Among more serious news items this week, came reports of two separate incidents that highlighted "inappropriate" behaviour. Neither of these unrelated events posed any sort of threat to the nation, but managed to elicit harsh criticism from relevant authorities, and, of course, everyone else who had nothing to do with the matter but wanted to chime in their opinion anyway.
As someone who falls into the latter category, I thought I would also butt in with my view. You see, while "knee-jerks" seem to be the favourite exercise in this land of overreactions, I think the best way to handle these occurrences is to put it into perspective. Let's take a closer look at these two happenings with some alternative tips on how to better handle it in the future:
- The first incident that got many people's knickers in a twist was, well, panties. The passenger terminal at Chiang Mai airport became a makeshift dryer when a Chinese tourist was spotted hanging a pink bra and black undies on the back of a chair.
Is this a safety hazard? No, unless the underwear hadn't been washed in months. Is this illegal? No, but it makes for a good post that goes viral, which is exactly what happened. A picture of the underwear drying on the chair was circulated on social media, which not only prompted the ire of netizens, but also had tourism officials issuing stern warnings.
The Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association said it would ask tour agents and Thai guides to explain to Chinese clients that such behaviour was inappropriate, and that it had also sent a letter to airport officials to explain what acts were deemed unsuitable in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post.
It seems to me that there could have been many explanations for the passenger's behaviour. Perhaps she ran out of underwear for her flight home. Maybe she didn't have time to fully dry her laundry, and hanging it at the airport was her last resort. Personal hygiene is important after all, and nobody likes to wear soggy undies.
So instead of exaggerating the incident, it seems the level-headed way to prevent this situation from occurring again is to let people know what is considered appropriate to hang in public when it comes to Thailand:
1. Underwear and other laundry, but only when it's publicly flaunted on rooftops of houses or the balconies and windows of apartments/condos.
2. Meats for drying.
3. Outlandish billboards that make no sense.
4. Tangled electrical wires.
5. Signs for X-rated DVDs/brothels/soapy massage parlours.
- The second event getting people in a tizzy, was a woman who used an MRT train to exhibit a pole dancing performance. No, it wasn't a rider making her way to Patpong, but a woman named Voonsen who's actually a professional pole dance instructor.
She posted the video of her subway dancing antics on her personal Facebook page, but as the internet goes, it went viral. While some viewers were impressed with her acrobatic performance, the general consensus was one of negativity – as in, why the heck is there a woman pole dancing on the train?
It didn't stop there. The Bangkok Post reports that MRT officials quickly came out and announced that "this sort of activity is dangerous and illegal and is considering prosecuting the woman." Voonsen reacted by saying she will contact the subway operator and apologise for her behaviour.
While such dance moves could be considered provocative in a mode of transport largely known for people who only stare at their smartphones, I'm not sure what the big deal is here. I think she should be commended for finding time in her day to exercise, and for spicing up an otherwise boring MRT ride.
However, I may be of the minority opinion here, so instead of blowing this out of proportion, perhaps people need to be reminded of the appropriate way to utilise a pole on the train:
1. Lean on the pole so that no one else has a chance to use it, let alone think about dancing on it.
2. In the instance that someone else's hand is on the pole, place your hand as close as possible to theirs so that they feel uncomfortable and eventually move away.
3. Hug the pole to stake your claim on it, or to make yourself feel less lonely.
4. No matter what, always pretend to be oblivious of your bad behavour.
5. And above all, don't attempt to hang your underwear on any of the train's poles.