Lecturer defends middle finger protest
A Thammasat University’s political science lecturer is defending a selfie in which he raised a middle finger on Facebook in protest at the poor state of amenities at the university.
He said his protest was the culmination of long-held frustration, not a spur of the moment thing.
Viroj Ali, who teaches international relations, came under fire on the internet after posting a photo of himself and a group of students raising the middle finger to protest against malfunctioning air-con and speakers in a lecture room.
“My students and I would like to ask people concerned to fix the air-con at the SC Building or change the room for us. You collect the tuition fees in full. My salary remains the same. We have to teach and study for three hours in a 34C room housing more than 100 people. It’s not fun,’’ the lecturer wrote.
Many people criticised the lecturer’s post as being vulgar. The issue was soon overlaid with political overtones as Mr Viroj is a regular guest on the red-leaning Voice TV.
Once, the lecturer donned a tin can on his head as a symbolic protest against the university’s rector and member of the coup-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA) Somkid Lertpaitoon, for suppressing a forum at Thammasat University.
Defending his latest move, Mr Viroj said he has lectured in that room for four years. It has always had air-conditioning problems.
“I did not just make the post to show my dissatisfaction after suffering from the heat for two weeks but that building has had air-con problems all along,’’ Mr Viroj said.
He said he has complained to staff responsible, from housekeepers, university officials and their supervisors to vice-rectors. He said the answers he has received over the years are: Please bear with it, a fix is in the works, or it’s not their responsibility.
He said this means the university’s executives are aware of the problem but have not made a serous effort to tackle it. He said he posted about the air-con malfunction on Aug 19 and asked the university to find a new room for him. On Aug 26, the air-con problem was not fixed while the audio system also broke.
“With students filling the lecture room, I had to teach the class. I did it by standing in the middle of the room and shouting my lecture for three hours in 34-degree heat in a room where the windows can’t be opened and with the help of a single fan as the other had to be shared with another lecture room,’’ Mr Viroj said.
The lecturer said alumni, executives or fellow lecturers had sent him concerns after his middle-finger post.
He said he understands they are worried about the university’s image but insisted they should also care about his voice and the wellbeing of lecturers and students who have to rely on an ill-equipped lecture room.
“Some people joked that at least they had provided two fans. I can’t accept that. I can’t put up with an assumption that my students and I will have to wait for charity from anybody. I don’t want this attitude to be accepted and promoted in wider society either as it entails our submission to people in power to judge what we deserve even though we are the ones who paid the tuition fees and taxes for them to do their job,’’ Mr Viroj said.
He added he believes he has the right to demand certain standards in his workplace. Mr Viroj said he deleted the post from his page after an executive promised he would see to the problem. He did not mind being criticised as the problem would now be solved.
“I don’t want people to look at this issue and see only the middle finger. Do not forget the whole thing was about a protest against substandard conditions which are among minimum requirements that the university has to provide. This issue should not be distorted,’’ Mr Viroj said.