sbaker8688

Wow. This thread is so far off my life experience that I’m wondering if some of you are even living on the same planet! I had no idea that you could generalise about a group of vastly different people from different countries, with different life experiences in this way. It sounds like some of the guys on here have had some bad experiences they have yet to work through. But reading their opinions on here it’s hardly surprising. If they go through life with the same attitude they are displaying on here then they’re not going to attract the nicest people, or have the easiest ride. And if they use the same set of beliefs they are demonstrating on here to rationalise their life experiences, well even the most innocent encounter will be given a negative explanation.

On the other hand, if a sexist war that is marginalising men is blazing away in the western world, I am going to get my eyes checked. I have never encountered, seen or discussed sexism or feminism. Maybe I am lucky, but to me a person is a person. Male, female, black, white, christian, animist, it doesn’t matter. I take them for who they are, not what they may ‘represent’. If someone holds a door open for me I’ll smile and say thank you. Never for even a millisecond will I ever put it down to anything to do with sex. Never. It’s just a common courtesy, and one I extend to other people too. I was taught to be polite and considerate

If I am living on a different planet to some of you, then from what I have read about yours on here, I’m lucky. I think I’ll stay where I am and continue enjoying my life with the lovely people I live, work and socialise with. People that never seek to judge or categorise someone because of the physical attributes they were born with. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to visit one day.

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Where on earth are you from? You either 1) most certainly do not live in the states, or 2) you are not male, or 3) you really *do* need to "get your eyes checked" as you speak of above.

First off, sure you can generalize about groups of vastly different people from different countries. I'd generalize that most people who lived in America between 1960-1970 were caucasian. I'd generalize that most people who live in Thailand now are somewhat off-white in color, and have black hair. I'd generalize that most are buddhist, for that matter. Generalizations can also be made about many other phenomenae, whether social, political, economic, etc. Don't buy into this "you can't ever generalize about anything" crap. It's the biggest lie you'll ever hear.

You say you haven't encountered sexism or feminism. If you are a western male, especially in America, I'd say that's either impossible, or you are living in "special circumstances" which I won't elaborate on because it's far beyond the scope of this simple post. All you have to do to encounter sexism and feminism is work in a white collar position in almost any corporation. Surely you'll encounter affirmative-action programs to promote women. In the last corporate job I had, there was a company-wide moratorium on any male promotions at all.

Perhaps you are so used to sexism and feminism that you can't see it, because it's "normal" so to speak. You grew up with it, it's always there and always has been, and you don't know anything different. You can't see western female inner hostility towards men because you've "normalized" it. A girl could stand right next to you and say "I don't need a *man* for *anything*!" and the comment would go right over your head. It would never "ring a bell" to you that you just witnessed an inner hostility towards men. You'd never "put two and two together." Entirely possible. In fact, this affects a lot of people.

Or maybe you are indeed living on a different planet, like you say. Stay there - it's a much nicer place.

Hi ya,

Moving to Chaingmai very soon. Cool, laid back guy from the states. Clean - no drugs, no criminal background, no problems.

Need a roommate? If so, whereabouts do you live, and what is your situation (apartment, condo, house, etc)? How much would you charge? Etc.

If no one needs a roommate, can you recommend a place? I suppose something cheap that isn't a roach motel? All I really need is a bed, shower/bath, and air conditioning.

THANKS!

It´s strange that there seem to be these conflicts surfacing due to American womens feminist uprising. As far as I know, Sweden is ahead in the matter, and I honestly can´t say that we suffer from the same issues as Americans (here) claim to do. At least not that I´ve been aware of. My spouse is very feminist and we´ve been living together for three years now, without any problems at all...  and as far as I know, she do wants to have a bunch of kids - at least her behaviuor points in that direction (the hobby psychologist in me takes notes =).

But pose that the feminism is equal in both Sweden and America, could it be some other cultural factors that determine the outcome (whether it´s success or disaster)?

Or is perhaps the conception of the term interpreted differently due to social setting?

