On Monday, an unmarried celebrity couple who we normally wouldn't care much about officially opened up to the press after it had been brought to light that they are having a baby. Holding each other tight in front of a squad of tabloid reporters who looked nothing but happy to be there to get a piece of them, the couple confirmed that they are blessed and ready to do whatever it takes to become good parents. However, something was amiss. The couple also happened to be apologising for having the baby.
Of course, it's inexplicable this happened in Thailand, where coitus before marriage is frowned upon, and where becoming pregnant or getting a girl pregnant outside of marriage is even more out of the question. But when you are a celebrity and when something some people regard as so shameful happens to you, oh man are you up the creek without a paddle.
It's wise for you to expect a public outcry. But it's wiser when you remember to say sorry in this situation to your virtuous fans, asking for their forgiveness for having a little too much fun with someone you're not married to, without protection.
This definitely reminds me of the bizarre incident two years ago when one of the country's most famous heart-throbs decided to tearfully sit down with the press, with his mother by his side, to announce to the world how sorry he was for having sex with a girl after she had already claimed she had slept with him.
I don't exactly know why these celebrities felt they had to apologise to their fans for something as normal as having sex. All I can think of is they must have figured that it's the only way for them to retain a place of standing in a country where some people enjoy making themselves believe that it's the most impeccable, righteous place in the world.
However, in this case, the couple were smart enough to realise that their lucrative stardom could also be jeopardised if they appeared unrepentant for having a baby without being married. While there were tonnes of people who congratulated the couple, the people who seemed like the ones the couple wanted their apologetic message to reach had also taken the moral high ground. Like I said, these people do exist for real.
Starting from the most famous discussion board in the country, one fervently discussed post reads: "Wait a minute, how has society reached this point where pregnancy before marriage is seen as a normal thing?".
The writer of the post says that it creates the wrong values for Thai culture. She goes on to ask why the couple didn't wait until after they successfully wed if they wanted to have a baby. She also vents her worries about how society will turn out if more and more people start to think that such "disgraceful" practice is normal.
I'm sure her concerns reflect those of the people who have got the same kind of mentality.
But the thing is, who defines values? Who defines what's normal and what's not? Who defines what a suitable age, salary, career is for having a baby? Who defines how mature you have to be to raise a baby and again how mature is mature enough? What is right and what is wrong when, after all, it concerns just two people? Or who determines whether owning a marriage certificate will make your child a better child or you a better parent?
Of course, the problem of a baby born out of wedlock can be a serious concern when the parents are just teens.
When it comes to this, I believe that it should be prevented just because teenagers possess so much potential to go further with their lives, rather than being held back just because they became entangled with having a baby when they were still at school.
But for this couple, things are totally different. They are grown-ups, have careers and are probably earning much more than those who are criticising them. For what it's worth, we can be sure the baby will be raised well and at the end of the day it just doesn't matter that the baby was born out of wedlock. So leave the couple alone.
I don't know how society has reached the point when people think it's okay to nose into other people's business when it clearly has nothing to do with them whatsoever. To the people who are afraid that Thailand is facing moral decline, you need to consider whether you are the reason behind this decline with your over-the-top absurdity.
Duangphat Sitthipat is a feature writer of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.