Sign – but what is the meaning?
As my bus rolled into Pattaya a few days ago, I saw a billboard that said: Stop Child Pornography. I walked over to it to get a picture and that is when I was shocked to see that the sign was sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Frankly, there is a good chance the US DHS inspired and paid for the entire campaign. Was the Thai government extorted in any way to participate in this campaign that looks so American, to this American? If so, that would be interesting to know.
Signs like this are part of what are called “awareness” campaigns. But this kind of awareness helps enflame and sustain existing hysterical issues. I assume this is not the only sign like this. There may be hundreds in Thailand and elsewhere around the world. America is awash with hysterical concerns about sex related issues: rape on college campuses, prostitutes at truck stops, constitutionality of sex-offender lists, same-sex marriage, and on and on, all seemingly exaggerated and enflamed beyond their importance. Some of us are starting to call this America’s War on Sex. American sex culture may not be right for every country. America’s current sex culture includes living in fear of pimps and paedophiles which we are led to believe are everywhere. This is not a healthy environment.
I suggest that Thais oppose these signs. I am only a guest in Thailand and I take what I get. But I like Thailand. I urge Thais to oppose the proselytising of America’s sex culture of fear. At least the Thai public should demand to know what was the role of the United States and its Department of Homeland Security regarding signs that seem to have no other purpose than to increase fear. It is only a misplaced understanding of America’s own superiority (exceptionalism) that leads the US federal government to spread this kind of “awareness” around the world in defiance of international sovereignty.
John Kane