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You are right in that Sweden is ahead in the matter. In fact, I have not seen more culturally liberal places than Scandinavia, Netherlands, and Canada. But certainly Sweden seems to have embraced feminism and other liberal cultural movements "with arms wide open."

I have noticed that there seems to be no true right (conservative) in any of these countries either. What could be considered right over there could easily be considered left in America.

But I have met Swedish men that are unhappy with Swedish women. They don't say it's "feminism" per se. But one Swede I met in Chaingmai said, literally "Swedish women don't need men." And that's why he said he was in Thailand.

jesus, this is a womens forum for women, if you want to spout on here about how you don't think western women are up to scratch then please be ready for us to defend ourselves, if you don't like us defending oursleves then please don't post. Simple innit

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No one has ever said they do not like you defending yourself. Your posts are worthless, immature, and add nothing to the discussion.

The title of this thread is "Hostility towards farang women." If you don't want comments on this subject, such as "yes, there is hostility, and here is why," then go complain to the creator of the thread, not to the men who respond with their own personal insights.

You keep saying "don't post." Well, if you don't like it... don't read!

if you disagree with my posts you obviously have senility then as I am only reading what YOU posted & giving my opinion to it, but you don't like that do you

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Has nothing to do with likes or dislikes. I can assure you I'm not that emotional and don't take things nearly that personal.

But I did "like" your post about the "duck syndrome." Question: You say there are so many stories on this (I believe you). Are these women punished to any significant degree? If they were, you'd think there wouldn't be nearly as much of it as there apparently is. Like I said, my last Thai GF threatened me with it, but I thought it was a joke.

Are there any real punishments? Or just slaps on the wrist?

Have there been felong victims?

fact is sbaker8688, you chose to post a hateful diatribe

I don't think that's "fact" at all.

What's wrong, can't handle a man's opinion without pulling out the tired old "hate" moniker? I can handle your opinion. Lord knows you've preached enough that women should be able to give one. Why can't I give mine?

What's wrong, can't handle frank and open and honest discussion?

& now seem incensed that we have the audacity to disagree with you.

I am not incensed at all, and I do not care that you disagree with me. In fact, I expected it. You don't think I thought you'd agree with me, do you?

You have your opinion, we have ours, but your initial post was quite laughable in your justifications as to why you were coming to thailand & if you had just been honest, as others have been

I don't mind you thinking that my opinion was laughable. But what I find laughable myself is that you don't think I was being honest. LOL. I was being quite honest, I can assure you.

, & said it was because you preferred the company of thai women & their attitude to life ... we would have welcomed you here as we have done with others.

In fact, I *did* say I preferred the company of Thai women - no two ways about it. But it has nothing to do with their attitude toward life, unless by that you mean their lack of hostility towards men (relatively speaking), and their lack of feminism (relatively speaking). In fact, if you really read what I said, you'd know that I also said that eastern european and Russian women were just peachy keen too. In other words, it doesn't have anything to do with some personal preference for Thai women, like it's some kind of fetish or something. In fact, it's not so much a preference for Thai women at all as it is an anti-preference for American women, and western women in general.

As it is you claimed to not want to give offense & that you were a live & let live kind of guy which clearly isn't true if these are your true feelings on American/Western women. If they are your true feelings then just admit you don't like us & get the ###### off our forum.

Awww... can't handle the opinion of a "strong independant man?" I wonder what would be said of me if I had said similar things to you on a forum? I'd be called a "sexist, cheuvenist pig," that's what would happen. I'd have been called "intolerant," that's what would have happened. I suppose we're dealing with a double standard here?

I'll let the other readers of this thread decide what's going on here.

Err actually it's what your getting into, if you know so much about thailand & have it all figured out then you must be aware that thai women if pushed too far, have a tendancy to cut it off & feed it to the ducks Enjoy your stay

YOU'VE GOTTA BE FRIGGING KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is crazy... the last time I was in Thailand, I was with my Thai girlfriend. She told me "You cheat... I cut off, and give to duck." I said "Why a duck?" and she said "Duck will eat anything. Anything."

