[Tlc] FW: Only one winner in soap-opera clash

[Michael Montesano]

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From: Pavin Chachavalpongpun [mailto:pavin403 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 7:14 PM
To: adisak chang; jayanama pinsuda; Michael Montesano;
SakulratMontreevat; surapong jayanama
Subject: Only one winner in soap-opera clash


Only one winner in soap-opera clash

Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun
The Nation
Published on January 25, 2008 

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.
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.
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.   
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."
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
 
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.
Pavin Chachavalpongpun
The Nation


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