The Ironies of Thai Selfie-Culture: Social Semaphore Over Smoothies

[Chromacomaphoto]

Thanks all

Thanks all

tbhv55, Rayt, 13promet,dee,Joe V, Marcr1230, btgc, kuuan,Doug (and his missus!), Lestele (there's more every week on my blog), nlubis Thanks very much for the kind responses and general feedback.

Calebarchic: I'm early 40's, not quite old enough for bitter rants really, it wasn't meant to be though in all honesty!

Darthfeeble: Yes, quite and my mistakes were significantly worse!

bobbyrab: Indeed, you may have a valid point.

photomoof: Tell me about it, fair comment.

Oscuro: In all honesty, they did look quite happy!

ellison: I think there may be some disconnect between how it was intended and how it might be read by some, and perhaps yourself. The whole thing was firmly tongue-in-cheek, nothing more. In my defence, I work with young people every day and talk to them a lot about this and many, many other things. Smartphone abuse is off the hook here though compared to most other places I've seen in the world, it was just my perception of the situation, that's all. As for 'fiction', well a key hallmark of realist prose is that it encourages the reader to make moral assertions and judgements without necessarily being aware that they were guided to do so. Your response certainly shows a good degree of that. Maybe you're on to something. In Thailand, people DO judge a book by its cover, I have lived here half of my life and so it would be optimistic at this point to say that I'm not becoming a product of my environment, as we all are I suppose. Perhaps I do have judgmental issues, I think you might well have a fair point there. I respect your reading of it and I also fully respect your response.

Colin: See above , and below 🙂

Including pic here now, not for 'pic or it didn't happen' reasons, more because a lot of people took the time to read and comment and so it seems fitting. Joking and sarcasm aside, I'm sure they were (and still are) very happy!

 

[kuuan]

Having live and worked mucho in Bangkok, kudos to the OP for telling it exactly like it is.

Trust me, O Open-Minded Preeners, he writes it as it was.

how about Hong Kong? Saigonese easily beat Bangkokites 🙂 When in a highly enough respected shop it has become an expected act of courtesy to wait with the first sip / bite until some pics of the highly decorative drink or expensive looking plate has been taken, possibly also to wait with any communication until the upload and checking of first comments and likes will have been completed.
The chance to get run over by youngsters absorbed in self importance is much higher back in Vienna though, I believe that CCP will agree that generally Thais are very, very respectful.

 

[kinch123]

how about Hong Kong? Saigonese easily beat Bangkokites 🙂 When in a highly enough respected shop it has become an expected act of courtesy to wait with the first sip / bite until some pics of the highly decorative drink or expensive looking plate has been taken, possibly also to wait with any communication until the upload and checking of first comments and likes will have been completed.
The chance to get run over by youngsters absorbed in self importance is much higher back in Vienna though, I believe that CCP will agree that generally Thais are very, very respectful.

Given that I'm now living in Hong Kong (and have totalled more time here than Bangkok), I'd have to say that Hong Kong people aren't quite as appearance and self-branding obsessed as Thais. They certainly *are* of course... but rather more down-to-earth and pragmatic, mostly.

Having said that, I've been sternly told not to start eating until the food pics have been taken on many occasions.

The selfie craze must be having some big effects on interior design. It becomes more and more important to make venues immediately identifiable from a few design elements in selfie backgrounds taken from almost anywhere inside. I suspect this underlies such things as the interior design of (e.g.) Water Library Restaurant in Bangkok.

 

[Oscuro]

I think Hubertus Bigend would be fascinated by this.

Kisses,

Mme. O.

 

[mcfingon]

Great story CCP. I have studied some Buddhism recently, and it feel that its philosophy of mindfulness and ego-less nature is the exact opposite of the western multi-tasking and mega-me culture. But it looks like that, even for a nation with a Buddhist culture, the immediate gratification of the western gadgets and ways is winning. They are such shiny and desirable gadgets!

 

[Doug]

Hope you don't mind my take on it...

Las Vegas, in The Venetian's Piazza, he went about this self-portraiture with great determination. He spent a lot of time trying different expressions, with and without sunglasses, and then checking the effect. M8, C-Sonnar

 

[kuuan]

haha, the mouth pointed as if for a kiss is real big with teenage girls, usually paired with too big Bambi eyes, cute how is trying 🙂

 

[kinch123]

Great story CCP. I have studied some Buddhism recently, and it feel that its philosophy of mindfulness and ego-less nature is the exact opposite of the western multi-tasking and mega-me culture. But it looks like that, even for a nation with a Buddhist culture, the immediate gratification of the western gadgets and ways is winning. They are such shiny and desirable gadgets!

I lived for some time in Bangkok. A close relative married and moved to Sri-Lanka. She is *far* more politically correct and inclined to believe the best of people than I am.

After two years living there, I asked her for her thoughts on living in a supposedly Buddhist society in practice as opposed to in theory.

Suffice it to say that we both agreed that theory is one thing, quotidian reality is most definitely another.

Now this is true for all philosophies and religions: we are more alike all of us than we realise.

This is somewhat obfuscated in the west where 'Buddhism' is more a highly idealised and fetishised (from afar) forbids nothing / judges nothing, 'Anything But Christianity' religion-lite for people who have an inchoate urge to be spiritual so long as it's got nothing to do with their own cultural and historical roots 😀

There are such things as Thais being mindful and ego-less, but I wouldn't walk down the street holding my breath until I met one.

