'What we see is not always true." The saying is valid and can remind us to not easily jump to conclusions. It's a shame that most netizens don't seem to keep this in mind. That's why they are always quick to criticise everyone who appears on social media -- only to find out later that the person might not be like they thought at all.
There have been so many such dramas over the years that I never waste my time reading about them. But there is one recent case that really interests me. It is the story of Sarai Vacharaphol, who was misjudged by netizens because of one photo she posted on Instagram.
Known for being a rather tough sort of girl, the 23-year-old celebrity is the eldest daughter of former actress Oraphan Panthong, one of my favourite actresses from my teen years, and her media-tycoon husband. She fell ill with two minor diseases late last month and had to celebrate Christmas Day in the hospital.
The photo that caused the drama showed her in a patient's uniform with a funny crown on her head and a big bouquet to her left. She was sitting on the bed with her right hand holding something between two fingers. Her pretty face, with big, black-rimmed spectacles, was raised toward the camera as if to show off the white smoke emitted from her mouth.
The picture came with a casual chat that she had with her friends, and one of them warned her that she was violating the hospital's health codes. But the girl replied: "n nah I got a special vip room that I can smoke in." Not long after that, hundreds of comments poured in to lash out at her.
Many branded her a bad girl, saying that she didn't deserve to be the daughter of her neat and sweet mother. Some called her an example of a spoiled brat from a super-rich family. Worse, many others focused only on photos that showed her in sexy clothing and made very insulting comments about certain parts of her body.
As we can guess, the drama prompted the girl to come out and post a long message to clarify the issue. She said she was not smoking any kind of cigarette at the hospital and that she was just chewing a trendy dessert (called Dragon's Breath) made from fruit-flavoured cereal that was dipped in liquid nitrogen and, when placed in the mouth, can produce visible vapours, and that was what we saw in the photo.
She explained that the questionable stick in her hand that many mistook for an electric cigarette was actually a thumb drive, saying that she was also working, even though she was ill. She also apologised to her concerned friends and fans for causing such a big misunderstanding and requested that people stop spreading untrue stories about her.
The drama turned out to be totally unexpected and I think it can teach us some lessons. I don't know if those who heavily criticised her based on their own imagination would ever feel guilty or not. But, personally, I admire the girl for being able to keep cool and polite after all of those cruel comments she received.
What I like most about her explanation is where she said that she fully realised she might be tough in the eyes of many, but she never broke the law, and she respected all medical staff and the patients at the hospital. I don't know if those who made abusive remarks about her physical appearance will learn anything from her words.
In the world of social media, we're free to say how we feel about anyone and anything without having to reveal our identities. But this doesn't mean that we don't need to care about how those concerned will feel about our comments.
It's not wrong for us to be critical or judgemental, but it should be based on the facts and done in a reasonable way. Most importantly, I think we need to have a sense of mutual respect that will help stop us from crossing the line to hurt other people.
The drama about the girl already ended. But, of course, we will always see new victims of such nonsensical practices as long as netizens don't learn to look within and remove their unpleasant qualities.
Patcharawalai Sanyanusin is a writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.