Why so much negativity?

[Yinn]

14 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

I'll type a summary a little later in the day, responding to your/this same reply so you see it.

  

I will help you Fex.

 

 

[sunnyboy2018]

The negativity has been here well before the current TM30 and  8000k issues. Basically it reflects  the quality of expats and tourists who visit Thailand and inhabit this forum. They are often provincial and inexperienced travellers. The have little or no sense of adventure.  They dont know how lucky they are. Most only know Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok.  Many contributors to this forum have a moral agenda which prevents them saying anything good about Thailand. Some have never actually been here or only visited briefly. The latter know nothing about the cultural depth of Thailand, came as tourists, found it too challenging and returned to more touristy locations and now carp from a distance especially annoyed at we who enjoy ourselves here and enjoy all the benefits of Thailand. I say this to the OP: dont just ignore them but consider not reading this forum. 

[4evermaat]

Many times TV is the only way for a foreigner to vent their issues about cultural differences as they may not live very close to foreigners where they are.

 

I strongly suggest interacting with local foreigners offline.  Much different experience.

[oldhippy]

55 minutes ago, Yinn said:

  

I will help you Fex.

 

 

Hello  Bruce,

At times your English is so bad, and at other times so good?

But even when your English is bad, you manage to make perfectly clear what you mean.

Strange.

Another give away was " Thai music we love"..... WE?

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by oldhippy
.

[473geo]

What do negative people not understand about Thailand? - with an open mind and a little flexibility a solution is never far away ????

[AlexRich]

4 hours ago, madmen said:

Grow up. the chances you will end up in a dispute with a hi so "well connected Thai" are less than zero. the bashers are coming across as desperate these days

Don't be sad because you only mix with rice farmer's daughters.

 

[Deerculler]

Another short comment.

some complain wherever they live.

They are the same in there own country.

All the very best and  and Goodluck.

[Colabamumbai]

Visiting and living in any country are two different things. 

[legend49]

On 9/29/2019 at 3:30 AM, Iren1cuss said:

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I guess I can understand why some people have changed their perception of Thailand with the recent changes to their immigration policies and regulations. Regarding the strong Bhat, I just came back from a one month trip to Thailand, and to be honest I didn't feel it was that much more expensive than the last time I went(about 5 years ago). To be fair my country(Chile) is much more expensive than Thailand in almost every regard, so I guess it didn't bother me that much.  

 

Regarding a longer stay, there is a bilateral agreement between Chile and Thailand, it allows Chilean citizens to stay up to 90 days with no visa required. Supposedly there are also no restrictions for new entries to the country, meaning that when I leave the 90 period starts over. It seems too good to be true but I'll make my research before trusting this information. So far I've had 0 problems with immigration in Thailand.

Ask the same question in 10 years time if you live here for that period. Then you should have a good opinion.

[yellowboat]

The Thai people and life style are beautiful, and some times are as advertised: gracious, charming.  Some Thais are industrious, hard working and enormously giving.  

 

The downsides are the government and its rules and the abysmal education system.  Most of my Thai friends still work six days a week and they struggle with debt.  They just can't seem to get over the hump.  

 

If you are happy with not working in Thailand, and just want to do nothing, Thailand is fine.  

 

You should check out neighboring countries too.  Vietnam is passing up Thailand as did China 20 years ago.  

 

After about eight years, Thailand starts to get dull.  Moving around until you can't is the best option.  Otherwise you will join the ranks of the cranky ????

Edited September 30, 2019 by yellowboat

[fruitman]

On 9/28/2019 at 8:26 PM, oldhippy said:

OP, can you afford health insurance ?

If not, don't even concider Thailand for a long term stay.

If yes, go for it.

I know many guys here won't like this but hey it's true...don't blame me...not my rules.

[Don Chance]

Thai's are not friendly and fun like other countries like Cambodia, Nepal, India, Myanmar.