I THOUGHT IT WAS A FRIGGING JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In a nutshell, to the American man who blames feminism for the "demise" of American women, or the lack of "feminine" women, it boils down to laws, economic opportunities, education, and equality.

Assuming this was directed at me, I have never mentioned anything about femininity. People (not necessarily you) keep addressing things that I never said, and setting up straw men to argue with. Several posts kept asking me why I couldn't "handle" a woman who expressed an opinion, when I never issued one single complaint of a woman expressing an opinion to me in any of my posts.

At any rate, I did not complain about, and do not complain about, lack of femininity in the west. I complained about, and continue to complain about, western (particularly American) women's hostility to men. Hostility like yours. Sometimes overt. Sometimes covert. Always there. Always lurking. Always resenting men. Always holding men responsible for some perceived "injustice." Always out on some mission to correct said perceived "injustice."

And even in America, these values are not a complete realization.

How much more of a "realization" do you want?

Women still make about 63 cents to the dollar of men (and yes, that is factoring years lost to child-rearing).

You don't know what women make to men. You think you do. But you don't. Nobody knows. You pull out one study conducted by feminists, and I can pull out another.

And even if you *do* know that "women make 63 cents to the dollar of men" (and you don't) - you still don't know why. Is it because many men choose higher-paying professions in larger numbers than women? Because they certainly do. Is it because of any of a number of other socio-economic factors?

Outsourcing is all the rage in America right now. Labor is cheap in Asia. So factories move overseas, technology jobs are outsourced in droves, as well as call centers and everything else you can think of. Furthermore, illegal Mexican immigration is allowed to continue in an ever-increasing torrent. All of this because of the pursuit of one thing and one thing only: cheap labor. Corporate profits and the bottom line are all that matters. Period. Yet, somehow, in this reality where a corporation would close a factory or an office and fire tens of thousands of it's own citizens in order to outsource the work - all to make a &lt;deleted&gt;' buck - you and other feminists would have us believe that corporations wish to hire men to do work for them at almost twice the price of a woman. You aren't living in the real world. You're living in your made-up world of feminist jihad against men, and society in general. It's culture war.

They are incensed that the safe proscribed roles of generations past no longer assure that they will "win" every argument.

Here's that "argument" thing again. I do not have, and never have had, a problem with a woman arguing with me over something. Neither have I ever had an issue with a woman expressing an opinion. I have an issue with hostility towards me, and my sex. In essense, I have an issue with female "sexism." How's that?

To the American gent out there who said he knows everything about Thailand, here's a bit of advice for you:

Never said "I know everything about Thailand." Said "I have it all figured out." But that wasn't in reference to Thailand as country. It was in reference to the fact that eastern women (including Thai women) are far superior and much more desirable, in my opinion, than their western counterparts. That's what I have "all figured out."

American women are protected by the law/Thai women have absolutely no protection....

In America, it is illegal to discriminate according to race....

Geez... having perpetrated a culture war upon the west, must western feminists now make war upon the east too? Are there no limits to their hostility and hate and criticism of anything and everything? Must they remake the whole frigging planet over to suit themselves? Sheesh!

"justice":  Thailand is the land with the highest number of penis reattachment surgeries in the world.

Oh, that's just lovely. Now I'm talking to Lorena Bobbit? Thanks for reminding me why I'm getting the hel1 out.!

Good luck in paradise.  Don't worry, we won't miss you either.  As far as I'm concerned, the likes of you clear out the gene pool at home.

Never said it was paradise. But at any rate, I can promise you that I am all too happy to relieve your local gene pool of my genes. In fact, I'm ecstatic over the prospect.

I have stayed out of the fire and vitriol hurled my way by the forum women up to this point. Addressing it would largely have no point, and it would merely be participating in a flame war or pissing contest.

But I can't help but point out that the very responses I got, and attitutes that were displayed by those responses, make my point for me: Western women have serious underlying (######, maybe a better term would be "overlying" LOL) issues with men. It's always there, either under the surface or even above it, and it's easy to detect. And I don't like it. I find it oppressive. Which means I don't want a woman like that to be my girlfriend, wife, or the mother of my kids.

