Sunday, May 1, 2011

Buffalo Taxi

As Thailand becomes more industrialized and as more farmers here utilize mechanized equipment, water buffaloes are becoming a less common sight in Thai rice paddies. But why has this Bangkok taxi driver banned them from his cab? In actuality, he's not literally prohibiting this animal from entering his taxi, although I'm not sure if one would fit in the passenger seat anyway. In this culture, anyone who is considered to be dimwitted is called a buffalo, and so this driver is trying to be funny with his window sticker. But in my opinion, it's unfortunate that this hard-working animal who has been the companion of Thai farmers for centuries has become the butt of a joke. I'm glad that this taxi driver has barred guns and knives from his cab, but I wish that he and anyone else who makes fun of buffaloes, for that matter, would change their attitude.