Thailand has become the land of dirty looks. Thai's are globalized now, many don't like 40 million farangs tramping on their country.

If you can not feel the derision you don't know what travel and living in foreign country is about.  Only the most superficial. A lot expats are not travelers they are sort of professional tourists.

[jesimps]

On 9/29/2019 at 1:26 AM, oldhippy said:

OP, can you afford health insurance ?

If not, don't even concider Thailand for a long term stay.

If yes, go for it.

From his post it looks to me like he is financially secure and can self insure, as do a lot of us on here on long term stays. Why pour loadsa money down the drain every year when you're fit, exercise regularly and have a healthy lifestyle? I reckon he's the only one to judge whether or not he needs health insurance. Saying that, I do have a small accident insurance policy.

[suzannegoh]

On 9/28/2019 at 1:36 PM, NCC1701A said:

..., learn about Thai culture and respect it.

 

That about sums up the reason for the negativity – an inability to accept Thai culture as being a legitimate alternative to Western Liberalism. If someone feels that way that’s fine by me, after all it is in many ways at odds with the values Westerner are indoctrinated in.  Individualism & self-sufficiency are not a prized commodities here, and neither is there an underlying belief that "all me are created equal".  But if you can’t accept that, or it has worn you down, then it’s time to move on rather than to rail against it on the internet.

Edited September 30, 2019 by suzannegoh

[dotpoom]

Mankind is made up of positive and negative people...mind you...there seems to be an over abundance of prophets of "doom and gloom" on here.

[Kadilo]

People bang on about Thai culture etc. Sure an understanding of any culture is beneficial but the basic understanding on common decency, respect and politeness is universal and if you have demonstrate these you won’t go far wrong whatever country you settle in. 

[thailand49]

Every person is different, personally it depends on the make up of the person whether things bother them based on the way or how they grew up. 

Being on vacation isn't a good way to judge a place you are basically on honeymoon like a marriage it takes work the grass is never really greener even in Thailand. The longer you are here entrench yourself more with Thais and their culture and see the way they are taught to think it affects people because it goes against how they themselves were taught?

There are some who live or visit never see it too busy or smart staying within their circle of bottle or what is comfortable maybe that is the real answer?

The answer is right there with ops, live here for a few months and the answer will come as to whether the original post is valid?  Grass stays green because it takes a lot of work.

[Danthai]

Yes agree about the negativity. Some have to negatively comment on everything and everyone. Thailand is a great place to visit and live. I first came to Thailand from Guam on 4 r and r's, the in later years for 5 years, came once or twice a year for 3 weeks at a time to look for handcrafts for my import business. For the last 24 years have lived here working part of the time. The people have always been friendly, the fruits and vegetables, and markets great. Costs reasonable. Forget reading any comments by complainers and sarcastic members. There are many in this sight that try to be very helpful to all. Come and enjoy what Thailand has to offer. Think good always and roll with the rules of the country and you will enjoy everything the country has to offer.

[Nemises]

Negativity on here only comes from the bored and the broke. This place (TVF) is pretty much their life.

 

[Midfield]

Best thread in ages. Despite everything, I really like living in Thailand. The negativity so often expressed on this forum is quite unwarranted.

 

Not everyone here cracks open his first bottle of Archa before breakfast and rolls his eyes to the ceiling when the in-laws come round.

[4MyEgo]

On 9/29/2019 at 5:37 AM, Skallywag said:

If by "joy" you mean women, then yes, Thailand is for you!  ????

Just watch out for some of the joys that come with them, HP etc etc etc, but then again it's part of the "joy" ????

[newnative]

    I'll add my voice to the chorus.   My partner and I have been here 9 years and we love it.  We are in Pattaya and like being in a beach town but also close to Bangkok.  We are living a much better life here than what we could afford in the US. Nice to see the positive comments to this post.  Hope you'll go for it and good luck!

