Buddhism in the service of a capitalist elite: An impediment to social rights?

Abstract

In recent years, several gameshows centred on ‘assisting and rescuing’ the poor have emerged with the rise of digital television in Thailand. This has highlighted the social inequality between the underprivileged contestants and the providers – the judges - on the game shows. This research investigates how Buddhist ideology is used to reinforce and justify social inequality in two popular gameshows: ‘Tee-ded-luk-nee’ and ‘Game-tor-chee-wit’. I examine the conversations on the gameshows in terms of Buddhist ideology and social disadvantage. In conclusion I argue that the concept of karma in Thai Buddhist ideology has played a significant role in normalising social inequality, as there is a cognitive belief in Thai society that social status is a result of karma, and poverty is a punishment for personal behaviour rather than a structural problem.