Thailand The Latest Country To Ban Entire YouTube Over Single Video
from the overreact-much? dept
In a story that sounds nearly identical to Turkey's decision to ban all of YouTube after some annoying kids made a prank video making fun of the country's founder, the Thai government has now banned all of YouTube as well, due to an equally silly video making fun of the country's King. Thailand's minister of information and technology said that the people behind YouTube "are abusing their rights and clearly don't mean well for the country." For someone who's in charge of information and technology, you'd think he'd understand that that problem isn't with YouTube -- but with those creating and uploading the video. Also, of course, for a country that's so worried about some silly video offending its king, they just got some prankster's video a ton of press all over the world when it otherwise would have been ignored. So, let's sum up the results: people in Thailand no longer have access to the rest of YouTube thanks to one pointless video. The video itself is probably available in a bunch of other places for folks in Thailand to see if they want it. At the same time, lots of other people are now getting to see this video (which is still on YouTube) thanks to all the press hype this has caused. None of this, you'll note, does anything to protect the reputation of the King or help the people of Thailand, which is supposedly why they did it. So what's the point again?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Censorship rarely makes sense.
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2-Way Censorship
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Nobody learns from somebody else's mistakes.
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Re: Nobody learns from somebody else's mistakes.
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Someone should...
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wait until
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Simple solution...
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IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
WAR IS PEACE.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.
(Of course Big Brother doesn' t like it when you watch him instead, or when you ignore him.)
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Re: Someone should...
Apparently it's already begun.
(ensue)
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If blocking youtube saves JUST ONE LIFE, isn't it all worth it?
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Almost makes you want to...
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Re: 2-Way Censorship
Thailand on the other hand is throwing out the baby, tub, washroom and water because a fly flew into the bathwater, and rather than ignore the fly, they also magnified it. Go sensible, proportionate reactions!
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the video is here
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Re: Re: Someone should...
thanks for the correction.
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How many can we get to do this?
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Different traditions....
You have to remember that Thailand holds it's king in the utmost esteme. If I buy my Thai nephew a persent it has to be yellow, the king's colour.
In the last military coup (in which no-one got hurt) the coup leaders had to go to the king and ASK his permission to conduct the coup....
If the king had said NO, the coup would not have proceeded!
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I think its more complex than painted
"King of Thailand is viewed as a deity"
I think you both misunderstand the nature of Thailand. Firstly the King has said he doesn't like this law and people should be able to criticize him. Secondly, the reverence of the King is used by politicians to attack their opponents.
This is why that law continues, politicians who don't like each other regularly file charges against each other that they 'showed disrespect for the man with charisma' and people countersue saying 'how dare they claim I didn't show respect for the king thats a nasty slur..'.
It means that people are brought up to think of the king as all good and all powerful, and to remember his role in ending the last coup. But in reality he's in a delicate political position as the figurehead of the political power brokers. Nobody can say critical things of him, so children think he is all good.
The man who banned YouTube had no choice, if he hadn't, he could be accused of not showing the correct respect for the king by his political enemies and imprisoned.
It's a game that masks the truth in Thailand, and that will become more apparent as his son becomes king.
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Perspective...
Even thought the King has limited political power in the traditional sense, the King is highly revered in Thailand & not one Thai person would openly criticize the King in public.
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There is always a political element, but when it coincides with religion or near-religion, it relates to a much stronger belief and we need to respect that.
Once again, I believe that if the NAACP was protesting a similar thing on Martin Luther King Jr., YouTube would have removed it! Politically, corporations will always respond to the politics and economy that will affect it. I've changed my seach engine to Yahoo and I'm a Yankee.......... I support respect for other people's strong beliefs..... you shouldn't try to offend a whole group of people just because... how far do we take freedom of speech? The entire West Coast is full of graffitis - and that is regarded by some as freedom of speech. Some people would want a world without any guidelines or law enforcers - that would just be breeding grounds for people wanting to harm you - today it's your views, tomorrow it's your loved ones - get back to some morals - and show some respect. I don't care what religion or political party you belong to. There is core respect.
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u guys just dont get it
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Re: the video is here
i don't know what happen but i need i say that all thai people love the King
the King is untouchable and we call the King "King In" it's mean that The king that we love is in all our heart of thai people, thx very much __/|__
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Re: Re: the video is here
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Grrrrrr
I'd understand why you think it's ridiculous to ban youtube but remember Google REFUSED to remove the video. So much for fair Google. So Thailand then blocked Youtube simple and no I'm not Thai.
