Food for thought

I always enjoy the contributions to this column of my fellow Samut Prakanian, Somsak Pola. They are invariably genial, witty, and insightful. They also provide relief from the petty backbiting of certain other writers.
As Khun Somsak suggests, we foreigners have to be continually reminded of some of the constants of Thai culture. One of these is that the rich and powerful customarily get a pass to commit offences that would quickly evoke harsh punishment if committed by the poor and powerless.
Several centuries ago, the enlightenment generated an idea in the West that the East can also profit from. That is the idea that all human beings are of equal worth, and ought to be treated as such by society and by the law. This idea has been accepted in principle by some Western societies, although unfortunately it is often ignored in practice.
Would it not be a good idea to let it percolate into the Thai mindset? It has already done so to some degree, but as Khun Somsak maintains, the “mai pen rai” (“it doesn’t matter”) attitude may be so deeply ingrained in Thai chromosomes that it will take a million years of evolution to get rid of it.
This shouldn’t be. Several generations of egalitarian education ought at least to make a dent in it. Indeed, observation compels the conclusion that most Thai people have a keen sense of right and wrong, of justice and injustice. But too many of them seem resigned to the inevitability of the status quo. The frequent outbreaks of mutiny against the status quo by some sections of society suggest that this will not always be the case.
At any rate, I’m wondering if those cars are still there.
Their continued presence or their sudden absence should give us a clear idea of Mr Thanathorn’s sensitivity to public opinion. It should also give the Thai people plenty of food for thought before they flock to his banner.
Ye Olde Curmudgeon