Neither an apologist nor malcontent

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Life is good, keep telling yourself that. It will help you keep your sanity as you get older and older.

I've not told myself that since I hit 52 and my Brit wife divorced me.

Life is bearable, and I've had many fun times in the past ten years, but ultimately it's been disappointing.

[Logosone]

42 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

By your own admission, you traded one location with a set of problems, for another location with a different set of problems.

Well, that's the only thing that can be done surely. I mean there is no place that does not have problems.

 

I came from Germany. But I lived in the Caribbean, and I don't mean the cheap Caribbean, I mean the expensive Caribbean.

 

When I look at Germany on the surface, a country that works like a dream. Everything works. Traffic rules are enforced, people already know how to drive like Supermen (like in the UK btw), the food is good and reasonably priced, health care is maybe the best on the planet, everything is quality from the cars to the socks to the air. But dig a little deeper and it comes at a price. High taxes. The people are honest and reliable but when you think of joy of living you don't exactly picture Germans. Many hate foreigners, are religious fanatics, or hold other reprehensible beliefs, it is a deeply divided and atomised society. It also has problems. You don't feel free. Too many rules.

 

You come to Thailand. Obviously the weather is better, so you have that outside sunshine mentality. World class massage, cosmopolitan restaurant life that is maybe better than anywhere else, pound for pound, great shopping, great housing, fast internet, polite people.

 

You weigh that against the problems, and it's not an automatic disqualification, Thailand still has a lot going for it. It's more interesting than the Caribbean and it's not americanised. It is its own character, though it has all these foreigners. It's a very interesting place. But it has serious problems, for sure. Are these problems more serious than Germany's? I'm still deciding, I'm not sure.

[bwpage3]

2 hours ago, Logosone said:

Look, every country needs time to develop, of course.

 

Think what Chiang Mai would have looked like only 20 years ago. Things can change for the better.

 

Enjoy your garden and helping society at large are not mutually exclusive.

 

Constructive criticism, if true, is not "bashing". It's helping. Indeed when something really bothers you you should comment.

 

Well the terrible air, the poor driving, the abandoned dogs, this really bothers me. Because it affects my quality of life, which is otherwise unbelievably good, that is precisely why these things are such issues.

I first went to Thailand in 1984. It was so wonderful you cannot even image.

 

Long before cell-phones, western mass advertising etc.

 

Thailand can never change for the better and over the past 36 years it has continually gone down hill and will continue even worse.

 

Why?

 

Corruption and greed. Money rules. 

 

Do you how many Thai politicians are multi-billionaires? What are they doing in politics?

 

Politicians become politicians to rape the national coffers to line their pockets with wealth so that they can live in what ever country they want.

 

Military generals driving multi-million baht cars on a govt salary? The list goes on and on and on.

 

Politicians understand they will not be in office long so all their energy is spent of projects lining their own pockets as the air gets worse, traffic worse, floods, droughts, you name it. 

 

Come on, squirting water up into the air from the ground to fix air pollution? Someone made money of that stupid idea and it doesn't help air pollution.

 

How about digging wells where 1 well would have to service a million people? Someone is making money on that scam.

 

The list goes on and on and on.

 

Someone in charge has to be concerned. The problem is they are only concerned how much money they can put in their own pockets while they control the power.

 

That is the exact reason why Thailand will never advance.

[473geo]

The above is a reasonable account - however you missed off the miracle fix

 

Apparently some moaning farangs consider they can influence and make things happen!!!

[bwpage3]

1 hour ago, Yinn said:

No. 

The sex worker sponsor by Aussie sex tourist. The embassy stupid. 

 

Not go better. 

 

I not want to go now. Freind come back already. She not really like it. Harassment a lot. Racism on the train, bus. 

When my wife first moved to the USA, one of the first things she said  was " I cannot believe how stupid my own people are"

 

You claim to be a college graduate and all you can type is broken English.

 

I think my wife has nailed it. Until you spend time in first world countries, you will never understand how limited (education, speech, manners, culture, etc.) you really are.

 

 

[bwpage3]

1 hour ago, Yinn said:

Thankyou

 

If the embassy staff not stupid will be ok. Have more than 2 million in bank, I show the statement. Waste my time go Bangkok, waste my money.

 

A lot of farang make problem in Thailand. But we not make stupid rule because 1-2% is idiot. 

You are 27.

 

You graduated college at age 22.

 

That means you work for 5 years only.

 

You claim to have 2,000,000 baht.

 

That means you must have earned 400,000 baht per year since you graduated Uni and never spent one baht.

 

What college graduates in Thailand get paid 400,000 baht per year the first year out of college?

