RE: The new SteemFest⁴ badge is ready
Thanks a lot for your feedback @kaminchan.
We pay the greatest attention to cultural differences. We know for example that the King of Thailand is to be treated with the utmost respect.
We also have a lot of respect for the Buddhist religion (and for all religions as well) and we understand very well the sanctity of Buddha.
The purpose of the badge is all but commercial but aims to evoke one of the main components of Thai society.
Personally, I (@arcange) was educated as a Christian and, like many people I know, I would not be offended to see Jesus on the cross.
But, as you wrote, this is a cultural difference.
The @steemitboard team has already done a lot of work for its graphic chart for SF4.
Anyway, we will have a discussion together about whether to do this work again or not.
Hope to see you in Bangkok.
Thank you for your kind reply. Oh! You would feel it’s okay to have Jesus on the cross as part of your SteemFest Batch!? That’s very interesting.
By the way, the other thing is that the high swing at the back of the Buddha image is not a Buddhist symbol, it’s a Hindu symbol in front of Wat Su-Tat! That used to be part of a Hindu ceremony which had been stopped a long time ago. It’s part of an offering ceremony where chosen people used to stand on that big swing. It was pushed to great height until someone fell to the ground, a weird kind of offering! But not many people know why the swing was taken away and the ceremony was ordered to end ages ago. If you want to include a Hindu symbol too, I think you ought to include other religious symbols as well. Otherwise people might think of discrimination! We have a large Muslim population followed by Christians and Sikhs.
In fact other religious groups will see this batch as being exclusively for the Buddhists. Here, there is a delicate balance and harmony among all these groups in our society. It’s best not to use religious symbols in your batch.
Symbols do have meaning! And those stars on top of the head of the Buddha is a bad design. Symbols speak very loud!
Any way, it’s your choice and decision. I just hope your design wouldn’t get into the press or regular social media here! I can tell you there’ll be lots of negative feedback. But, then again, this might give you a big exposure in Thai social media in a very short time!
Actually, you might get sued under Thai law by certain groups of extreme people. Last month they just sued a Thai artist for drawing very ‘disrespectful’ Buddha images in her oil paintings! But, some think these paintings are rather cute and light hearted. She and the Dean had to make public apology! The debate caused a big division among people on Facebook and so on.
Good luck.
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We took into account your remarks and refactored our badge. Read more here
Hi, I just wanted to add that I've was just in Bangkok (Sept.) and I've noticed a lot of billboard signage on the prohibited usage of the Buddha Image. I've been to various places in Thailand multiple times and this is the first time I've noticed them, they are prominent. It would be prudent for you to double check if your badge will get you into trouble if used in Thailand. The recent "crackdown" is real...I was stopped at airport security where they inspected my Buddha pendants that were around my neck. There is a noticeable (to me anyways) decrease on Buddhist related "souvenirs" at the tourist spots, plus the removal of temple "gift shops" in many of the smaller wats.
Personally, I like the design of the badge, I think it's nice and I'm not in the least bit offended but in the end it's about what is allowed and its' consequences. I think this is one instance where it's not better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
Just my 2 cents. Thank you for your service, steemitboard!
Thank you for your feedback @rayshiuimages.
We took into account your remarks and refactored our badge. Read more here
No prob, happy to be of assistance..
Hi, @steemboard, following the subject of the Buddha image on the badge and reading your reply to @kaminchan, you have to know that the King and the Buddha are both at the same level concerning the respect and the use of the image. In both cases, the use of the image in an inappropriate or offensive way can lead to being arrested, fined and/or jailed with no exception for foreigners. These rules can look a bit too much for westerners but the reality is just about the respect of traditions and culture and the guests have to follow the rules as anyone enters the Kingdom of Thailand.
Thank you for your feedback @ricko66.
We took into account your remarks and refactored our badge. Read more here