The so-called Worst Interview Ever, though recently yanked from YouTube, can still be found with a bit of googling.  In it, Fox News Religion Correspondent Lauren Green attempts to interview Reza Aslan about his book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (now a best-seller largely thanks to her ineptness as an interviewer). 

Green’s unrelenting interrogation focuses on just one issue – why would a Muslim (and a secret Muslim at that – Aslan doesn’t reveal his own religion until the second page of his book!) write a book about the founder of Christianity?

Unfortunately, Aslan had obviously done as little homework as Green (who admitted to not having read the book), so he never thought to ask why a former Miss Minnesota would want to question a scholar of religion about an academic work.  Rather than, say, interview a fashionista about her latest range of cosmetics.

But Prachatai readers are perhaps not aware that this Worst Interview Ever has eerie parallels with another Worst Interview Ever that ASTV Manager recently conducted in Thai with David Streckfuss, author of Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason, and Lèse-Majesté.

Prachatai here offers an unauthorized translation of this interview.  Note that perhaps for reasons of nationalism, ASTV Manager decided to translate the author’s name from its Germanic roots into Thai. 

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ASTV Manager:  We have in the studio today Mr Twit Yuedtin, who has written a book about some Thai laws.  The book is called Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, Treason, and Lèse-Majesté.  Mr Twit lives in Khon Kaen but I don’t know if he can eat sticky rice.  (Quiet smirk at the camera.)  Welcome to the programme, Mr Twit.

Streckfuss:  Thank you for inviting me.

ASTV Manager:  I want to be clear.  Twit, you’re a farang, so why did you write a book about the lèse majesté law of Thailand?

Streckfuss:  Well, I have been studying lèse majesté laws around the world for almost 20 years now.  This was the topic of my PhD thesis.  I have studied and worked on issues of law and human rights in Thailand for many years.  I live in Thailand and am fluent in Thai …

ASTV Manager:  You speak Thai?  Really?

Streckfuss:  Er, yes, that’s what I’m speaking now.

ASTV Manager:  Oh, OK.  But that still begs the question: why would you, a farang, be interested in how Thailand protects its monarchy?

Streckfuss:  Well, the lèse majesté law and other laws with implications for freedom of speech are under discussion in Thailand.  This is an issue that is being talked about at academic conferences and in the media and of course in the courts.  My book doesn’t present any farang perspective on the issue.  There is no farang perspective.  It is an academic analysis based on my years of research on the subject.

ASTV Manager:  But why should a farang want to take an interest in this?  Isn’t this like a Thaksin supporter, a red shirt, trying to talk about democracy by writing a book criticizing Prime Minister Abhisit?

Streckfuss:  I think you mean former Prime Minister Abhisit.  I hate to come back to the same point, but my book is not an attack on the Thai lèse majesté law or on anything else to do with Thailand.  It is based on my research of the situation in Thailand and in other countries.

ASTV Manager:  But let me quote what other respected scholars say about your book, Mr Twit.  Dr Tul Sitthisomwong says that because you are not Thai, you and other farangs cannot understand Thainess and so you cannot comment on the Thai monarchy.  He is a doctor and he says you’re wrong and many people on our website believe him and criticize and threaten farangs like you.

Streckfuss:  Well, I respect Dr Tul as a doctor, a gynaecologist, and we have debated this issue many times and yes, we have disagreements on this issue.  But this is what happens in academic discussions, people have different opinions.  And again, my book does not comment on the Thai monarchy one way or the other.  It discusses the lèse majesté law and how it is being applied in Thailand today compared with the past and with other countries.

ASTV Manager:  But, Mr Twit, why do you hide the fact that you are farang?  People reading this book may be confused and think you are Thai and so might think that they can believe you.

Streckfuss:  Again, it is not a question of believing anything because of who wrote the book.  And I have never claimed to be Thai.  My biography is available on the internet.  If you look on the dust cover of the book, you see my photograph and I don’t look Thai.

ASTV Manager:  Well how could I know that?  I haven’t read your book.

Streckfuss:  Oh.  Well, I encourage you, and your listeners, to read the book.  It has hundreds of references to other works on the topic, on which I base my …

ASTV Manager:  OK, we have to stop now.  They are ready.

Streckfuss:  Who’s ready?

ASTV Manager:  The police.  They are outside.  They are going to arrest you for lèse majesté.