A celebration of unity and diversity
When we look at individuals we encounter in a international resort community such as Pattaya, we can’t help but be struck by the diversity of appearance, language and culture represented in the human family. A few people we encounter, perhaps those similar to us in appearance or ethnicity, seem rather familiar to us. Others seem very, very… strange!
Issues of human similarities and differences were explored last week in the Round Square Regional Conference attended by 136 student delegates from 17 schools from five countries, including Thailand, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. It was my honor to be invited by imaginative conference organizer Paul Crouch, to take part in the event. It was hosted by the Regent’s School, Pattaya on location at their new Ideals Learning Center, tucked away in a remote corner of beautiful Koh Chang.
The topic of my presentation with Regents students Liisa Toompuu and Natasha Fortune, was stereotypes and impression formation. We presented some interesting findings from social psychologists concerning how humans form stereotypes. In summary, people with whom we share something in common, such as a country of origin, an ethnic identity, even support for a team of athletes, comprise what social scientists label “ingroups.” Those excluded from our ingroups form our “outgroups.”
It is found that we generally exhibit a bias in favor of those in our ingroups, compared to those in our outgroups. We also tend to perceive diversity among members of our ingroups, while viewing members of outgroups as largely homogeneous. Finally, our initial impressions of people often remain, despite contradictory evidence which we might later encounter.
The conference theme of “same same but different,” is a “tinglish” phrase familiar to those acquainted with social life in English speaking parts of Thailand. Proposed by Regent’s student Girish Balakrishnan, the theme served to introduce delegates to the provocative concept of human homogeneity and diversity, with a dash of our colorful local slang.
The theme touched virtually every aspect of the six day event, from “Sawadee,” the exciting opening ceremony at the Regent’s Globe Theatre, through activities and presentations, to the climactic finale, “Choc dee,” the closing ceremony, consisting of drama performances prepared by each of the eight “gluums” or small groups. Throughout the event student delegates and their teachers were exposed to various elements of traditional Thai culture, most for the first time.
A particularly memorable part of the event for this writer was our participation in the Songkran festival with the island locals. The students, dressed in colorful floral Songkran shirts, were transported by boat to a remote fishing village where the local inhabitants introduced them to the joys of water-throwing. At first seemingly bewildered by playful children splashing water on their overheated bodies, the students soon joined in the fun, launching strategic attacks upon their miniature assailants.
Later, the group braved refreshing liquid sniper attacks on the road to the village temple, where members of the community warmly greeted us with ice cold glasses of coconut milk. We were then seated to hear a welcoming address by the village authority. A live musical performance and traditional Thai dance routine followed, especially prepared for us by the village elders. We obtained live fish from our hosts for release into the nearby stream as a traditional act of merit making.
The monks were on hand for chanting, and to receive the traditional sprinkling of water and good wishes from guests and locals. The elders were next to receive a sprinkling, followed by the teacher participants. A few villagers tenderly applied damp powder to our faces. It wasn’t long before the students and teachers joined the locals with their individual interpretations of traditional Thai dancing.
Songkran festival, particularly when observed in the gentle traditional way, is an elegant and at times emotional celebration of Thai culture and traditions. I have previously taken part in similar ceremonies, both here and in Thai communities in the U.S. Nevertheless, observing the joy of so many young people from foreign cultures experiencing Songkran for the first time, and the pride of the Thais in sharing their culture with us was an experience that is hard to beat.
While Songkran is a uniquely Thai tradition, it seems to have universal human appeal, reminding us once again that, although we are each unique, we are undeniably “same same.”
Issues of human similarities and differences were explored last week in the Round Square Regional Conference attended by 136 student delegates from 17 schools from five countries, including Thailand, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. It was my honor to be invited by imaginative conference organizer Paul Crouch, to take part in the event. It was hosted by the Regent’s School, Pattaya on location at their new Ideals Learning Center, tucked away in a remote corner of beautiful Koh Chang.
The topic of my presentation with Regents students Liisa Toompuu and Natasha Fortune, was stereotypes and impression formation. We presented some interesting findings from social psychologists concerning how humans form stereotypes. In summary, people with whom we share something in common, such as a country of origin, an ethnic identity, even support for a team of athletes, comprise what social scientists label “ingroups.” Those excluded from our ingroups form our “outgroups.”
It is found that we generally exhibit a bias in favor of those in our ingroups, compared to those in our outgroups. We also tend to perceive diversity among members of our ingroups, while viewing members of outgroups as largely homogeneous. Finally, our initial impressions of people often remain, despite contradictory evidence which we might later encounter.
The conference theme of “same same but different,” is a “tinglish” phrase familiar to those acquainted with social life in English speaking parts of Thailand. Proposed by Regent’s student Girish Balakrishnan, the theme served to introduce delegates to the provocative concept of human homogeneity and diversity, with a dash of our colorful local slang.
The theme touched virtually every aspect of the six day event, from “Sawadee,” the exciting opening ceremony at the Regent’s Globe Theatre, through activities and presentations, to the climactic finale, “Choc dee,” the closing ceremony, consisting of drama performances prepared by each of the eight “gluums” or small groups. Throughout the event student delegates and their teachers were exposed to various elements of traditional Thai culture, most for the first time.
A particularly memorable part of the event for this writer was our participation in the Songkran festival with the island locals. The students, dressed in colorful floral Songkran shirts, were transported by boat to a remote fishing village where the local inhabitants introduced them to the joys of water-throwing. At first seemingly bewildered by playful children splashing water on their overheated bodies, the students soon joined in the fun, launching strategic attacks upon their miniature assailants.
Later, the group braved refreshing liquid sniper attacks on the road to the village temple, where members of the community warmly greeted us with ice cold glasses of coconut milk. We were then seated to hear a welcoming address by the village authority. A live musical performance and traditional Thai dance routine followed, especially prepared for us by the village elders. We obtained live fish from our hosts for release into the nearby stream as a traditional act of merit making.
The monks were on hand for chanting, and to receive the traditional sprinkling of water and good wishes from guests and locals. The elders were next to receive a sprinkling, followed by the teacher participants. A few villagers tenderly applied damp powder to our faces. It wasn’t long before the students and teachers joined the locals with their individual interpretations of traditional Thai dancing.
Songkran festival, particularly when observed in the gentle traditional way, is an elegant and at times emotional celebration of Thai culture and traditions. I have previously taken part in similar ceremonies, both here and in Thai communities in the U.S. Nevertheless, observing the joy of so many young people from foreign cultures experiencing Songkran for the first time, and the pride of the Thais in sharing their culture with us was an experience that is hard to beat.
While Songkran is a uniquely Thai tradition, it seems to have universal human appeal, reminding us once again that, although we are each unique, we are undeniably “same same.”
posted by Michael | Saturday, April 16, 2005
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