I would also describe 'Thai Religion' as being more Hindu-Buddhist God-King worship at one end, and shamanic spirits/ghosts to be placated at the other end... But the official story everybody tells themselves is that they are Theravada Buddhists. It's more respectable, after all 🙂.

Some people may think that Japanese are Buddhist. In the Japanese and Chinese worlds, the main (unstated) purpose of Buddhism is 'disposal of dead people and their vengeful spirits'. There are other religions for other things. Of course I oversimplify, but it's roughly the reality on the ground.

Funny old world.

 

[mcfingon]

Thanks for the clarification from experience, kinch123. I noticed in Bhutan on my brief visit in 2014 that local practice was different to my western interpretation of Buddhist ideals. But I did enjoy traveling with our small group greatly. My web page from that visit if you want to have a look:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~fingon/mckinnon/2014/bhutan.html

 

[Hsg]

Hell is other people. -Sartre

 

[JP Owens]

We are extremely unsuccessful at understanding other people just by watching them. One of my favorite quotes, "We live in a house full of mirrors and think we are looking out windows."

 

[css9450]

The selfie craze must be having some big effects on interior design. It becomes more and more important to make venues immediately identifiable from a few design elements in selfie backgrounds taken from almost anywhere inside. I suspect this underlies such things as the interior design of (e.g.) Water Library Restaurant in Bangkok.

This includes the presentation of food. Big article in the paper recently about restaurants hiring designers to re-do their table settings, plates, cups, silverware and even the placement of the food to make it ever-more-so inviting when seen online in social media.

 

[kuuan]

when diving into a foreign culture first people might seem quite different, then very similar, later again it will dawn on us that we haven't understood anything yet and slowly will start to grasp 😉

..
Buddhism being idealized by some Westerners might be partly due to Buddhism rather being a way of life than a fixed set of believes or even dogmas they may want to liberate themselves from.

In Thai popular Buddhism the idea of "what you do is what you get" seems very strong. Important monks teach in detail which thoughts and actions will cause what kind of results, specially in next lives to come. They make a strong, fixed set of believes 🙂
Discipline is an underlying prerequisite, keeping control under adverse circumstances a recognized and aspired quality, so are humility and very importantly creating light feeling and fun.

For us Westerners, at least for someone where I come from where blaming circumstances and complaining are rampant, substituting those with taking responsibility and lightheartedness may be empowering and liberating

 

[f16sunshine]

^^^^^
Thank you for that Andreas 🙂

 

[Colin Corneau]

Having live and worked mucho in Bangkok, kudos to the OP for telling it exactly like it is.

Trust me, O Open-Minded Preeners, he writes it as it was.

I've spent extended time in BKK (as well as all over China), myself.

I actually notice more of it here in North America. Plenty of areas to go in any big city where life is more focused outwardly...a photographer just has to go looking for them, is all.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

Thank you for posting, I enjoyed that. The mental picture you created in my mind with the writing didn't match the shot though, not your fault at all. Just shows, the narrative great, the picture great, the match up didn't work isn't that odd? If I'd seen the picture with the write up, above or below like newspaper article, remember those, it would have worked, I think. I wouldn't have created my inner world, but would I have clicked through and been disappointed anyway from just the text?t
On Winnogrand, his star waxes and wanes. I take Churchill on Russia as the guide: he is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
It is good he is/was there though as an example to draw on when I get my obsession accusations.
Finally hat tip for the John Free link, appreciated, good stuff.

 

[kinch123]

Thanks for the clarification from experience, kinch123. I noticed in Bhutan on my brief visit in 2014 that local practice was different to my western interpretation of Buddhist ideals. But I did enjoy traveling with our small group greatly. My web page from that visit if you want to have a look:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~fingon/mckinnon/2014/bhutan.html

Loved your photos, John + the Royal Enfield. Just added what you guys did to my bucket list!

 

[kuuan]

^^^^^
Thank you for that Andreas 🙂

oh, glad that you like it Andy and that you say so 🙂

Studying Buddhist philosophy or practicing meditation of course is distinct from Buddhism as practiced by a society at large. The organized religion that will have set forth rules and fixed believes and will be practiced through traditions:
Yesterday was 'Tet', Vietnamese New Year. People set up offerings in front of their houses just before midnight to say farewell to the old and invite the new 'spirits', then we went to the Buddhist pagoda to pray, today I joined a group of people setting free some 40.000 fish in a local river, typical 'merit making' as is very popular in Thailand too: ( not to plaster this thread with my photos, only links ) https://flic.kr/p/CXThie https://flic.kr/p/DSXsp3 https://flic.kr/p/DVzRt4
cheers, andreas

 

[johank]

Very much like train riding todays, all young people keep quiet listning to their music and handling their smartphones while I with camera and book compainon get a very silent ride in every wagon.
Don't overrate their know how, they don't have time to tell you!

 

[telenous]

Social rituals and practices that evolve in a similar fashion often seem alien, their meaning almost unassailable and out of reach to outsiders. The irony of it: how odd must seem to a disinterested party the taking/sharing of photos of strangers, the incessant talk of gear, the forum posts, the usual paraphernalia that make this business (and by extension its pracitioners) unique/distinguished. Selfies -- don't we have two or three or four threads with self-portraits here?

Also, I 'll be surprised if some young lad/lass doesn't pull off dead serious work of some kind based on selfies. I bet someone is working on it right now.

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