spidermike007

What a completely ridiculous, unnecessary, and unhelpful reply. Perhaps you can try harder next time. In the past two years since this election cycle does it feel like this forum is getting dumbed down with more venom, or is it just my perception?

There you go again, it's just this blatant denial that Trump is a fraudster, or a criminal, or a felon, or a serial sexual assaulter, or has engaged in corporate malfeasance for decades. All of this is on the record and yet somehow a percentage of his followers feel that if they admit the truth it somehow takes something away from them, and their decision to support him. I'm a Centrist Democrat and I'm constantly criticizing Democrats. I don't know why Trump supporters are so reluctant to criticize him, it's almost as if it shows a lack of fealty to the master.

I have a lot of friends and I've had a lot of friends all over the world in my travels, and when I've lived elsewhere overseas. That has not been the case in Thailand. Other than men who have had the ability to meet Thai men at an University or professional setting overseas, or and unusual situation like that, I know very few foreign men here who have good Thai male friends. It is cultural it's not me. And it's my belief that in addition to the language barrier it's also due to a stunning lack of curiosity about us, and about the outside world.

Very good points, and a lot of mongers come to Thailand and they don't realize that the women that they're interacting with commercially represent maybe one or two percent of the population. The other 98% are civilians and they do not appreciate being harassed or being touched by strangers, it's a pretty offensive crime. I always encourage all women to carry a very sharp pencil in their purse, a tremendous amount of damage can be accomplished with that and it's something that the perpetrator will never forget for the rest of his lifetime.

His followers are always asking for a link, all this information is out there for anyone to find, it's all over the internet, his lifetime of crime, his thousands of fraudulent transactions, the billions of dollars that he stole from unsuspecting contractors. It's all out there, it's all online. You know you can dress a pig up in royal garments, but it's still a pig.

One can make an argument that any relationship anywhere on the world is about the money, the vast majority of women on this planet want financial security, and there's nothing wrong with that. Here they're just a lot more open about it.

This man committed several heinous errors, first of all dowries are not paid long in advance they're paid just prior to the wedding, second of all if you stand a chance of a successful relationship here especially with somebody 36 years your junior you need to take a lot of time to get to know them. 2 to 5 years maybe, if it's good it's only going to get better, if there are problems are going to manifest themselves over time. I don't know why guys are so consistently impatient. I know a lot of times the women push the timeline and as men we need to push back. No, that's not happening! We're waiting. I need to get to know you some more, you don't like that, no problem I'm very happy to walk away, it's that simple. Desperados tend to lose their money, men with high self-esteem don't tend to fall into that trap.

I have been to Panama, but never lived there. It is quite modern, the countryside is gorgeous, the food is good, and there are alot of beautiful women, who are open and receptive. But, bear in mind the place is quite expensive. A free place to stay is nice. Might be worth going there for a month, and seeing how you like it. It is a different world from Thailand. Likely alot more culture. Also close to Colombia, the US, and other spots in South America, which would be a real plus for me. Plus, far easier to learn Spanish than Thai. One of the other upsides for me would be the ability to establish friendships with local men, it's nearly impossible here in Thailand to establish any kind of meaningful friendship with a Thai man. They're just not interested and their lack of curiosity is off the charts. Not so in Latin America.

A voice of reason in the wilderness of toxic male delusion.

Darwin was right. The theory of natural selection, means we all have to exhibit certain survival skills, to thrive in this world. Self protection is just one of those skills. Some have it, some do not. Some people do not do well when drunk. Those who don't, those who continue to commit acts of utter foolishness when drunk need to have enough self awareness to take great care. Alcohol can be very dangerous. On so many levels. So can idiocy and recklessness. Especially when combined with alcohol.

The solution is for these gals is to devote the next few years of their lives to hunting down the creeps, and making their life a living hell. What ever it takes. He very creative. This sort of harassment and bullying should not be tolerated by society, and the consequences for the bully must be swift, severe and unforgettably horrific. Biblical revenge!

The incident puts a spotlight on possible police corruption in Lamphun. Ha. This one is funny. I love how they always try to make it appear as if the RTP is clean and free of corruption. The big surprise is not when they find signs of corruption. The big surprise is when they find signs of good police work, without corruption. The RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case?

I think it's fairly easy for a man to say that, but when the shoe is on the other foot I think it's an entirely different thing. I think often times women in this situation feel quite helpless, especially if it's a guy that's considered me larger than her. There's never any excuse for this kind of behavior. If you want to grope a woman it's fairly easy to do that here, you just have to pay for it, and then it's consensual. No free gropes! Especially when they are uninvited. A very sharp pencil to his genitals would have been quite effective.

So many people that are in Trump's orbit right now, or in his administration including his vice president, formerly despised the man and spoke openly about what a low quality human being he was, how he possessed no morals, no ethics and how he was a nasty piece of work and a danger to democracy. However power seems to have a very seductive quality and as is stated here many are willing to sell their soul for a little taste of it, at least until they get thrown under the bus.

There's a fairly simple moral to this story, don't order cocktails when in Laos! Drink beer only from a bottle that you can open yourself or that you can watch a bartender opening, or drink wine that you have purchased on your own. Avoid cocktails like they contain the bubonic plague. Unless you mixed them yourself from a sealed bottle.

