What the 'Luk Thep' dolls teach us

Treating dolls like real children, giving them food, language tutoring, concert outing and airplane rides, is creepy. Yet daring to throw the first stone could be creepier. Having said that, first-stone-throwers are abundant in our world, which is laced with shrines, spirit houses, paintings and carvings that supposedly can take us to God, or heaven, or somewhere else unseen by humans.

We frown upon the owners of “Luk Thep” (Angelic Children), the life-like dolls which have been taken care of like real kids. (It’s a trend, obviously, and in a few months many of us will have forgotten having talked about it.) But before you go too far, hold your tongue and just look around. Chances are something superstitious is situated near you. There may not be a concert ticket lying near that thing, but there may be food offerings. If that thing is in a public place, it may be located near a box full of donated money.

“Luk Thep” is not religious, one may argue. For that matter, spirit houses aren’t, either. What about amulets then? Well, if one wears an amulet to feel good, encouraged or motivated, what makes him or her so different from an Angelic Child owner? The amulet represents Lord Buddha, it can be said, just as the crucifix represents God. What does the doll represent? My hope, my belief, the doll owner will likely reply.

We are living in a weird world, where the superstitious decry the others who appear “more” superstitious, and where “human rights” are on everyone’s lips but everyone slams people who exercise their rights in unorthodox ways. This is a world where Greek mythology is taught in most universities. 

This is a world where sex dolls have become all too common, so criticism has revolved around harmless dolls being carried about like beloved children. This is a world where charms are generally accepted, as long as their sizes are not life-like, that is.

Make no mistake, this is not saying that you should go out and buy a Luk Thep doll. This is saying that superstition expresses itself in various forms, and some of them are so ingrained in our lives that we no longer think it’s superstition. In other words, who are we to judge the doll owners? Who are we to call them crazy?

Save your criticism for the big businesses that are cashing in on the trend. They have been too obvious and too eager. Airlines offering to sell seats for Luk Thep may have sound reasons, because the owners don’t want their dolls to be treated like luggage, yet the phenomenon is making people who take advantage of the situation rich. That’s not nice.

Save your bewilderment for the likes of that stand-up comedian, who is known to be a member of a religious sect which promotes the idea that heaven is like condominium where the best units are reserved for ones who donate to it the biggest amounts of money. 

A widely-circulated clip of that comedian making fun of Luk Thep owners is stranger than the doll phenomenon itself. After all, what is funnier – people treating dolls like real children or a well-known temple that is supposed to preach simplicity and non-materialism but is asking followers to buy expensive ice-cream as a donation item?

The social media have been very critical, and a popular line refers to the fact that while Luk Thep dolls have been well-fed, there are numerous starving children out there. Again, we should think about the food offerings at various household “shrines”, or at the base of trees that “hint” lottery-winning numbers, or tons of food leftovers from temples. We look past these massive excesses day in and day out. It was there long before Luk Thep, and it will there long after the trend disappears.

Whether it’s conventional religions or bizarre beliefs, the origin may be the same. Humans, feeling all alone, need comfort, and they will take anything that gives it to them, whether it’s spiritual or superstitious. To compound their situation, sometimes the line between spirituality and superstition is very thin.

You can carry around a big doll, wear an amulet or keep a charm in your shirt pocket if it makes you feel good and doesn’t cause anybody any trouble. You can bring a lot of food to temples, worship the crucifix and put cash in the boxes placed before a Buddha image. You shouldn’t do just one thing – consider other people’s beliefs as silly.