The Men with the Whistles
In my last blog post, I touched on what is likely to become a recurring theme; jobs that probably wouldn’t exist outside of Thailand, either because they aren’t really required, or the labour cost in other countries would probably outweigh the benefit. I get a sense that people generally want to be doing something in Bangkok; no matter how menial or superfluous the task, or how little they are paid, working is better than not working. To facilitate keeping people busy it seems as though various inexplicable job roles have been created.
The ‘Men with the Whistles’ comprises all the people that have been charged with directing traffic in some way. This ranges from those whose responsibility is to assist people in exiting a driveway, to those that coordinate traffic at a busy junction. Sometimes they are simply guarding a car park, directing people in and out of spaces that they could easily negotiate without assistance. This happens in the car park of one of the many health spas near our house, and the guard often looks at me with disdain as the dogs and I take a shortcut through his territory.
Not all of them have whistles, some have merely been issued with a flag. The ones that do have whistles blow them frequently and haphazardly. Maybe there’s some sort of secret whistle code but it seems to me as though they just like making a lot of noise.
Some of these men are dressed in very official looking military style uniforms complete with helmet – I think these guys are the police. They often have a Go Pro strapped to their helmet which must generate some terrifying yet fascinating footage of the various vehicles around them, many with questionable roadworthiness, and regularly overloaded. Sometimes the policeman has a little policeman apprentice although they must stay on the pavement. The less formal ones who are not the police make do with a hi-vis vest, but this doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm. They do all appear to have the standard set of white gloves regardless of the rest of their attire. Sunglasses are also an integral part of the look, even in the rain.
These men are formidable and fearless as if possession of a whistle or flag makes them untouchable. It’s probably how I feel when I have a clipboard in my hands – all powerful! When our furniture arrived in Thailand, I was trusted to hold the clipboard and check off every box that was brought in, barking instructions on where to put everything. I loved it!
The main function of ‘The Men with the Whistles’ is to step in front of moving vehicles and bring them to a halt. This normally at least involves looking in the direction of the traffic, but the other day I did see one of the policemen casually texting on his phone in the middle of a 6-lane road. I’m sure it was very important police business and he had nothing to fear; he had a whistle and a Go Pro.
Directing Traffic
I have grouped several similar job roles under one umbrella and have christened this group as “The Men with the Whistles”. By clustering these roles together, I will no doubt cause offense by failing to comprehend the relative differences in rank and social status, but they all pretty much do the same thing. They’re not all completely pointless tasks either, they are small cogs in the big Bangkok engine that must be kept moving, it’s just unlikely that anyone would be able to fund these roles in the UK.The ‘Men with the Whistles’ comprises all the people that have been charged with directing traffic in some way. This ranges from those whose responsibility is to assist people in exiting a driveway, to those that coordinate traffic at a busy junction. Sometimes they are simply guarding a car park, directing people in and out of spaces that they could easily negotiate without assistance. This happens in the car park of one of the many health spas near our house, and the guard often looks at me with disdain as the dogs and I take a shortcut through his territory.
Not all of them have whistles, some have merely been issued with a flag. The ones that do have whistles blow them frequently and haphazardly. Maybe there’s some sort of secret whistle code but it seems to me as though they just like making a lot of noise.
Some of these men are dressed in very official looking military style uniforms complete with helmet – I think these guys are the police. They often have a Go Pro strapped to their helmet which must generate some terrifying yet fascinating footage of the various vehicles around them, many with questionable roadworthiness, and regularly overloaded. Sometimes the policeman has a little policeman apprentice although they must stay on the pavement. The less formal ones who are not the police make do with a hi-vis vest, but this doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm. They do all appear to have the standard set of white gloves regardless of the rest of their attire. Sunglasses are also an integral part of the look, even in the rain.
Daily Interaction
Every morning, the collective unit of me, Chris and the dogs, is ushered passed the entrances to schools and condo buildings by these men, with one of them even giving Siale an encouraging pat on the bottom the other day. I’m sure one of the policeman at a junction we meet every day factors us into his traffic phasing as we always seem to be able to cross straight away.These men are formidable and fearless as if possession of a whistle or flag makes them untouchable. It’s probably how I feel when I have a clipboard in my hands – all powerful! When our furniture arrived in Thailand, I was trusted to hold the clipboard and check off every box that was brought in, barking instructions on where to put everything. I loved it!
The main function of ‘The Men with the Whistles’ is to step in front of moving vehicles and bring them to a halt. This normally at least involves looking in the direction of the traffic, but the other day I did see one of the policemen casually texting on his phone in the middle of a 6-lane road. I’m sure it was very important police business and he had nothing to fear; he had a whistle and a Go Pro.
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