 

In the USA we are taught logical thinking. It is not logical to think you earned 2,000,000 in 5 years, sorry.

 

Your visa got rejected in fact because you could not meet the qualifications. No other reason.

 

 

[473geo]

6 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

When my wife first moved to the USA, one of the first things she said  was " I cannot believe how stupid my own people are"

 

You claim to be a college graduate and all you can type is broken English.

 

I think my wife has nailed it. Until you spend time in first world countries, you will never understand how limited (education, speech, manners, culture, etc.) you really are.

 

 

I always kinda liked the free of clutter non PC world of Thailand - just me I guess

[473geo]

1 minute ago, bwpage3 said:

You are 27.

 

You graduated college at age 22.

 

That means you work for 5 years only.

 

You claim to have 2,000,000 baht.

 

That means you must have earned 400,000 baht per year since you graduated Uni and never spent one baht.

 

What college graduates in Thailand get paid 400,000 baht per year the first year out of college?

 

In the USA we are taught logical thinking. It is not logical to think you earned 2,000,000 in 5 years, sorry.

 

Your visa got rejected in fact because you could not meet the qualifications. No other reason.

 

 

Would not take any effort to purchase the right piece of land and sell 5 years later for 2 million - just by way of example

[RJRS1301]

2 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

You are 27.

 

You graduated college at age 22.

 

That means you work for 5 years only.

 

You claim to have 2,000,000 baht.

 

That means you must have earned 400,000 baht per year since you graduated Uni and never spent one baht.

 

What college graduates in Thailand get paid 400,000 baht per year the first year out of college?

 

In the USA we are taught logical thinking. It is not logical to think you earned 2,000,000 in 5 years, sorry.

 

Your visa got rejected in fact because you could not meet the qualifications. No other reason.

 

 

You are not allowing for family funds, inheritances, one often has funds separate from paid employment.

Unfair to make such blanket assessments of others financial situations.

 

[bwpage3]

54 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Very well put, but one can't help getting annoyed by the constant put down of Thais. One needs to understand that for many of us that live here a long time and have gotten over the cultural shock, when they are disrespecting Thais, they are disrespecting our wives, our children, mother in law (was a saint)  father in law friends.

I don't take very kindly to that.    

This is simply not true, not in Thailand, not in any nation.

 

In any nation there are good people and bad.

 

Are people personally disrespecting your Thai family to your face in Thailand? I suspect not.

 

Or are YOU taking other people's opinions about their experiences in Thailand (many which are true and factual), and applying it as disrespecting your family because they are the same race?

 

One only has to read the many horror stories foreigners encountered either visiting or living in Thailand. True, factual stories.

 

You certainly would not be telling the truth if you did not classify all the corrupt, greedy, law-breaking, drug-dealing, prostitution supporting Thai's as anything but what they are.

 

Respect is earned, however, you cannot classify ALL Thai's as respectful either, can you?

 

I think the most important thing is to tell the truth. 

 

If people post Thailand is a Utopia, they are going to slammed with facts that it is not.

 

Telling the truth and not agreeing is not disrespectful. It is the truth.

 

You may have a great experience and family in Thailand, others may have the complete opposite and feel the need to highlight that dis-respect.

 

It's not just Thailand either. Only your closest friends would ever support many things in relationships in Thailand that are taken for granted.

[BritManToo]

34 minutes ago, 473geo said:

Would not take any effort to purchase the right piece of land and sell 5 years later for 2 million - just by way of example

What would you use to buy the land?

And if it's so easy to make money by buying and selling land, with no initial capital, why isn't every Thai rich?

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, bwpage3 said:

If people post Thailand is a Utopia, they are going to slammed with facts that it is not.

Not sure it's Utopia, but it was a better ten years here, than I managed in any of my other 50 years when I was somewhere else ...... and I managed to have a surprising amount of sex with a selection of young and attractive women for an old man.

[alyx]

19 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

You are 27.

 

You graduated college at age 22.

 

That means you work for 5 years only.

 

You claim to have 2,000,000 baht.

 

That means you must have earned 400,000 baht per year since you graduated Uni and never spent one baht.

 

What college graduates in Thailand get paid 400,000 baht per year the first year out of college?

 

In the USA we are taught logical thinking. It is not logical to think you earned 2,000,000 in 5 years, sorry.

 

Your visa got rejected in fact because you could not meet the qualifications. No other reason.

 

 

hum....you might be right but sincerely how can you justify the rejection as you are far from holding the facts ?

[rumak]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

It is then quite fortunate that for the most part, in Thailand we are judged based on our own individual merit.

