It might be sexist, ageist, classist. Or is it just childish humour that will soon fade? The term manus pa — “the auntie species”, or as some say, “Super Aunties” — has emerged as the most debated and notorious Thai catchphrase of 2014.
It has definitely been making waves on mainstream and social media, first as a joke, then as derision and — debatably — a form of discrimination. Initially, manus pa was used to describe any self-serving elderly woman showing complete disregard for social rules and etiquette (jumping queues, for instance).
No media vehicle, be it print, broadcast or online, has shied away from using the term. It has graced the headlines of Thailand’s best-selling newspaper Thai Rath on multiple occasions. Its definition was recently added to popular online Thai dictionary longdo.com. Meanwhile, Facebook pages that crop up to denounce the awful behaviour of manus pa and online forums detailing their public misdemeanours only fan the flames, prompting well-behaved elderly women to fear being lumped into the group.
There’s no denying that some aunties cause public headaches, but why is it that older women earn the unpleasant tag when it’s clear that selfish behaviour can be found in any sex or age group? Gone are the words we have once used in the past to describe such people — rai marayat (no manners), mak ngai (careless) and kee ween (fussy) — and in comes the manus pa stereotype. With the possibly damaging connotations that come with the term, are we thinking too much or too little?
At a recent discussion hosted by Media Inside Out entitled "Media And Social Discourses On Super Aunties”, social commentators, activists and web page administrators came together to analyse the widespread popularity of the term and its implications.
One of the Facebook pages that led the trend of the term’s usage, “Manus Pa Is With Us Everywhere”, first came into existence in January and has a following of 32,000. Even if boasting a significantly lower number of followers than another page that came later, “Manus Pa”, which has around 193,000 followers, the intention of Manus Pa Is With Us Everywhere was never malicious. By providing a platform on which people could share stories of rude public behaviour, the idea behind the page was to show that this behaviour could be found in anyone.
“The term [manus pa] is used with women because it softens the image. If it were a guy, I think you might have called him a straight swear word instead,” Wisanpon Authasit, one of the two administrators of the Manus Pa Is With Us Everywhere Facebook page, said.
“We actually try to tell the stories from the auntie’s perspective so people will understand what it is they are feeling. Our page was not created for reviling and for society to come and condemn them. Ultimately, we want it to be a public space where people can let off some steam and share their stories. Perhaps people can first get used to manus pa on social media before getting used to them in real life.”
Kwankhao Banjong, the page’s other administrator, added that the word pa — which still retains a respectful connotation — also creates a solid image in your head. The way it is pronounced in the Thai language also makes the term more fun — and more memorable.
“You can take the whole phenomenon in a serious manner, but if you don’t see it that way then it won’t [be such a big deal]. Ironic and mean humour on our page helps get that across to our young adult target. I don’t have any hopes for the elders to change the way they’ve done something all their lives. It’s the terrible behaviour of the younger generation, my generation, that I hope will decrease.”
Among manus pa anecdotes, those involving jumped queues are the most reported. At the BTS, in cafes or while hailing a taxi, stories of elderly women who breeze in and cut in front of everyone are widely circulated. While some of these embarrassing accounts sound legitimate, there are also others that seem like an exaggeration for humorous or ridiculous effects (such as when an elderly woman brazenly gets into a cab that’s already occupied and demands a ride). True or false, the undertones of the manus pa jokes, according to social activists, speak of a much deeper sense of discrimination against the female gender of a certain age group, not to mention the hidden message about class tension.
Nithinand Yorsaengrat, a senior journalist and adviser at Matichon TV, believes that the term betrays Thai society’s disrespect of women.
“It’s very discriminating because if some old mum or auntie does something abhorrent, and the dad or uncle does it too, people don’t see what the men did,” she said.
“No women with a high society status would ever be labelled a manus pa, either. And that reflects our glorification of the elite. Manus pa may be a word created by men to label women who have started to enjoy space that was meant for men. A woman’s place was always considered in the house. When she was young, she was under the power of the husband, but as she got older, she has more power and her voice became louder. It’s an image of a woman finally having some power at an older age, and it could be that point men don’t want to admit or deal with. When women are seen in public more often, it is possible that men aren’t used to it and are scared of women’s authority. So the resistance against manus pa is a way to deal with them, and they get turned into funny clowns.”
Pimsiri Petchnamrob, a human rights activist who was also present at the discussion, shared her view that the derision toward manus pa is a sociological impact of a changing world.
“[The term] manus pa may have been born because the women it describes aren’t ‘cool’ and are easily spotted. Their duty in a family is supposed to be reproductive. They just have to have children, take care of the family and modern society may see less value in that than the productive work of those who work outside of the house. She may just be a woman who raises kids and grows old to become a manus pa, but from another angle she has so much baggage. What she generates returns to society in ways beyond the economy. However, she never gets recognition and people hardly appreciate her.”
Nithinand added that the phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Thailand. The “rude” behaviour tagged to manus pa may be just an attempt to adapt to the changing pace of the world.
“A [similar term] also exists in Japan and Korea, in cultures that were previously agricultural,” she explained. “But then industrialisation took place. People had to adapt to new technology in order to survive. Nevertheless, this doesn’t serve the elderly — just look at the speed of escalators or with which the doors to the BTS close. Old women cut in front of the line because they know they’ll never get in in time and this just reflects how they are unable to fit into our new society. It can be frightening for old people. I still remember news of the woman whose pyjamas got pulled by the escalator when it was first installed at Thai Daimaru [decades ago]. It’s perhaps about people who don’t know how to use technology. The modern city is not a safe place that can cater to the needs of the elderly and we’ve never thought of addressing it.”
Wisanpon said he believes that general public rudeness, regardless of its perpetrators, also gave rise to the manus pa stereotype.
“If you want to show resistance and to react, it should be face to face [with the rude person],” he said. “You should go up to them and tell them immediately. I think embarrassment is a good conditioner that can lead them to stop acting that way, be it cutting queues or not caring about other people’s rights. When it happens often enough, people will eventually learn.”
Still, tales of manus pa continue to trickle in. At worst, it looks like the term could well be on its way to supplanting the description of a regular elderly woman.
“The media just follows the trends, so it falls to them to stop using this term,” said Nithinand.
“But if you still insist on using it, it’s possible to change the meaning into something positive. ‘Queer’ used to be a negative word, but today it is used openly. Linguists have fought for that. If usage continues, make it truly specific to the group it represents since disregarding social norms is not a negative behaviour from one group — everyone does it. Every age group and gender has their characteristics you can poke fun of. There are ‘uncles’ who drink a lot and burp all the time. Or manud sao [the young woman species] who are obsessed with being beautiful all the time. Or manud wai roon [adolescent species] who are always rebelling against something. Make it fun to read, so we can understand each age group has their own quirks. Society can understand each other better that way and we can learn to accept our differences.”