You're so stuck up with yourselves, Bombing countries for oil and believing George Bush's reason that it's for terrorists reason. I can't believe you take it upon yourself to judge a culture you don't understand one bit. Bloody Ignorant Wankers.
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Re: Simple solution...
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Freedom of creative expression never killed anyone.
Block injustice. Block corruption. Block disparity.
Can you do that? It is hard, ain't it?
There is no royalty, no king, no queen, no prince and no princess.
All men, women and children are born equal.
This statement indeed does hold water. However, the pictures in that webpage are totally out of the lines. They're totally disrespectful. Monarchy aside, it's still wrong. It's inhumane. Nice people would never ever do such thing. I am deeply offended by the content of that webpage.
Isn't it common sense, common etiquette, and common practice not to hurt other people's feelings? Isn't it a common sense that we, human, should give some respect to other people? As a human, we do not hurt other people just for fun!
To intentionally hurt someone's feeling is psychologically barbaric. Civilized people won't do such thing.
If you have enough kindness, of course you won't intentionally hurt someone. Especially if that "someone" is (or are) stranger(s) that you don't even know and had not harmed you in anyway.
People who have fun trying to make others unhappy, upset, or sad, are, in my opinion, psychopaths. They enjoy hurting others. They enjoy bitterness of others. They are so heartless and inhuman!
Why? Why do people hurt other people?
Why?
I can't understand.
Where are their morality?
Don't they ever feel ashamed of themselves?
Why?
Would you mock or bad-mouth your friend's father or mother?
I would not. Because I know and understand how they would feel.
When people hurt others' feelings without hesitation, I guess it means that they lack one of the most important social skill; consideration.
Of course I was enraged when I saw that webpage.
But I know it's useless to get angry. Because those barbaric, heartless persons won't care about my feelings anyway.
I better take my time explaining one big misunderstanding in that webpage.
It's about royalty or monarchy that they mentioned there.
First off, I want to beg you foreigners to understand that we do not see his majesty the king just as the monarch. We don't only respect him by the royal title. We don't only love him just because our country is ruled by him.
We admire him, we love him, we respect him with our heart. I would say, emotionally attached. It's more like a sense of being family more than sense of monarchy warshipping. He is dear to us as a father to a child. He is not just a ruler with political title. In emotional aspect, he's much, much more important to us than any president to his people.
If you're a puppy lover, would you cry or get angry when you see someone kill a dog?
If you're animal lover, would you feel sad or feel upset when someone kill and skin those cute seal pups?
If you're holding something dear, would you get distressed or furious if someone intentionally destroy it?
Of course you (or at least, most people) would. Because we're human. We have feelings, emotion. We're not objects that can't feel or think! WE ARE HUMAN!
Now can you see? It's simply just a common sensitivity that a human would have. It has nothing to do with royal sentivity.
I, for one, would slap someone's face if they badmouth my father or mother. Or at least, if I could content myself not to do the IMPROPER thing, I would frown at the person. Not to mention badmouthing the king, who is held at the sacred place in my heart. Of course I would be furious by that.
Is it so difficult to feel or acknowledge the reason why so many Thais are angry at that problematic VDO clip?
If one is intelligent enough to use the internet and communicate well with other users, I think one shouldn't be so dull that other people's feelings are beyond one's comprehending.
You know, it is just so, so sad and discouraging to know and see that there are some meanies out there who would leap at every opportunity to *negatively* make fun of some one so much respected by so many people. I can't help but suspect that such kind of persons are not nice, are extremely selfish, and are evil.
Liberty does not mean you can freely do anything even if it harms other people.
Freedom of speech does not justify your abuse of speech.
Now, I might as well say, if a person does not acknowledge the boundary line between liberty and morality violation and keeps crossing the line, they are either extremely dumb or just a plain ignorant fool.
If the writer of that mentioned message truly believes that all people are born equal as they wrote, why can't they treat us and our king with respect just the same as they would treat their friends?
We're human too!
We're the same as you!
Since we're all human, treat us like human, just as a human would treat others.
One last question that I want to ask people that made that webpage, people who made that VDO clip, as well as people who are angry at us, Thais, just because some Thais violently (verbally) reacted to someone else's misbehave.
Are you human or are you not?
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Some said like the creators of those clips and site has become fighters for freedom of speech or that kinda shit. What a greatest fighter ever... What will you fight for next? The right to openly bad mouth the parents of your own neighbors, maybe?
