Are they really unaware or just plain stupid?

[ginseng]

Not only that, the word swastika itself comes from ancient Sanskrit, which is also the origin for the ubiquitous Thai greeting "Sawatdee"

 

 

I never knew that but it makes sense. I've been fascinated by etymology.

[hudsonhicks]

Thai people are not big on world history education and geography.. the only thing they need to know is "thai king very very good" and anyone foreign is from lao or cambodia

[marko456]

I just showed these pics to my LT TGF (mail one newspaper story not PA) and she did not have a clue about WW2, Natzi's, the uniforms, the swatstika. She is 34, and from Isan.

So that was not taught in school here.

She also did not have a clue about the rein of Pol Pot in Cambo and the genocide there either.

TIT

[NorCalKid]

Hitler got the swastika from the Romans, I'm pretty sure of that.He studdied all the ancient Roman battle tactics.I have seen socks for sale in Pattaya with swastikas all over them.I'm sure whoever made them knew nothing about nazis.They probably thought it just looked like a nice pattern.

 

Have also seen girls with the tattoo. It's a Hindu thing and has nothing to do with Nazis.

[jojomecanic]

I just showed these pics to my LT TGF (mail one newspaper story not PA) and she did not have a clue about WW2, Natzi's, the uniforms, the swatstika. She is 34, and from Isan.

So that was not taught in school here.

She also did not have a clue about the rein of Pol Pot in Cambo and the genocide there either.

TIT

 

Yes, they are usualy poor in History and geography.

 

We must recognise that we, western people, decided that having good knowledge in Geography and History was something important.

 

We should also agree that these are our values, but may not be shared by other people.

 

Not being able to understand that other communities have other interests than geo and histo is a proof of intolerance and puts below them.

 

Let's not forget that this was what was doing Nazism : not accepting different people, different cultures.

[forqalso]

Really, what are they teaching the kids these days?

 

[andyaus]

Before we get too high and mighty about the fact that an Asian country has taken the time to attempt to include some Western history into their school curriculum and we start objecting to the way they have done it we should look at our own cultures.

 

 

We accept the insulting behaviour of groups like the Skinheads and KKK as they openly adopt the same symbols that we are objecting to in this article and these groups definitely know they are being offensive.

 

We want to criticise the Thai education system for not teaching ”western” history but I can guarantee that very few of our children have ever heard of Laos and the “secret War” or the Genocide in Cambodia. (by the way, the Thai education system is older than the British system.) The thai people have a 93% literacy rate and have been plagued with wars, coups and instability whist achieving this. It is the height of hypocrisy to suggest they are somehow stupid for not being culturally aware of european history but how many of us knew that Thailand is the home of the oldest Bronze age civilisation in the world. How many of us know about the shameful role our Western governments have played in their attempts to colonise Thailand. Who has even heard of the Karen Tribe and the Mon who were promised an independent country by the British after WW11 but promptly sold out to apease the Burmese government.

 

The best I can say about this thread is Glass houses and stones.

[marko456]

Before we get too high and mighty about the fact that an Asian country has taken the time to attempt to include some Western history into their school curriculum and we start objecting to the way they have done it we should look at our own cultures.

 

 

We accept the insulting behaviour of groups like the Skinheads and KKK as they openly adopt the same symbols that we are objecting to in this article and these groups definitely know they are being offensive.

 

We want to criticise the Thai education system for not teaching ”western” history but I can guarantee that very few of our children have ever heard of Laos and the “secret War” or the Genocide in Cambodia. (by the way, the Thai education system is older than the British system.) The thai people have a 93% literacy rate and have been plagued with wars, coups and instability whist achieving this. It is the height of hypocrisy to suggest they are somehow stupid for not being culturally aware of european history but how many of us knew that Thailand is the home of the oldest Bronze age civilisation in the world. How many of us know about the shameful role our Western governments have played in their attempts to colonise Thailand. Who has even heard of the Karen Tribe and the Mon who were promised an independent country by the British after WW11 but promptly sold out to apease the Burmese government.

 

The best I can say about this thread is Glass houses and stones.

 

Spot on !!!!! Good on ya lad !

Mark

[ginseng]

Don't like it? Fuck off and find somewhere else to holiday... Their country their rules.

 

 

I'm not offended at all. I just feel sorry for the students and to some extent the teachers. The truth is they look like fools, them not me and at the end of the day not my problem.

 

Whoever made the analogy to skinheads has made an incorrect comparison. Even if the Thai's WANTED to worship Hitler I wouldn't be offended as you say up to them. What is sad is these kids don't have a clue what atrocities they are representing in their cutesy Hitler costumes and sorry but the world is interconnected and appearing on the front page of newspapers doing something highly offensive to millions without even being aware of it makes you look like a dunce. Will it blow over quickly? Of course but it's equivalent to wearing a 'kick me' sign. If you want to be a skinhead go ahead but at least you should know what you are doing.

 

I'm not gonna get heavy into this debate because I'm not emotionally involved.

 

It would look just as stupid if US or British kids were marching around as the Khmer Rouge.

Edited September 28, 2011 by ginseng

[philkrenshaw]

Perhaps "The Producers" was shown on Thai cable recently.

 

[kopite]

 best I can say about this thread is Glass houses and stones.

 

We do not accept the skin head behaviour. Not sure how it's done in Australia but here in the UK they are scum and are not given any time of day as far as legitimate propaganda is concerned. 

 

The fact that we can't do away with our own homegrown scum doesn't excuse an educational institution for displaying such an abhorrent disregard for those who died.

 

People say that Thailand wasn't really affected by ww2. But were they not occupied for 4 years? And what about the declaration of war on Britain and the US that was never delivered and the Free Thai Movement that was formed to work along side OSS? They had around 50,000 members by the time Japan surrendered but obviously they were never utilised.

 

By the way I was taught about both Mao and The Khymer Rouge in school. 

 

This isn't about whether it was taught in schools there. It's about a school not showing more respect and brains above all. Now had they just been marching along with maybe a few swastika printed t shirts maybe but the fact that they had replica machine guns and fully embroided uniforms suggests they had a little more in the way of visual aids. 

 

Maybe it's the fact that I've been to several of these former concentration camps that I feel strongly about it all. Or maybe they are just as thick as pigshit.

[THAJEC]

I'm not offended at all. I just feel sorry for the students and to some extent the teachers. The truth is they look like fools, them not me and at the end of the day not my problem.

 

Whoever made the analogy to skinheads has made an incorrect comparison. Even if the Thai's WANTED to worship Hitler I wouldn't be offended as you say up to them. What is sad is these kids don't have a clue what atrocities they are representing in their cutesy Hitler costumes and sorry but the world is interconnected and appearing on the front page of newspapers doing something highly offensive to millions without even being aware of it makes you look like a dunce. Will it blow over quickly? Of course but it's equivalent to wearing a 'kick me' sign. If you want to be a skinhead go ahead but at least you should know what you are doing.

 

I'm not gonna get heavy into this debate because I'm not emotionally involved.

 

It would look just as stupid if US or British kids were marching around as the Khmer Rouge.

 

He had reaction disproportionately for seriousness of topic.