"Thailand Woman"

Something happened at school today that was just so funny, I had to share. I started my new lesson about Mascots today. I told the students mascots were usually a person, animal or thing which represents a group, organization or team, and that was sometimes thought to bring the group or team good luck. Then I had the students read an article about the history of mascots, showed them a few pictures of different types of mascots, and put them into groups to create their own mascot. They had to make a name for their mascot, draw a picture, and then tell the class three reasons why their mascot was the best. I thought it would be fun for them, and I wouldn't have to speak a lot, which is hard to do on the day I have six classes in a row. It went fairly well.

I got a few Olympic-related mascot ideas, like Olympic Panda, etc. I had one group of really smart girls who called their mascot "Forest Life" - it was a bear drawn inside a clover. Most groups just gave simple lists for why their mascot was the best, but the girl in this group gave a several-minute speech about how their mascot was for the environment, because the environment affected everyone, and we all needed balance to live, and how the clover symbollized good luck, which we all needed to help us make changes to save the earth. It was really impressive.

The all-girl groups always seem to do a really great job.

The all-boy groups, however, are another story. And this is where my funny story comes from. I knew I was in trouble when a group of 4 boys working together kept giggling and whispering, and looking up things in their dictionary while they were working. So they presented their mascot (and keep in mind that the mascots had all been very appropriate and P.C. things like the Nanjing Dolphins and the Olympic Pandas up to this point). Their mascot was called ... "Thailand Woman". Their picture was a woman with big boobs, and their reasons for picking the mascot were that Thai women were very pretty and very "friendly", and that they wanted to be "friends" with a Thailand woman.

I probably should have been disapproving, but it was hilarious. As a back-story, I have heard from several other teachers who went to Bangkok during Spring Festival that there are many, many prostitutes in Thailand, and that Bangkok is famous for that. I actually laughed out loud, and then kept giggling to myself the rest of the day when I thought of it. I know I shouldn't encourage them, but it was so funny!! And at least they are being creative and original ... and thinking independently, rather than giving me the official, politically correct answer. And it really is nice to see students thinking on their own, even if it involves Thai prostitutes with big boobs!!!