In my case I receive predominantly favorable treatment by Thai vendors, bank tellers etc and at the very least I'm treated with the same level of indifference Thai's treat each other.

 

It is very fortunate that I am not treated based on the lowest common denominator of the irritating loud and abusive idiot - its fortunate Thai's don't hold such grudges - to be honest, the majority of people worldwide don't either.

 

 

i agree,   and have absolutely no problems where i live.    I am the only farang living here,

When i lived in CM  i also had no problems,  but i do think that many thais that have come

across belligerent farangs in their line of work are getting fed up.   Just my opinion

[Logosone]

34 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

I first went to Thailand in 1984. It was so wonderful you cannot even image.

 

Long before cell-phones, western mass advertising etc.

 

Thailand can never change for the better and over the past 36 years it has continually gone down hill and will continue even worse.

 

Why?

 

Corruption and greed. Money rules. 

 

Do you how many Thai politicians are multi-billionaires? What are they doing in politics?

 

Politicians become politicians to rape the national coffers to line their pockets with wealth so that they can live in what ever country they want.

 

Military generals driving multi-million baht cars on a govt salary? The list goes on and on and on.

 

Politicians understand they will not be in office long so all their energy is spent of projects lining their own pockets as the air gets worse, traffic worse, floods, droughts, you name it. 

 

Come on, squirting water up into the air from the ground to fix air pollution? Someone made money of that stupid idea and it doesn't help air pollution.

 

How about digging wells where 1 well would have to service a million people? Someone is making money on that scam.

 

The list goes on and on and on.

 

Someone in charge has to be concerned. The problem is they are only concerned how much money they can put in their own pockets while they control the power.

 

That is the exact reason why Thailand will never advance.

I can well imagine how many advantages Thailand must have had in the early 80s, I was in Mallorca then, and many things were better then than they are now as well. I get it.

 

But some things have gotten better for sure, the fast internet has come, infrastructure has improved, many shopping giants like Central set up, better housing was built.

 

It's not ever a one-way street. Yes some of the old advantages have been lost. But other new advantages came instead.

 

Politics is a problem of course, it's a cesspool, everywhere. Part of the reason I left Germany was because the politics was so awful. We will never agree with all and every politician, and so many are criminals, there as in Germany and many other places.

 

But they could run things better, come on, stop the burning of fields, round up the rabid dogs, enforce traffic laws. It's not rocket science.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, alyx said:

hum....you might be right but sincerely how can you justify the rejection as you are far from holding the facts ?

Immigration officer didn't have the facts behind the 2M either .......... 555.

IO thinks hotel receptionist pay 12k/month ..... savings 2M ????

REFUSED!

[alyx]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Not sure it's Utopia, but it was a better ten years here, than I managed in any of my other 50 years when I was somewhere else ...... and I managed to have a surprising amount of sex with a selection of young and attractive women for an old man.

Welcome to the club ????

Hopefully another 40 years to go as a privileged member 

[shy coconut]

3 hours ago, Logosone said:

Well, exactly, it is getting worse!

 

And because I live here, and I have a good life here I don't want it ruined by issues like bad air quality and Ugandan style driving.

 

That's why these things need to be discussed and raised. Precisely so that Thais realise that bad air quality is a problem for tourism..

 

They have done little things to address the air quality issue, but what they have done is not enough. They can do a lot more.

 

They can do a lot more to enforce proper driving and adherence to traffic laws.

 

They can send a van round and round up rabid soi dogs.

 

There's a whole lot they can do. But OF COURSE if everyone tells them everything is fine, they won't do a thing.

But when you and everyone else her just bang on and on and on about the 

same old stuff, you are not addressing any issues, you are not making constructive

criticism, you just sound like a whingeing pom or whatever nationality you may be.

 

I think by now most people here are aware that there are differences between

Thailand and many western countries, some people want to bring their own ideology

to a country that has its own. The things you and others are moaning about were here

when you moved here and will remain long after you've gone, there must have been 

something that enticed you to come, I'm sure no one forced you.

 

As for your last few lines, do you think the Thai authorities are monitoring this forum

looking for ways to improve their country? Pulling ideas out of your backside in some

odd quest to gain likes from miserable old men is an odd way to spend your time.

[alyx]

Just now, BritManToo said:

Immigration officer didn't have the facts behind the 2M either .......... 555.

or maybe he did ????

And you have just pinpointed why one should not judge when not aware of all the facts

[Bangkokhatter]

12 hours ago, Yinn said:

Like TVF moderators? 

 

5555555555

Not ban me na! Only joke. 

Please Charlie. Not again!

 

I think TVF say the same thing again and again= believe. Not really understand.

