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2nd, David Boje, Ph.d.
December 3, 2002
There is an interaction of Festival, Spectacle and Carnival. Here are some defining elements.
Table One: Spectacle, Festival and Carnival
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Spectacle |
Festival |
Carnival |
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Spectacle, carnival, and festival are three theatrics of control on the global stage. The planet is being retrofitted to be remade in the image of spectacle fantasy, and all that is left is the Tamara of global stages, and the networking of wandering players and spec-actors navigating among them.
First, let's look at Festival. Once upon a time, in medieval Europe, half the year was occupied in festival holidays.
In Thailand, and elsewhere, the lands are rich in festival - hardly a fortnight goes by without festival. Festival is the enemy of spectacle, which converts all human time to work and consumption time by corporate power in our age of Empire.
Thais love festival times - They celebrate royal family, flowers, departed kings, the constitution, Buddhism, children, teachers, fruit, elephants, and all three new years. During the Vegetarian Festival, taking place in October in Phuket, islanders of Chinese descent restrict themselves to a vegetarian diet for nine days. During their most unabashedly gleeful holiday, Songkran, they even celebrate being soaking wet.
Songkran Festival - an official holiday throughout Thailand. Songkran is the Kingdom's most "sanuk" (fun-filled) festival there are parades, beauty pageants, singing, dancing in the streets and lots of water. Songkran is a Thai word which means "move" or "change place" as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac. It is also known as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck. Songkran marks the start of the Buddhist New Year and officially lasts from April 13-15 -- celebrates the start of a new farming cycle during the fifth full moon of the lunar calendar. Water is used in Songkran as both a symbol of cleansing and renewal. The festival used to be about sprinkling holy water on religious icons. Now it is unrestrained water warfare. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing. People of all ages douse one another with water for three solid days, from sunset to sundown. In northern city of Chiangmai there is a water moat surrounding the city.
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2nd,
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People in vehicles circle the city engaging in the water battle, and groups of young kids ambush pedestrians with their water guns. Business pretty much grinds to a halt during the festival period with schools, government offices and many shops shutting down. This festival is a good example of merry making. Small children delight in equipping themselves with water guns and spraying anyone who comes in their path - no one is exempt! The Water Festival gives us freshness, happiness and fun because the weather is very hot.
SPECTACLE - Spectacle is a media-administered fantasy, a way to keep the people under the illusion of progress. IN Thailand spectacle is responsible for deforestation, pollution, the sex business, and the enslavement of 500,000 women in garment-sweatshops.
Deforestation - Between 1976 and 1989, Thailand lost 28 percent of its forest cover. The United Nations Environment Program states in its latest report: “In the process of deforestation, two-thirds of wildlife habitats have been destroyed, and vast expanses of naturally fragile land, particularly upper water catchment areas, have been exposed to soil erosion.” Water that was once caught by the forests now flows unhindered in the river systems below. At least 176 people are dead and more than 450,000 homeless or in hardship following the severe flooding that engulfed northern Thailand after Typhoon Usagi swept through the area October 2001. See Map of deforested areas; see http://popplanet.org/PopPlanet/issue.cfm?countryid=9&iid=6 for more info
Sex Business - "illegal" sex business has assumed the dimensions of an industry in Thailand. It is highly organised, wages for work, factory-like atmosphere, anonymity and a complete alienation at the workplace. The Bangkok-based Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) agrees there is a significant shift taking place in prostitution the world over. "Control is shifting from the hands of women into that of men," says GAATW's Jyoti Sanghera. The sex industry is globalizing, a uniformity in the spectacle of sexual gratification from India to the Philippines. Globalization has led to an influx of foreign prostitutes both those who come to work in Thailand and those who use the country as passageway to other neighboring countries through common borders. In Thailand, close to 300 million dollars was transferred annually from urban to rural areas by women working in the sex industry. Sex industry is part of the tourism industry (5% of GDP). American businessmen make millions on Webcast sex from Thailland. Sex tourism, sex on the web, and sex slavery in Thailand is pervasive and atrocious. American men comprise a substantial portion of the clientele in this business. Also, children are often kidnapped and forced into prostitution. The Thai sex business is a $5 billion industry. UNICEF estimates there are 200,000 child prostitutes (under 18) in Thailand. Recent studies show 80% of the women in sex businesses were HIV-positive. In Thailand, a 1997 government survey found 65,000 prostitutes but the ILO said the unofficial figure could be as high as 300,000. The ILO is advocating that the UN treat prostitution as a business, regulate its labor practices, and tax its revenues. In Thailand, ILO said urban prostitutes were transferring $300 million in net income to rural families annually. It put the annual income from prostitution at more than $20 billion. Prostitutes earn $800 a month in Thailand.
