Not to be taken too personally
In response to the two letters that took objection to my angry letter of June 10, let me explain how I feel.
Most letters I write are about issues that I care deeply about. To some degree they define who I am as a human being. Of course readers have every right to disagree with my arguments. But how dare people ridicule me for fighting and standing up for what I believe in, especially when those people are not committed enough to what they write about to identify themselves. (Since my name and picture has been in Thai newspapers several times it’s absurd to suggest that Eric Bahrt isn’t my real name)
I’ve noticed that Thai readers such as Somsak Pola often comment on subjects that are not directly related to Thailand. And why not? If even the Thais only want to read about Thai issues then why read an English-language newspaper in the first place which is inevitably geared towards foreigners?
Still, in retrospect, while I will never apologise to “Dr” Frank, who I regard as a vicious bully, I do apologise to Davies who comments shouldn’t have been taken personally. I’d like to even buy him a beer, if only he’d identify himself!
“Dr” Eric Bahrt
