"He goes ahead, I have no secrets"
The format is simple. You take to the streets with a microphone and a camera and you ask young people: 'Have you ever secretly looked at your friend's Facebook page? And if you hell that does?'
The answers result in a program that sometimes makes adults swallow hard. But at last young people are given the opportunity to speak freely.
The interview program FRISUN can be seen on YouTube: www..com/user/vrzochannel.com and is not downloaded at fixed times. The creator is Surabot Leekpai, the son of Thailand's twentieth Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. Pluem, as his nickname goes, didn't expect it to become so popular when he started it. He came up with the idea because he discovered while surfing the internet that young people often openly discuss sensitive topics.
The show is aggressive, but not rude
He now gives those young people a forum with FRISUN that he and Mallika Chongvatana, then presenter of strawberry cheese cake, presents. The two click, so much so that they get married in November. “The show is aggressive,” Pluem admits, “yes, but not rude. We talk in the same way as young Thais. We don't have to artificially make the show more beautiful.'
Pluem now has a studio, staff and sponsors. In the beginning, Pluem paid everything out of his own pocket, but since the 15th episode it has managed to find sponsors. TrueVisions even approached him to suggest moving the show to cable TV, but Pluem decided not to air more than a few episodes on cable. If there is no sponsor, no program will be made and one will be waited for. 60 episodes have now seen the light.
Tino translated some answers
And what did young people answer to the Facebook question? Tino Kuis watched the program and translated some of the answers ('I couldn't follow some of them, lots of slang.').
– Sure (angrily smacked by girlfriend), but there was disappointingly little interesting on it (another smack).
– I don't do that (wink).
– Doesn't matter, I have two Facebook pages, she can see one, she doesn't know about the other.
– Doesn't work for me, I change my password every day.
– I erase a lot.
– Not anymore (girlfriend looks skeptical).
– มึงเสือกมาก
- He shouldn't patch that!
– Good idea, I will definitely do that!
– He goes ahead, I have no secrets.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Brunch, October 21, 2012; courtesy of Tino Kuis)
Spelling mistake: frank should of course be frank or should I imagine a very strange internet phenomenon here? 😉
Of course it's nice to see that the youth is also developing, becoming a little more assertive can't hurt of course. I then wonder to what extent national societies/cultures are becoming more and more alike because of the easy communication and information facilities (internet). Will current cultural norms such as “the boss is always right even if he is wrong, so don't criticize the manager” disappear over time?
To answer your last question: yes, sure, those cultural norms change at a decent rate. And it starts with the better educated, urban youth: those were clearly the interviewees in these videos. Self-confident, independent, unafraid, open-hearted. Compare it a bit with the Provos of the 60s.
Indeed. This piece by Voranai Vanijaka (opinion kagina Bangkok Post) fits in nicely with that:
“Some of these students were previously in exchange programs where they had the opportunity to study abroad.(…) their parents and schools arranged to send them to a Western country so that they could benefit from a Western education, but when they returned home and exhibited Western thinking and attitudes, their parents and schools reprimanded them for it.
They insisted instead on putting the students back inside that little box called “Thainess”, with emphasis on what is appropriate and proper, such as not questioning your elsewhere, including your parents and teachers.
One complained, “What's the point of sending us abroad if they don't like what we've learned? (…) The answer is that they don't mind your learning, they just don't want you to think you know more than they do, it undermines their authority. And how can they control you if they don't have authority?”
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/316897/the-ego-has-landed
In the coming years, the new Thai generation will become a lot more assertive, with all the good (and bad) that comes with it in the various facets of society.
I assume that young people often discussed frankly, not frankly.
Adjusted
That Thai phrase, มึงเสือกมาก, meung seuag stomach, is pretty rude, just not among young people. It means, loosely translated, 'Damn, keep those stupid questions to yourself, busybody'.
And then the questioners shouted “Wow!” and everyone burst out laughing. Nice to see.
Tino, I say that sentence very tough to my wife, she thinks something completely different. I let her read this piece of Thai of yours and she can't make anything of it.
Recently someone also wrote here that krabhom = means likewise, it means: yes, according to mine.
Did you say that line to your wife, Tookie? Then you can be happy that, as Tjamuk wrote, you didn't get hit in the head. It has the same emotional value as: 'F**ck you'! Of course your wife can make something out of it but she doesn't want you to learn these kinds of words. This is very common for young people. My son always says "meung" to his friends.
I once suggested to the editors to write a piece about Thai swear words (I know 45 of them, from potjantriplets to n**k je mama) but they didn't think that was a good idea. What do the readers think?
Yes Tino I said it with the phonetic pronunciation, she thought I said I love you very much or something. Then I let her read the text of the blog and she couldn't make anything of it. I said read the Thai letters but no it was not Thai according to her.
Just now I let me read it again and ohhhh she hadn't seen the Thai letters (are right in front of it, boy soo thai) yes now she gets it. I should never say that about her is too rude.
So your Thai is fine! Solly for the misunderstanding but yes thai lady hey.
I also know swear words, I can't get further than tood-kwai (buffalo ass) and that makes everyone laugh.
Sometimes I'm our guards with the sawasdee crab and then they say kaphom. If said say it first then I say kaphom and that is wrong because I am higher in position than said.
In the taxi I always say kaphom, but that is not necessary (stupid even) because I am higher than a taxi driver.
So I will only use Kaptan to make someone laugh, I very rarely speak to ministers or colonels anyway.
Lesson learned, thanks guys!
I have sometimes taken advantage of it. A Thai accused me of a number of things and started berating me for anything and everything, part of which I understood. Later this came up for discussion again and everything was flatly denied, until I quoted a number of swear words that I had been thrown at my head (buffalo, animal, **** your mother, etc.. Unfortunately, I know about the other half of the scallop waterfall still not what it meant.
Khue and meung is a bit more complex. I won't start as long as I don't know where it's appropriate to use this, if you feel this right your Thai friends will appreciate it, but if you use it wrong then you still have a problem. I try to follow my girlfriend and see who she uses these words with and who (closest friends, close family) use them with her. But I play it safe by pronouncing the name of these contacts in Dutch, which also produces some hilarious moments.
Only learning the language from a textbook makes conversations very cold, some knowledge of slang, informal language and so on is also very useful. But then you have to know very well when you can apply it yourself. But there is nothing wrong with observing. 🙂
Kapom, as it sounds, doesn't just mean likewise.
The superlative of "kap" is "kapom"
And from a "lesser" to a "more"
The superlative of “kapom” is “”Kaptan”
Example:
I understand or yes to an equal in rank or position: hood
I understand or yes against a higher rank or position: kapom
I understand or yes against a highest in rank or position: kaptan
For kaptan, the following are eligible for ordinary people:
– A colonel or higher in the police or armed forces;
– A public prosecutor;
- A judge;
– A minister or senator;
The rules for kapom are not that strict.
More of a general show of respect.
Among friends or family, it also depends on where one is, in a closed circle, regardless of the difference in rank or class, the word kap can be used, in public kapom, or kaptan.
Kapom is therefore the safest, although sometimes you are faced with Jan with the short last name.