 

Is hard to control thai people. Prayut try, he can not, that why he angry a lot! Funny. 

Eg. Remember he say not go in back of pickup? What happen? Ignore and mock, not do. In U.K. can do? 

 

If Mrs Charlie not want do something, Charlie can make do it? Not think so Charlie.

Maybe she refuse, maybe fight you, maybe she acting do it, maybe lie, but not do she not want. 

 

TVF scared a lot. If I post what on thai social media everyday mock and criticize Prayut etc, you guys will panic.

 

Thais like to fight. Muay Tai is national sport, chicken fighting, bull fighting, political fighting, teenage fighting etc etc.

 

Yellow shirt fight red shirt fight a lot before.

BUT

If foreign country come that time want to fight, we stop fight each other immediately and join together. Sure. 100%

Not want to invade other country same farang, colonial, world war, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam etc etc. 

 

Burma. Before. Revenge must be paid.

Would never normally comment on threads such as these and am pretty much like the OP, generally enjoying my life here but realise the place is not some Utopian dream.

However i can't believe some posters actually liked the comment above from Yinn, admitting to laughing when the Thai people ignored Prayut's statement to not travel in the back of pick-ups, just last year some 20 young teenagers died in one accident doing just that, how many of their loved ones are laughing now ?

I went on to read the rest of the thread and unfortunately for a supposedly intelligent native the comments lack any understanding of other posters views and a serious lack of historical knowledge.

I like many others would really welcome more Thai members as i believe they could help us all understand this place and her people much better, however comments like above only serve to enforce the stereotype that many posters already have.

[kekalot]

5 minutes ago, Logosone said:

But they could run things better, come on, stop the burning of fields, round up the rabid dogs, enforce traffic laws. It's not rocket science.

 

3 definitely good changes, I think they would have a hard time with the first but the second and third are possible. even if they have to hire more policemen (#2 and #3 creates jobs too)

[473geo]

20 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

What would you use to buy the land?

And it it's so easy to make money by buying and selling land, with no initial capital, why isn't every Thai rich?

Come on, you are not suggesting every person with money had to be a wage earner and save!! But for example if your parents own land they could guarantee a loan if their offspring wanted to make a purchase and was on a wage with agreed payments. The reason every Thai is not rich is because mostly land that is developed and bought well prior to development would give a good return. Out in the sticks where I live land for building is 5x what it was a few years ago and yes young people are buying it and building on a mortgage

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, 473geo said:

they could guarantee a loan if their offspring wanted to make a purchase and was on a wage with agreed payments.

12k/month is only good for a loan up to 700k.

400% profit in 5 years would be a good deal.

 

I doubt many Thais working hotel reception have wealthy parents, or the ability to make large amounts of money.

[bwpage3]

34 minutes ago, 473geo said:

I always kinda liked the free of clutter non PC world of Thailand - just me I guess

Me as well, went back to visit 12/19 to my wife's rural village in Isaan.

 

No internet, no emails, no cell-phone calls for 2 weeks

 

Reminded me of the good ole days of growing up in the pre-internet/social media world, where you had to actually go visit friends if you wanted to hear from them.

[CharlieH]

A overly negative comment has been removed.

[bwpage3]

34 minutes ago, 473geo said:

Would not take any effort to purchase the right piece of land and sell 5 years later for 2 million - just by way of example

Non-sense!

 

What new college graduate, whose starting salary is 15k baht or less has enough money to purchase land?

 

They don't even earn enough to live on.

 

 

 

 

[bwpage3]

34 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

You are not allowing for family funds, inheritances, one often has funds separate from paid employment.

Unfair to make such blanket assessments of others financial situations.

 

No it's not unfair.

 

Combine this in the context she was denied a VISA to Australia.

[473geo]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

12k/month is only good for a loan up to 700k.

400% profit in 5 years would be a good deal.

 

I doubt many Thais working hotel reception have wealthy parents, or the ability to make large amounts of money.

Well I knew plenty working as secretaries in London living in a pad provided by daddy - so not impossible - and think of what they saved on rent!!!

 

[bwpage3]

20 minutes ago, alyx said:

hum....you might be right but sincerely how can you justify the rejection as you are far from holding the facts ?

What does my post have to do with justifying her VISA rejection?

 

Nothing, that's what.

 

2 issues if you can comprehend carefully. Earning 2,000,000 and the fact her visa was rejected.

 

 

[BritManToo]

Just now, 473geo said:

Well I knew plenty working as secretaries in London living in a pad provided by daddy - so not impossible - and think of what they saved on rent!!!

 

You want to compare white British girls in London with poor rural Thai girls in Roiet?