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Title: Thailand for sale Rating: 3.2 out of 4 Reference: Producer & director, David Jay; Writer,
Ing K. Library of Congress subjects: Economic development projects--Environmental aspects— Thailand Environmental policy--Thailand Thailand--Economic policy Sociology subjects: Community activism (in part) Environmental issues Globalisation & development Reviews and Numerical Ratings 4 Does an excellent job of showing how the tourist industry and tourists are exploiting Thailand’s natural resources. Provides many points of view, from activists and ordinary citizens’ to resort owner’s, making this documentary non-biased. There are several mind-boggling, upsetting, explicit, and provocative pieces of footage, e.g., the destruction of land, children begging from tourists. Therefore, this video will stir up many controversial discussions in both tutorial and lecture periods. The topic is very real & current, making it captivating and educational. The contents are definitely not vague. However, viewers who wish to leave this video with facts, data, and/or theories, will be disappointed - this is where the video fails. On the whole, this video would be a brilliant choice for our curriculum and for a sociology video festival. For students at any level. Minh Hoang (undergraduate) 2 Narrator in sad voice describes some horrible impacts of tourism industry in Puket Thailand, complete with images of insensitive tourists, with other Asian tourists apparently the most insensitive. Some attention to a small but well-known environmental group in Puket who have had a few successes in limiting the harm done by the industry. Overall rating – it’s usable if instructor wants something on impact of international tourism. But it’s predictable and not particularly complex; it hints at other cross-cutting themes (e.g., environmental movements in third world countries, alternative forms of tourism) but never follows through. Might also be accused of inadvertently reinforcing Orientalist stereotypes, e.g., that everything & everyone in Thailand has their price. Peter Vandergeest 3 Good demonstration of how tourism is not an innocuous industry, but one with specific implications for local populations. Illustrates rhetoric of development and economic inevitability. Could be more succinct. Lecture topics: tourism, foreign investment, public/private property, resettlement, land rights, corporate interests & Thailand, Peter Mallory & Riley Olstead 3 Extraordinarily painful to watch, without being sensational. Highly informative. Raises questions about responsibility, our roles as tourists. Could provide more narrative & context about why tourism began, and could have more local speakers other than the two activists. Lecture topics: globalization, development, community identity, third world environmental problems, international environmental justice. Kathy Bischoping & Pnina Ginzberg 4 Excellent display of the effects that western imperialism
has had on developing countries. The video superbly displays the gluttonous
nature of western capitalism that seeks to expand its tourist industry
within the borders of these poor countries at the expense of further
contributing to environmental disasters & greater deeper erosion
of local industries. The cost of tourism is shown to be supremely high
for the inhabitants of the usurped land. The video displays well how
no price could ever be sufficient to compensate for the robbery &
damages to the land in Thailand. Endangered species are being placed
in greater harm, tapeworms are filling the bellies of young children
instead of food, villages have become cesspools of disease, lagoons
have become blocked by sewage, sewage is freely pouring into the sea,
rice fields are being taken over, and the water supply is being hijacked
so that hotels can water the grass on golf courses. Schools, temples,
monasteries, & national parks are being destroyed in order to build
resorts, condominiums, shopping malls & golf courses for tourists.
This tourism invasion is shown to benefit no one except rich capitalists,
and humanitarian issues have become obliterated in the process. Indeed,
this video shows that although the tourism industry may be booming,
it is at the cost of human life and livelihood. The video does a phenomenal
job of making one acutely aware of this. For students at any level.
Belinda Godwin
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