Self-Censorship in Thailand

zip2Free speech has the ability to make you behave in much the same way that a child does after a bowl of sugar-coated Corn Flakes - once you've tasted it, going back to how you had it before is a kick in the head. Be it a rant against The Man or a punch-bowl full of sugary goodness, it feels good to exercise our freedom to speak and/or eat. (It's in the Constitution, I checked). So it was interesting a while back when something happened and I thought to myself, "I should put this on my blog" but then decided against it. But the thing that stuck in my craw was the reason I decided against it.

“Not the Nation” Nails it Again

nFor a few years now, expats have been getting a semi-regular dose of laughs from Thailand's own version of The Onion called Not the Nation. It's a takeoff of The Nation, one of Thailand's two English dailies, and has a particular talent for skewering all that's ridiculous and wonderful about Thailand with deadly accuracy. One recent post told how exiled ex-PM Thaksin was raising an army of Orcs; another headline declared Love of Thai food Discussed Over Lunch at Burger King. One of the website's latest ads deserved special mention, because it hits the nail on the head so completely.

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