[Thingamabob]

You are paying too much attention to a relatively small number of embittered people. As long as you have enough money to meet government requirements and to cover your own expenses you should be fine. No different to moving to any other country. But if you have any doubts in this context don't even try.

 

[elgenon]

In actuality, the negativity is a lot less than it used to be. I am amazed.

 

In my home town, when I walk down the street and and a stranger is walking towards me we say "Hello".

 

I don't know if Thailand is like that outside of the tourist areas. But I haven't experienced it. But, generally. I hold a high opinion of Thai people, Thai culture and Thai food. In my life I have found showing respect to someone very often means you get it in return. If you don't, simply move on.

[Bangkok Barry]

On 9/29/2019 at 12:22 AM, madmen said:

Sadly those who can suddenly no longer meet visa requirements due to having no money even after a lifetime of work are making the most noise but that's bitterness for you

 

Show me someone who claims they budgeted that the value of their foreign currency and/or income would fall by 50 per-cent and I'll show you a liar. Added to that is the financial requirements doubled just a few years ago, and it's little wonder that some might be struggling. So your snide remark is unnecessary and ill-advised.

[Kurtf]

No matter where you live in the world there are pluses and minuses. It’s a balancing act. When the minuses outweigh the pluses, it is time to move somewhere else. When I first came here to Thailand the pluses were overwhelmingly bigger than the minuses. Nothing in Thailand has changed but I have changed. The amount of aggravation I experience driving here has grown exponentially. The idea of freedoms I miss having from where I came from has grown larger. Do I regret having spent the last 7 years here? Not at all. Do I regret having built a house that I find now difficult to sell? Damn right. So my advice...come. Enjoy all that Thailand has to offer and if after a period of time you become disillusioned, leave. But while here be sure you ONLY rent.

[TigerandDog]

On 9/29/2019 at 1:46 AM, flyingtlger said:

It seems like a lot of the negativity comes from old timers that compare the "back in the day" mentality with present day reality.

Everything changes.  The only thing constant in life is "Change".

Thailand was slow in changing in many ways but has rapidly, if not furiously, changed more than it ever has in the last few years.

Gotta roll with the punches.  Learn to adapt or move on to greener pastures or where ever you feel more comfortable.....

 

Have to disagree about the negativity coming from "old timers".  There are numerous members of this forum that are habitual complainers. It wouldn't matter where they lived, what the topic was, they'd always find something trivial to whinge & whine about. Before all the negativity about changes to Immigration rules ( TM30 etc, moeny requirements for extensions of stay etc ) these individuals were complaining about plenty of other topics. Best to ignore their negativity, as it's built into their DNA. In fact I would go as far as to say the TV moderators should identify these habitual complainers and block them completely from the forum, so sensible discussion can occur without all the rubbish that get's included.

[madmen]

16 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Show me someone who claims they budgeted that the value of their foreign currency and/or income would fall by 50 per-cent and I'll show you a liar. Added to that is the financial requirements doubled just a few years ago, and it's little wonder that some might be struggling. So your snide remark is unnecessary and ill-advised.

Let's get real, it was the embassies that pulled the rug and now real money and not pretend is required. This is the real reason people are bitter but have only their governments and themselves to blame

[1FinickyOne]

I think the negativity stems from individual financial issues. All of your positive affirmations are enjoyed by me on a near daily basis. 

 

I think if you were to meet some of the negativos in person then you would understand and see that their life is a reality more distant than Chile winters.. 

 

Come and enjoy. 

[suzannegoh]

7 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

I think the negativity stems from individual financial issues. All of your positive affirmations are enjoyed by me on a near daily basis. 

 

I think if you were to meet some of the negativos in person then you would understand and see that their life is a reality more distant than Chile winters.. 

 

Come and enjoy. 

I'm not so sure that it correlates to financial issues, I know some affluent farangs who are plenty negative about Thais and Thailand.  I think that it correlates more with personality type, and perhaps with the amount of time that they spent in developing countries prior to moving to Thailand.