"Thais have not been taught to value pursuit
of knowledge and truth through independent learning and open discussion
with those with differing viewpoints... Many Thais, even those with many
years of schooling, are often unable or uninterested
in developing and articulating serious thoughts or analyses. Not
because Thais are stupid, but because serious thoughts and analyses are
usually not required for success in Thai society, so many Thais have not
got enough practice in serious thinking."
Harmony and Hate: The Strange Thai Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Disdain. Disgust. Vitriol. Violence. Hatred. Suspicion. Ill Will.
Paranoia. These are what fill the air and are spreading like viruses in
Thailand at the moment. No wonder I’ve been feeling so ill of late with
headaches that would not go away – not a normal occurrence for me. But
it’s not a normal time in the Land of Smiles. What a misnomer now: “Land
of Smiles.” It feels more like “Land of Hate.”
To my great distress, Thais have just turned into the most rabid hate
and fear mongers, a fact anyone who’s followed Thai politics in the
past few weeks cannot have missed. The transformation of the Thai
national character from a gentle and friendly people to a tribe of
venomous and bloodthirsty misanthropes was so swift and drastic as to
stagger even the most sober person.
Do we have a case of a Thai Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here? I believe we do.
Introducing Dr. Jekyll
First, let’s have a look at the Thai Dr. Jekyll – the polite,
personable, sociable, and hospitable Thai that you have always known (or
thought you knew), who is so easy to smile, takes things easy
(sometimes too easy), avoids conflicts like a plague and always knows
how to have fun. This is the character that we Thais also believe
ourselves to be, the amiable and cultured Dr. Jekyll of the “Land of
Smiles.”
Thais are a “peace-loving” (รักสงบ /rák sà-ngòp/) people, most Thais believe. How can we not? Copious history lessons together with the many nationalistic songs we learned to sing by heart have drilled that notion into our heads. This “peace loving” characteristic may not bear up close scrutiny given that we have also been taught the glory of wars in which Thais bravely fought and killed our enemies – many times. But that doesn’t really matter because we’ve never really felt the need to scrutinize our past – to glorify it maybe but never to look too closely at our past, or present. On most days we are perfectly happy with our notion of who we are – a proud, free-spirited, peace-loving people. Any discrepancy in our collective belief and the truth has been conveniently left undisturbed except in some small, thus far irrelevant, academic corners where such things matter. It is also convenient that most disagreeable episodes in our history such as ones in which Thais killed each other are normally left out of schoolrooms and social discourse, or get too quick a passing mention that they become so blurry, only a determined few try to reflect upon them.
In all school and social activities, every Thai learns the concept of
Harmony (สามัคคี /sǎa-mâk-kii/). That is, we are Thais, we Love each
other and we should “Join our Hearts as One” (มีน้ำหนึ่งใจเดียวกัน /mii
náam nùeng jai diiaw kan/). Whatever happens, we are taught, we are
family, “brothers and sisters” (พี่น้อง /phîi nÓOng/) and we need to
find ways to agree, “give and take and compromise” (อลุ้มอล่วย /à-lúm
à-lùuay/). Harmony in society is of utmost importance and a foremost
virtue to keep and to protect for the sake of our “Nation, Religion and
King” (ชาติ ศาสนา พระมหากษัตริย์ /châat, sàat-sà-nǎa,
phrá-má-hǎa-kà-sàt/), the three key pillars of our society and the
testament to what it means to be Thai and what it means to belong. These
ideals have made an indelible imprint in our psyche.
Here Comes Mr. Hyde
But what’s just happened evidently shows that the good Dr. Jekyll of
Thailand has suffered a serious psychotic breakdown. Friends of Thailand
(heck, even Thais) can no longer recognize the good Dr. Jekyll and can
only see the vile and ugly face of Mr. Hyde who is terrorizing the
citizens of Thailand. It cannot be denied now that Thailand has a split
personality. More even start to recollect memories of the suppressed
dark episodes in our not-so-distant past – not that remembering is
having any effect on the terrorizing Mr. Hyde.
What brought about this latest psychotic episode in which Dr. Jekyll
has once again lost control to his alternate personality, Mr. Hyde? And
will the good doctor ever regain control over his evil self? I don’t
know. I hope so, but I’m afraid it won’t be easy.
The terror of Mr. Hyde lies not only in his capacity for violence,
but also because he is guided solely by primal instinct. Unburdened by
any code of morality, his actions are hence unrestrained.
These days I often shudder when I read and hear things uttered by my
fellow Thais. Many Thais are no longer relating to each other as humans,
but as animals and monsters: stupid “buffalos” (ควาย /kwaay/) and nasty
“lizards” (เหี้ย /hîia/) rank among the top. Polite Thais now use the
most vulgar forms of address with one another, though still largely
behind keyboards. It seems, more Thais now have very little respect for
other Thais as human beings, if they don’t wear the same political
colored shirts. Those who resist one color or another, or try to talk
principles rather than ride on the psychotic tides, are deemed
suspicious. “Us or them” is the reigning mentality. If you agree with
them, you are “true” Thai. If you don’t, you are suspected as “fake”
Thai or “fake” something or hiding your true color.
