homintern is on your IGNORE list.

Along this same line, although not about Thailand specifically, in today's Washington Post, Al Kamen's column is worth quoting:

"Having an "auto-replace" filter seemed like a good notion at the time to folks at the conservative American Family Association's OneNewsNow.com Web site. There were certain words that would pop up from time to time in the Associated Press stories that moved onto the site that were a bit salacious, or unacceptable to post.

"We don't have the staff to monitor all the Hollywood stories," news director Fred Jackson said yesterday, "so we wanted an automated function." He said they put up the filter about a month or so ago.

One word they wanted to filter was "gay." The site felt that the term put the matter of homosexuality "in a positive light," Jackson said, when the evangelical Christian organization was much opposed. So when a wire story referred to gay marriage, for example, the phrase would automatically appear as "homosexual marriage."

Worked fine until Sunday, when the AP reported that "Tyson Homosexual easily won his semifinal for the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials." The story was headlined "Homosexual eases into 100 final at Olympic trials."

"On Saturday," the story said, "Homosexual misjudged the finish in his opening heat . . ."

That's world champion sprinter Tyson Gay, of course.

The filtered stories were spotted by the liberal People for the American Way. The organization has a "Right Wing Watch Blog," communications director Peter Montgomery said, and folks "who monitor religious-right Web sites as part of watchdogging the religious right and its political allies."

The organization took a screen capture, he said, just before OneNewsNow fixed the text. An earlier story on the Web site referred to pro basketball player Rudy Homosexual, better known as Rudy Gay.


Apparently there were no references in the past month to writer Homosexual Talese or to the Enola Homosexual.

As with all good pieces of software, Jackson said, there are drawbacks. It was "a lesson for us to learn," he said. Jackson didn't know what other words were targeted, but "we have taken ['gay'] off the filter."

So at Christmas you can don that gay apparel. "

I share a lot of the attitudes towards farang missionaries, and wish they would all go home.  But I do have to stop and consider, sometimes, that some Christian farang do a lot of good work.  And when you contaminate any religion (including Buddhism) with racism, you wind up with hill-tribe boys being ignored by the Buddhist monks in Thailand.

And the Christians move right into that vacuum.

I mention this because my boyfriend considers himself to be a Christian, and his reasons for accepting the religion are exactly those outlined above.  When he was young, and starving, and in need of a helping hand, the only people around were Christian missionaries, who kick-started his education and (thank God) did not preach drooling homophobia to him.

This guy is not at all dogmatic or conversion-minded; his religion sits on him very lightly.  If he thinks about it a long time, he thinks that his religion says that gay lovers should be faithful and monogamous.

Well, life is funny, and produces unexpected surprises.

Side note to Mr. O'Booze: Why do you think those humpy Mormons are forced to travel in pairs?  If they went around singly, they just might accept your offer.  But in front of their buddy??  No way!!!   :-)

piston10 wrote:

To my amazement my friend replied "Oh, f**k off!", pushed him aside and and walked on.

Low Church, was he?

We're expected to tolerate these uninvited crusades from the religious types, but if I went around knocking on doors tring to persuade people to turn gay, there would be an uproar.  

Some religions are openly hostile to our sexual preferences, yet society would not accept the same hostility in the other direction.

homintern is on your IGNORE list.

Henry Cate wrote:

I share a lot of the attitudes towards farang missionaries, and wish they would all go home.  But I do have to stop and consider, sometimes, that some Christian farang do a lot of good work.  And when you contaminate any religion (including Buddhism) with racism, you wind up with hill-tribe boys being ignored by the Buddhist monks in Thailand.

This is actually a very good point. I read an article last year I believe in the Washington Post about how Christians in Cambodia were the only ones helping the poor with things like basic education. Most of the people retained their Buddhist beliefs or ended up believing a mix of the two. But they also were very grateful that the Christians were there to help them since the government and Buddhist establishment was doing little to nothing for them. Now obviously I think it would be better if they would just go there to help people for the sake of being a caring, good human being rather than as an attempt to "save souls", there's just something unseemly about going to desperate, poor areas to do this work with the aim of winning people for Christ.

Not too far from me is a muslim community (Praset Isalam). They have the usual mosque and school, but also a public health center that is open to the needy of any denomination.

homintern is on your IGNORE list.

I think that it is more than just a little interesting that Thai Buddhist do almost nothing to help the children of the poor and oppressed in their own country.  I notice that almost all orphanages and other welfare activities for children, the poor, and oppressed in Thailand are conducted by Christians.

The Buddhist attitude is, "Your Karma, not for me to interfere."  Thailand is a perfect example a religion having been kidnapped by the state in order to continue the oppression of the poor and to keep the rich, powerful and "chosen" in their positions of power.  The poor are taught from birth that it is their Karma that has brought them to where they are, so they need to work hard, work for unity...meaning don't rock the boat, be peaceful, respectful of those above them, and content with their place in society in order to earn Karma and be reincarnated into a higher level of society.  

Then in a further act of State/Religious brilliance in order to keep do gooders from coming from the higher levels of society to fight for the poor and oppressed of Thailand, as Gandhi did in India, the rich and powerful have been taught from birth that they have reached this station in life because of great Karma earned in previous lives and should therefore live life on a grand scale, make more money any way possible, and not be concerned with those in a lower position...it is for them to earn their own great Karma.

It would seem that Thai Buddhist have been taught to not judge others and to not help.  Meanwhile Christians have been taught to judge everyone...and then help any way they can, thereby earning their way into Heaven.  What a shame that these two groups can't come up with a hybrid religion that judges not and helps all.  I suppose that is way to much to hope for....

homintern wrote:

piston10 wrote:

To my amazement my friend replied "Oh, f**k off!". pushed him aside and and walked on

My gay cousin Cedric, an Anglican bishop similarly dressed in mufti  was once in my presence asked if he had found the Lord.  He replied, "I didn't know He was lost"

Is this the very same Cedric who is a beloved Sawatdee member ?

Fancy being related to you..and a Bishop to boot !

wonders will never cease.

homintern is on your IGNORE list.

Whatever happened to Cedric?  Last post was May 6.  
I miss his surreal and totally undeserved sense of superiority ... as opposed to Herr Homintern's gutter level face-sitting exposes.
Lives in Hong Kong doesn't he?

Cheers ...

Smiles wrote:

Whatever happened to Cedric?  Last post was May 6.  
I miss his surreal and totally undeserved sense of superiority ... as opposed to Herr Homintern's gutter level face-sitting exposes.
Lives in Hong Kong doesn't he?

Cheers ...

I should imagine that an attractive young man like that, full of possibility, adventure and life, has had more than enough of all you sour, bitching, obsessive antiques, tossing your spite and resentments at each other, and has found something (or someone) else better to do.

I have often stated that I think Thailand is much too tolerant of missionaries. I think they should all be kicked out of the country...and I can make a rational Thai Way argument for it. The King is a Buddhist. He represents the Buddhist faith in Thailand. It seems to me that converting people to the christian religion is a direct assault on the King. And Thai's who convert to christian are showing disrespect to the King. I say kick out the damn christians and other worthless cults and let the people enjoy their lives in peace. Christianity has NOTHING to offer anyone.

dboy