Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Cultural policing is bad for business
Oped, Siranan Dechakupt, Published on 22/09/2021
» The owner of Thai dessert shop Madame Choops recently got herself in hot water with religious authorities when she made her A-lua -- a classic Thai dessert in various Buddha amulet shapes.
Temples never safe
News, Postbag, Published on 02/11/2019
» Re: "Temples no longer safe for children", (Opinion, Oct 30).
Land rights peril
News, Postbag, Published on 16/09/2019
» Re: "Land rights need to be addressed", (Editorial, Sept 15).
Check his credentials
News, Postbag, Published on 14/09/2019
» Re: "Thamanat wins PM's backing", (BP, Sept 11). As a reformist, Prime Minister Pra-yut Chan-o-cha should quickly verify Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow's claims that he didn't (a) plead guilty to charges of drug trafficking in Australia and (b) didn't serve a four-year jail sentence for his crime, thus disqualifying him from office.
Who are the real big bad Buddhists?
News, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 13/09/2019
» It is quite rare to see an art student from a northeastern province becoming famous overnight, with her paintings widely shared on social media. But it was probably not the type of fame she was looking for.
Mixing Art with Belief
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/09/2019
» Mixing art with belief can be a recipe for controversy, especially when you think outside the box. Three Ultraman-inspired paintings of Buddha images by an unnamed uni student that caused an online uproar earlier this week are a case in point. She meant no disrespect by portraying Buddha as a superhero. The analogy is quite obvious as Buddha fights the world's evils through his teaching while the Ultramen fight the kaiju monsters. A flattering comparison, if you ask me. However, she was pressured to tearfully apology for -- in my opinion -- doing nothing wrong. Her biggest crime is interpreting Buddha through a contemporary pop-culture lens. It's the price she had to pay for portraying Buddha image in any way else besides sacred, I guess. Most importantly, didn't Lord Buddha teach us not to hold on to idols and be open-minded?
Freaking out over art
News, Editorial, Published on 12/09/2019
» The Ultraman/Buddha controversy seems to be spreading as a group of people calling themselves Chao Buddha Palang Phaen Din, or the Force of Buddhism, filed charges against the student who painted Lord Buddha as the 1970s-era superhero.
Don't censor art
News, Postbag, Published on 12/09/2019
» Re: "The Buddha, Ultraman and a middle way", (Opinion, Sept 10).
Questioning Buddha
News, Postbag, Published on 10/09/2019
» Re: "National artist defends student after scandal", (BP, Sept 9).
The Buddha, Ultraman and a middle way
News, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 10/09/2019
» Japanese superhero Ultraman, known for protecting the world against evil, has become an unlikely test of Thailand's cultural expression limits.