Quote:
Originally Posted by DWB
There is a good chance Thailand is going to have a civil war. It is a political mess, and one of the groups have already threatened that if the government is overthrown by the military, it will start the war and they were ready to fight the military.
Good times.
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When I lived in Thailand, I almost immediately began to notice something was off with people. That behind many smiles, as a very "fuck you" vibe. It began with noticing one single guard that was a doorman at my building (nice serviced apartments in BKK) who would open the door and solute as I walked past... but always had this sort of crazy but very subtle "I would love to cut your throat" kind of look in his eyes. I told myself "I was Thai and had to see an endless parade of 50 something German tourists walking down the street, teenage Thai girls in tow", I'd be a little hostile in my attitude towards foreigners and sort of dismissed it. But I began to notice it more and more and more in others. Then I started meeting a lot of non Thai's (Cambodians, Laotians etc) who all seemed very certain that Thais were the scourge of the region. In that new light, I started seeing things a bit different. The corruption seemed more apparent and obvious as well as the violence and crime and the very dark side of Thailand and Thai people.
I have always wondered about something though about the politics there. Most 3rd world countries are corrupt,.. that is nothing new. But given this culture of "smiles", how much of their political problems could be attributed to Buddhism? For example, Burma is run by a military dictatorship and basically, the world couldn't name a single Burmese official to save their lives. They don't protest. They don't speak out. They don't care. That is the whole point of Buddhism. With Buddhism, you are being told that "life is suffering" and to "let go".
I have always thought that Buddhism is perfect for fostering a corrupt political system as it discourages people from wanting more, asking for and demanding more etc.
What role, if any, do you think Buddhism plays in their constant political problems and endless cycle of coups?