Libro

MEDIA LITERACY AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
Strategies, Debates and Good Practices
advertisements from the west, obsession with whitening beauty products,
misunderstanding of the concept of development with extreme consumerism,
urbanization and exploitation of natural resources and so on) are transforming
Thais’ national identity into a more Thai- westernized one. In his research on
Thai Pop Music, Dr. Lamnao Eamsa (2006) maintains that borrowing from the
west has symbolized for Thailand its movement into modernity; a strategy to
assimilate with the imperial cultures. For a people who have always been proud
of maintaining its independence from western colonization, it is of interest to
explore why Thais are now allowing the west to exercise in the name of
‘modernity and development’ forms of imperialism through mass media and
consumer culture.
In both Empire State of Mind and Bangkok City, there is a discrepancy between
what is promoted by the entertainment industry and the life of real people living
in both the west and east. Two members of the YouTube community
commented under the Bangkok City music video:
This song is not about real Thai style.... thay just told u about "Bangkok" ..... u
could see is nothing about another city accept bangkok.... One think that i hope
thay will work out nice music to show what a real Thai are too...
(Sapunna1)
it's good quality production...but there's nothing in here that truly represents
'Thai style' .... I would like to see Thai superstars start to integrate more Thai
authenticity and pay tribute to their real roots...not just their western influences
(Siamerican)
New York is not the United Stated of America as Bangkok is not Thailand. The
American dream that is packed and sold worldwide is promoting a life style that
just a minority of the world’s population can afford and usually that minority is
the one that manufactures culture and produces meaning. Eamsa affirms,
“Bangkok is not only the capital city of Thailand, but also the center of the Thai
cultural industries. That is what identifies Bangkok as the center of national
culture” (p.248). This analysis leads to the question of who is that counts as
Thai or American? What is our consideration of the people living in the
peripheries of the world? The need for embracing media literacy education
worldwide and at all levels of society is due to the necessity of raising these
questions and providing critical answers.
Less than half way through the music video, one of the singers from Thaitanium
starts to rap in Thai about his life in Bangkok, his Saturday evening prayers
bringing respect to Buddha, his father who studied in military school, and him
becoming an artist. His autobiography varies greatly from Jay-Z’s. There is no
use of strong language and assaults to institutions; on the other hand, the
singer stresses the importance of family values, Buddhism, compassion and
loyalty to his king and nation. Da Endorphine puts her right hand on the heart
and reminds Thai people to “be proud to have been born on this land, to be right
here, beneath His Royal Majesty”.
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