Tonight, barring major catastrophe, marks my last night in the United States for 137 days. In that time span, I have a lot of expectations, a lot of aspirations, and I'm looking for a lot of inspiration. Thailand lies ahead, months of learning, teaching, exploring and adventuring-- but also months of uncertainty.
As my mother would like to remind me, Thailand is not in the most comforting of political states currently. And by that, I mean it's a full-blown coup. We've done a fair amount of research, and that itself is not an extreme detriment to travel- Thailand's had 19 coups in 80 years, so this, if anything, is giving me a realistic experience.
The part about it all that is actually giving me pause- not the martial law, not the curfew, not the uncertainty about the future government or the health of the King- is the media censure. The possibility that I could be experiencing something and yet not legally be able to discuss it, or that major things could be happening around me and I wouldn't be aware of them. Talking about the King is looked down upon, discussing rumors of his health, and political preferences or indications about the crown prince or princess (which is incredibly interesting and worth novels of its own- the prince has given his poodle military status and is known as the "Playboy Prince", wikileaks revealed a lot of secrets) is simply not allowed. TV stations are censored currently to not allow international news, and political activists are silenced or detained by the military. Dissenters- active, influential, political dissenters, are forbidden from leaving the country.
In a convenient turn of events, I don't do well with mandates. The fact that I cannot talk about something gives me a childish desire to scream about it from the mountaintops. The more practical side of me has been warring against this urge, so I will be realistic and remain censored. This does present an interesting predicament, though.
My input will be censored, as well as my output. We talk a lot in the United States about the bias of the media and how much that can influence your opinions- and even muse at the brainwashing of different nations who are subjected to censorship or limited access to information. I'm curious about the reactions of the Thai people- those who have historically had a mix of this. They are accustomed to access to news sources and a freedom of information, which has recently been revoked. I would expect to hear something, to experience a reaction to this- but there is not a freedom of speech. They historically are forbidden from certain topics, and with martial law, the list of inflammatory topics has grown.
I know that Thailand is not even nearly the most limited country in terms of expression, but it'll be my first taste of it. It has caused me to think a lot about the way I've developed- to voice concerns, to address issues as I see them, to represent reality in as many ways as possible. How different would I be now as a person if that were not the environment in which I was raised? And again, how many things do we take for granted as an aspect of our daily lives?
The part about this censorship that is particularly interesting to me is how it could potentially play into my storytelling. The concept of "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" which we have so integrated into our culture is now diminished- I may not be allowed to share the whole truth. I'm not sure how much this will impact me personally, but in light of martial law, I will attempt not to step on any toes.
There is so much unknown ahead of me- maybe I won't even experience the influence of the military as I won't be in Bangkok, where most of the action is happening. Maybe my prior research will make me hyperaware of things which previously would've seemed common place. Maybe it'll be nothing. But no matter what the situation is, I will have an adventure. I will make the best of it, learn something about Thailand, about the world, about politics, and hopefully about myself.
Here's to the next four months, on radio edit.
As my mother would like to remind me, Thailand is not in the most comforting of political states currently. And by that, I mean it's a full-blown coup. We've done a fair amount of research, and that itself is not an extreme detriment to travel- Thailand's had 19 coups in 80 years, so this, if anything, is giving me a realistic experience.
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| King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest standing monarch. In Thailand he has semi-divine status and criticism against him is met with defamation charges and severe jail time. |
In a convenient turn of events, I don't do well with mandates. The fact that I cannot talk about something gives me a childish desire to scream about it from the mountaintops. The more practical side of me has been warring against this urge, so I will be realistic and remain censored. This does present an interesting predicament, though.
My input will be censored, as well as my output. We talk a lot in the United States about the bias of the media and how much that can influence your opinions- and even muse at the brainwashing of different nations who are subjected to censorship or limited access to information. I'm curious about the reactions of the Thai people- those who have historically had a mix of this. They are accustomed to access to news sources and a freedom of information, which has recently been revoked. I would expect to hear something, to experience a reaction to this- but there is not a freedom of speech. They historically are forbidden from certain topics, and with martial law, the list of inflammatory topics has grown.I know that Thailand is not even nearly the most limited country in terms of expression, but it'll be my first taste of it. It has caused me to think a lot about the way I've developed- to voice concerns, to address issues as I see them, to represent reality in as many ways as possible. How different would I be now as a person if that were not the environment in which I was raised? And again, how many things do we take for granted as an aspect of our daily lives?
The part about this censorship that is particularly interesting to me is how it could potentially play into my storytelling. The concept of "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" which we have so integrated into our culture is now diminished- I may not be allowed to share the whole truth. I'm not sure how much this will impact me personally, but in light of martial law, I will attempt not to step on any toes.
There is so much unknown ahead of me- maybe I won't even experience the influence of the military as I won't be in Bangkok, where most of the action is happening. Maybe my prior research will make me hyperaware of things which previously would've seemed common place. Maybe it'll be nothing. But no matter what the situation is, I will have an adventure. I will make the best of it, learn something about Thailand, about the world, about politics, and hopefully about myself.
Here's to the next four months, on radio edit.
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