Respect is earned

re: "Let's stay respectful" (BP, PostBag, October 4, 2023) 

Dear editor,

In his usual reasoned and respectful way, Burin Kantabutra makes the case for why "chef Ari Alexander Guojonsson should be condemned for berating Senator Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan out of his restaurant in Iceland over her political views." He is correct that "all are entitled to voice their opinion, but all involved must show respect for their opponents." Therein lies the problem, the pertinent reason why reason and respect sometimes fail. 

Thai law, Thai tradition protected by that same law, and in this case the current Thai senate created by that law to do exactly what it has recently done, refuses to accept that "all are entitled to voice their opinion", no matter how peacefully or respectfully they do so. The maintenance of that same law is the explicit reason the senate gave for refusing to respect the people by endorsing the government that Thais voted for on May 14. Senator Porntip agreed with the senate's reason contradicting Khun Burin's rightful reminder that "all are entitled to voice their opinion".

A pertinent current example is that Thailand's internationally honoured human rights advocate Arnon Nampa, recipient of South Korea's 2021 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, today remains in prison under those same laws.

When reasoned, open dialogue is denied them, good people reasonably choose other ways to express their deep feelings. Mr Guojonsson's outburst was a performative act. It was intended to convey an attitude, not to argue for a position in an academic debate, which debates can also become performatively passionate. As the expression of an attitude intended to induce the same in its audience, the restaurant outburst is on a par with such performative acts as the state opening of parliament or a tradition bound procession through the streets. Whilst agreeing that it will certainly, and understandably so, have offended some, it is less obvious that it failed to achieve the purpose of its performance, which was greatly aided by the senator highlighting its significance with threats of law suits "graciously" not to be acted on. 

Khun Burin correctly concludes that "noisy confrontation, such as the chef's or harassment, is the anathema of truth-seeking," but at failing to respect different views, it pales compared to law that actively criminalizes truth-seeking. 

 Felix Qui 

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on October 7, 2023, under the title "Respect is earned" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2659368/lose-the-gun-scheme