In my very humble opinion, I don't think those who made the clips or that site really care for freedom of speech or anything. They are just the trolls enjoying being feed by enraged people. It's a thing anyone can tell by just a mere glance at those brainless clips or site.
Freedom of Speech = The altimate chance to insult other people.
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Re:
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Thanks
Thanks for your understaning. You received a thankful 'wai' from me.
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Re: Simple solution...
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Re: Re: Simple solution...
I would just like to say that Thailand sucks ass and they should stop censoring their frakkin' movies. (Listen, Thais, you dumb backwards hicks, you can't go around blurring out movies where people point guns at each other. THAT IS RETARDED.) Also, the King has one eye, the Monarchy is full of incest. Check out their kids; they're all misshapen freaks, not a single good looking one in the bunch -- that's the result of inbreeding, folks.
In closing: Thailand is a backwards hick country. Stop pretending like you're a free country, you dumbasses. Bangkok is full of crack whores, 10-year old hookers, and regardless of how many "land of 10,000 smiles" campaign you put out, your country is still home to the most sick, vile, and "buyable" city in the whole wide world.
Suck on that, Thais.
P.S. Sweden rules, mofos!
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F the King
die king of Thailand, DIE! and suck my dirty white foot whilst ur at it, biatch!
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thailand sucks!
hahahaha!
this is freedom of speech u stupid nutjob thais!
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thailand sucks!
hahahaha!
this is freedom of speech u stupid nutjob thais!
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george's mom sucks harder for less money!
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Re: Simple solution...
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Re: Simple solution...
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Re: Re: Re: Simple solution...
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The King was not involved all kind of political action. His working time is all about how to help poor people in Prathet Thai. He and his working group do about agricultural research, education development, human development and other good purposes, but not politic. Some Thai republican and former communist who become rich man in present day against King and exploit some stupid western people to do something for their benefit. They need to turn Prathet Thai to Republic. Thai people do not agree with them because Thai People love King. So that bastard must do anything to destroy King.
All of them will die soon and burn in hell.
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Freedom of Speech
So, after having read about the Thai culture in regards to their king, he's still a retarded fuckwit. He has the ability to start the wheel rolling for democracy in Thailand, the second he stops those ridiculous laws. He hasn't, so he enjoys his power in spite of the suffering it causes.
Grade-A fuckwit.
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It's a free marketing for Thai Government to the W
The King has more than 100% love and respect from Thai people and people from all over the World.Please don't use the King for political gain.
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It's a free marketing for Thai Government to the W
The King has more than 100% love and respect from Thai people and people from all over the World.Please don't use the King for political gain.
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Offense
So I think if the people of Thailand want to take offense then they will. It's all about how you want to take it.
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Re:
I strongly suggest research before opening your mouth again.
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Re:
I'm a major backer of the freedom of speech and I don't mindlessly slander. Having the right doesn't make it happen, its other more complex societal situations that bring it on.
You, of course, will never become familiar with that as you don't get to enjoy that same guarantee.
Freedom of speech is part of meaning I can defend myself against the Barry's of the world regardless of what level of government they were in. What if Barry was your king? He could of been. You'd be singing a different tune then, eh?
I strongly suggest an education if you ever read this.
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Re: Re: the video is here
So enjoy your believed.
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Re: I enjoy the freedom and democracy
So enjoy your believed.
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XD
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It has nothing to do with respect
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fuck thai people
they treat every foreigner like they care about you but they don't. so, yes, their FAKE ass people. they love to gossip and jump into conclusions like their going to die right then and there. they are truly retarded people who does not 'RESPECT' their king. if they did respect him then they should have never taken thailand for granted. the thais' should be willing to FIX their greedy/ corrupted/ selfish problems before representing themselves of proud people of thailand. WTF is there to be proud about? you all suck dicks and pussys. all what you want is money. and believe me thais do because i had alot of DUMB ass thai "supposedly" friends, who thought that i was one dumb and "such a nice" foreigner to give them MONEY if they ask for it in the most SLYIEST way possible. and thank god i never became a victim of fraud. i just tell them that i ain't got shit and i stick to that "friendly-brush off" undercover attitude.
remember, i said FUCK thai people not the country thailand. parts of thailand is breathtaking but not worth the mental, pyhsical, and, emotional abuse thai people like to create. they just all love having their own thai DRAMA series/ lakorns, every damn day.
