hahhaa...i finally caught up...phhhhewwww...
okay...*breathing*.... man oh man, champ did most of the work, and i'm absolutely in love with champ right now
all the points were right on dot. duk, this is the exact reason why i find myself in this thread. interestingly enough, media, world, politics, and all the good juice intersects here.
to extend on some of champ's points, it would help if ppl could see the connection between how media actually shapes perceptions of the ppl within the nation as well as the national image of the country. it's a big deal, whether you'd like to acknowledge it or not. it's not "JUST A LAKORN"
every country has its interest to protect, as they are all sovereign and binded to both the common and individual interests of the people. but i'm not gonna sit here and put champ's words on rewind in different forms. but it's too bad that, many in here find these "lakorns" and "dramas" to be such a trivial matter.
in some sense, it is a lot of brainfarting. but now that i've had a chance to glimpse thru some of these works (via's my ma's tv screen), it's total propaganda. but you'd probably argue, "what media piece isn't." if u actually disect the thai lakorns, they really construct people's belief system on what's ethical, morally good and bad. it seems like there's a formula to the whole thing, well there actually is. and much of that i'm sure is based off of the general good vs evil themes from Southeast Asian folklores on the whole. otherwise, you wouln't see the main character emphasizing certain actions as something that makes a good "pra cha chon" or elderlys criticizing the young ppl's behavior. i personally watch more of the indie thai films that takes on a very artistic touch and critique of thai soceital issues. but most of the general stuff i see out in the lakorns from my ma's house and in thailand seems to offer decent insights on modern family life while defining the roles and values of modern adolescents in Thailand.
one of the biggest turnoffs i've had with thai dramas were scenes of the main guy raping the girl. it's ridiculous how it's made an acceptable cultural norm for a guy to do such a thing. but ironically, it protrays the act to be a bad thing if the bad guy does it. i personally don't get it, but i'm sure it has to do with the gender and power dynamics of the country that i can't seem to fully grasp. i don't have a right to impose what i find is acceptable or inacceptable on the ppl, but at the same time i have a right to not support it.
similarly, the Laotian gov't is expressing that right as a sovereign nation to do so. though i do not know much about this "lakorn" or series that you are all speaking of, however, basing off the current discussions at hand, the Laotian National image will be effected by this movie no matter how trivial you may perceive this. First, it's a cross-country series, so it will portray Laos or a Laotian individual in a certain light whether that's the intentions or not. Secondly, as with any work of art, literary, musical, or film peices, symbols dig at a whole 'nother core of any identity or feelings, and that's what the Dok Champa issues all about.
though it's not a King, ppl do die over and die for matters like this. it's happened throughout history and religious cults today. the heart of the matter is the ideology behind the representation is what's to die for. that same ideology shapes soo many aspects of ppl's lives, though in this case, it's just a silly flower to most of you. you don't realize the power of a national image. u don't need to use a gun to kill someone nor do i have to blatantly curse u off with the F-word, in the grander arena, it's pen whips, rhetoric, metaphors, and symbols that kill. so seriously, take some time to critically deconstruct what you watch and listen to, because you may find that it's more than just mindless entertainment, but contributes to your understanding and "fictional experience" of the world somehow and someway. it's an inevitable effect of any stimuli (and no i'm not going to get into the socio-pyscho-biological discussions behind this).
on another note, Laos as a nation and where it stands with its government is functioning within its historical, political, and economic context. i'm going to move onto a personal bias, as i know this area of the matter can't be as objective as the taste of your coffee. i've also extended my experience beyond "plato's cave"
as Champa and i'm sure many of u have. having that privilege and opportunity to live, work, and grow up in different regions, comparably, I believe Laos is doing it's best within its mean. and no one is to judge what is the ideal government for any nation. that's the rights of the people of that nation to do so. and it's so funny that ppl do distinguish the ppl from the government of a nation. to some extent, yes, the two are of their own entity, but whether you are part of the majority or not, the people still have a hand in constructing that government, nonetheless. i did not vote for the dumbass chimp to run our country, but nonetheless, a good majority of hicks out there did. so the entire nation suffers. well same holds for the other hundreds of nations out there.
to get to point, Laos is no worse or no better than any of the surrounding nations. but it sure does have a lot of economic potential in the coming, and if anything i do support some of the direction it's moving in and i like it the way it is in many ways. i can't say what i want out of it, but i do know what i don't want. but that's the point of growth, it's to strive for the balance that suits it. being smushed (or landlocked) under China and Thailand, modernization and industrialization is inevitable, but i was not in complete support of the free market nor the human rights abuse. however, i am in support of a free market with certain environmental and labor rights stipulations. but u can't expect the trickle-down-democracy to serve as the key to the nation's happiness. i wouldn't count on it. at this point, i'll have to say, that Laos is pretty grounded. historically, it's been taken advantage of by many nations and i'm sure have done so to other nations to some extent too, but the point is, it's still in the works. give it a break. if ur truly interested in committing to making changes, make ur way over there and do something about it (though i use to hate this line myself), but there's really more to demeaning each other back and forth about it. not that constructive dialogue is bad, not at all, if anything, it's the way to go. but it's the non-constructive part that's ::::ARRRRGH-ing" and if ur disturbed by the lack of unity of the Laotian community abroad, consider options to find ur role in making it different. but if u believe that making a change with urself is the start to making the bigger change, then keep ur mind open.
tho, i'm not formally educated in the ways that most of u are, college-wise and all that good stuff, i think there's more than one one way to learn and critically observe the world that's beyond what only formal institutions can offer. so phon, if u don't look to see what you're eating, you could be chewing at your own tail, because life isn't as trivial as u make it, if anything, someone out there could be orchestrating it altogether (like business and politics)
p.s. oh another point to be made, the whole thing on "oh thai is so nice, they do this and that to help Laos." uhmm...folks, it's called economic interests and further more it's reparations, but then what is reparations really without economic interests.... it's bling-bling that makes the world goes round. for more info, u can look at the amount of foreign investments in the natural resources in Laos along with some of the investments mentioned by Champ. the Laos embassy site is a great resource, but just don't believe everything u see. but that should be your rule of thumb on the whole for living life, anyhooo, no?
