Befuddled by bimbo-bashing

I was somewhat taken aback by Mr Peter of Kalasin’s vicious attack on my effort to bring Thai schoolchildren up to speed in their knowledge of international celebrities like Tom Hanks. Mr Peter must know that Tom Hanks is an icon beloved by movie-goers worldwide. Thai children are missing something if they haven’t seen his movies. In “Apollo 13”, for instance, they can learn how to bring back a malfunctioning spacecraft, and in “Castaway” they can learn that a volleyball makes an excellent companion if you are stuck on a desert island. 

I sense in Mr Peter’s rant a bias against Americans. As he surmises, I am an American, and I admit that we are not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. After all, we elected George W not once, but twice, and have made a habit of invading countries that have done us no harm, like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. But I believe that we can blame many of our shortcomings on the British. If they hadn’t colonised us, we wouldn’t be so dumb. I don’t blame the American boy for thinking that Shakespeare was a game. You have to admit that his name sounds like a video game. I myself know very well who Shakespeare was: the hero of the movie “Shakespeare in Love”, and in real life a writer of some sort a long time ago. The prime minister of Bangladesh is Benazir Bhutto, if my memory serves me correctly, and they change the Thai ministers of education so often it’s not worth remembering their names.

I answer Mr Peter’s questions just to establish my erudition and to demonstrate that I am not just some bimbo off the street. I hope there will be no more savage attacks of this nature.

Hortense Beasley 

Bangkok