Prime Example

Yesterday, I was teaching my students about persuasive speaking. I introduced them to different fallacies or rhetorical ploys that actually weaken one's argument. Some examples are stereotyping, ad hominem (personal attacks), scare tactics, guilt by association, etc. The studnts could easily see why these examples were problematic and should not be used in good persuasive speaking. Then I proceeded to explain the bandwagon effect: "Everyone's doing it, so you should too!" They stared at me blankly as if to say, "What's wrong with that?!" I was completely blindsided because it took me the good portion of the classtime to get them to understand that just because the majority of people do something doesn't make it right. Thai culture dictates that people follow tradition and do their utmost to contribute to the group. Doing something because everyone else does it is probably the main way that things get done in this country. But it's a system that seems to work here and it's interesting to compare it to ouir culture which questions everything.

Election Day

It's hard to believe that we've been living under marshal law since last October. The military is still very much in charge in Thailand though there have been massive protests by Thai Rak Thai and previous prime minister (Thaksin Shinawatra) supporters. On Sunday, August. 19th the Thai people will vote on a new constitution. It was drafted by mainly military leaders and it is completely up in the air whether the people will pass it or vote it down. One of the biggest problems with the new constitution is that a large percentage of the legislature will be appointed rather than elected. One of the amazing things about this process has been how involved people have been and also how the issue has helped to educate many Thai citizens on the governement and electoral processes. Every Thai citizen received a copy of the proposed draft charter in their mailbox. Many of the points were spelled out clearly and explained in plain langauge. People are very impassioned about this issue. Coming from a country that has had one, all-powerful constitution, it is interesting to witness the Thai government which has had more than a dozen constitutions in the past century. On the one hand, it would appear that the people see these documents as dispensible and easily refutable. Yet, I can't help but feel that this sort of process really demonstrates that governance should be malleable and should bend to the will of the people. Some of my views were deflated when Otto commented that many people will vote to pass it just because they are tired of not having a stable government and don't want to cause further delay. Either way, it will be interesting to see the results and the following election of officials.

Pai Sabai

We had a 4-day weekend and so a bunch of us decided to go up to Pai. Now that we've been there a few times, we're more familiar with everything and know the fun places to go. We stayed at the Sun Huts again which looked absolutely beautiful in the rainy season...lots of bamboo and bright green leaves. Saturday about 10 of us from Lampang/Chiang Mai went out to the shisha bar and then to hear some live music. Sunday we drove cycles up to the waterfall in the sprinkling rain. Then we went to a hillside temple overlooking the town. We ended up at a private hot spring at sunset. It was nice to get warm after the chilly rain. Pai has a great variety of cuisine so we got to eat middle eastern, italian, pastries and even tried Burmese food which was great. Monday, we rode the bikes 2 hours north of Pai into the misty mountain-tops. We were up in the clouds and could see the rain coming down in sheets on the horizon. We went to a huge cave with an underground river isnide. We had to ride bamboo rafts into the cave mouth and the guide took a lantern. She showed us various limestone formations and described how people used to live in the cave. We saw a pre-historic cave painting and some 2,000-3,000 year old coffins. They were hollowed out of tree trunks and bodies would be floated down the river to the burial place. The best thing about Pai is that the town is so small and anywhere you go, there are stunning mountain views. It was very relaxing and so nice to spend time with all our friends.
Some hightlights:
The road to Soppong


Mouth of the Cave


In the cave with Otto and Mark


Gorgeous Countryside


Notice the wicked rain coming down behind us!


Hilary and Justin at the Shisha Bar


Lampang Crew at Bebop---best live music bar in Pai