Materialism is to blame

The incident in which TV talk-show host Akanarat “Nott” Ariyaritwikul assaulted a motorcyclist, and ordered him to “graab” (prostrate before) his beloved Mini Cooper after scratching it in a minor collision, demonstrates once again the clear-cut class divide in our society.
However, I would also suggest that Thai society’s slide towards insanely materialistic values is making such bullying and derogatory behaviour more common. 
A few months ago I rode my motorcycle to a five-star hotel in downtown Chiang Mai to visit a friend who was staying there.
The hotel security guard greeted me by barking orders to park my ramshackle motorbike at the far end of the hotel’s parking lot. I was extremely let down by such disparaging behaviour, but I kept my anger to myself.
The next day I took my car to pick up the same friend at the same hotel for dinner. The same security guard, apparently not recognising me, bowed at my car and guided me to a spot right in front of the hotel.
The security guard offered another example of a society that has become so lost in materialism that it has lost its own footing.
That, I think, is a shame for all of us.
Vint Chavala