BANGKOK, Thailand -- A Buddhist group says it successfully convinced a
French factory to stop printing Buddha's face on toilets, but failed
in a lengthy campaign to censor a Walt Disney movie series featuring a
dog named Buddha.
The Bangkok-based group, Knowing Buddha
(
Knowing Buddha), also targets the "disrespectful" use
of Buddha's face or iconic appearance on dildos and other sex toys,
clothing, tattoos, furniture, statues and souvenirs.
"No progress on Disney, they have not responded at all," said
Acharavadee Wongsakon, the Thai founder of Knowing Buddha, referring
to the "Buddies" movies.
"Also, the U.S. Embassy has not been helpful," she said in an
interview on March 20.
"It is pathetic. We have been trying to push the [Thai] government to
arrange a seminar for government bureaus, including tourism and
hotels, to show the serious problem that is happening, and to address
a solution. Our effort is fruitless."
Mrs. Acharavadee launched the anti-Disney campaign in June when she
led 200 supporters on a "Stop Disrespecting Buddha" protest march
through Bangkok's tourist-packed Khao San Road and other markets which
sell clothes, home decor and souvenirs portraying Buddha.
When she recently saw a hotel's website proudly display a photograph
of a toilet -- opulently decorated with Buddha's face -- Mrs.
Acharavadee unleashed her latest campaign.
"This case came to us, by one of our supporters, on January 22. At
that time, we were running a campaign on portable public toilets in
the Netherlands which had the Buddha image painted on the outside of
those toilet booths," she said.
"The Buddha image in the toilet is a hard hit to Buddhists."
She wrote to the French Embassy in Bangkok and the Thai Embassy in Paris.
"On February 18, we received a reply back from the French ambassador
showing their concern, and they indicated that they already contacted
the hotel in France," she said.
"We wrote a letter to the hotel Moulin de Broaille which displayed the
toilet seat in their hotel. We then searched who is the manufacturer
of the product, and we wrote to them, asking them to stop and
explained why this is not appropriate and is disrespectful to Buddha.
That company is called OLFA from France."
On Thursday (March 28), however, the "Buddha" toilet seat, adorned
with Buddha's face, was still on the manufacturer's website, which
boasts:
"On the toilet seat market, OLFA is the major specialist."
The hotel's website also continued to display the toilet on Thursday
(March 28), illustrating a "Little Buddha" theme of "pure Zen" which
guests could enjoy.
"When we say 'success' we mean we received the apologetic letter from
the manufacturer, and that they would not produce it anymore. This is
a success," Mrs. Acharavadee said.
"We do realize that the hotel has not removed this product, forcing us
to continue working on this case."
She also continues her campaign against Disney's dog named Buddha in
the "Buddies" movies, but acknowledges that is a much bigger fight.
Disney's Buddha dog is aimed toward children and, according to the
movie's website, exhibits Buddhist stereotypes.
For example, the dog practices yoga and meditation, but avoids meat and stress.
The friendly puppy also eats dog food from a dish emblazoned with the
word "Buddha."
When Mrs. Acharavadee's daughters innocently downloaded the film from
iTunes last year, she was shocked to see Buddha the dog as a main
character.
"Disney's adorable talking puppies" are "everyone's favorite canine
siblings," says Disney's website.
The dogs are five "Buddies" named Budderball, RoseBud, B-Dawg, MudBud
and Buddha.
"We would like to ask the Buddhists around the world to boycott the
'Buddies' movies," Mrs. Acharavadee said last year.
She launched her campaign so Disney would "stop using that name Buddha
for a dog. No need to cancel the series, just remove that character,
or change the name."
Disney's online "Corporate Citizenship" statement promises to "act and
create in an ethical manner, and consider the consequences of our
decisions on people and the planet."
When asked about its Buddha dog and the anti-Disney protest last year,
the company replied by email:
"Hi. Thank you for contacting us. You have reached Disney Corporate
Citizenship. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you with your
inquiry. Regards, Eric, Corporate Citizenship, The Walt Disney
Company."
Repeated e-mails to Disney's other media address resulted in no response.
Knowing Buddha is comprised of 35 team members plus 7,000 supporters,
she said, and it protests receive a mixed response from the public.
Random posts online discussing the protests include critics who say
Buddha would not have supported the censoring of people who use his
face or image for disrespectful or commercial purposes.
Instead, Buddhism teaches followers to ignore "illusions" of the
material world, and not get caught up in battling other people's
actions.
Followers should control their own minds, and focus on abandoning the
concept of being an individual self.
More than 2,500 years ago, when the most recent "incarnation" of
Buddha lived, he was a former Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama,
born in Lumpini, which today is in southern Nepal.
The Knowing Buddha group, meanwhile, pointed to dildos, clothing, and
other commercial products using Buddha's image, and listed their
websites which include:
*** An 8-inch-long, "Buddha's Delight" silicone dildo on sale for $59
from Oakland, California.
Its website says: "After a thousand years of praying, fasting and
endless incarnations, Buddha finally gets to be a dildo. To Buddha's
unending delight, he's generously endowed with enough to pleasure even
the most enlightened. Now that Nirvana is within reach, grasp it
wisely, firmly, and with intent, rub his belly. Rub it again,
meditatively."
*** Popcorn Buddha in Pennsylvania.
"The enlightened snack. A moment of bliss in every kernel."
*** Buddha underwear.
"Happy Buddha Underwear & Panties. Happiness Buddha Classic Thong."
*** Fitness club in Santa Barbara, California.
"At Fit Buddha you will evolve your body temple...thus becoming your
own Fit Buddha."
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Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based journalist from San Francisco,
California, reporting news from Asia since 1978, and recipient of
Columbia University's Foreign Correspondent's Award. He is a co-author
of three non-fiction books about Thailand, including "Hello My Big Big
Honey!" Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing
Interviews; 60 Stories of Royal Lineage; and Chronicle of Thailand:
Headline News Since 1946. Mr. Ehrlich also contributed to the final
chapter, Ceremonies and Regalia, in a new book titled King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, A Life's Work: Thailand's Monarchy in Perspective.
His websites are
http://asia-correspondent.tumblr.com
Photos
Hello My Big Honey book
(Copyright 2013 Richard S Ehrlich)