I witness some nice and gentle school friends turn into hideous and
vicious creatures who spew out hate and vulgarity and clamor for death
and destruction of “the enemies” who wear different colored shirts. How
much more simplistic can it get? Hating others based on their shirt
color? Wishing them dead because of their shirt color, because they are
“stupid,” because they love someone you hate, or because they are
suspected to hate someone you love? Is the psychosis that unleashed the
evil Mr. Hyde so simplistic as this or is it possibly rooted in
something a little more complex?
The Root of the Thai Jekyll-Hyde Psychosis
Obviously the Thai Harmony has broken down. สามัคคี (samakki)
now cannot be taken for granted, when parties in conflict no longer
wish to compromise. A large number of Thais don’t feel they are valued
in society and Harmony hasn’t done them much good. Some may no longer
feel they belong, while those enjoying the status quo don’t see anything
wrong and are deaf to others’ complaints.
Thais now question national loyalty of others who have different
views from their own. The epithet มึงเป็นคนไทยหรือเปล่า (“Are you
f**king Thai?”) is hurled freely. Different viewpoints are considered
disagreements that are taken personally. The subsequent attacks are
hence also personal, unrestrained, juvenile, even childish in nature.
Those who disagree become suddenly “traitors” of the Nation: คนขายชาติ
ทรยศชาติ and so forth (see The Reigning Vocabulary of Thai Colored Politics).
The Harmony in the Thai brother and sisterhood has ruptured, leaving a
deep divide; brothers and sisters have become enemies who can be wished
dead and whose lives can be dispensed with in order to preserve Unity
and Harmony – at least more than a few have said so.
How can a society that so extols harmony and unity be so intolerant
and vicious towards its own? I see the culprit in the Thai education and
socialization. In other words, the Thai society has created its own
monster; it has nurtured its own Mr. Hyde. By extolling unity and
harmony at the expense of other no less lofty values, in particular the
pursuit of knowledge and truth, Thais have learned to abhor differences
in thoughts or any diversity in behavior and identity because, I
believe, Thais have mistaken Uniformity for Harmony. Thais have not been
taught to value pursuit of knowledge and truth through independent
learning and open discussion with those with differing viewpoints.
“Truth” in Thai society is often something that has been agreed upon
(those in power get to agree of course, and those not in power get to
accept the agreement and the truth). “Truth” in the Thai concept is not
something unalterable that is based on facts and supported by logical
reasoning. Many Thais, even those with many years of schooling, are
often unable or uninterested in developing and articulating serious
thoughts or analyses. Not because Thais are stupid, but because serious
thoughts and analyses are usually not required for success in Thai
society, so many Thais have not got enough practice in serious thinking.
I believe Red Shirts have real grievances but they have so far been
unable to articulate clearly their grievances and what they really want –
this is not helped by the fact that many of their leaders are
inarticulate blockheads. On the other hand, many anti-Red Shirts are
simply uninterested in knowing if the Red Shirts might have real
grievances because they have already prejudged them as having only one
motive: to reinstall the square-faced devil. There is a conspicuous lack
of interest in the majority of Thais to listen to or to seek what the
protesters want because of this prejudgment as well as the common lack
of interest or capacity to seek the truth.
Thais have never been taught to like vigorous debates because they
are too uncomfortably confrontational, and likely disrupt the jealousy
guarded Harmony. We are not encouraged to sort through our differences
with reasons and principles but through agreement and compromise. So
when agreement and compromise are not possible, we go haywire. We are
unable to deal with conflicts in any other way and so resort to the only
other means available: primal emotions or faith. I’m not saying there
are no Thais with intellectual maturity who can rise above primal
instinct and programmed thoughts. There are many but there are not
enough of them to withstand the overwhelming tide of raw emotions and
unreason.
The fact that Thai society has long been closely attached to
militarism, Thais have also learned to view uniformity and order as
desirable and harsh discipline for any divergence (แตกแถว /tÈEk thĚEw/ –
going out of line) as expected, or even necessary. (See Exhibit A:
overwhelming support among Thais for many military coups in the past
half century.)
Thais have a strong tribal mentality – love ones of our own and hate
those that don’t belong. We have great capacity to love and to hate
intensely and irrationally. It doesn’t sound very modern or very
attractive, but face it, that’s what we are: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Will Dr. Jekyll recover and find the right formula to make the potion
needed to put an end to Mr. Hyde? I believe eventually he probably
will, but perhaps not before Mr. Hyde has a chance to wreck more havoc.
But more importantly, will Dr. Jekyll learn a lesson and find a way to
deal with his inner demon? Will he ever learn that there is good and
evil in all of us, that nobody is all good or all evil, and that the key
to survival is to come to terms with one’s real self?
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