of selective outrage. In the Netherlands, just about everyone knows about the Holocaust, but I doubt whether the Killing Fields are just as well known.
It makes sense that we are more aware of our history than the Thai I think.
Robbie
Placing the video link or the link to the video clip is the same for me.
But also for me the 2nd world war and far from my bed has become a show.
I'm totally tired of World War II.
Remember every year. And celebrate. Sigh.
Henk
The initiator of the June 1932 revolution, in which Siam was given a constitutional form of government, was Plaek Pibulsongkram and Min.President from 1938-1944 and 1948-1957.
It was he who changed the name Siam to Thailand in 1939, rejected regional dialects and clothing, etc. and created the country in what was then a Western (European) style.
including the duty of daily tribute to the national anthem, etc.
He was also a great admirer of Benito Mussolini and his national party,
perhaps that certain 'traits' in the Thai national character have been left behind?
I am from '30 and have consciously experienced a lot of misery of WWII and can fully agree with what Rien Stam writes!