Greg & Ed Opine on BBC's 'Documentary' and Media Misconceptions of Thailand [S8.E13)

Greg and Ed discuss the recent BBC 'documentary' called 'The Dark
Side of Paradise' and what it says about media representation of
Thailand. Ed explains that the recently aired 3-episode series
has been getting a LOT of blowback on expat social media. The
series depicts Zara, a young British woman, on her first trip to
Thailand, ostensibly to report on the popularity of the Land of
Smiles with British influencers. However, the show quickly
devolves into an exploration of all the negative stereotypes
about Bangkok, from partying to drugs and prostitution. 


Greg admits to finding the first episode so grossly underwhelming
and riddled with cliches that he couldn't even make it to the
end. Ed notes that he got through the first episode, but was
shocked by the number of basic factual errors in the show. For
example, Zara stated that Khao San Road is open 24/7, and
everyone knows that hasn't been true for 25 years. Other very
blatant errors, such as the claim that all go-go bars have covers
when none in fact do, really calls into question whether the
filmmakers did any actual investigating at all. Ed also mentions
that a YouTuber who was interviewed in the documentary has
claimed that the BBC lied to him about the nature of their
interview.


Greg expands the discussion to include how Thailand is typically
portrayed in the media. Unfortunately, negative stereotypes
always come first, even though there is already a veritable
boatload of 'content' out there on these issues. One would think
the BBC would have the budget and the experienced writers to do
more than scratch the surface with every well-worn cliche about
Thailand, but apparently not. Watch at your own risk!


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