Sweatshops and Sex Slaves - Sweatshops and sex industry are linked. Workers in sweatshops, 90 percent of whom are female, often do not earn enough money to cover their own living expenses, much less to allow them to remit money to their families. The lack of living wages in sweatshops is the major cause of prostitution of Thailand; the incentive is for families to sell their children into prostitution.
How - Spectacle converts festival into commercial enterprise. Spectacle is a masquerade for the material conditions.
Commercial spectacle, in this case tourism transforms the Festival into an attraction. The Water War Festival is transformed into a tamer site, suitable for tourist. For example, one description reads " At Sanam Luang and citywide, Bangkok the traditional Thai New Year is an occasion for merriment all over the city, but most notably at Sanam Luang, near the Grand Palace, where the revered Phra Buddha Sihing image is displayed and bathed by devotees. In the Wisutkasat area, a Miss Songkran beauty contest is held and accompanied by merit-making and entertainment. Khao San Road, Bang Lamphu area is also one of the high-spots in the city to experience the water-splashing activities between locals and tourists - of course, all in good fun!! (source). Another example "This is the time for Thais to pay homage to Buddha images, clean their houses, and sprinkle water on their elders in a show of respect. Anyone who ventures out on the streets is likely to get a thorough dousing of water, all in good fun, but also quite welcome at the peak of the hot season"
This is a more spectacle image of the water festival. More
photos
"The families gather in order to express their respects to the elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grandparents and to present them gifts including making merits to dedicate the result to their ancestors. The elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity" (source). Good history of the festival traditions and what happens each day (press here).
An example of Spectacle control of media - On Sept 27, 2002 - Lek writes:
ITV - Victory!!!
Lek.....
LABOUR DISPUTE: iTV told to rehire 'rebels' - Two-year wait for justice results in full vindication for 21 TV journalists Television reporters sacked by iTV two years ago must be reinstated with back pay, the Central Labour Court ruled yesterday.
The court yesterday ordered that iTV reinstate 21 journalists it fired because of their outspoken stance against editorial interference in news coverage.
The court declared that the action was unfair and the reporters had been ousted because they resisted editorial interference.
CARNIVAL - Carnival is between spectacle and festival, a form of resistance to spectacle of state and corporate oppression, and a reformation of festival into acts of resistance and protest.
Please click for larger photos
This next series is about Thai women (and a few men) doing carnivalesque protest of Nike and Tiger Woods
Lek keeps sending Americans messages, informing us.
Dear friends,
Today Bed and Bath workers, together IUF Thailand, State Enterprise Union, Assembly of the Poor, demonstrating to the Shangri La Hotel where the 2nd Conference on Asian Political Parties taking place.
Below is the press statement handed to the Thai Prime Minister Secretary.
Lek....
