OPINION

An ideal path

Re: "Creating the ideal city", (BP, May 30).

All praise and best wishes to newly elected Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt. English is not his native language, so it is natural that his list of "Nine Goods" could use some fine-tuning.

As listed, Gov Chadchart's "Nine Goods" bear a remarkable rhetorical resemblance to the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. I suggest adding a tenth category, which would make them parallel to the Ten Commandments in Western culture, and changing the wording to "Ten Ideals": Ideal Security, Ideal Transport, Ideal Health, etc. The tenth category, for which Bangkok is famous, would be Ideal Nightlife.

Readers may come up with more suggestions for making Bangkok, in the words of your headline writer, "the ideal city".

Heard mentality

Re: "The Amber Heard verdict was a travesty", (Opinion, June 6).

Again the Bangkok Post has reprinted an op-ed from The New York Times, this time by Michelle Goldberg about the Heard/Depp case. I am sure the Post's own reporters could have done a better job. My takeaway from this case:

Despite the money, fame, talent and good looks of celebrities, I suspect their lives suck.

If you are looking for role models, Hollywood is not a "target-rich environment".

If you are planning to tie the knot with your partner, it may be a good idea to get to know them first.

When taking revenge, dig two graves, not one.

Power of protest

Re: "Bangkok celebrates first Pride parade in 16 years", (BP, June 6).

Whilst past my own days of hearty protest and parading in Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parades, those annual highlights from the late 70s until I retired from Australia, I must congratulate Thailand's LGBTQ community on the cheerful public celebration of their presence enriching Thai society.

Keep up the good work. Keep up the cheerful, peaceful parades. Keep up the protests. Keep up the just demands for equality of rights. The experience of the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and subsequent annual marches, parades and raising of voices internationally moved the world blessed with more-or-less liberal democratic forms of government from religiously inspired traditional fear, loathing and intolerance to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in a mere three decades or so. That is a powerful testament to the power of persistent, proud, peaceful protest.

Cowering in silence in a closet never won slaves, women, black people, the disabled or any other group any rights, nor respect or protection by the law. Be out. Be proud. Be strong. And be loud. You deserve it. Thailand deserves it.

Unpaid dues

Re: "It is what it is … whatever it might be", (PostScript, May 29).

As usual, Roger Crutchley provides us with some amusing insights and perspectives, this time on cryptic expressions. But Roger missed one of my favourite cutting expressions that oozes sarcasm and contradiction. That is when speakers preface their statement with the phrase "with all due respect...". We can then be assured that the speaker has little or no actual respect for the individual they are about to skewer.