Sitting down with red shirts and privilege

Five kilometers outside the city of Khon Kaen a crowd of about 10,000 red shirts gathered to hear seven recently released party leaders speak. It is strange being at such a massive gathering of Red Shirts after reading about their (generally volatile) demonstrations in Bangkok for over a year. You feel as if you literally are in a sea of red- just about every single person attending the rally is wearing loud red shirts. I even saw one man wearing a red one piece. Aside from just 10,000 people wearing the same color you’re surrounded by red flags, red heart shaped noise makers, red bracelets, red balloons and red tents selling even more red shirts.

We attended the event with the intention of interviewing some of the core leaders of the movement. All we needed to do was walk up to a guard and inform him that we were journalists and he took our wrists and led us backstage without hesitation. The fact that we got backstage so easily was most likely the result of our status of farang (white foreigners). It’s strange to use privilege so unabashedly. I’m not sure to what existent I should question the exercise of my privilege. In this specific case we used our privilege to collect information and report to the world what was occurring. It is interesting to view privilege as something that does not necessarily have to cripple you with guilt, but as a tool that can be used to empower others (or spread news about a social movement in this case).

Check out a friend's article and my photos, posted on the New Mandala blog!

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2011/02/28/welcome-to-red-shirt-leaders-in-khon-kaen/

I got on the front stage for a bit and snapped a few shots...

A few of the core leaders that were just released from jail on bail

A bai see ceremony where a blessed string is tied around a person's wrist. This is meant to tie their spirit to them so they don't get separated. It also gives the wearer good luck, health etc.

If only there was no light glare...