November 23, 2002
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Bed and Bath - produces clothing for such corporate giants as NIKE, Reebok, Levi’s and Haddad
The violations are an abuse of human rights. For example, "In a move to speed up production Bed and Bath management laced our drinking water with amphetamines so that we could work more and more hours. This was in total violation of Thai law and yet we were forced to consume it" (Lek, Nov 23, 2002 email; see workers story on conditions - - http://www.thailabour.org/campaigns/bnb/voice.html ). When confronted the owner of the factory left town without paying the works their back wages. Corporations such as Nike reacted to a similar incident in Indonesia, by cutting their orders to the factory and locking out the workers. While Nike made millions from the Bed and Bath workers in Indonesia and Thailand, they are refusing to contribute anything to worker' back pay. After 900 Bed and Bath workers were put of work, with no back pay,.
At noon on November 5 workers from the factory marched to Nike's Corporate
Headquarters in Bangkok and demanded that NIKE live up to its own Code of
Conduct. For more details, including pictures, see www.thailabour.org.
For more on this story see chronology.
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Figure 5: Thailand protest of Tigers Woods (Source, Thai Labor Campaign) The group carried signs asking Tiger Woods to 'Be on par with worker's rights," and a large banner saying, "Tiger Woods: Stop puttering around.
Figure 6: Theatrics of Resistance (Source, Thai Labor Campaign)
Tiger Woods signed a sponsorship agreement in September with Nike for 5 years worth $100 million. With all winnings and endorsement earning this year, Tiger Woods will get $55,000 a day. A Thai worker would have to work for 14,000 days or 38 years to receive the same amount.
USAS of NMSU - http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/usas/
Nike in Thailand http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/nike/thailand.html
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Lek...._Thai Labour Campaign, Coordinator: Lek Junya YimprasertPhone: + 66 1 617 5491, +66 2 692 7963 Fax: +66 2 692 7963Web Address: http://www.thailabour.org/Junya Yimprasert was Human Rights Coordinator at Reebok, Thailand from January to May 1998. She is currently the coordinator of Thai Labour Campaign. Comments can be addressed to her at lek@thailabour.org
My good friend Lek, tells me there is much carnivalesque resistance to Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Banana Republic, K-Mart and Jacob. Seems Gina Form Bra, made in Thailand is engaging in union busting. The women of Thailand are organizing to resist the spectacle of American corporate exploitation. Americans can help be becoming informed, and creating carnival in front of K-Mart, Gap, Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, and Jacob.
Here is what Lek has to say (See PDF longer version of this summary):
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Date: Nov
29, 2002
Dear friends,
There are several serious labor disputes in Thailand rights now. Apart from Bed
and Bath, one of it is from workers of Gina Form Bra that produce underwear have
been facing with serious union busting for many years since they organize union
in 1994. Tie Asia has helped to write up the story for the workers. Please
see whether you can do anything to help!
In solidarity,
Lek....
Lek file listing on Boje web site.
See http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/503/CTRL1_what_is_managing_and_organizing.htm for more on Lek and environmental and labor law violations at Nike factories in Thailand.
See intro to women's stories in Thailand http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/503/womens_stories.htm
For more extensive background paper on carnival and Thailand and Nike resistance see http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/conferences/boje_global_theatrics_and_capitalism.htm
- owned by owned by a Lao family from Hong Kong.
- set up in Thailand in 1985
- located in Bangkok.
- employs 1,400 workers; 1,100 are women workers
- certified under WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production).
- Union formed in 1994, after management dismissed a core group of workers who submitted demands
- 2001, Thai management took over, and started to harass the union
o Union membership dropped from 1,100 to 700
o HOW?
§ Management issued regulations that affected and contradicted the collective agreement between management and the workers
§ Management laid off nearly 300 union members and more than 200 trainees
§ put union committee members on the same line of production
§ shifted a large number of workers without giving them any work.
§ 16th August 2001, before the union submitted their annual demands, the former chairperson and treasurer of the union committee were charged with gambling and management requested the court to lay her off.
§ 25th of September 2002, management submitted a counter demand that reduced the benefits and welfare provisions for workers, eg: bonus, diligent allowance and the annual wage increase without any consultation with the union.