I'm quite fond of the Burmese people during my trips to Burma I found them to be quite lovely and what they're having to do indoor at this point in time is horrific. When the Burmese army says they are uninterested in politics, that is total BS. They are power hungry thugs. Utter pigs and despots. The nasty billionaire generals are thieves, robbing the people of their gems, their timber, their minerals and selling heroin for the sake of amassing wealth. And supported by extremist Buddhist monks against the minorities. Broken men. With their recent overthrow, they have self revoked the right to consume oxygen. May the #myanmaryouth prevail! May the dinosaurs be pushed out. They are a terrorist army. Hooray to the Burmese people, may they bring utter misery to the junta, and the thieves that are controlling Burma, stealing their treasure, and inflicting misery on their people. These corrupt, thieving, Burmese Army generals, are mafia goons who are finally getting what they deserve. They are terrorists, slaughtering their own people.

Thankfully, Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration. Though Trump prefers low end, low quality, bottom of the barrel type candidates, he set the bar even lower this time. Gaetz was beyond unqualified. Two years practicing low end law. Yikes. See ya, Matt. You won't be missed.

I think that calling it a plan is a bit of a stretch. I would say it was an effective campaign slogan and it's actually a good concept, but it's incredibly complicated, and he's trying to pretend as if it is very simple, which is very typical of his somewhat simple-minded thought process. For big companies changing manufacturing locations requires years, and is not something that can be done overnight without becoming a huge tax hike (tariffs) on the American population.

Thank you. A well thought out post, and a voice of reason in the wilderness of Marxist style Trump propaganda. Selling yourself as a candidate by using slogans and platitudes does not change economic realities.

No. Absolutely not.

Thankfully, Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration. Though Trump prefers low end, low quality, bottom of the barrel type candidates, he set the bar even lower this time. Gaetz was beyond unqualified. See ya, Matt. You won't be missed.

So far based on the picks for his administration I don't see many signs of intelligence. I do see significant signs of moral bankruptcy though. I know his supporters are really excited about the victory and really gung-ho at this point in time. I suspect some of that enthusiasm will be diminished over the next couple of years for a multiplicity of reasons. Trump sure talks a good talk, and he ran a smart campaign, but following through on his promises, and improving the quality of life for Americans is going to be a lot harder than he thinks it will be. Especially with his bottom of the barrel cabinet picks.

This is an entirely subjective topic, of course. But some of us live very good lives here. Some of us have been fortunate enough to find an outstanding woman, who is delightful to be around, on a daily basis, always has our back, and is fun, smart, and lovely. For me, that likelihood of finding that back in the US, would be very low. So, that is a big factor for me. The second factor is just the quality of life. Sure, I miss alot of the culture back home. The theatre, independent film (which I can download here with no issues at all, and a super fast 1 gbps fiber optic connection, at under 700 baht per month!), stand up comedy, live jazz, etc. But I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there. I also like the fact that law enforcement stays out of my face here, and the Nanny state is not constantly telling me how to live, how to behave, what to say, and what not to say. It is a very personal choice. I have friends who seem to be dropping like flies. I could be dead next year. You just don't know. I am not extravagant, but I live very, very well. A nice house, a new car every few years, new motorbikes for my gal and I every few years, a great art collection, plenty of good wine in the wine cooler, a new 77" OLED TV, a world class home theatre, plenty of international travel, etc. For me, it is a great lifestyle, that I could only dream of in the US. Well worth the expense and very easy to justify. Life is way too short. I have never been a person of extreme thrift. To each his own. I used to have more issues than I do now. I worked on my attitude, which was getting in the way of appreciating Thailand for what it is, and was clouding my experience here. Used to stress over stupid stuff, as you can see from some of my past posts. Used to allow the politics to make me angry. Now it is not something I take seriously, just something I comment on, without anger or an emotional investment. Now, I just tend to laugh it off. Spent some real time back in the US recently, and it allowed some clarity and perspective, that I am very grateful for. Now, I just chuckle at most of the nonsense. Water off a duck's back, so to speak.

What an absolutely pathetic reply. You won the award for lamest reply on the thread.

While the post may not be as coherent as it could have been, it is an interesting point and it's an important topic. I think in general a lot of people have lost the art of parenting. When we grew up many of us got a lot more support from our parents than kids do these days. Of course the other difference is we played outdoors, we played sports, we engaged in all kinds of activities other than spending all day on Tik tok and Instagram, which is probably the least productive activity any human being can engage in. There's no doubt that screens and social media are dumbing down the population and there's no doubt that gen Z and those younger than gen Z are some of the scariest people, and perhaps some of the weakest people to have ever walked the face of the earth. There are exceptions of course, the cream is always going to rise at the top, and the top several percent of the population within those groups are going to find a way to rise above the negative influences affecting them. When people think of civilisation, they typically think of increasing technological sophistication. That has always been a part of what anthropologists examine when they write about different civilisations. But they’ve always gone much beyond that to look at other attributes of society, most notably temperance and disposition to co-existence. One does not have to be an anthropologist or sociologist to notice that both are generally static or in decline worldwide. Today the echo-chamber is largely housed in social media, where groups reinforce each other’s grievances without rebuttal or critique. It has the effect of compromising rationality, even of otherwise rational people. In general this would not be a time that I would want to bring a child into this world.