Check out this video on Thailand
-What might this video tell us about art and culture in Southeast Asia?
-Think of a question you would ask the artist.
-Do you think they are possessed or is it merely acting?
-Is there a connection between a belief in mystical elements and economic status?
Reflect...
15 comments:
Hmm.. i found this very interesting.
-Through this video, we can tell that people from Thailand are very spiritual and that art is a very important part of their culture. But this video on its own does not supply us with sufficient information to draw conclusions about Southeast Asian cultures.
-If I could, i would asks the artist what qualification they got to have the right to do these tattoos on people. Because it is sacred, I am guessing it is not just anyone who can just go to someplace and tattoo people. So iam just wondering if there is some ritual or if they have to do something to have the right to do these tattoos on people.
-I wouldn't say they are acting. I personally believe that when someone really believes in something then it can actually become reality. So in this case i would say the people strongly believe that these tattoos can make them become possessed and so therefore they start acting like that.
-I am not so sure about this but i would say that there is a connection between mystical elements and economic status. People who believe have mystical beliefs have different definition of wealth and are less likely to value material objects as much as others do.
Wow...
This video tells us that spiritualism has much influence in Southeast Asian art, and it holds a large place in the culture.
If I could ask the artist monk a question, I'd ask whether he designs the tattoos by himself or while in some sort of trance or something. I'd also ask whether specific designs have any specific meanings to them.
I do not think they are acting, although there may be a few who do act just to join in the fray, like when a whole group of people charged forward together. I personally believe in the spiritual, and I believe that some of these people may actually be possessed. Otherwise, some may act like that for the reason Akhokem gave: that when people really believe in something, they begin to behave in that way.
There is a connection between mystical elements and economic status. When people begin to move more towards their mystical beliefs, their perspective of the materialistic changes, and, as Akhokem said, their value of materialistic elements changes. There is also a link often between economic status and mystical beliefs in that many people with high economic standards tend to value the spiritual less because they believe that it is not as important to them or they don't feel the need. In turn, many people who are less economically comfortable feel the need to turn to the mystical.
I found this video pretty scary and abstract, but it did give me some insight into the culture in Thailand. From what I see, this video is describing the way that the Buddhist monks in Thailand inscribe spiritual tattoos with a sharp metal rod into mens' chests and backs. This is a really important aspect of the Thai culture, so much that they even have a day dedicated to it called Wai Kru, which the video is talking about. Apparently, on this day, the spirits of the tattoos take control of the men who wear them and make the men act in crazy ways.
This video tells me that the people of Thailand practice religions unique to this region, such as Buddhism. I can also tell that there is a strong belief of spirits and the supernatural within the region. This video reveals to me that art in Thailand is heavily influenced by religion and spiritual beliefs. It seems art is essential to culture in this region because the people in the video get tattoos with a metal rod and don't even try to run away or yell. It's almost like they don't want to get the tattoo but they have to because it is part of their culture. Finally, I can tell that women don't play an important role in Thailand's culture because only men are allowed to get the tattoos.
If I ever met one of the Buddhist monks who do the tattoos, I would ask him how many people he gives tattoos to in a day. This would be an interesting question for me to ask because then I would get a better idea of how many people actually get these spiritual tattoos, and then I could compare it to the overall Thai population to get a percentage of how many people in total accept this practice in Thailand. Then I would have a number that gives me a bigger picture of the people who get these tattoos from Buddhist monks and those who do not agree with the practice or follow another religion.
There are many strange, unexplained mysteries in the world that happen every day, but people dismiss them as unreal. For example, people in many locations around the world have said that they have seen ghosts in their house and have had conversations with them, but the rest of the world looks on them as people who make up stories. No one will ever know if they are right, but they swear that they have seen ghosts in their house. So, I would look upon the issue of the spirits possessing the men in the same way. No one really does know if spirits do exist in the tattoos, but the people of the culture insist that they do. Still, though, I see no reason that the people of the culture would act to be possessed. Regardless of what anyone thinks though, the strange phenomenon will still happen every year and the Buddhists will keep following their beliefs and customs.
