First, some observations and details. Then, some thoughts.
Today was a day planned out for a while, to be the biggest protest we've seen so far. The goal is to "shut down bangkok," as you'll see on everyone's t-shirts. I bought one, too :-) (Not saying I agree). 20 major intersections - some next to government buildings - are being blocked. However, to accommodate tourists, they are actually allowing us to pass almost completely unbothered. The monorail is open in most places. Other than that, good luck getting around.
I've been walking around for a few hours, since early morning, checking out what I can see. My first impression: This thing is MASSIVE. I've only been to 2 intersections so far (they are pretty far to walk), but both were accommodating ten thousand easy, probably multiple tens of thousands. When I say intersection, think Arc de Triumph in Paris, or the biggest roundabout you know. These are important cultural points, often monuments. And they are full. Full of people of all ages, blowing whistles and horns that might as well be vuvuzelas. With the exception of children - I have only seen a hand full.
Everyone has about 5 Thai flags on their body, in one form or another. Most are wearing t-shirts with protest slogans. There are some signs. And whistles. God. Did I mention they have whistles? Not sure if you can hear me. I can't hear me. Many are wearing camo. In and around the intersections there are hundreds of tents where people are camping out, who knows how long. People sleeping on blankets in the street, singing, playing games, smiling, and blowing whistles. The atmosphere is holiday, but there are voices coming from the stages that sound motivational. I don't speak Thai. It's ok though, I understand the whistles. Though there are many signs in English. Interesting.
Overall, I'm considering "tenting-up" and saving some money on sleeping arrangements. These people know how to have a good time. Maybe they'll give me a whistle, too.
Thoughts:
I've only been to a few protests in my life. About half of them were during my year abroad in Spain, when I was a witness rather than a participant. The other half, not including this one I'm in now, were in the US. I've studied conflict, politics, and human rights for about 8 years, but rarely haven't gotten close to the action. Part of this is due to location. Newburgh, IN and Syracuse, NY aren't exactly political hotbeds. I had to drive all the way to DC to get to one. For a lot of us, that just isn't realistic. It's hard to protest in the US. There's another reason it's hard to protest in the US: protest generally has a negative stigma attached to it. The media normally portrays protesters as the "other," someone different from you, hard to identify with. They're extremists. Who else would skip work to stand on the street in public, yelling things at passers-by?
This happens for at least two reasons. First, sensationalizing news makes it more interesting and tv companies will get more viewers. This equates to more $ from advertisers. Which is why you see all that overblown celebrity drama on stations and websites that are considered our top news sources. Second, it's a way of keeping the status quo, of not rocking the boat. It creates the illusion of stability, a comfortable feeling that is necessary to keep us spending money, not taking our money out of banks or selling our stocks, and keeps us consuming in the American capitalist economy.
That is all to say, protest is not a part of our culture. There was an attempt to make it part of our culture in the 60s, along with other sweeping changes, but it ultimately failed. People today are not out taking to the streets like they are in other countries - all of Europe, for instance. Or the Middle East. In this way, we are actually similar to Thailand. Protest is even less acceptable in their culture than it is ours. For instance, I've heard some protesters say they are a little embarrassed to be out here, because it's not something they would normally do. But they feel this issue is so important that they are breaking social norms and doing it anyways. And I think we can learn something from them, and this situation.
Despite what you've heard in Western media, basically all of these protests are completely peaceful. As always, it is a very small group, probably as many as you can count on two hands, who are getting the attention of international media because of one or two small actions, which don't represent the protest movement at large. And, as we've learned from Occupy Wall Street incidents and similar protest groups in the US, these incidents may actually be the result of other groups impersonating protesters and causing harm, in order to make the movement look bad. These protests are more of parties than what I would typically think of when the word "protest" is thrown out - angry chanting, negative or aggressive energy, and potentially violence. Then I think about where I got that idea about protests. All the ones I've ever seen personally have been peaceful, with one exception in Spain, where a building was vandalized, but no one was attacked. Even there, they had wine and partied afterwards, in the very building they protested. That image of the violent, negative protests comes from the media. And recall, the media gains from providing a sensationalist image of anything, for its own interests. So take it with a grain of salt.
This highlights something I'm trying to take to heart, and perhaps apply to my own experiences: protests can be fun! In fact, maybe they should be. Not only will it energize you and those around you, but you'll attract more followers who will be more open to hearing out your perspective, than if you're just yelling angry things out of a speakerphone. To clarify, there is a place for justified indignation. I'm not saying marches for Trayvon Martin should have been jovial. But perhaps some of the larger issues, such as government corruption, could benefit from this approach. It seems to be working here.
Today was a day planned out for a while, to be the biggest protest we've seen so far. The goal is to "shut down bangkok," as you'll see on everyone's t-shirts. I bought one, too :-) (Not saying I agree). 20 major intersections - some next to government buildings - are being blocked. However, to accommodate tourists, they are actually allowing us to pass almost completely unbothered. The monorail is open in most places. Other than that, good luck getting around.
