Taking Out Insurance on Modernism in Bangkok
Modernism Chews Up the Third World
“Arguably the most paradigmatic motive of modernism is the rejection of tradition and its reprise, incorporation, rewriting, recapitulation, revision and parody in new forms.”[
– Wikipedia
Imagine Modernism and you might be hard pressed to think of a cultural movement that might more seduce the young ego. Place Modernism in the mix with “scrumptious” Capitalism (as it was described in a Thai film I saw while visiting) and you have a cultural buzz saw. I am not a widely travelled person, but just from the information I see and from a recent visit to Thailand, this couldn’t seem to be more apparent. The young people may still live in Thailand, but on their cell phones and computers they travel about, and live in the virtual world with as much familiarity as the mega-rich… even in the orphanage. T shirt slogans capture attention world-wide. And religion, national boundaries, national identities, language, customs… are all looking to be outflanked like the Maginot Line. It’s really a bubbling caldron out here in the world. Not necessarily violent, but certainly volatile.
Pray with me.
Photo by Carl Nelson
Tags: capitalism, Carl Nelson, columnist, global commerce, modernism, prayer, religion, Thailand
June 23, 2013 at 9:12 pm06 |
Do you remember the name of the film you saw in Thailand? Was it LOST IN THAILAND by any chance? I have yet to see it …
June 23, 2013 at 9:12 pm06 |
I can’t remember. It’s been a couple of years. But this one was about a small village whose men were losing their women to the wealthy farang.
June 23, 2013 at 9:12 pm06 |
I can’t remember the name, and neither can my son. It’s been 2 years. But the film was about a small Thai village where the wealthy farang were luring away all the nice women. It was a comedy, pretty much.