Another collection of essays this week from prolific author
Christopher G Moore, called Faking It in Bangkok (ISBN
978-616-7503-13-4, Heaven Lake Press, 2012). Moore is probably better known
for his Vincent Calvino Private Eye series with 12 books published plus 11
other novels on the shelves such as Waiting for the Lady, and the
Wisdom of Beer.
This is his second book of essays, the first being The
Cultural Detective, and this one continues on in his incisive way of
looking at life as did the first.
The book is divided into six sections, beginning with The
Culture of Deception, followed by Crime, Class and Culpability. Part III is
Inside-Outside Thai perspectives, with Part IV Violence in the Age of
Reason, Part V Information in the Digital Age and finally Part VI being Noir
Tales.
Lady Gaga managed to get herself some adverse publicity
this month, asking for a fake Rolex (pronounced “Lorex” of course) as
Thailand puffed out its metaphorical chest and denied the very existence of
such pirated goods. However Christopher Moore speaks with the authority of
one who has been there and seen it, writing, “Walk along Sukhumvit Road from
Soi 3 to Soi 23 in the heart of Bangkok any night of the week and you will
pass vendors hawking pirated DVDs, hookers hawking themselves and nighttime
entertainment spots where the pimping and hawking happens inside.” (Like
fake watches, prostitution does not exist either.)
Moore is willing to enter debates on many subjects, and
the violent heritage of homo sapiens does not escape. He mentions the “brass
cow” an instrument of torture, in which people were roasted alive as a
public spectacle. “We come from this heritage. Historically, our species
killed each other on an epic level. We watched and were entertained by the
slow death of others. Next time someone tells you they wish to return to the
glorious past, mention the brass cow to them.”
Human trafficking becomes a point in question. He opines
that “The Thai government has acknowledged that a problem exists. And, it
has done what governments normally do when faced with a difficult problem:
set up a commission to study the problem.” Moore is not afraid to bring
forth the obvious, which is supposed to remain hidden.
On the cover is a quote from Le Parisien, “Moore is an
idealist and a lone warrior.” I am afraid that I do not wholeheartedly
agree. An idealist he is, but not a lone warrior. Moore could get an army
behind him if he placed a “Positions vacant” advert in the Forces Gazette.
Christopher Moore puts forward very lucid arguments and
it was hard not to applaud as a point was made (people tend to look warily
at reviewers who become so involved with the story they become voluble)!
At B. 495, this collection of 50 essays is well worth
your while investing in. If you have any sense of what is right or wrong in
the Thai society, you will not regret the purchase. Moore has laid it all
out for you in a very readable and logical format.