I've been walking around for a few hours, since early morning, checking out what I can see. My first impression: This thing is MASSIVE. I've only been to 2 intersections so far (they are pretty far to walk), but both were accommodating ten thousand easy, probably multiple tens of thousands. When I say intersection, think Arc de Triumph in Paris, or the biggest roundabout you know. These are important cultural points, often monuments. And they are full. Full of people of all ages, blowing whistles and horns that might as well be vuvuzelas. With the exception of children - I have only seen a hand full.
Everyone has about 5 Thai flags on their body, in one form or another. Most are wearing t-shirts with protest slogans. There are some signs. And whistles. God. Did I mention they have whistles? Not sure if you can hear me. I can't hear me. Many are wearing camo. In and around the intersections there are hundreds of tents where people are camping out, who knows how long. People sleeping on blankets in the street, singing, playing games, smiling, and blowing whistles. The atmosphere is holiday, but there are voices coming from the stages that sound motivational. I don't speak Thai. It's ok though, I understand the whistles. Though there are many signs in English. Interesting.
Overall, I'm considering "tenting-up" and saving some money on sleeping arrangements. These people know how to have a good time. Maybe they'll give me a whistle, too.
Thoughts:
I've only been to a few protests in my life. About half of them were during my year abroad in Spain, when I was a witness rather than a participant. The other half, not including this one I'm in now, were in the US. I've studied conflict, politics, and human rights for about 8 years, but rarely haven't gotten close to the action. Part of this is due to location. Newburgh, IN and Syracuse, NY aren't exactly political hotbeds. I had to drive all the way to DC to get to one. For a lot of us, that just isn't realistic. It's hard to protest in the US. There's another reason it's hard to protest in the US: protest generally has a negative stigma attached to it. The media normally portrays protesters as the "other," someone different from you, hard to identify with. They're extremists. Who else would skip work to stand on the street in public, yelling things at passers-by?
This happens for at least two reasons. First, sensationalizing news makes it more interesting and tv companies will get more viewers. This equates to more $ from advertisers. Which is why you see all that overblown celebrity drama on stations and websites that are considered our top news sources. Second, it's a way of keeping the status quo, of not rocking the boat. It creates the illusion of stability, a comfortable feeling that is necessary to keep us spending money, not taking our money out of banks or selling our stocks, and keeps us consuming in the American capitalist economy.
That is all to say, protest is not a part of our culture. There was an attempt to make it part of our culture in the 60s, along with other sweeping changes, but it ultimately failed. People today are not out taking to the streets like they are in other countries - all of Europe, for instance. Or the Middle East. In this way, we are actually similar to Thailand. Protest is even less acceptable in their culture than it is ours. For instance, I've heard some protesters say they are a little embarrassed to be out here, because it's not something they would normally do. But they feel this issue is so important that they are breaking social norms and doing it anyways. And I think we can learn something from them, and this situation.
Despite what you've heard in Western media, basically all of these protests are completely peaceful. As always, it is a very small group, probably as many as you can count on two hands, who are getting the attention of international media because of one or two small actions, which don't represent the protest movement at large. And, as we've learned from Occupy Wall Street incidents and similar protest groups in the US, these incidents may actually be the result of other groups impersonating protesters and causing harm, in order to make the movement look bad. These protests are more of parties than what I would typically think of when the word "protest" is thrown out - angry chanting, negative or aggressive energy, and potentially violence. Then I think about where I got that idea about protests. All the ones I've ever seen personally have been peaceful, with one exception in Spain, where a building was vandalized, but no one was attacked. Even there, they had wine and partied afterwards, in the very building they protested. That image of the violent, negative protests comes from the media. And recall, the media gains from providing a sensationalist image of anything, for its own interests. So take it with a grain of salt.
This highlights something I'm trying to take to heart, and perhaps apply to my own experiences: protests can be fun! In fact, maybe they should be. Not only will it energize you and those around you, but you'll attract more followers who will be more open to hearing out your perspective, than if you're just yelling angry things out of a speakerphone. To clarify, there is a place for justified indignation. I'm not saying marches for Trayvon Martin should have been jovial. But perhaps some of the larger issues, such as government corruption, could benefit from this approach. It seems to be working here.
Interesting, and good analysis! Good point for protests being positive and fun. We could definitely use more of those over here. Yesterday on NPR I heard a report on the protests, and the news dude was asking if there would be a potential for violence if Northern Thaksin supporters would come down and counter protest. I forget who he was asking and what the response was. I wonder what would happen? I hope it would be peaceful. I just now read, though, about a grenade being lobbed at and exploding near the protest leader. I would not be surprised at all if the violent acts that have been reported so far were ordered by someone in the government.
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