Language teacher in Thailand fired over a blog post
Sometimes blog posts can come back and bite you with a vengeance. Those harmless ramblings you write can cause all sorts of problems. It happened to me once, when a woman labeled me a sexist and took great pleasure in telling me she was going to blacken my name in the English media because she didn’t agree with an article I had written.
It’s difficult to deal with people in that mindset, but most of the time when someone gets irate over something you’ve written you don’t expect it to have serious consequences in the real world. Step up Iris, a Filipino girl who moved to Bangkok at the beginning of June.
Iris got a job as a teacher and, judging from email correspondence with her, she was happy and excited about the prospect of work. Iris also has a blog (two blogs actually). I enjoy reading some of Iris’ posts because they contain brutally honest ramblings that have a dark tinge to them. A lot of her posts are about sex, and this has been her undoing.
Iris is new in Bangkok, and so a lot of her observations should be taken on board with that knowledge. Thailand only reveals its true self once you start pealing back the layers, and that doesn’t happen straight away – I still have many more layers to peal.
One post on Iris’ blog dealt with dating in Bangkok. Iris had been going out with a farang for a couple of weeks and she posted her observations about whether or not he was boyfriend material. The post was inoffensive (to me) and off the cuff. Iris concluded with this paragraph:
Dating a Western man is a tedious exercise. It is even more so in Bangkok. Honestly, is there still a farang in Bangkok who isn’t just out to dip his wick in as many Asian crevices as he can? That’s what I’m here to find out.
That’s the concluding paragraph of an article that got Iris fired from her teaching job. After just one week of employment in Bangkok, her boss emailed her and said that he was worried she would eventually start writing about her school, Iris wrote.
To read the full article (and you should to see if you think it is worthy of a firing) go here and read it on a page of my blog (Iris has it password protected now). Iris’ post about getting fired can be viewed here.
It makes a case for anonymous blogging in Thailand because Iris has lost her job and been subjected to torrents of abuse for things she’s written. I don’t think it’s fair to begrudge Iris because of her inexperience in Thailand, and neither do I think it’s fair to sack her by email without at least sitting down with her and telling how things are.
I know the name of the Bangkok school Iris was fired from and I know the name of the man who did it, but I’ve decided that neither of those details are mine to give out because I haven’t heard both sides of the argument (there are always two sides).
What do you think about this? It’s a real life drama that stems from blogging in Thailand.
Techno’ tags: Thailand, Bangkok, Teaching in Thailand, Blogging in Thailand
July 24th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
“Dating a Filipino women is a tedious exercise. It is even more so in Bangkok. Honestly, is there still a Filipino in Bangkok who isn’t just out to dip her wicky in as many Caucasians back-pockets as she can? That’s what I’m here to find out?”
Miss Filipino here sounds like a very environmentally-friendly-unpredujiced person.
Her situation is not that different from many foreign men who come here - get ripped off and then plead complete innocence.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:59 am
This case really does highlight the need to be careful what you write. We’re all publishers and are subject to the same laws of libel and defamation as all other publishers. Never say anything in your blog you cannot justify or would be prepared to defend in court. Okay - that’s worse care scenario but …..
I actually have a clause in my contract (it’s part of a Code of Standards) that prevents me from directly associating my personal blog with my work. Obviously I can mention it but I have to be careful. I know at least three of my colleagues read (and comment) on my blog but that hasn’t stopped me from being honest and open.
It just goes to show that blogs are increasingly powerful tools.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:53 am
I like not working for any school or other Thailand group because I can blog about everything and everybody! :) There ARE thing I’m withholding though, and yeah, one needs to be careful about what is said. I’m never too critical of the powers that be, because quite frankly I like living here and I’ll put a damper on it to prolong this experience. Probably this girl’s boss was dipping wick and became afraid of the retribution. That’s my sick guess. :P Go Matt, good post. I’ll send it to one of my wayward bloggers in the network… ahem…
July 25th, 2007 at 10:33 am
I found out the name of the guy who fire you irisgodd3ss by searching for schools on that soi you mention in your blog. Its called ******* or something like that right? I called up and ask for the sucker teacher whose in charge there. Woman there says his name is ***** *****, English or American? Anyway, “***** ***** of ******* ******. you suck and your a loser kind of guy. You probly sleep with hookers from Patpong and think you are some kind of big man. Yeah right! If you have a girl she is probly some sleezy girl selling herself on the street and sees you as her best chance of getting out of a shitty life. Farang men in Thailand are bunch of suckers. Iris rocks!
July 25th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Hey!! Put the name back up!!! Let the world know man … what’s this? Censorship???
July 25th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
It’s ******* ******. His name is ***** *****.
