Red Shirt "Super-Massive" Social Movement
My Siamese cats are into red
by Tammy, this blog humanity journalist
It is Loy Krathong time in Thailand and I went to Thonburi to do my krathong floating-and after that, I went to Imperial Department store. I felt great, having floated all my troubles away. And politics was the last thing on my mind.
But there it was, politics right in the middle of the shoppong center. A Red Shirt drive for members to the Red Shirt movement was going on. I was curious and with my journalistic instincts, I mixed in and pretend I was one of them. During that half an hour with the Red Shirt drive event, I learned something very important.
And that is the Red Shirt movement is "Super-Massive." While the total number of Red Shirt membership is kept a very guarded secret, the Red Shirt activity can be an indication of the movement.
"Planning to take a vacation? Try Sri Saket next weekend and have fun with the Red Shirt gathering there. Or want to go to Phuket, the Red Shirt are going to meet for a big gathering there also," said Kaew, a member drive organizer.
"Nakorn Sawan is packed, Samut Sakorn is packed, Surin is packed. It's all packed across the country," said Kaew, of the current country-wide drive for membership.
At Imperial, about 50 people hovered around the membership drive desk. So far at about 6.30 pm when I left the drive event, since about 10 am when Imperial opened, they got about 300 new Red Shirt members.
New members are given T-Shirts, books, pamphlets and location of Red Shirt club near their house. Across Thailand, about 3,400 Red Shirt clubs with members anywhere from 20-200 per club are in existence, according to Kaew.
These are not just for political purpose, but according to Kaew, it is becoming a way of life-a social movement on a massive scale. "We play golf together, bowling together, eat together and go to each others social functions too," said Kaew. And if you think the Red Shirt is still all politics, you are right but also wrong, at Silom Red Shirt Club, members have broke them-selves off to form the Red Film Review Group.
"We plan to approach Taksin to start a movie and entertainment review program for the Taksin TV," said Meena, a film buff, who came across the river from Silom to help with the Thonburi drive.
Right there, being handed out to prospective members is a list of Red Shirt events, across the country. And the event list is amazing, like everyday, somewhere in Thailand, there is a Red Shirt get-together to do something.
Like you might think the Red Shirt only gets together in Bangkok in mass protest, but not so-the Red Shirt gets together everywhere and practically everyday. And in fact, apart from a few provinces in Southern Thailand, the Red Shirt across Thailand is meeting, independent of what is going on in Bangkok.
Well the Red Shirt has a great many communication channels, from Red Shirt SMS, to community radios, to Taksin Tweet and SMS, to Red Shirt print media. And on top of all that, the Taksin cable TV is now partially launched.
Apart from all of that activity, the Red Shirt now has the so called SMOT shop that sells products from Red Shirt businesses. Its political class or seminar is organized practically every week and an actual location for a school is nearly concluded.
If you think all of that is like an inner-circle or sub-culture, you are right. But it is a super massive sub culture or an under-ground culture. And if you think all of the above is not enough to keep the Red Shirt "A Tight Super Massive Community," word is already out that the Red Shirt plans to start a "Dating" website.
That is right, a "Dating Website" so that Red Shirt can get together, settle down and get married and have lots of Red Shirt kids.
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