If a girl feels the need to stand up and beat her breast and shout things like "men have created laws and a system where they systematically surpress women and keep us down!" (said somewhere on this thread, more or less) then, regardless of the truth or falsity of that statement (I don't plan on opening that can of worms, ha ha), she has issues with men! I don't want to be with a woman who is always paranoid that men are trying to "hold her down," or worse - hates men for trying to "hold her down." It comes through, continuously, in their attitudes, in their "in your face-ness," in the way they act around you and towards you, in the way that they treat you as a man, etc. They are always on the defensive about some "oppression" you are about to throw their way. They are always making sure that they don't "do too much" for their evil male partner, who may have designs on repressing, oppressing, and/or surpressing them and keeping them "in her place."

I can't count the number of times I've heard the following statement from women in America: "I don't need a *man* for *anything*!" That statement is always unprovoked. It's always said as some kind of a combination of boast, and threat. And every single time I've asked "How would you like it if everywhere you went, every single day, you always heard men saying 'I don't need a *woman* for *anything*!' " I always get the same response: "I wouldn't believe it!" always accompanied by a laugh. My mother has said it. My girlfriends have said it. My female friends have said it. Ad nauseum. It blew me away when one female friend - Evonne - finally admitted to me "okay, if I heard that it would hurt my feelings." Well, if a girl "doesn't need a *man* for *anything*" then great - I don't need her either, and I will go elsewhere! I want a girl who *does* need me! Not one that doesn't, and is prepared to let me know that verbally, every day, for the rest of my life!

You can't deny that this is hostility. Period. Anyway you slice it. And I don't care whether you say you have a "right" to be hostile. That's another debate. I just care that it is hostility. Sometimes under the surface, sometimes overt. Ever-present. Always there. Always lurking. Personally, "where's the love?" I don't see it. So if I can choose to be with a girl who has all of this baggage and hate and hostility and chip-on-the-shoulder 'in your face-ness," or if I can choose to be with a girl with none of that, the choice is easy. I choose "none of that."

Some have said that Thai women aren't all they are cracked up to be either. One forum girl even went as far as to say that they are feminists as well, or want to be. Well certainly, while America has a trade deficit in anything and everything else, the one thing it doesn't have a deficit in is exporting it's pop-culture and values. And certainly America is trying to export feminism and other harmful values as quickly and in as large of quantities as possible. And certainly, western women *hate* the idea of other women existing who are not feminists like themselves, and actively work to convert as many to "their side" as they possibly can. It's one reason why I have told my friends never to bring an eastern woman back to the states to marry, or if you do, you must keep her away from all other local women as much as possible. They will ruin your girl, and will relish and take great delight in doing it. Guys, have you ever overheard some of these expat chicks having coffee in the next booth with a Thai chick? Boy, if you haven't, you're really missing out, ha ha. Better be glad that isn't *your* girlfried they are talking to. Or... maybe it is! But having said all of that, Thailand is not nearly as westernized as, well, the west, and it is still easy, relatively speaking, to find a girl that does not have feminist values there. Or if she has them, she doesn't have them nearly to the degree that American women do. Japan? No. As bad as America. But Thailand? Yes. Still a good place.

When and if Thailand does go to the pits, and completely embraces destructive cultural values like feminism, there will still be other places. Sure - one day there may not be any place. But by the time that happens, I'll be dead.

Why don't you go back and re-read some of your posts, ladies? Be honest. Do you see any hostility there? Do you see any attitude? Any in-your-faceness? Any chip on the shoulder? Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking you in any way. I don't have the time or inclination. In fact, I'm not even advocating that you change. Be who you want to be. I'm serious. As I said before, I'm easy going and "live and let live." And I said that no girl will get any hostility from me. My only point is, I don't need that or want that in a girl. I want someone who respects, adores, trusts, loves, and admires me, and I want someone who wants to do anything and everything for me, simply because she loves me. And I will gladly reciprocate. You can't have that with a man-hating feminist, forever paranoid about male cheuvenism, and who always feels the need to puff her chest up and beat upon her chest with her fists and "fight male cheuvenism" anywhere and everywhere she can "find" it. You can't have that with a girl who is always trying to prove to everyone, including herself, and including *you*, that she can't be or won't be "kept down." You can't have that with a girl who feels the need to constantly remind you that she doesn't need you - a man - for *anything*.

