September 21, 2006
A Reasonable Revolution?

While reading about the recent Thai military coup, I was struck by a lack of explanation in the MSM. The best I could find were vague implications that Thailand's president was a "staunch Bush administration supporter", and that, somehow, confusingly, lead to his downfall. The truth, it would appear, is far more complex, and has little if anything to do with US or Thai foreign policy:

Thaksin has made it almost impossible for the Thai people to get him out of office. I consider that the army is doing nothing more than carrying out by arms what the people have been unable to do by themselves.

The whole article details what would appear to be a conventional east-Asian family political takeover attempt, thwarted by an army loyal to higher principles. That the MSM have ignored this and instead attempted to spin the whole thing as some sort of repudiation of the current US administration will most likely have some on the right tightening their foil hats and mumbling about conspiracies.

Which will be, of course, incorrect. The media spin things when they don't really understand what's going on. Can't figure it out? Frame it in a way that makes sense to you and run that as the story. Americans have a deserved reputation as being more than a little narcissistic, so if it can somehow be attributed to (or blamed on) us we'll usually believe it. And off it goes, without involving anything so difficult as actually doing research or, you know, thinking.

In other words, "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence."

Via Site-Essential.

Posted by scott at September 21, 2006 11:45 AM

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0.o What new have you been reading/watching/listening to??

All the reports I have read or heard haven't said word 1 about this being some kind of anti bush statement. They have all said that the guy was in trouble for corruption etc etc.

I have also been reading about the so called "High Moral" miltary doing the usuall stuff like banning political meetings etc etc.

I did notice they are re-writing the constitution/suspended it. Not really sure what was wrong with the document.

Only time will tell if this is a "High Ideal" coup or if it's just another general grabbing power (Give it several months to see if they actually hand the power BACK to the civilans)

Posted by: jeff on September 21, 2006 02:38 PM

"What new have you been reading/watching/listening to?"

Oh, offbeat news sites like The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, MSNBC, etc.

I would post links, but the spam filter won't let me post anything that looks even vaguely like a you R L. Or even the freaking acronym. Jeez.

Anyhow, on one hand, the general in charge of the coup is a Muslim, who has stated that he will reach a peaceful compromise with the terrorist groups that keep blowing up Bhuddists in southern Thailand. On the other hand, he has shown no sign of wanting to impose sharia, instead maintaining his loyalty to the King.

Time will tell.

Posted by: Tatterdemalian on September 21, 2006 03:53 PM

Then I must just be missing them since I listen to MSNBC/CNN/FOX/ABC on my sattelite radio and read the google news stuff.

All the reports I have heard just stated that he was accused of corruption/rigging the election and that a new vote was scheduled.

Posted by: jeff on September 21, 2006 04:16 PM

I don't doubt that *now* the "real" story is getting out. It takes time to hire local stringers who can tell you what the hell is actually going on. However, I looked very hard for some sort of reporting about WHY this was happening when the story began to break, and it just wasn't there. This morning the Post did in fact have mention that the army wanted elections, but only after a new constitution. WHY they wanted a new constitution was simply not touched on.

Posted by: scott on September 21, 2006 07:05 PM

Scott I was on XM AS it was happening. Can't get any better than that (Well you can but then the coup wouldn't have taken place)

Also not saying WHY they want to rewrite the constitution is a far cry from saying "BUSH is the reason for the coup"

Posted by: jeff on September 21, 2006 07:44 PM

Dear Scott,

One thing stood out to me in your post, "... Thailand's president..." Thailand has a constitutional monarchy, and they do not have a president. They have a Prime Minister, The King is their figure head.

This is a very different system in comparison United States's.

Moreover, it's incorrect compare Thailand to East Asia. Thailand is in South-East Asia and ,though the country is located in Asia, East Asians, South Asians, South-East Asians, and Pacific Islanders all have different beliefs and cultures. It's like comparing Americans to Canadians just because both are located in the continent of North America. Better yet, comparing Americans or Canadians to Mexicans. As we are all aware, the 3 cultures are very different from eachother.

I believe you probably have been misled by the news you read, though you have cited reputable medias such as MSNBC/CNN/FOX/ABC.

It shall remain a mystery I suppose, who printed that false news? However, that's not really worth finding out. There is though one thing I hope we all have learned from this.

One shouldn't really publish what they don't understand. Just as the mystery news media had misled you, who knows how many other persons have been misled by your post?

Quoting your original post: "Which will be, of course, incorrect. The media spin things when they don't really understand what's going on. Can't figure it out? ... And off it goes, without involving anything so difficult as actually doing research or, you know, thinking."

While I applauded you for voicing your opinion, but I was disappointed it was not well researched.



Posted by: Sunny on September 21, 2006 09:41 PM

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!! YOINK!*

RTFA- read the fine article.

Or rather in a NY way.

RTFA- read the f'ing article.

Posted by: ellen on September 21, 2006 09:54 PM

Better yet, read my lips...

BLOGS ARE UNEDITED OPINION JOURNALS. DO NOT EXPECT THEM TO BE FAIR, UNBIASED, OR EVEN HONEST.

I realize that continuing flaming trainwreck the MainStream Media has made of its credibility, has left a lot of people desperately groping about for something - ANYTHING - from which they can get factual information beamed conveniently into their living rooms / studies / mommas' basements, with no more effort on their part than learning the right buttons to press to turn things on.

Blogs are not it. They are a great tool for research, and an even better tool for locating people who agree with your opinions, but if you want to separate the grains of truth from the high-pressure firehose of blogospheric bullshit, you will have to get off your ass and perform your own damn research, and even be ready to do science experiments to see if you really can turn a grape into a flaming ball of superheated plasma in the microwave. And be ready to buy a new microwave (maybe a new house) if your experiment has, as engineers say, an "unmanaged event."

Posted by: Tatterdemalian on September 27, 2006 11:42 AM
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