§ Five union committee and 27 union members were laid off.
§ Management vetoed out the union’s demands by questioning whether the union was a true representative of the workers because the court case was going on and they were in the process of being laid off.
§ CARNIVALESQUE PROTEST - both members and non-members were threatened and asked not to join the demonstration.
§ number of guards used to control the workers increased.
§ Union committee members were watched through the closed circuit TV and a video camera was also deployed to shoot the events and note the active members.
§ Sub-contract workers (hired through an employment agency) with lower wages and benefits were brought to work in the factory in place of the regular workers who were not given any work.
§ SPECTACLE - Management issued letters and press releases to charge and attack union committee members and implicate them falsely in financial and sexual scandals.
- Due to this deadlock, the Labour Ministry ordered the Labour Relation Committee (LRC) to make a decision on the disputed labour issues according to Section 24 of the Labour Relation Act (LRA) 1975. The LRC decision on 21st November 2001 ordered the laid-off workers be re-installed and be paid compensation.
- After the order, management called union members and asked them to sign an individual contract with conditions below the collective agreement. They also laid off 150 more workers, committee members and union members on the 8th, 10th and 11th of December 2001.
- workers and the union took their complaints to the National Human Rights Commission on 27th November 2001.
- 14th and 15th August 2002 six committee members were moved from the sewing section to the quality checking section. These workers had not been trained for this work, nor did they have any previous experience. This section is in another small building where there are fewer union members. The administrators claimed that they received workers’ complaints that the committee members had taken six days leave, which had affected the production and the teamwork of their lines. The pattern of work in this section was new to these workers. Also, wages and benefits were lower as there were no production target benefits. The deliberate isolation of union committee members was designed to increase pressure on the union.
- The union committee were ordered to stop working between the 22nd and 27th August, 2002 with pay. During their absence management forced union and non union members to sign a blank piece of paper on which management later wrote workers agreement to their demands. Management then took this document, on 23 August 2002, and registered it with the Department of Social Welfare and Labour Protection of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. The union later submitted a letter to the Ministry rejecting the new employment conditions.
- On 18 September 2002 management sued in separate cases five union members including the present chairperson of the union claiming that they slowed down their work performance and threatened their co-workers who did not join their slow down. Workers then made a complaint to Management.
- The judgment of the National Human Rights Commission was issued on 17 September 2002. It stated that all employers’ and administrators’ action against the workers and the union are a violation of human rights and are against several sections of the LRA 1975. This includes: the arrest of and the intention not to reinstall the former chairperson of the union, who had won their case, the signing of employment conditions that did not comply with the former agreement or the order of the LRC as well as refusing the right of the union committee members to perform their work.
Please send your appeal to the following persons and addresses:
Prime Minister of Thailand
The Hon Mr Thaksin Shinawatra
Office of the Prime Minister
Pitsanuloke Rd
Bangkok 10300
Thailand
Gina Form Bra Company Limited
80/8 Moo 4 Soi Ramindra 39
Ramindra Rd, Bangkhen
Bangkok 10220
Thailand
Please send copies and solidarity messages to:
Gina Relation Labour Union
405/12 Pracha Uthit Rd
Soi 33
Ratburana
Bangkok
Thailand
For more info - http://www.tieasia.org/ Transnationals Information Exchange-Asia (TIE-Asia): is a non profit, independent, regional labour network. TIE-Asia began in 1992 in response to the growing number of women worker exploitation cases by American owner corporations. Thus far the American public takes little or no interest in learning about the conditions of labor of the young women making their garments.
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The corporate-owned media keeps the American public ignorant of the conditions of labor in other countries. The propaganda machine of spectacle is being opposed by the young women workers and by students acting in solidarity, trying o change the pattern of exploitation, the new imperial colonialism, known as "globalization." Someday festival will reassert its joyful presence, carnival is eroding the credibility of spectacle. Someday we will return to festival.
- David Boje, Dec
3, 2002.