I would say that a belief in mystical elements would set a person or culture away from the rest of the world. Think about a person going to apply for a job. The job interviewer asks, "And what religion are you?" And the applicant says, "Oh, I practice animism." They probably wouldn't get the job because they are not a good image for the company just because they believe in supernatural elements. If the applicant would have said, "Oh, I'm Christian," though, they probably would have gotten the job. So, whether the Buddhist culture likes it or not, their belief in spirits keeps them secluded from the rest of Asia and the world and probably will stop them from gaining any major economic success in the future.
Well...to me it seemed a bot to much and crazy. I mean if they are not acting, I really don't know if those tatoos are a good thing and neccessary. However, it shows thta art plays an important role in their culture and that the people believe very strongly in spirits. Im asking myself if their is any advanatges when you have one of these tatoos.Furthermore do those artists have the right to do this to people? I mean it is almost like bewitching a person.
When I think about it longer my opinion towards the acting part acutually kind of changes. If you really believe in something and you are so into it, and I mean they are all going to those festivals with the expectation that they will feel the spirit, so you are so into it that your mind considers your thoughts real.
Believe can change your whole life. It influences everything you do. I think it is up to everybody what he or she wnats to believe. In generel we shoud just be careful that our believe doesnt endamage us.
Man, I dot believe in this stuff. The belief is strong and the devotion is there, yet i see it as acting. Its like when someone says, look when u go to that pool and dive in u will be able to fight a lion barehanded. I would ask the artist. Do u take medication to make these people believe in this. Because i find it ridiculous, and it derives the country of growth and economic status. Because for me it seems like countries with less radical spiritual belief are farther in life and economic status. I know China believes in stuff like that but they don't let it get ahead of science and knowledge. the fat guy was funny. IM not religious so i may be a bit biased but it isn't real in my view. Its also self mutilation in my view. I am completely against it.
Like Akhokem said, this video doesn't provide an insight on the whole of Southeast Asia but it definetly shows us how arts and spirits play a big role in thai culture. If i ever met one of the artist i would ask them if they have any control over the spirits they tattoo and if they can increase or decrease the strength at which the spirit is taking over the bearer's body. I don't really believe in spirits and mystical element etc.... so i thought they were just acting at first. but like celina said i guess if they believe in these spirits soo much it might actualy affect them and cause them to feel things that actualy aren't there.
I believe there is some sort of connection between economic status and mystical elements. this is because a person/people's economic status depends on the things they value and the choices they make. both of these factors are greatly affected by religion and mystical beliefs
First of all...this looks really Painful. I also thought it was neat to see those guys who were possesed by the magical spirits they got from the tattoos, it was kind of funny. A question i would ask the artist is, Do you clean your needles? because if they dont, then many people could get infected by the needles and contract diseased such as HIV. Giving it a second thought, i think that the possesed people are just acting it out, i think they're trying to be funny. I think that there is a connection between beleifs in mystical elements and economic status because if you are rich, you can afford to be educated on weather these things are true but if you're poor, then you'll probably wouldnt kno any better.
This video shows how spiritual people in Thailand are, and how they connect art and spiritualism (as many cultures do). I don't want to generalise too much, so i'm not going to say all of Southeast Asia is this way.
If i met the artist, i would ask him how the spirit gets tied in with the tattoo, and what spirits there are and how people choose what spirit they want, or if they choose at all.
I honestly don't know whether they are possessed or acting. I personally do not believe in spirits, but then again, people wouldn't act this kind of thing... would they? i suppose that if you believe in something, it could take control of your mind, and create that 'possession'. but then again, i really don't know.
I think there is a connection between belief in mystical elements and economic status. I would say that most people that believe in mystical elements and such are not very rich. Ok, that sounds bad, what i mean is that i noticed that pattern. i would say that money and wealth becomes less important when there is a whole other world that is more important than the materialistic one we live in. Does that make sense? i hope so.
-(A)-JORGE CHE TOLEDO-(A)
-In this video, we can observe how many countries in South East Asia, although knowing that science exists, haven't started rationalizing everything according to science as we have. They still believe in spirituality and supernatural arts (with its consequences..). By the way, I don't understand why we have to laugh at these guys, after all most of the Western population believes that a pigeon was the father of Christ (no offense).
-I would rather not come near to the artist..in case I get haunted LOL, or if I had to, I would call him and ask if he really thinks it's right to make people suffer this way.