i really do have lots of patience in working with thai students who take up my time of helping them for granted. they take us for granted because the school officials and thai teachers don't give a FUCK either about us foreigners. they just want "LITERALLY" all the free gov. funds for retarded ass projects that i never saw completed. and everyone of those thai people took as much money as they can for themselves. i see it everytime and i never ask because it's not my business. THAI people just want to spill little CRAP that you DON'T want to hear or know about. at the end, thai people are the most disgusting human beings living on earth. they can't take care of the nasty smell of their country and green environment that is falling apart.
i came to this country to seek truth behind all the myths about thailand and i can conclude that it's true. i get so irritated and annoyed by their attitude problems that i sometimes just want to slap, spit, and purposely bump into them because that's what they do to every foreigner here. and i don't like how they really RIPP you off on everything, even if i speak thai to them. and they do OVERCHARGE and BEAT UP foreigners. how do i know? because i've seen situations like that all the time here in thailand.
by the way, i'm not "white" american. i'm asian american. and thank god i'm not thai, if i was i would hang myself because of shame.
thai people should SHUT the HELL up because you CREATURES don't have anything good to PROVE that you care about thailand or yourselves. not even proof that YOU, yea YOU, care about the king. i've seen the king's work and let me tell ya, he's the BEST thai person i'll ever know because he does all of his thai citizens DIRTY jobs volunteerly. and the rest of the thai people ARE INCREDIBLY "LAZY." always fucking "sabai, sabai."
THAI PEOPLES' BEHAVIOR IS CHEAP LIKE THEIR THAI BAHT CURRENCY. fucking SCAMMERS.
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fuck thai people
they treat every foreigner like they care about you but they don't. so, yes, their FAKE ass people. they love to gossip and jump into conclusions like their going to die right then and there. they are truly retarded people who does not 'RESPECT' their king. if they did respect him then they should have never taken thailand for granted. the thais' should be willing to FIX their greedy/ corrupted/ selfish problems before representing themselves of proud people of thailand. WTF is there to be proud about? you all suck dicks and pussys. all what you want is money. and believe me thais do because i had alot of DUMB ass thai "supposedly" friends, who thought that i was one dumb and "such a nice" foreigner to give them MONEY if they ask for it in the most SLYIEST way possible. and thank god i never became a victim of fraud. i just tell them that i ain't got shit and i stick to that "friendly-brush off" undercover attitude.
remember, i said FUCK thai people not the country thailand. parts of thailand is breathtaking but not worth the mental, pyhsical, and, emotional abuse thai people like to create. they just all love having their own thai DRAMA series/ lakorns, every damn day.
i really do have lots of patience in working with thai students who take up my time of helping them for granted. they take us for granted because the school officials and thai teachers don't give a FUCK either about us foreigners. they just want "LITERALLY" all the free gov. funds for retarded ass projects that i never saw completed. and everyone of those thai people took as much money as they can for themselves. i see it everytime and i never ask because it's not my business. THAI people just want to spill little CRAP that you DON'T want to hear or know about. at the end, thai people are the most disgusting human beings living on earth. they can't take care of the nasty smell of their country and green environment that is falling apart.
i came to this country to seek truth behind all the myths about thailand and i can conclude that it's true. i get so irritated and annoyed by their attitude problems that i sometimes just want to slap, spit, and purposely bump into them because that's what they do to every foreigner here. and i don't like how they really RIPP you off on everything, even if i speak thai to them. and they do OVERCHARGE and BEAT UP foreigners. how do i know? because i've seen situations like that all the time here in thailand.
by the way, i'm not "white" american. i'm asian american. and thank god i'm not thai, if i was i would hang myself because of shame.
thai people should SHUT the HELL up because you CREATURES don't have anything good to PROVE that you care about thailand or yourselves. not even proof that YOU, yea YOU, care about the king. i've seen the king's work and let me tell ya, he's the BEST thai person i'll ever know because he does all of his thai citizens DIRTY jobs volunteerly. and the rest of the thai people ARE INCREDIBLY "LAZY." always fucking "sabai, sabai."
THAI PEOPLES' BEHAVIOR IS CHEAP LIKE THEIR THAI BAHT CURRENCY. fucking SCAMMERS.
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Re: Re: Re: Simple solution...
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Re: Re: I enjoy the freedom and democracy
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Re: thailand sucks!
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Re: fuck thai people
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Re:
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Re: fuck thai people
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Re: fuck thai people
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Re: fuck thai people
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Re: fuck thai people
Don't assume a word is a swear.
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Re: fuck thai people
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Re:
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