REAL-LIFE DRAMA IS FULL OF HATRED
Besides anti-government rallies, renowned actors Sornram “Noom” Theppitak and Pirat “Mike” Nipitpaisankul also made big headlines this month after family issues regarding money came to light.
With my interest piqued, I spent an hour scrolling social media to stay up-to-date with the news but quickly realised that it had become a heated environment with netizens showing support for the two actors while criticising their ex-wife and ex-girlfriend for inappropriate behaviour.
People were sharing their opinions and I became concerned about how Sornram’s and Pirat’s children would feel when they grow up and see such negative comments about their parents.
Sornram is a superstar from the 1990s who married his personal trainer in 2018. The couple seemed happy, especially after having a daughter last year. However, in real life, not everyone gets to have a happy ending like what we see in a romantic drama.
On Sept 4, Sornram announced that he and his wife were divorced and living separately. The reason? Her debt problems due to an online gambling addiction problem which Sornram said he could be no longer responsible for.
As a former drama fan, I chose to consume the news quietly and noticed that someone was repeatedly posting a picture of his ex-wife in a sexy one-piece swimsuit to parody her fashion sense and figure. At this point, I didn’t understand how her personality was relevant to issues in their marriage.
However, his ex-wife apologised to the public and promised to improve and be a good mother after being criticised.
Meanwhile, pop singer and actor Pirat has been gaining public sympathy as he fights against the mother of his son in court. He has asked for joint custody and legal rights as a father after paying almost 10 million baht in child welfare.
Back in 2014, Pirat had a son with a Thai-Italian model but never registered their marriage. At that time, Pirat was criticised after his family urged that he take his son for a DNA test. Since then, he has received hateful comments and been the victim of false rumours about being irresponsible and his relationship with a colleague.
In recent years, Pirat has gained a significant following in China. However, like many others, his work has been affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, he has had to reduce the amount of child welfare money he provides and wanted his son to attend a new school in order to save money. However, this led to conflict with the mother who refused his efforts and blocked him from seeing his son.
However, the situation changed when he showed evidence of payment to the public. He seems to be a good father as he was willing to pay 800,000 baht for international school fees, 360,000 baht for his child’s allowance, 250,000 baht for a driver, and 360,000 baht for a nanny per year. He also provided his son a condominium in Bangkok and paid extra for birthday parties, dance classes and hospital visits.
Last week, his story was top news in Thailand and China. His ex-girlfriend has been attacked with malicious comments and her old photos with ex-boyfriends have been dug up to shame her.
“I don’t want the past to impact my child in the future. That was the reason I remained silent and didn’t explain anything for six years. I hoped my son would understand that his father was a star but that it was hard for him to avoid this affair,” he said during a TV appearance.
On social media, I saw many people trying to stop aggressive comments. There was also a funny but meaningful hashtag that started trending titled: #Warmintheonlineworldaloneatthefrontofthebench. It came to light last week when renowned actress Peranee “Matt” Kongthai decided to sue a group of netizens for defamation. They will be charged 1 million baht.
For two years, Peranee has suffered from repulsive comments and rumours being spread about her love affair with a celebrity millionaire. Her nephew has had to face bullying in school over this issue.
“We’ve suffered from cyberbullying for two years. My mother was unhappy. I didn’t want to get their money but needed them to repent for what they’ve done,” she said.
Today, people don’t differentiate between free speech and hate. While we can express our opinions, we don’t have the right to claim free speech to bully others. Peranee will become a good example for those facing bullies. Everyone has the right to protect themselves, not just celebrities.
We don’t have the right to claim free speech to bully others