Thailand (was Re: [thechat] "Eight Miles High" (was Re: Gotta new Mac - now what?))

[Drew Shiel]

At 03:57 09/12/2003 -0500, noah wrote:

>I hadn't seen that news item before, but it doesn't surprise me. In Thai 
>culture, it is considered very bad manners to show disrespect toward 
>anyone, particularly toward your elders or superiors. Since there's no one 
>superior to the king, to disrespect him is just about the worst thing you 
>can possibly do.

   Has "democracy" been ingrained so deeply in America that they can't 
comprehend any other system of government? I mean, surely it was reasonably 
obvious that any kind of mocking portrayal of a ruling monarch is going to 
be trouble?

   Drew.