Why Can't Stars Tell the Truth?
Why can't stars tell the truth?
Atiya Achakulwisut
Was teen heartthrob Rattapoom "Film" Tokongsap sleeping when the whole "is-she-or-is-she-not-pregnant?" saga unravelled with superstar Kathaleeya "Maem" McIntosh (as it turns out, she was)? Shouldn't he know that a little lie has a short life and that its afterlife can be scary, haunting and painfully long?
The RS Promotions singing star is currently embroiled in allegations that he took at least seven million baht from Sitthikorn "Ood" Boonchim, plus a Mini Cooper and more money in the form of charges to the latter's credit cards.
The allegations prompted the young star to eventually admit that he took the money and gifts from Sitthikorn because his family was having a hard time financially. He insisted, though, that he had never asked Sitthikorn for anything. He said he would give the money back, if asked, and that the relationship between the two was not sexual.
"I'm a one hundred per cent man," he was quoted as saying.
He did shed a few tears.
The problem for the young star, however, is that Mr Sitthikorn wasn't satisfied with the explanation. The young tycoon promptly called another press conference to ask how he could have known that Film wanted to own a house or car if he had not asked for such things in the first place.
Some might say there's no such thing as bad publicity. But one looks at the distress of the young star, and listens to Sitthikorn's threat that all he wanted to do was to give the star a good slap on the face for his dishonestly, and one instantly opts for other types of entertainment - singing, dancing, an on-stage head-stand. Anything would be less painful than this.
We have the benefit of hindsight and archives full of stories about stars falling into the same trap - trying to spin fanciful fibs rather than telling the ugly truth and living with it. This saucy affair began as a small item in a newspaper, a lament from Sitthikorn that he hadn't heard from the popular singer lately. Despite all the excuses that the pop star might have given to reporters who put the question to him, Rattapoom initially said he did not know Sitthikorn.
The public witnessed the amulet tycoon's wrath, which took the form of press conferences exposing the close relationship between the two, with credit card slips showing the singer's expenses and photos of the two travelling together in Hong Kong.
At this point, no one knows how this increasingly racy dust-up will end.
While it is still going on, though, I have a question to ask: Why is it so difficult for Thai entertainers to admit to things that would make them appear more human? I'm not talking about cute little laments about how they'd like to be able to go shopping just like the rest of us, but to admit to all-too-human fallacies, foibles and mistakes.
Is it because Thai society sets impossible standards for entertainers to live up to? If we believe that these highly visible people should act as role models for our children and youngsters, why do we demand that they be one-dimensional, goody-two-shoes types who never get fat or make a mistake?
I'm not saying that Thai celebrities should feel free to do the Kate Moss snorting thing, say they regret it and stage a spectacular comeback. But at least they should be allowed a margin of humanity - to get sweaty and dirty sometimes, to not always have to be gleaming and glamorous.
Those who are old enough will remember that, during his heyday, senator-elect Sombat Methanee had to hide the fact that he was married because of fears that his fans might not like it and that he would lose his career. It sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
I believe it is the public's unrealistic expectations that prompt celebrities to lie so that they don't lose face when confronted with uncomfortable truths.
Kathaleeya shouldn't have had to be afraid that she would lose her fans and her fame for getting pregnant before getting married. Many women have done the same thing; why not movie stars and singers?
Can leading stars come out and admit they are gay and still receive the same level of support?
Can a popular singer like Rattapoom admit he is having financial problems and deal with them as best he can without being afraid that he might compromise his glowing reputation if he admits to being poor and cash-strapped like the rest of us?
The naked truth can be sexy. However, if we want our stars to be truthful, we have to get out of the box and support those who dare admit their truths.
And the truth is not always pretty.
"I am tough, ambitious and I know exactly what I want," Madonna once said. "If that makes me a bitch, okay."
Kudos!
www.bangkokpost.com/Outlook/26Apr2006_out005.php