Please - be as western and as feminist as you want, if that's what you are. More power to you. I honestly do not care. ######, we can even drink a beer sometime for all I care, provided I don't have to listen to too much hostility. I'm simply saying it's not my taste as far as a girlfriend/wife. Maybe you don't like short guys. I don't like women with hostility towards me or my sex. Everyone has their taste.

Oh, people keep bringing up things like making money at work, or getting promoted at their jobs, blah blah. That's fine and great. More power to you. In fact, if I marry a Thai girl (or any girl for that matter), I hope that she makes us all the money that she can.

Now go ahead and flame away. I will hold nothing against you, regardless. Great thing about forums, I suppose. The worst that happens is a flame. No broken bones, ha ha.

You are in for a rude awakening, Thai ladys are very difficult to please, frequently act in the most bizzare ways. Your experiences of Thai women judging by your poular misconceptions are of bar girls. I for one live here and have a partner back home in the UK, I am faithful and although I find Thai girls astheticly pleasing, cannot find it within myself to want one as a partner. I have many Thai friends both male and female, I am involved in their lives on a daily basis. I find some of therir idiosycracys frankly baffling. I have seen falang and Thai relationships begin and end, I am often asked for advice but it is beyond me to give it. From what I see girls from decent families are difficult to get to know, follow strange courting rituals and I asure you that you will come second place to family, work, friends...you are labouring under false hopes, I suggest you try living here for some time before relocating.

Thanks for the great advice, but believe me I have it all figured out. I have actually lived in Thailand in small spurts (3 months here, 6 months there, etc). Most recently from August 2004 - November 2004. By the way, I've had little contact with bar girls, although I've met a few.

Hope this doesn't step on this chick's thread too much.

I am a western (American) male, and am in the process of moving to Thailand right now. The actual reason I am moving to Thailand is because, personally, I do not want a western woman. So I am relocating to where I can easily find acceptable women. It has nothing to do with the mindless f-doll reference you made. Rather a whole host of other things. But in general, I find that western women have a deep down hostility against men, they have attitude, they are impossible to please, they are only out for themselves, they frequently have multiple mental, psychological, and other disorders, they are frequently bisexual, and they do not appreaciate you as a man. The overwhelming number of American men (and probably western men in general) do not know there is a difference, because they have never traveled overseas or come into contact with a non-western woman. But for those that do - there is no going back.

What I am saying is easily born out by another observation: Most men around the world reject western women as suitable mates - particularly American women. While all women around the world love western men - particulary American men. This says that the problem isn't with "cheuvenist a-holes" or "moronic pigs" but with western women. Nobody wants a western woman, except those who are stuck with them and have no other place to go. But I do have some other place to go, and the means to make it happen.

The problem is feminism. Feminism teaches women to hate men. Feminism did not occur in the east, only in the west. Therefore you can still find desirable women in eastern places (asia, eastern europe, Russia, etc.) but not in the west. I would also be willing to go to the Ukraine for instance, as my friend is there and is not coming back home because he loves the women there too much. But I am already familiar with Thailand, so I feel more comfortable moving there, and feel I can "hit the ground running" so to speak.

By the way, I mean no insult or disrespect towards you or any other woman. I'm a live and let live kinda guy. And this isn't personal. For all I know you may be the greatest girl since sliced bread. You asked a question, and I am simply answering it in the most honest and straightforward fashion I can. Perhaps it will give you some other "inside" perspective at any rate, or at least a different one. Bottom line - from what I have read and experienced, you will not have good luck with expat men in Thailand if you are seeking romance. You will also most likely have little luck with Thai men. But I seriously doubt you will encounter any of the "open hostility" that you mentioned. You certainly will find no hostility, open or otherwise, from me.

Either way, I wish you good luck in all your endeavors.

