Achtung! Chula students celebrate graduation with Hitler

Hot on the heels of Bangkok’s Hitler Fried Chicken comes Hitler Chulalongkorn University.

Students at the Thai school have erected a massive graduation mural in the middle of their campus that inexplicably features an image of the German dictator heiling.

The banner was first hung up two days ago, according to our tipster who would only identify himself as, “a concerned and incredulous American student studying the language and culture of Thailand.”

Coconuts readers might ask – why would students at Thailand’s most prestigious academic institution create such a mural? Good question.

The answer is probably embedded on the mural itself. Accompanying the Führer are superheroes like the Hulk, Superman, Captain America, Batman and Ironman. Our hunch is a hapless scholar Googled the term ‘superman’ and somehow confused it with Nietzsche’s concept of Übermensch of which Hitler was a well-known fan.

Or perhaps we’re giving the kids too much credit. There’s only so much that can be blamed on lost in translation and this kind of stupid requires a level of ignorance that is difficult to fathom.

Either way it’s a sure sign that Chula needs to have their students read some fucking history books.

UPDATE: Chulalongkorn Fine and Applied Arts Faculty dean apologizes for Hitler graduation mural



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Comments

  1. Do you know how 99.999% Americans celebrating Thanksgiving right? After Native American genocide, the white gave the now-minority a tiny area and keep reminding them every year how you stole their land, and I dare say more than 50% Americans don't know how Native Americans perspective on this fact, or don't give a rat's about it. That's what the US was built on. Blood and bodies of Native Americans. You may also have not idea how outrageous it is for tons of restaurant out there using Buddha statues as decorations and art pieces(where people can sit/step on). I could go on forever but that should give you the idea. It's even more ignorance to judge the educational system of a country based on the action of a small group of ignorance people, despite them coming from a top university or not. Does the fact that American kids regularly commit crimes mean Educational system in the US is failing? I don't think so. There are always some outliers, no matter where you look. Besides, that stupid poster is not meant for people except the students and their relative to see. And as many have said, they don't know Hitler well. They just know this guy is as much a killer as Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan. Just like how most people don't know how Thanksgiving is related to Native American genocide.( I'd say that's actually more ignorant. It's the very land they stand on.) The only difference between Nazi and America is, The Nazi lost the WWII, and America successfully killed most the Native people and ultimately won the war(and I cannot think of a figure of that war like Hitler…why is that?). We are all ignorant in something and was taught another. Thailand education system sure does need a lot more improvement but insulting the whole system and in turn, the country, based on an ignorance action of a very small group of people, despite them being students from a top uni, is going way too far. If you consider yourself educated , you should exercise logical thinking and not jump to conclusions. What most people doing here is just fanning the hatred and insulting the country instead of helping the situation. You may ask me what I do to help the situation, I did send an email to the university. My point is, we are humans. We all make mistakes, and we should all learn to forgive and not to judge and if possible, take actions to help those in need.

  2. Although I do not approve of having Hilter banner, I think it's too much to say Thai education fail because of that. (Not that I think Thai ed is great.)
    You think it's a great offense because you are adult and westerner. Of course, we all know the basic of what is called world history, but you can't expect us to know all there is to know about western history when you guys don't know half of Thai history. Maybe YOU know but ask yourself this. On average, do Thai kids know less western history than western kids know eastern history? Or only because your country is bigger and richer make your history more worthwhile?
    And let me tell you my experience on US people ignorance. I once chat to a person from US. And when I say I am from Thailand, that guy reply "Do you mean Taiwan?". And did I get pissed? No. Because I know I can't expect everyone to know about my country.

  3. The extent to which der Fuehrer offended the Israelite, the English-speaking peoples, and their descendants, although sympathetically understandable, does not justify suppression of his representations in the contemporaneous arts and culture. (Recall the fictional Pravin Lal's saying: free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny.)

    With that being said, however, the Western-embracing Thais, especially the educated and would-be-educated elites from the top universities, should be more prudent in handling internationally-sensitive matters. It would be tragically unwise if an average Thai places less importance on World history than an average global citizen.

  4. Combine ignorance with idolizing evils (remember Bin Laden T-Shirts?).

    It also doesn't help that the mandatory history in school only included how Burma took us over twice and us never losing our sovereignty.

    Ask around and people will not even know the differences between Hitler and Che apart from the facial hair (both of them are popular icons here), we only know they are bad(ass) but not in which way.

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