Thailand has seen some intense and crazy protests since July of 2020 The protests in Thailand have taken a new approach because of the fear of violence and rumors of a military shutdown: Get the media to pay attention.
But how do they do it?
These protests look more like a party with music and dancing. The protesters have dressed up as dinosaurs and begun to dance. They plan make the dinosaurs in their government extinct. Most members of their Parliament have served for many years and the population is much younger. The protestors are playing with orange balloons representing meteorites to wipe out the dinosaurs. Protesters have said: “We will act as a meteorite and hit the outdated ways of the older generations in this country,”
You may think that Dinosaurs have become the mascot of the protests but a far more formidable opponent to the state has come to light.
Thai p0lice used high pressure water cannons against the protesters on November 17. There was even a shooting. The next day the protestors returned with giant inflatable pool ducks to shield themselves from the water cannons.
The Duck may be the mascot but the Mockingjay salute (also called the three finger salute) has put the odds forever in their favor.
In the bestselling novels and the blockbuster hit The Hunger Games, there is an uprising against a dictatorship that pits the poor against each other while the rich thrive off of the weak. The Thai protesters took the three finger salute from the series to stand against their own oppressive government. The salute has gathered a lot of attention.
Thai Rap group Rap Against Dictatorship or RAD has shot music videos with protestors in the background for their new song Reform. This song references the salute throughout and pushes for democracy through politically charged Rap. Parts of the song refer to the King as a drunk sadist.
The mockingjay salute, the ducks, and the dinosaurs are striking images for photojournalists. Creating images that show irony and display an intense struggle against an unjust government. By using these tactics protestors have created images that have caught the world's attention.
An opinion piece in The South China Post has issues with this style of journalism claiming, "these deceptively beautiful pictures blur the line between art and reality, begging the question: did these events really occur?" This speculation shows that the word has gotten out and that these tactics are successful in attracting the media attention.
From South China Post
These images aren't allowed to be broadcast in Thailand in any form. Thai protesters are spreading these pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and any other form of social media instead. According to the Bangkok Post "The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has sent evidence to police to take legal action against social media platforms that fail to remove URLs deemed inappropriate."
The Thai government has denied and censored its citizens. So naturally and ironically, Thai youth have turned to the internet to push for democracy. These protests have put pressure on their government and have put their struggle for democracy on display globally.