BangkokReady

I wonder how many of the women would have no problem with that first part and would like to maintain that, while trying to wiggle out of the rest... ????

There will always be corruption, as it's very difficult to stamp out. But Thailand doesn't compare to the US or the UK.

Of course. Being conservative is to say "things are good the way they are", while being progressive is to say "we need to change things to make them better". Both can be good or bad. The point is that it is illogical to suggest that because one group of people was made to feel uncomfortable in the past by a change that you think is positive, that someone being uncomfortable a proposed change now must mean the change is good. Just because "they said the same thing about homosexuals", it doesn't mean the circumstances, or their objections, are the same.

I think that one of the challenges of moving to a foreign country is that people really forfeit the ability to have a chat with a stranger, especially if that country is one where not many speak your language and few have any real interest in foreigners. Perhaps there are some conversations to be found in bars, but I wonder how interesting those are going to be. It's unlikely that you're going to get the friendly chat at the bus stop or in the shop that you might have had back home. And that isn't only because of racism or a language barrier, I think culture plays a big part in it also. But then, I don't speak much Thai, so perhaps I am wrong. Do those foreigners fluent in Thai regularly pass the time of day with total strangers? Personally I would write off anyone asking for money as not even being a genuine interaction. It's unfortunate that expats cannot get a little more involved in volunteer work. Perhaps they don't want to or aren't qualified. It seems like there's bound to be a need that they could satisfy (that doesn't include paying). I recommend reading. Especially older books, that tend to be better written and allow you to think about how things "used to be". And I guess a pet would help. Perhaps try to visualise how things would be if you were back home? Gray, cold and miserable days, filled with drizzle and people complaining. At least the weather's nice in Thailand.

Very sad. I guess they felt they had to keep it a secret? Aren't there places you can leave a baby? Charities, monasteries, etc.?

Your motorbike collides, you don't collide it.

You wouldn't have thought this would take place in a private school. Presumably they're meant to be competitive. But TiT after all.

It's fairly standard Thai corruption. Skimming, embezzlement, etc.. There is money moving around, so some of it goes into the pocket(s) of whomever is responsible for managing it.

If he spoke Thai she wouldn't have tried to charge him for the stolen bananas?

Therefore any change people are uncomfortable about must be a good thing?

Oh, OK. I didn't quite get that. Funnily enough, I often see guys who are clearly pretty poor with nice looking girls (IMO). Obviously they are poor as well, but they're still attractive. It's actually surprising what a poor guy can achieve in Thailand. Nice girl, kids, etc.. I imagine their apartment is pretty small and basic though. The pretty cushy loans people get are quite helpful also. The advantage they probably have is that Thailand is very much "a man's world" (for the locals at least), where some women seem to be happy to be treated like garbage (and to pay for the privilege). But yes, locals have a lot of choice, including prostitution, beer girls (just for company), mistresses, and so on.

The advantage is that Thailand is a poorer country so they can find a higher quality girl than they could back home due to being higher value among certain demographics. That's kind of the whole point for some people. And why not? Both parties are better off!

More worryingly, are the teachers made to follow the "preferred gender" of the students and call them he/she based on their uniform while they probably still look exactly like their actual biological sex? Kids in charge of adults is never a good idea. Under 18s should really be left out of this.

Yes. Normally eye contact, a smile and a greeting (hello/thank you) is how I begin and end any interaction with sales/service people. Sometimes it isn't returned, sometimes it maybe gives people the wrong idea (not my fault), often it isn't returned my male staff.

Wealth comes into the score, so, since Thailand is poorer than Western countries, most men will go up a couple of points with poorer women. Not the "hiso", of course.

That or she genuinely believes that her and 75 million Americans with guns are going to prevent Trump from facing any kind of justice if found guilty. ????

There'll be no civil war because there's just a couple of online idiots saying stupid things. ????

How does a guy have a history of disagreements with his neighbour while his wife doesn't know her?

Fake smiles.

I'm sorry to have to sound like a doubting Thomas, but I find it very unlikely that an 85 year old man is attracting women in any other capacity than a financial one (other than women of a similar age). As you say, it's the "getting rid of them" that is the problem. This is very likely because the ones that don't want money now, are merely playing the long game and hoping for money some time in the future. Some women actually target the older gent, hoping to quickly get married and then for him to die and leave her all his money within a couple of years. I don't wish to be rude. I simply wanted to provide a different point of view.

I believe, in Thailand, you can stop at "wealthier". All the rest is just somehting women will put up with for money. It's an interesting country. No wonder prostitution is so accepted in Thailand. It seems to pretty much be model for all relationships.

Maybe start holidaying in Vietnam. ????‍♂️

You could even specify in your advert: "Free English lessons for young single pretty Thai women who have a good job." ????

Teachers wake up very early to go to work. Singers tend to stay up very late. These two professions do not complement each other, IMO. It's unfortunate, but obviously the side job cannot interfere with the main job.

From a completely anecdotal and speculative angle, I would say that, in my experience, Thai women seem less interested in foreigners now than they were pre-covid. I'm not old, but I'm not particularly active in terms of seeking out a Thai girlfriend either. So it's really just what I "feel" has changed. (And I'm pretty observant.) Purely based on attention from women in the everyday, it seemed like pre-covid it was a lot more common for something like a girl in a 7/11 to like you and maybe an older women might ask if you speak Thai, then the girl would giggle. Or perhaps a girl on the street might notice you, smile, or say something. On dating apps, too, it seems like there are fewer nice looking women than there were pre-covid. What it really feels like is that many Thai women are now scared of foreigners. Some people will say that isn't the case, I'm sure, but that's what I think. That's probably not much use to you, or perhaps it is, but that's what I think has happened.