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Published on October 27, 2007

The plot couldn't be better - jealousy over a Mini Cooper car, which led to a verbal argument and to a certain level, physical violence, in a shopping mall parking lot.

A cat fight always makes juicy gossip and even more so when it involves celebrities. In this case, the audience is obviously enjoying it, as evidenced by the large number of opinions posted at news Websites and chat rooms. And of course, let's not forget chit-chat between friends.

The irony is, despite the venomous tirades and unruly behaviour of the actresses involved, they will only become more popular - with more offers of work coming their way. There might be a drop at first, but if past records are any clue, the stars in question are likely to emerge victorious in the end. They might even garner a larger fan base for what they did.

Is the appetite of Thais in general for drama that great even though we are already bombarded with soap operas everyday? Thailand is a forgiving society, but doesn't condoning such behaviour, time and again, send the wrong message, especially to young people?

We have witnessed movie stars who have been caught drunk-driving, involved in a brawls or, worse, doing drugs. Of course, most celebrities are not moral crusaders, but they should at least possess some self-control and prove themselves respectable in public. No wonder video clips of fights at schools are a fad among students. 

It cannot be denied that movie stars serve as role models for young people. If they cannot learn how to behave, they should be banned from the screens, at least for a certain period of time. The punishment mechanism seems to be lacking and inappropriate conduct can only be seen as a bad example.

In fact, some teenagers, such as those in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, are so credulous that they actually imitated a gang that threw stones at drivers in Ayutthaya. If this is the influence of kids upon one another, just imagine how influential a celebrity, who is considered an idol, is going to be.

It's a little too convenient to simply hide behind the excuse of "private life" reasoning. Celebrities cannot have it both ways. They cannot enjoy the benefits of fame and take pleasure in the solitude of privacy as well. Whether it's private or public life, they are still the same person. They must understand that with fame comes responsibility and that proper behaviour is the least to be expected of them.   

Shame wasn't an issue during the actresses' press conferences. Instead they focused on defending their actions, while expressing varying degrees of vengeance. 

The press coverage given to the issue is also absurd. This type of news sells, but highlighting the incident without any reference to the propriety of the actresses' can mislead teenagers into thinking that the stars' actions were acceptable, or even cool.

What can young fans learn from the incident when the actresses need not bear any consequences for their own deeds? How are the pair assuming their responsibilities of being idols? There's no point arguing whether the stars themselves want to be role models because, with constant visibility through the mass media, they already are.

There are stars whose reputations have remained relatively spotless throughout their career. They don't make blatant headlines, so they don't gain as much space in the press as they otherwise would. 

Because of the glamour, it's no surprise why a large number of youths want to become famous these days. There's nothing wrong with fame or the urge to gain it, but those who already have it must set good standards so that the younger generation can look up to them.

And one more thing: please, independent women of the 21st century, don't fight over a man. Even though you might have to second-guess whether every good-looking guy you meet is really straight, still, there are many fish in the ocean.

 

 Veenarat Laohapakakul

The Nation