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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