#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Teaching In Thailand >  >  How Would You  Handle This?

## kokesaat

I'm looking to the professionals for an answer:
Recently I assisted with an English Camp as a volunteer.  A Thai woman teacher who spoke excellent English led the class.  I assisted as requested/necessary.  All went well until the very end, when the teacher played a Thai song on the room's video player.  The song was The Watermelon Song (

).  It's in Thai......and I can read the lyrics enough to see that they're suggestive, but not obscene by themselves.  The video, on the other hand, is highly suggestive.  
Most of the students, ages 10-13, seemed to sing along with the Thai singer......and the song was a hit with older male students passing by on their way to lunch.
When I got home, I read up on the song and found several school videos showcasing this song with students singing/dancing.  I searched google to see if Thais objected to the music (in a classroom setting) but found precious few comments that were negative toward the music.  
I'm reaching out to other teachers to see how you would handle such a situation.

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## Bettyboo

None of your business; her country, her culture, she is the professional...

Don't try to push your cultural norms onto a Thai professional adult.

I hope that helps.  :Smile:

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## Cujo

^ That.

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## Neverna

> I'm looking to the professionals for an answer:
> Recently I assisted with an English Camp as a volunteer.  A Thai woman teacher who spoke excellent English led the class.  I assisted as requested/necessary.  All went well until the very end, when the teacher played a Thai song on the room's video player.  The song was The Watermelon Song.  It's in Thai......and I can read the lyrics enough to see that they're suggestive, but not obscene by themselves.  The video, on the other hand, is highly suggestive.  
> Most of the students, ages 10-13, seemed to sing along with the Thai singer......and the song was a hit with older male students passing by on their way to lunch.
> When I got home, I read up on the song and found several school videos showcasing this song with students singing/dancing.  I searched google to see if Thais objected to the music (in a classroom setting) but found precious few comments that were negative toward the music.  
> I'm reaching out to other teachers to see how you would handle such a situation.


What's to handle? The English camp is over. Forget it.

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## Norton

> How Would You Handle This?


I would sing along with the kids and enjoy this typical fun Luk Tung song. Nothing in the vid at all suggestive.

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## Luigi

Wait til you do a camp at a nurse's college and they put on that Itchy Ear song.

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## Norton

> Wait til you do a camp at a nurse's college and they put on that Itchy Ear song.


Slighty "suggestive"  :Smile:

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## Topper

Did you get paid?

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## Luigi

> Slighty "suggestive"


A little bit.  :Smile: 


I remember she was on some evening TV chat show and the host used the most disrespectful language possible to her, telling her she's an embarrassment to Thailand etc, she calmly laid straight into him asking how many Mia Nois he has. None? Why not, you're rich, a bit famous, surely you have 5 or 6, that's Thai male culture.

Fair to say she won the round.  :Smile:

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## nidhogg

Nobody past a week in Thailand would "handle it".  A non-issue.

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## Luigi

> Nobody past a week in Thailand would "handle it".  A non-issue.


Yeah, a mate was completely dumbfounded a few years ago, said he went to the end of year show at his kid's kindergarten, his kid's class were doing that_ Little yellow polka dot bikini song_ in bikinis, and the next class were doing that Mouln Rouge _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?_ song in little black suspenders.



I just said be thankful they weren't goosetepping through the auditorium in full SS Regalia singing _Deutschland Deutschland über alles_ while pinning yellow stars on people.

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## kokesaat

Thanks for the replies.  After reading up on the song, I guess it's a cultural thing.  I'll add it to the list of 'things that might work in Thailand, but don't dare try this at home'
Thanks

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## nidhogg

> Thanks for the replies.  After reading up on the song, I guess it's a cultural thing.  I'll add it to the list of 'things that might work in Thailand, but don't dare try this at home'
> Thanks


Sounds like a plan.

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## AntRobertson

> A little bit. 
> 
> 
> I remember she was on some evening TV chat show and the host used the most disrespectful language possible to her, telling her she's an embarrassment to Thailand etc, she calmly laid straight into him asking how many Mia Nois he has. None? Why not, you're rich, a bit famous, surely you have 5 or 6, that's Thai male culture.
> 
> Fair to say she won the round.


I might be mis-remembering it or conflating it with another instance but wasn't the host that chap 'Woody'?

I think he came out as gay so technically she was wrong.  :Very Happy:

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## Luigi

Does ring a bell. 


Woody, not the gay bit.

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