Cod Satrusayang: Enough with Thailand's unhealthy cult of celebrity
But the local obsession with celebrity has become so overwhelming that one wonders if it has reached unhealthy proportions.
In Thailand being a “dara,” the local term for “celebrity,” is a full-time occupation that comes with public appearances, money and prestige. But no longer are people famous for possessing a skill, working a miracle or even looking really good, as is the case with the West's original "famous for being famous" faces like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian.
Increasingly people are achieving fame just because of their last name, among other silly trivialities. It shouldn’t really be surprising -- after all this is the country with half a dozen magazines of all languages celebrating the intemperance of high society.
And sure, rich people are celebrated all over the world; Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Ted Turner, etc. But those people have actually done something noteworthy.
Here in Bangkok, the wives and daughters of the rich are given preferential treatment and magazine centerfolds. Yet in most cases they aren’t even attractive!
I don’t see Ted Turner’s ugly granddaughter getting her own sparkling magazine profile that glosses over her “amazing aptitude for languages” while she “studies to find herself.” But in Thailand someone who doesn’t work for a living and has no discernible skill is actually celebrated because she is “well-spoken” -- and the daughter of a multi-billionaire, of course.
What’s worse is that people actually read this stuff religiously and want to become a part of it. I have heard friends with high-paying respectable jobs remark candidly: “I want to be a celeb.”
This culture of celebrity/high-society worship wouldn’t be so concerning if it didn’t impact and influence the younger generations. All it does is provide negative, unattainable role models that young people try to emulate.
Celebrity worship is also not just restricted to high society types but to archetypal characters on television. Turn on the local TV channels at night and not only will you get a taste of the finest that Thai acting has to offer but a look at the local stereotypes Thailand’s soap operas are perpetrating.
Here women scream psychotically when they don't get their way, pout, moan and need men to rescue them. When women aren't willing to have sex with the protagonist, coercion often comes in the form of corporal or statutory rape, after which the women fall head over heels in love and demand every second of the man's time.
Images such as these provide negative perceptions for young minds. To young girls it suggests it’s alright to be rescued and weak while to young men it sends the message that women are just objects to be controlled.
There are much better role models out there than the rich and miserable or the divas of nighttime television. Take for example Dr. Suchana Chavanich, the first Thai woman to conduct research in Antarctica, or Khun Vitidnan Rojanapanich, the first Thai to reach the top of Mount Everest.
These are positive role models yet hardly celebrated because they do not own huge companies or wear too much make-up and overact on television.
Clearly, Thai society has a lot of maturing left to do and a positive step would be for the media powers that be to tone down the cult of celebrity that exists.
