Nitipong Hornak, nicknamed "Dee", is one of the most famous composers Thailand has produced in the past few decades. From wrenching modern love songs to upbeat, high-energy tunes, his music is popular among new and old generations. Undoubtedly, Nitipong has earned a place as a well-respected figure in the music industry.
Last week, Nitipong wrote a message on his Facebook that created much controversy in cyberspace. He snapped, although not directly, at the newly appointed professor Worachet Pakeerat, leader of the Nitirat group at the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, sarcastically calling him a "born-yesterday professor".
He condemned Thammasat University for promoting Worachet from the position of an associate professor to full professorship, calling it "ideological racism" against society.
Exactly how his elevation constitutes "ideological racism" was not explained, though many many assume he was attacking the university's judgement in promoting him.
Nitipong went on to point out that he only produced eloquent academic language in a manner that seemed to "tag along" behind farang.
This practice, according to Nitipong, may sound academically impressive, but remains vastly shallow as it lacks "understanding" of society and "anthropological knowledge of geography and history".
Nitipong said: "(Worachet) may have held tightly his academic textbooks, but fails to understand the human spirit."
Honestly speaking, I found Nitipong's message rather difficult to understand. Trying to read between the lines, perhaps, what he wanted to convey was that he disregarded Worachet's academic achievement as well as condemning the decision of the university to elevate Worachet to full professorship.
His message on Facebook was criticised by social media users so severely that Nitipong declared soon after that he would freeze his online activities for a month.
Worachet, meanwhile, has refused to respond to Nitipong's remarks. Like many other exchanges online, Nitipong's attack on Worachet will soon die down.
But before we let it die down, it is useful to look inside the mind of Nitipong to comprehend the society he talks about, and why different views on politics have created such deep rifts that no one seems able to escape them.
Obviously, Nitipong must have disagreed with Worachet's views on the political crisis.
For many years now, Nitirat has offered controversial solutions to the political deadlock, from its proposal to nullify the legal effects of the 2006 coup to its suggestion to amend the draconian lèse-majesté law.
These proposals were dismissed by the traditional elite. Some considered them as a threat to the power position of the elite — so scarily that Worachet was assaulted by a pair of ultra-royalists on the Thammasat University campus.
Instead of explaining why Worachet may not deserve a promotion by scrutinising his work, academic achievements or quality of his research, Nitipong employed the rhetoric of "Thainess" to undermine Worachet's standing.
In the current political situation, Thainess has been used as a tool to paint the faces of an enemy — someone who is different from you, thus being rightfully alienated from the world of Thai nationhood.
By labelling Worachet an academic who tags along after the West, the music composer has assigned Worachet to a category which is somewhat foreign, strange, unacceptable, and so deserves to be suspected.
Celebrities elsewhere in the world, once successful in their careers, often use their fame to address the plight of the disadvantaged.
They often play an active role in championing democracy, as in the case of Paul McCartney, Sting and Madonna who reproached the Putin administration for imprisoning the rock band Pussy Riot. Because they are popular, their call for justice could influence the decisions of political leaders.
In Thailand, the case of Nitipong versus Worachet sheds light on the largely self-centric world of Thai celebrities — and society — based on the belief of Thainess.
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is associate professor at Kyoto University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies.