============================================================== To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... Include as LITTLE of the original messages as possible........ Message sent by: "Kongkeo Saycocie" ============================================================== At that time (the 60s), one of the radio program that became a hit in Savannakhet was from a 909 station broadcasting from Sakonnakhone, Thailand. That program was a news program spoken in a Lao language with an Isan accent. It was called "Thit Ma Tham Khao". I guess most of post office residents listened to it. It broadcasted at noon and lasted for half an hour. I guess it was so popular among Savannakhet population was because Thit Ma spoke like them and talked about things that they could associate with. One sign that shows this program popularity was I heard Thit Ma's voice everywhere I went in the compound because everyone seemed to turn on their radio as loud as possible especially when the sound of Khong (drum) hit the airwave at the beginning of the program and at the end of it. It was later known that the Thai policy was to win the Isan population of Lao ancestry to the Bangkok side. More, it aimed at propagating the anti communist stance among the population in Laos especially those who lived across the Mekong river. I heard that, to accomplish this aim, the Thai government used about 150 stations to send their powerful signals aiming directly to people along both banks of the Mekong River. No wonder Lao people were influenced by the Thai culture so much that even they live in the U.S., they still actively use Thai products, watch Thai video/TV, and listen to Thai songs. Of course, it was not that Lao people didn't love their country but because we were too poor to produce anything of value comparable to what the Thai had to offer. Frankly speaking, what the Thai fed us was very demoralizing. On the surface, it looked great because it showed us a life of plenty such as a big house, a fast car, and a pretty girl. Going deeper, one would find that it taught us an unhealthy attitude about life. What I mean was it made us divorce from the harsh reality of life therefore making us docile and distrustful of ourselves. I wonder if anyone who was heavily influenced by the Thai media didn't have a single doubt about the pride of being Lao whom the Thai liked to associate it with backwardness. If you ever watch Thai video, you will clearly see the caste system portrayed in it. Of course, the lowly Isan people (meaning the Lao people in general) are nothing but maids, drivers, clowns or anything that we couldn't be serious with. They acted and talked funny as if their harsh lives didn't teach them anything. On the contrary, the Bangkok people were smart and unbelievably wealthy. They were the ones whom you would unconciously aspire to be one. In fact, at that time, I didn't come to that conclusion but, with time, everything was kind of revealing itself. (to be continued) _ ***************************************************************** Visit SatJaDham Homepage at: http://www.satjadham.org (or .net) *****************************************************************