Only in Thailand......

Where would you find a picture of one of the world's worst genocidal maniacs being used to advertise a newly-opening tourist attraction?.......in Thailand of course!!!!


This is one many examples of the lack of cultural awareness or just downright stupidity that is displayed in thailand on a daily basis!!!!

It is understandable that the majority of Thai citizens, who have only completed a basic level of education and have not had the opportunity to travel abroad, would lack a certain level of cultural awareness and might make the odd social faux-pas.

But the number of supposedly educated Thais, who display the cultural sensitvity of their farming cousins, is mind boggling.

This was demonstrated perfectly this month by Khun Somporn Naksuetrong, managing director of Louis Tussaud's Waxworks museum in Pattaya who thought it would be acceptable to use the poster displayed above to advertise his soon-to-be opening attraction in the holiday resort of Pattaya.

It wasn't until over 100 complaints had been recevied and both the German and Israeli embassies had personally expressed their displeasure that Khun Somporn agreed to remove the posters!!!

And in a typically Thai response, Khun Somporn was happy to pass the buck and blame the advertising agency!!!

He said: "the creative agency behind the campaign had not intended to cause offence.......We think of Hitler as an important person, but not in a good way. In the museum we don't show him with other world leaders, we show him in the scary section."

So by showing Hitler in the "scary section" along with Dracula and Werewolves that makes this insensitive blunder acceptable!!!

And just to show that he had learned his lesson........Khun Somporn said they would keep the promotional concept, but "come up with another famous deceased person to replace the German dictator".

And I wonder who that might be......Pol Pot, Stalin, Vlad the Impaler!!!

However, I may be doing Khum Somporn an enormous injustice......as this maybe a clever marketing campaign based on the mantra that "any publicity is good publicity" and using the furore to boost ticket sales!!! Because I doubt that the opening of Louis Tussard's museum in Pattaya would have made it on to the BBC website or warranted an article Bangkok Post, if there hadn't been the level of controversy!!!

The BBC and Bangkok Post articles about this story are available on the following links........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8313249.stm

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/25831/ambassadors-outraged-by-hitler-billboard-on-pattaya-highway

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What the fuk?

Image
Before you start writing any letters of complaint or offering to wash my mouth out with soap.....a fuk, is actually a type of vegetable here in Thailand!!!! In Thai script it is written ฟัก and when pronounced, it sounds just like the English swear word. So, as you can imagine, I have had hours of fun with this in Thailand!!!! But, what on earth is a fuk, I hear you cry? It's known as a "winter melon" or "white gourd" in English and is common throughout South East Asia. For those of you, like me, who are botanically challenged, the winter melon is in the same family as honeydew melons. However, unlike the honeydew melon its flesh is not as sweet. It has a very mild flavor and is often used in soups, although I enjoy eating it when it's stir fried with chillis. They are well known for their detoxifying properties and can also be used to make vegetable juice drinks. I have also heard that it is used in China to make tea. Here are some examples of dishes made w...
Read more

Thai Logic

The theme of todays post is "Thai logic"....... But for those of you that have visited the Kingdom this may seem like a contradiction in terms, because the chances are, you have been in situations where there seems to be a lack of "logic" applied. You may think I'm being anti-Thai or trying to create an unfair cultural stereotype but this is not the case at all..... My current girlfriend is Thai as was my ex-girlfriend and I have nothing but good things to say about the majority of Thai people that I have encountered across all walks of life. I believe that the Thai's are the warmest and friendliest people you are ever likely to meet anywhere in the world....however, many lack, what we in the West would call, "common sense". Or as the late grandma Penfold might have said "some of them are as green as cabbage looking". My favourite example is when I checked into a small Bangkok hotel in Soi 4 Sukhumvit and was told the shower in my room wa...
Read more

Book Review: Good Medicine for Thailand Fever

Image
Given that my last book review was so well received by my readers, I thought I would have another crack at this type of post. The book that I have chosen to comment upon is entitled "Good Medicine for Thailand Fever". When I first picked up this book with it's unusual title and garish yellow cover, I must admit that I was intrigued and as soon as I'd read the first few pages, I was hooked. A lot of books which deal wth the topic of Thai-Western relationships, are written by Westerners, for Westerners and tend to be full of hubris and pathos, focusing on how gullible farangs lose their hearts and life savings to devious bar girls. "Good Medicine for Thailand Fever" is a refreshing change from this staid format and far from being a skewed, one-dimensional and one-sided portrait of Thai-Western relationships, the book is bilingual guide, dealing with all aspects of cross-cultural relationships and offering advice and help to both parties. Written by an Amercian...
Read more