The odd news from Thailand all over the internet today is about plans by the Bangkok Police to use Hello Kitty armbands as sort of a mark of shame in order to crack down on undisciplined cops. From the BBC:The armband is large, bright pink and has a Hello Kitty motif with two hearts embroidered on it.
From today, officers who are late, park in the wrong place or commit other minor transgressions will have to wear it for several days.
The armband is designed to shame the wearer, police officials said.
"This is to help build discipline. We should not let small offences go unnoticed," Police Colonel Pongpat Chayapan told Reuters news agency.
"Guilty officers will be made to wear the armbands in the office for a few days, with instructions not to disclose their offences. Let people guess what they have done," he said.
Further offences would be dealt with using a more traditional disciplinary panel, he said.
This sounded like an interesting idea to me at first, playing on a male's machismo to publically embarrass him into compliance with the rules. But considering how popular Hello Kitty is in Asia and the universal desire to make a quick buck, my guess is that this plan will backfire, and policemen will willingly break a rule or two to get one. I mean, just think how much a genuine one of these would go for on eBay.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Maybe making them dress up in drag would be more effective...
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2 comments:
I think it will erode respect for the police in the public eye. It's just going to make their job more difficult. I think they need to keep that stuff internal.
I'm not sure you can erode respect much more than it already is. Policemen are considered pretty corrupt by the general public in many Asian countries. In Indonesia, you're pretty much expected to bribe the police officer if you're ever pulled over. Sometimes, they'll even hold you at customs for no reason at all other than to get you to give them some money to let you pass through. I've been told the police force in Taiwan has similar, more subtle expectations, and I can't imagine Thailand would be any different. I think that's why these armbands are supposed to be so humiliating. I'd liken it to a teacher making a school bully wear a dunce cap, and all the kids he picked on laughing at him.
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