I don't know, I think it's pretty funny. And I'm gay. Besides, Hello Kitty is basically just an evil corporate icon.

Heck, those armbands are probably made by children in sweatshops. It is weird, though.

Yup! Because when I am about to do something bad, I think of the consequences, and being made to dress in "girly" armbands is the worst of it. I'd never do anything bad if this were the law in America. :X

Marc

I think that the New New Black Panthers need to adopt ChocoCat as their mascot.

I wish when I arrived late to work I could wear hello kitty!

I can see it now...they're writing tickets on Hello Kitty notepads with little Hello Kitty pencils with little Hello Kitty erasers on the ends.

What arm band would they get for being a "good" cop?

What arm band would they get for being a "good" cop?

They get a Rambo bandana and a Bruce Willis "Live free or die hard" eyepatch!

"sissyphobia" - Samhita

Amazing word! Did you make that up?

I saw this story this morning and wondered if the feminist blogosphere would blog about it. I considered it myself, especially since I like Hello Kitty.

The arm band is pink with hearts. It's not just the kitty that's supposed to be "humiliating" (their word, not mine). It's the fact that Kitty is female and friendly.

Okee-dokee,my analysis completely fails me at this point.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

It's simple - Thailand is a very macho country that also has a HUGE gay community. So, what could be more humiliating to one of Bangkok's finest then to have to go on patrol with a pink armband on (and to have to endure all the jokes and pickup lines from the "ladyboys")???

Here's what Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, has to say : "(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps"

Does Bangkok have any female police officers?

I can't help but laugh at this post. It is weird, bizarre, and a very strange punishment.

I can't help but laugh at this post. It is weird, bizarre, and a very strange punishment.

Mina,

Thailand has an all-male police department, that is notorious for it's insensitivity to female members of the public.

The department is so hypermacho that they don't even have ladies restrooms in many of the precincts, which has caused much discomfort for female witnesses and suspects alike.

Needless to say, the Thai police handle rape and sexual abuse cases very poorly, and the department has a history of mistreating women - law abiding citizens, witnesses and suspects.

Just a clarification, the eh, bad boys, don't get to wear the armbands out in public. But on a side note, do you think they take orders? I want an offical 'bad-cop-hello-kitty' armband...

The police officers won't even be wearing these in public. They're kept in the office for the day while wearing it.

Agree with the rule or not, doesn't it seem like it will lose effectiveness pretty quickly?

Aw, come on! Leave Hello Kitty alone! In all seriousness, I think this is honestly the hyper-masculine fear of being called a woman or feminine. Hello Kitty is beloved by young women and little girls, so making them wear this is saying, "Haha, you're a GIIIRRL!! You've got COOTIES!!" I'm digusted. My Hello Kitty.

Really though, should it come as a surprise to anyone that law enforcement in Thailand is often corrupt and ineffective?

One night in Bangkok makes a hard cop humble!

S.C. is now following suit by dressing misbehaving prisoners in pink jumpsuits as punishment:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6867031,00.html