Different Reactions: Isaan Buddhists and Southern Thai Muslims
Posted by Stuart at 11:34 AM on May 08, 2004I was browsing a website on Thai folk music yesterday when I had a revelation. The site would casually mention, "In the Lao region of Northeast Thailand... but in the Cambodian region..." This in itself is not that surprising. I have many Thai friends from Isaan (Northeast Thailand) whose families back in the village speak Lao and a few Thai friends whose families speak Khmer (Cambodian language).
But then I thought about it with respect to the recent conversation on my site about the ongoing violence in Southern Thailand. As Lynn commented:
"I have always admired the Thais (I'm not talking about Thais who live in Bangkok, but the ones who live in the far-flung provinces of Thailand) and their general patient and peace-loving nature. So many of them are dirt poor, and yet they never complain. Ever."
Based on what I have seen and experienced, she is absolutely correct. The people of Isaan almost never complain. Even when they are "dirt poor". Even when their language (Lao or Khmer) and culture is being overrun by the homogenizing Thais.
So we have these two opposite cultures who react very differently to the same situation: The Buddhist Lao/Khmers in Isaan and the Muslim Malays in the south. The former takes the mai bpen rai (no problem/never mind) attitude while elements of the latter attack police stations and burn down schools and temples.
So, as it often happens, we have two extremes. Isn't there a better middle-ground somewhere? Protesting and standing up for what yourself and what you believe in, yet not taking it to the killing and burning extreme?
By the way, the Thai folk music site was very entertaining and educational. If you want to hear some... "interesting"... folk music from Southeast Asia, check out Monsoon Country.
Interesting observation, Charles. Yes, Thailand is very diverse, compared to its neighbors. And that's even despite the Thai governments best attempts to homogenize the culture over the past century. But even in addition to the cultures you listed, Chinese and Hilltribe cultures also play a large role. (The former more than the latter, of course.)
But I think you have a good point about America. I often complained that Americans are not very tolerant of people who are different, but they have come a very, very long way in the past 50 years. At least (for the most part) Americans don't kill each other over religious or cultural differences. Of course you still have the random African-American church burning or abortion doctor being shot, but in general, Americans are becoming much better at tolerance.
The more I thought about this, the more I realized that Americans have developed a pretty good balance between having no rights and being apathetic about it, and fighting to the death over their beliefs. They (again, for the most part) are able to stand up for what they believe without it resorting to violence.
Of course, as I type this I am thinking about the recent horrific news coming out of Iraq. As you and most Americans know, what happened in that prison is not representative of American behavior in general...
Sawaddee Khun Stauart.
Exactly you are right about that part you were saying "...what happened in that prison is not representative of American behavior in general..."
as my concern towards the violence in the south, I don't think that anybody can make a simple justification about that thing happened in Iraqi prison or in the south of Thailand. Everybody is subjective to his own thought or action not that he from those places. It's not something that you can point at someone and accuse him with early conclusion. Not like everybody is the same.
We are all God's Children. I only pray that no one would get hurt anymore.
Hi Stuart, Thanks for your reply. If you'll allow me a bit of a rant on things political...
I wonder if what we saw comming out of the Iraqi Prison is not an aberation but is in fact a result of deeply rooted cultural AND religious biases.
Thats not to say that on one level most "individual" Americans would not approve of this disgusting behavior. But, really how different is it from the pervasive culture of bullying in our schools? The bully left unchallenged or disciplined by authority gives rise to soldiers and commanders and civilians that act out the same way.
How different is it when as an African-American, there are many subtle behaviors I feel I have to engage in that are survival tactics against the spectre of racial profiling by law enforcement?
Look to the history of lynchings from the 19th Centurty to present day, Posse Comitatus gangs that operated in much the same fashion as these goons in the Iraqi Prision in instilling fear and humiliation. No I don't generally (at least consciously) fear getting lynched but there are many other stresses unique to this sub-cuture that I do live with that I feel the the "Majority Culture" is oblivious to.
What effect does a culture of intolerance bred in our churches against those who are different to the point of counselling families to abandon their children who identify differently?
The culture that shcool children settle your differences by fighting it out on the playfield? --Which then translates to fighting in bars or sporting events as adults. Or what it means to be masculine? In this culture, one of the most vehemenent insults is to challenge one's masculinity. Why is that?
In recent political cycles, you had a ferrocious political machine ammassed to destroy the reputation of the sitting President and by use of money and bribes, to derange the political landscape. Yes, it was exposed that the President engaged in bahavior that was shall we say dissapointing but really it was absolutely none of the public's business. How strange it was to try to impose a victorian code to try to force the President to resign for his indescretion and then suffer the humiliation of an impeachment.
The extreme xenophobia being practiced now as most non Europeans wishing to visit the USA can now attest to, is borne again out of this culture of fear and intolerance. It is ironic that our culture is this amalgam from all parts of the world that I spoke of earlier but we now fear that which we are made from... The barriers we've erected are really less about the safety and security of the country than as to lessen the cultural influx of people that are not yet "like us".
Look at the way in which people who have left the current US administration over matters of conscience are treated. They are demonized and mauled by ferrocious attacks on their characters rather than substantively responding to the concerns they have raised.
So yes Stuart, while the individual soldiers bear the responsibility for their actions, I also feel we in this country also bear responsibility for the culture that fosters this.
Hey Stuart,
It always struck me that Thailand, more than most of its neighbors is a amalgum of cultures (Thai/Buddihst/Laotian/Khmer/Malay/Muslim/**European and Americans expats/ much like America. The homoginizing you speak of could be a good thing but could also be perceived as threatening to the original cultures being subsumed.
Thailand I think, has a choice to embrace the American model where cultures blend and try to get along (with varying degrees of success and failure) or the Yugoslavian model where balkanization occurs and people try to destroy each other.
What do you think?