Why Thailand is in this mess

[Guest fountainhall]

"The Thai Psyche: Thailand's messy politics: Is culture the culprit?"

 

This was part of an excellent op-ed piece in the Bangkok Post yesterday (Saturday) by Kaye Eldridge, a Visiting Fellow at Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University. It attempts to make the present political mess more understandable to westerners. It's a long piece and I cannot edit it down much below what I have included below (with apologies to the author!). In view of the length, I have started a new thread. But I hope some will find it interesting - and perhaps instructive. (note - I have added the bold face to certain key words/phrases)

 

 

Many Westerners, both inside and outside of Thailand, have been watching closely as the country falls into a deeper political mess, and they are wondering how Thais can be acting so violently against each other.

 

The cultural values of Thailand offer an interesting avenue for understanding the Thai thought patterns underlying these recent political events. They can also explain why Westerners might need to accept that they may never appreciate the Thai logic that has led to the current political mess.

 

Cultural groups can be distinguished from one another by their decision-making practices. For example, in deciding how their communities should be structured, Thai people tend to prefer to adopt a more authoritarian structure, whereas many Westerners favour a more egalitarian approach.

 

We can identify the possible different types of cultural decision-making by recognising the varying priorities which different groups of people place upon the emotional, rational and spiritual values in their decision-making.

 

Each of these values is grounded upon a very different principle, and when used in decision-making, reveals a distinct type of motive. Using these values, we can see how Thai society has a culture which makes it vulnerable to the current volatile political situation.

 

Emotional values are those values which we think are important in our life because they make us feel good. They are explained purely by our affections and we allow them to influence our decision-making because they address our emotional needs and wants. Common examples of such values in practice include spending time with friends, indulging in trashy television, or simply opting to pass on a possible argument with a taxi driver in order to enjoy a planned evening.

 

Emotions rate very highly in Thai society, evidenced by the strong emphasis they place upon ensuring everyone is having an enjoyable time, no matter where they are and including the work place. It is also shown by their tendency to avoid stressful personal confrontations or, indeed, anything unpleasant. Thais usually make a conscious effort to ensure their feel-good emotions are preserved.

 

In contrast, most Western societies encourage and reward the use of rational values in the decision-making of their people. Rational decision-making actively uses values that have been carefully considered and finally selected based upon an objective analysis. They are ideas considered desirable because they either result in a good outcome or are the values of the majority, referred to as consequential values and consensual values, respectively.

 

Western society places a premium on consequential values. They coincide with the linear thinking popular in this society; if A is followed by B this will then lead to C. Simple and predictable. For example, Western society regulates a multitude of aspects of its people's life, and their people for the most part obey these regulations because they know that such behaviour will lead to a manageable and civilised society.

 

So highly regarded is consequential decision-making in Western society that it is often difficult for them to understand why some people might adopt a different decision-making style.

 

This leads Westerners to then question: How can Thais elect a government that has made promises that clearly cannot be delivered without financially ruining the country? How can they have such devotion to a politician who, even if ignoring recent court verdicts and assumed not guilty, has demonstrated dubious character? And how can Thais demand the closure of their international airports knowing that it is likely to cause hardship for their fellow compatriots working in the tourism industry?

 

The Thai actions underlying these questions contradict the Westerner's consequential thought processes which suggest that there is a strong likelihood these actions will lead to destructive outcomes. However, Thais are acting upon a different thought pattern that relies more upon listening to their immediate social environment, or consensus values. Consensus values are ideas that are believed to be important because they are shared amongst friends, colleagues and closer community. The prominent community use of these values can lead to a cultural dynamic where party politics can be susceptible to extreme divisiveness, as people begin to strongly identify with their particular parties or groups, to the exclusion of all others. Indeed, the community polarisation which is likely to occur when members typically seek to affirm their thoughts through their colleagues has already happened in Thailand, with Thai loyalty being sharply divided between the PPP and the PAD. Not only have Thais developed a strong feeling of unity with their specific movement, this solidarity has also created angst for those with views contrary to their own.

 

Yet even more influential in Thai society are the spiritual values of its people, those values which cannot be explained by objective analysis but rely on faith. These are values which cannot be rationally justified but are based on a strong notion of being "right". Thai people have long been recognised as forming a highly spiritual society, with both Buddhism and animism playing a strong part in most aspects of Thai daily life.

 

As a consequence, Thai thinking is far more open to making decisions based on faith, including in a range of arenas where Westerners typically advocate objective analysis, such as business and politics.

 

Thaksin's rise to cult-like status amongst his followers can also be best understood in terms of the Thai fondness for faith. Thaksin's followers have such confidence in him that they cannot accept any intentional wrongdoing on his behalf, choosing to disbelieve any evidence to the contrary and to cite his compassion for the weak and needy. When connecting with his people, Thaksin speaks of unfair condemnation and thanks them for placing their trust in him. Indeed, the faith they display in him is above and more knowing than any rational logic, which leaves very little room for objective discussion.

Still, the question remains: How can the Thai consideration for ensuring everyone is happy, or sabai jai, reside with their beliefs in political causes which have resulted in such civil unrest? How can Thais, who are usually so compassionate with their feelings, be so vengeful to each other? Unfortunately, in any decision-making, a choice that upholds one value may mean the sacrifice of another value, and spiritual values often take precedence over emotional values, as well as those that are rational. Spiritual values, by definition, demand commitment from their holders; their selection is usually accompanied by a strong conviction that they are morally justified.

 

It is therefore often easier to convince a person to forego any emotional needs, such as the opportunity to relax with friends and laugh, than to let go of their righteous ideas. Spiritual values are therefore extremely powerful.

 

Hence Thailand has a stalemate where neither side is able to concede to the possibility that their cause might not be worth the associated costs.

Each side knows they are morally right.

 

There might be some hope for a resolution in Thailand's political crisis if Thais listen more to their rational consequential values and recognise the economic destruction that their recent actions are likely to cause for themselves and each other.

 

They might also make a concerted call for an active return to their fun-loving and krengchai nature that has made the country so special. However, to do this requires a major cultural adjustment involving a leap over many ideas which they hold on to with great faith - which is difficult to imagine for a country so famous for its temples.