Behind The Smile

Look a that. I had to cut it in two to make it fit, but this is the title of the Nation website today. A little obsessed, are we?

I just read this nice, slightly provocative book, "God Save the Queen?" by Johann Hari. He’s a republican in England, where such things are run of the mill. Even Cheri Blair was and presumably is a republican. Anyway, the book deals with the British Royal Family. From page 118, something you surely can not say in Thailand:

Since most Thais have never been out of the country and don’t even have a passport, they see Thailand as the center of the world, instead as the peripheral feudal third world country that it is. It works to the Thai elite’s advantage. They can easily whip up mass hysterias one way or the other. Red, yellow, pink, blue, whatever the color of the day.

I like this example of all natural Thai Marine life. Make me want for more, actually. From a Bangkok Post pictorial on how Thai marines learn to survive in nature and at sea. Maybe they’ll teach the boat people as well?

The Bangkok Friday traffic is as horrendous as ever. No sign of a recession as far as cars are concerned. That love affair continues. And there are as many red plates as ever.

It’s getting hot and soon the first rains will start. How is that for an inspired blog post?

There was a piece in the Guardian recently, like yesterday, calling for a republic in this South East Asian country. I guess the elite is not at all far from worry at the moment as they deal with The Next In Line.

Despite all the ranting and raving, as expats you can have a very nice life in Bangkok. A bif aaprtment with a pool, a maid to do your ironing, cooking and cleaning, weekends to tropical islands, beautiful boys and girls galore. It makes up for all the political instability, I guess.

Well, we can learn a thing or two from that Burmese "official" in Hong Kong who wrote that the Rohingya boat people were ugly as ogres. Racism aside, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Frankly, I thought there were some good looking ones among them. One my Thai friends said so. So it must be true. And when I saw this sad picture on the CNN website I was sure.

Although I don’t agree with his socialist ideological stand one of he few Thai intellectuals who was able to come up with coherent arguments in a political discussion has had to flee the country. I agree with his distaste for the hereditary principle.