The simple answer is TT your money in USD / NZD / GBP or whatever.

This is because you will get the best exchange rate available to you and only pay the very small comission charged by a Thai bank.

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What does "TT" mean? Is this a wire transfer? Why would they favor wire transfers in their monetary exchange vs. someone handing them cash?

Thanks.

I already know about the massive US trade and budget deficits. It's one of the many reasons why I want out, and I already moved my dollars to Euros and New Zealand Dollars a long time ago.

But that's not the question I'm asking. I want to know how much I will get charged, typically, to change dollars into bahts? What's the "spread?" 2%? 3%? Etc.

I'm trying to figure out whether I should change my money here or there.

Note that I am not asking how many bahts I will get for a dollar. I want to know the rate I am charged to change the money, no matter how many bahts I will get for a dollar. And if you know of a great rate (.75%, etc.) please tell me what institution and where?

Thanks.

That's interesting... last time I was in Thailand (a few months ago) a girl sucked my toes. I didn't even ask her to. In fact, it's not anything I particularly care for one way or the other, to be honest.

At any rate, I'll try to remember all this "head" and "foot" stuff.

Hello,

Moving to Thailand soon. Been about 5 times before. Don't want to go into details, but at this point I truly feel that I have no more future in my own country, so....

Anyway, where do you live, and why? I pretty much decided to go to Chaingmai "by default" because I haven't been to many other places in Thailand, and I somewhat know my way around in Chaingmai. I mean, I was in Bangkok but the place was so bloody huge, and I didn't know anyone, and no one around me spoke english, and I didn't know where to go or what to do, so it was a disaster. On the other hand, all I had to do in Chaingmai was leave my hotel and BOOM - found tons of things within walking distance, I didn't have to worry about getting lost, many Thais spoke english, super-easy to meet people, yadda yadda.

So. Where do you live? Bangkok? Pataya? Chaingmai? And why? Where do you recommend? ######, for that matter how do you make a living? Etc.

Thanks!

What is a good exchange rate? I don't mean how many dollars of your or my currency we can convert into bahts, but how much they charge us to do this? In the USA I can change money into bahts for .75%. In other words, they charge me less than 1% to do it. I plan to move to Thailand soon and bring all my savings one way or the other (cash or wiring) so I want to know whether it is good to convert my money in the USA first, or wait until Thailand.

Thanks!

I do not have (and will not be able to get) any fancy residencies, work permits, visas, or anything of the sort. I have (and will only have) the standard "30 days, run to the border, get another 30 days" deal.

Can I have a bank account in Thailand without too much hassle? Or do I have to have fancy "invitations," fancy visas or residencies, work permits, yadda yadda?

The reason I ask is because I'm getting conflicting information. What I've read is that I have to have fancy requirements or go through some fancy process that I'm simply not going to be able to do. On the other hand, I have a Thai friend who lives in the U.S. as a citizen there, and she claims that she not only has a bank account in Thailand, but that she got the bank account under her American name and passport, and under her American citizenship. She said she did nothing except walk into the bank and apply, under her American credentials.

Anyway, any answers would be appreciated, because I really need a bank account, and the ability to wire money and so forth.

Thanks.

I thought this might be closer to this forum than the "general topic" forum. Forgive me if that's not the case (I'm new here).

I've been to Thailand around 5 times. The last time was for 3 months. I'd like to come back and live, and am wondering if it's feasible for me to own a business. That's really the only way I'm going to be able to stay and live there - if I own a business. I hope it's not as impossible to own a business there as it is to get any sort of residency. I've decided that any sort of residency or whatever will be impossible for me. I will not be able to get a work permit, and don't seem to qualify for anything else (not 50+ years old, don't have bazillions to invest, etc). So it's probably going to be taking a trip to the border every 30 days (sigh). But you can't have everything.

Anyway, question is - how feasible is it for a foreigner to own a business there? I would assume the answer is "not feasible." In other words, if the regulations are anything like qualifying for permanent residency, I can probably forget it.

Any information is helpful, as I haven't been able to find anything on it yet.

Thanks.