Big Brother
For me, today was further justification for not watching television. I was sound asleep in my bed, safe and comfortable, when the news hit America that a coup had ousted the current prime minister in Thailand. Clips were shown on CNN of tanks rolling in the streets of Bangkok. A single clip or two of some tanks and soldiers in a part of town far removed from me. Down by the river, a part of town I haven't even been to yet. All at once, relatives throughout the Western Hemisphere were anxious and worried about their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters teaching abroad in Thailand.
The media once again distorted the truth by exaggerating it. Yes, schools, banks, and the stockmarket were shut down today (how do you close the stockmarket?) but everything will resume tomorrow. The prime minister is not revered like the king is; now if something had happened to the king, then all hell would probably break loose.
Today was like a snow day, without the snow. A coup day, if you will.
The thing that affected me the most, though, is how controlled communication is in Thailand. The phone tree was enacted at 1:30 in the morning because in the past (I'm guessing before everyone had cell phones) telephone lines have been cut to deter communication. CNN and BBC were pulled from the television this morning. The local news channels were not reporting the situation either, instead they were displaying pictures of the king and queen, playing the national anthem. The government in the past has also blocked certain sites on the internet from everyone in the country. Big brother is definitely watching.
Fortunately, I could get on line today and read the news on CNN. When I went to the restaurant in my building, the news was on the television and some of the military officials were speaking. Albeit they were speaking in Thai, but the coverage was being aired and that in itself was comforting.
I don't condone the over-reporting that goes on in America, but I do have a greater appreciation now for the freedom of speech and the (seeming) lack of censorship.
The media once again distorted the truth by exaggerating it. Yes, schools, banks, and the stockmarket were shut down today (how do you close the stockmarket?) but everything will resume tomorrow. The prime minister is not revered like the king is; now if something had happened to the king, then all hell would probably break loose.
Today was like a snow day, without the snow. A coup day, if you will.
The thing that affected me the most, though, is how controlled communication is in Thailand. The phone tree was enacted at 1:30 in the morning because in the past (I'm guessing before everyone had cell phones) telephone lines have been cut to deter communication. CNN and BBC were pulled from the television this morning. The local news channels were not reporting the situation either, instead they were displaying pictures of the king and queen, playing the national anthem. The government in the past has also blocked certain sites on the internet from everyone in the country. Big brother is definitely watching.
Fortunately, I could get on line today and read the news on CNN. When I went to the restaurant in my building, the news was on the television and some of the military officials were speaking. Albeit they were speaking in Thai, but the coverage was being aired and that in itself was comforting.
I don't condone the over-reporting that goes on in America, but I do have a greater appreciation now for the freedom of speech and the (seeming) lack of censorship.
posted by Michelle at
4:41 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Sis,
Thanks for keeping us posted. Glad to see it's not bad over there. You know how Stef and I are about good ol CNN. We watch it all the time and when it showed breaking news, I called Stef immediatley. Okie Dokie! Nini
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