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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Pavin Chachavalpongpun
[mailto:pavin403@hotmail.com] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 25, 2008 7:14
PM<BR><B>To:</B> adisak chang; jayanama pinsuda; Michael Montesano;
SakulratMontreevat; surapong jayanama<BR><B>Subject:</B> Only one winner in
soap-opera clash<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><FONT color=#014377 size=4><B>Only one winner in soap-opera
clash</B></FONT><BR><BR>Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun<BR>The Nation<BR><FONT
color=#014377 size=2>Published on January 25, 2008 </FONT><BR><BR><B>The Air
Hostess War," or "Songkram Nang Fa", which was broadcast for the first time last
week on Channel 5, has already stirred much anger among Thai Airways flight
attendants, who condemned the show for its supposedly immoral storyline replete
with steamy sex scenes.</B><BR>Now the war that has been fabricated as part of
the story is transformed into a real-life war between Exact, the show's
producer, and people in the aviation industry.<BR>What is "The Air Hostess War"
fuss all about? This controversial soap opera tells the story of a charming air
hostess who becomes involved in an extra-marital affair with a pilot,
instigating jealousy among her co-workers which leads to physical fights in the
plane aisles. It is a story of infidelity and unethical behaviour projected
through uninhibited sexual encounters in exotic locations - which many
Thais find it hard to accept. <BR>Thai Airways International
perceives the soap opera to be insulting and damaging to the reputation of
flight attendants. Noppadol Thaungthong, a Thai Airways flight attendant who
represents the labour union of his company, said, "It's all about sex and air
hostesses beating each other up in the cabin because of love and jealousy. This
kind of thing never happens."<BR>On behalf of the Union, Noppadol demanded
Channel 5 terminate the show and petitioned the Ministry of Culture to look into
whether it disparaged Thai morals and values. The Union also plans to petition
the National Human Rights Commission and the Royal Thai Air Force. It was
reported that the government would invite all parties concerned for a meeting to
discuss points of contention.<BR>Meanwhile, Somsak Srinual, the Union's
president, told reporters that passengers would be afraid to fly with Thai
Airways if they saw flight attendants slapping each other. To him, "Songkram
Nang Fa" was a direct offence against those who work as cabin crew.<BR>Behind
the disagreement between the two sides lies the question of Thai identity and
its discursive exploitation. What Thai Airways International has been defending
is not only the reputation of the company and its employees, but also the moral
identity of being Thai.<BR>Thais are not supposed to be dishonest and
aggressive, as reflected in the national anthem. Thai ladies in particular are
meant to be well-mannered, demure and possess krengjai (a reluctance to impose
on anyone or disturb his or her personal equilibrium by direct criticism or
confrontation). The indecent behaviour of the women in "The Air Hostess War" can
therefore be cast as opposite to Thai values and identity. They may be Thai, but
they are not good representatives of "Thainess".<BR>In reality, however,
outrageous behaviour occurs in every corner of Thai society. In fact, immorality
is universal, no matter the profession. In Chicago, two air hostesses of Mesaba,
a US-based airline, quarrelled over where to store a passenger's hand luggage,
exchanged vulgar language, and forced the pilot to turn the plane back to the
terminal.<BR>Last year, British actor Ralph Fiennes reportedly engaged in a sex
act with a Qantas air hostess in the first-class section's toilet. But no one
considered this disrespectful toward Australian identity, or even a bad omen for
the airline. Blame was put on the member of staff for failing to comply with the
company's regulations. It was an individual mistake, and Qantas moved
on.<BR>Now, some may argue that Thai values should not and must not be compared
with those in the West. True. But if Thais are willing to be open-minded enough
to understand and admit that double standards exist in this society, then the
moral issue emerging from "The Air Hostess War" may not be too stark.<BR>The
current fuss is about promoting a Thai positive identity at the expense of
cloaking the real behaviour of Thais. Thai society has been built on a
male-chauvinist structure where adultery and promiscuity are implicitly
legitimate for men. That is why the whole nation is filled with massage parlours
and late-night entertainment complexes, so lucrative and successful that they
have become tourist attractions catering for domestic and foreign visitors
alike.<BR>Love, lust and bitch-slapping have become so normal that they come
into play everywhere - in households, workplaces and even in the skies, and in
all classes in society, among the rich and poor alike. We are so concerned about
such real-life behaviour because it can potentially taint our national
character, which is supposedly moral-based.<BR>All identities and values are
products of the imagination. Thai Airways could be right in its protest against
a soap opera because, as it sees it, what has been portrayed on the small screen
is clearly extrinsic to the company's preferred identity. It is a part of
defending an image of a clean, moral brand.<BR>On the other hand, the discontent
of Thai Airways reveals its lack of a sense of humour. "The Air Hostess War" has
a typically tacky storyline, comprising of all the standard soap-opera cliches,
to the point of being over the top. The idea, of course, is to attract the
widest audience. Indeed, it could be commended for presenting something truly
realistic in Thai society.<BR>Thai Airways has been known for years for its fine
service and has remained one of the 10 best airlines in the world. The outrage
expressed by its employees is understandable but should be made only to a
certain degree so that it will not fall into a moral trap within the walls of
Thai society.<BR>Ultimately, the more the issue of moral dilemma becomes the
talk-of-the town, the more it brings in viewers and higher ratings. We might not
know who will end up the "loser" in this "moral' battle. But we can say for sure
that Exact and Channel 5 will emerge as indisputable winners.<BR> <BR>Dr
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a visiting research fellow at the Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. The opinions expressed in this article are
his own.<BR>Pavin Chachavalpongpun<BR>The Nation<BR><BR>
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