Culture and Privilege in Capitalist Asia - Jurusan Antropologi ...

JIM OCKEY 241
Political Science at Thammasat. The most notable success in the media has been
Somkiat Onwimon, a university lecturer who signed the petition calling for a new
constitution in the lead up to the 1973 uprising. Somkiat went on to become a primetime
news anchor, and is credited with popularising the news through bringing in
techniques such as investigative reporting and advocacy. 11 From these positions,
leaders of the 1973 uprising consciously and unconsciously construct the middle
class, while providing a visible reminder of the uprisings that have become the
touchstone of middle-class consciousness.
CAPITALISM AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
MIDDLE CLASS
If attempts are being made to construct the Thai middle class in terms of political
practice and ideology, it has also became impossible to ignore the generation of a
new ‘middle-class’ lifestyle based on the growth of consumer capitalism. We can
get an idea of the scope of this influence through an examination of the growth of
the media, of advertising, and of market research.
The size and the persuasiveness of the media have grown tremendously over
the last forty years. The clearest example is television. In 1955, there was only one
black and white channel, available only in Bangkok and the surrounding area. By
the end of 1994, there were 4 regular channels, 2 cable television packages, an
educational channel, and plans under way for at least 2 UHF channels (Vivat
1994). By the early 1990s, there were over 8.5 million television sets in use
(Thailand in Figures 1994), and nearly everyone had access to television in the
home or somewhere in the local community. Television has helped to construct a
middle-class lifestyle, with virtually all programming–from soap operas with
‘middle-class’ settings to game shows with ‘middle-class’ contestants and prizes, to
commercials aiming at middle-class consumers–depicting ideal ‘middle-class’
people, products and ways of life. Other media have expanded rapidly as well. This
is evident in the rise in advertising expenditures (see Table 9.3).
Advertising expenditures also demonstrate the growth of advertising agencies
which have been highly influential in constructing the middle class in terms of
consumer lifestyle. Of the 18 advertising agencies listed in Thailand Company
Information 1990—91, 2 were established in the 1960s, 6 in the 1970s, and 10 in the
1980s. Advertising expenditures by category indicate that the images being
constructed are largely middle-class (see Table 9.4). Most housing estates are
aimed at the consumer middle class. Office machines and equipment are aimed at
the manager, the purchasing agent or the private entrepreneur. Department stores
and shopping malls, the epitome of middle-class consumerism, are the
replacements for traditional markets, all under one roof. These shopping malls
provide a showcase of middle-class consumer culture, where those who aspire to
this status can see the types of furniture they should own, the clothes they should
wear, and the places at which they should dine. Furthermore, the workers in these
modern capitalist markets often belong to the structurally defined middle class.