Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Can Reason Actually Prevail?


It's almost 5 am here in Bangkok, and I'm reading the European papers online. Amazingly, it seems that reason might actually prevail in the current crisis. The Times said that Abhisit had won the media war, with Thaksin appearing shrill and unconvincing. And the U.S. has officially condemned the violence, not of the Thai government, but of the protesters, proving P.T. Barnum's adage that you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

Of course, the fact that Abhisit is able to utter a grammatically correct English sentence, complete with dependent clauses is, to say the least, refreshing. The last few leaders of Thailand have been decidedly lacking in this department. He doesn't knock us dead with passionate rhetoric, but he has a softspoken logic that grows on one. And he does have eloquence, even if it is not immediately apparent.

I'm starting to feel good about the Thai New Year, though who knows what tomorrow may bring.

2 comments:

  1. A leader who can speak in concise English is refreshing here in the United States, as well.

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  2. It is nice to have a President, as well, who can speak in concise English.

    ReplyDelete