-In my opinion, it's not a question of knowing if the people are acting or not acting..you can never know. It is a question of knowing if the trauma of having this spiritual pieces of art on your back may have real consequences on your psycology and state of mind.
-I think countries with mystical belief tend to be poorer. This may be because they rely on praying and asking God for help instead of focusing on reality and improve their technology. However this doesn't mean people in religious or traditional cuntries are unhappier. I mean, to a greedy capitalist getting payed their ridiculous salary is an outrageous tragedy and would get deppressed or even commit suicide. It is all relative after all. The poor Asians, who tend to be humbler and more calm about their economic status, may see mysticism as an escape to the griefs and unjustices of life (Buddhists and Hindus in India, Nepal, Bhutan) and may even be, after all happier and more tranquil than the richest and fattest American billionare.
this video is very interesting but ive seen this vide before. the people wear these tatoos for protection from the spiritual world, one story i heard was that a man was shot at point blank range and didnt get a scratch on him, he had a special tatoo. i cant really say if this was fake or not because, people beliefs are so strong that they may think that they may think that they are really possesed. also i cant really call anothers religion fake, its like someone telling me that a muslim's beliefs is all based on a lie. i think that there is because a persons weath may be determined by what he or she believes in, if you dont need any valuables but just enough to eat and feed your family, if this is your perspective it may plunder your economic status
I was very surprised at the things i saw in this video. It was shocking how unique and completely different from the other cultures theirs is. I learned in this video that their art is usually based on their culture and spiritual beliefs. However I don't think we can say this video tells us about the cultures in Southeast Asia because it only refers to one part of Southeast Asia and tells us nothing about the other countries through out that region. If i met the artist i would ask him if he thought there was any chance at all that the people were just acting the stuff out and I would also ask him how he knows what to draw on the person's skin so that they get possessed. I personally don't believe that the people are being possessed because i just don't believe in such things but i have no proof to show that it's just an act so I would have to find out more about the whole thing. I don't think there is a connection between the belief in the mystical elements on earth and the economic status.
as akokie said this was a very inetersting video. i admit i was taken aback when i first watched it. i thought it would be about tattooes; i didn't expect to see people get 'possessed'. this viedo doesn't really give us a cultural and artistsic feel foe thus region. it seems more to be taking a reliogious front. kind of like religion through art. if looking at it through this lense i would assume that most of their arts and cultures would be connected to their religion.
if i could ask the artist a question i would ask of they know what spirits they are putting into people. do the people know what spirits they wantput in them or are they just random. i would also ask how the spirits and tatooes work. is it like there is a tatoo and any spirit that passes by and likes the tattoo possesses the perso? or is it more like each tatoo has a designated spirit to go with it. Are there 'good' and 'evil' spirits. What are the most popular tatooes. what is the objective of when the spirit has possessed you?
i am not one to jusdge but it is kind of hard to beleive that people could get possessed. but then i again who am i to judge someone's religion. i also agree with what celina said. sometimes when peopel are so attuned into their beief they would act like they are being possessed even though they are not. they however might not be doing it on purpose to lie but just because they really feel like it's true.
yes i would say there is a relation between mystical elements and economis stauts. people who are 'rich' would most likely not particpate in this. they might even view it as just being superstitious. or they might see it as ignorance. it would also be bad for your satus quo i think to go around with a tatoo on your back and hopping around some place saying you were possessed.
I could not watch the video because it requires crtain software to be installed...
I did, however, live in south east asia and learn various things about their culture. I assume, for this blog, you guys are discussing the tatooing.
-DJ
I have never seen this tatoo festival thing though, I did see alot of these spiritual tatooing places in bangkok, where monks printing these tatoos on people.. I think its interesting and cool, also, i do not believe these people are actually becoming possessed but just feel like acting a little crazy... I do not necesarily think economy is related to mysticism. I think they sortof reflect each other.
-DJ Again
what the fudge ? it's pretty cool i guess with the whole tattoo's & wht not but i don't know if i wanna be possesed when i get some lol.
A question i'd ask is proberly the same as adam's because it's a health factor & i'd speak for everyone when i say staying alive is prioty # 1
Christopher B. ''Sk8ter boy'' & wht not
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