July 25th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Let me say first of all that I’m sorry for anyone who gets persecuted because of what they wrote in a blog (I’m strong minded politically so I walk a fine line myself) and for anyone who loses their job unfairly.
I say that so I cause no confusion with the rest of my comments.
Firstly, as you rightly say Matt there are layers to be peeled away in Thailand, and one of these layers has taught me there is a BIG difference for the ostensive reasons for actions taken in schools (especially government schools) and the real reasons behind them. Usually this is due to Thais but I wouldn’t be surprised if the farang in question here had another reason.
Secondly, I’ve just scanned Iris’ blog and she doesn’t strike me as the most down to earth girl in the world. Her blog is a self indulgent rant. She really comes across as a drama queen. She talks about having “people dare to judge me when they don’t know me”. Errrmmmm excuse me, why did you start a public blog and put up provocative titles like “penis talk” and “one night stand” then?
You don’t do that on the Internet if you’re not looking for attention. It’s not a case of being unprejudiced, unoffended or liberal, it’s just a fact that blogging with sex titles for a female is going to attract attention and judgement. I’m sure she knows that.
Again, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying she deserved what happened and you make a good point for the bigger picture about blogging privately, but I do think this certain case may have another side to the story.
Keep up the good work Matt, you’ve raised some really thought provoking issues lately.
July 25th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I guess name and shame wants to remain anonymous. Oh the irony…..
July 25th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
It’s not censorship, it’s just common sense. If I post up the name of the school/employer it’s likely going to be more trouble than it’s worth.
July 25th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
“Farang men in Thailand are bunch of suckers. Iris rocks!”
Terribly racist comments like that are not going to help either yours or Iris’ cause.
July 26th, 2007 at 9:56 am
That censored bit was a wise decision, Lost Boy.
Keeping a low profile is generally a good idea.
@ Name and shame: I am farang. And yes, I am a total loser. Thank Buddha there are people as great as you on this planet. Where would we be otherwise????
July 26th, 2007 at 10:08 am
I say it’s totally bullocks! She wasn’t fired just for that reason. There is another side of the story we don’t know as we only see her side. Oh c’mon!
July 26th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Agree with Pisanu. There are always two sides to a story. We’ve only heard Iris’ which puts the blame on everybody except on her. Besides, how many times did she mentioned in her blog that she is/was not a particularly commendable teacher?
July 26th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
“I didn’t come to Thailand with delusions of grandeur. I didn’t come here to get rich or to become famous. I was just another girl trying to make my way through the world, daring to go beyond the confines of my own backyard. I’ve been brave, yes, and I take pride in that more than any other”.
That first paragraph alone speaks drama queen as redandwhitestripes so wisely noted. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos and Filipinas do what she did, day in and day out without the need to call attention to themselves. What a famewh@@e!!
July 27th, 2007 at 11:12 am
So this guy who fired you, did you date him or did he try to take you out?
I heard a rumor that you both were seen out one night. So he does not get his way and so your on the way out. Hmm.
July 29th, 2007 at 4:16 am
Yes, I’m a drama queen, I never denied that. As for my blog, it was started as a way to let my FRIENDS know what I’ve been up to. I’ve never expected this much traffic. It’s a heady experience.
RLB and Pisanu: I did say I wasn’t a particularly good teacher. Isn’t that enough to blame to lay on myself? But I was fired for a different reason than my capability of being a teacher and that, I daresay, is the issue.
REDANDWHITESTRIPES: The funny thing is, those “provocative” titles have been up and running for over 6 months now, and I never got any judgment until I came here. It just goes to show that the farangs in Thailand are more judgmental and borderline defensive than those anywhere else. My mistake was underestimating the power of the Internet. I’m treading carefully from now on, as is obvious in the password-protected posts.
EQUALSTANDARDS and NAMEANDSHAME: There was never anything between me and my employer. I suppose rumours like these are inevitable though. Let me just say that me and my employer have a profound respect for each other, even after all that has happened. I maintain that he did what he felt he had to do, and after the initial shock and pain of what happened, I agree that it was rightly so. It wasn’t entirely fair how I was treated, but it wasn’t a grave injustice either. I’ll live.
ZHEZERADE: Famewhore, huh? I’m sorry you think so but to be perfectly honest, anyone who knows me will say I try to keep a low profile as much as possible, which is exactly what I am doing now, in case you haven’t noticed. This will die down eventually, I believe and life will be back to normal for everyone concerned.
Having said all that, I rest my case and I’m now keeping my silence. Thanks for the post, Matt. Most of all, thanks for being fair.
July 29th, 2007 at 4:36 am
Well said.
August 6th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
What goes around comes around!!