Rejoice elderly Farangs.

[CharlieH]

Heres a prediction for you, those over 65 now will not be here in 10 yrs unless wealthy.

The changes to immigration policy, insurance requirements, value of currency, will see a huge number forced to return to thrir place of origin.

 

Another "Golden age" of retiring to a foreign sunny land will disappear and be beyond the grasp of most.

[Oxx]

3 hours ago, swissie said:

No major war in the northern hemisphere for 70 years.

So, what do you call the Gulf War? Somali Civil War? Kosovo War? Vietnam war? Korean War? Ethiopian Civil War? War in Darfur? Syrian Civil War?

 

All minor tiffs?

 

To declare no major war is to suggest either a lack of historical knowledge, or an incurable pollyannaism.

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, Denim said:

Just following the equator.

You are a true Twain scholar 

 

Always take him with you, as you say. 

 

On the other hand, have you ever rafted down the Mississippi? 

[GammaGlobulin]

4 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Heres a prediction for you, those over 65 now will not be here in 10 yrs unless wealthy.

The changes to immigration policy, insurance requirements, value of currency, will see a huge number forced to return to thrir place of origin.

 

Another "Golden age" of retiring to a foreign sunny land will disappear and be beyond the grasp of most.

Thank you very much for this heads-up, providing me enough time to get on to Forbes 400. 

 

Take care, Charlie! 

[Denim]

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

On the other hand, have you ever rafted down the Mississippi? 

I contemplated it but couldn't find a run away slave to do the hard work. And anyway the Dauphine and his companion are long gone.

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Thank you very much for this heads-up, providing me enough time to get on to Forbes 400. 

 

Take care, Charlie! 

If not Thailand, then... CHINA. 

 

I love China. 

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, Denim said:

I contemplated it but couldn't find a run away slave to do the hard work. And anyway the Dauphine and his companion are long gone.

So many slaves in America... 

 

And you couldn't find even one? 

 

Maybe you are not the Twain scholar that you purport yourself to be. 

[herfiehandbag]

3 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

What is a Mokican? 

Wasn't it some sort of haircut favoured by US paratroopers in WW2, and later taken up by some UK punk rock bands in the 1970s?

[GammaGlobulin]

24 minutes ago, Oxx said:

So, what do you call the Gulf War? Somali Civil War? Kosovo War? Vietnam war? Korean War? Ethiopian Civil War? War in Darfur? Syrian Civil War?

 

All minor tiffs?

 

To declare no major war is to suggest either a lack of historical knowledge, or an incurable pollyannaism.

Several days ago, I used the term Pollyannaism. 

 

If you don't believe me, please search on TV. 

[GammaGlobulin]

Just now, herfiehandbag said:

Wasn't it some sort of haircut favoured by US paratroopers in WW2, and later taken up by some UK punk rock bands in the 1970s?

Yes.

[seedy]

4 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq.

 

I knew people of my  "golden" generation who didn't come home from these Northern Hemisphere wars.

Coincidence that all those conflicts had America as the protagonist ?

Don't think so ...

[GammaGlobulin]

33 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Heres a prediction for you, those over 65 now will not be here in 10 yrs unless wealthy.

The changes to immigration policy, insurance requirements, value of currency, will see a huge number forced to return to thrir place of origin.

 

Another "Golden age" of retiring to a foreign sunny land will disappear and be beyond the grasp of most.

How old will I be in another 10 years? 

 

So, does it really matter? 

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, seedy said:

Coincidence that all those conflicts had America as the protagonist ?

Don't think so ...

Do you know the meaning of the term Banana Republic? 

[1FinickyOne]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

The squeaky wheel gets greased 

Ok. That's NY slang right? 

 

I lived on an ethnic street in NYC - one guy got greased - - but he sure deserved it... 

[GammaGlobulin]

5 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Ok. That's NY slang right? 

 

I lived on an ethnic street in NYC - one guy got greased - - but he sure deserved it... 

Were you also neighbors with Harpo Marx? 

 

He once lived in an ethnic neighborhood. 

[sirineou]

12 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Ok. That's NY slang right? 

 

I lived on an ethnic street in NYC - one guy got greased - - but he sure deserved it... 

LOL,  I like the way your mind works. 

You are right, In the lower east side that would have a totally different meaning. ???? 

Edited October 22, 2021 by sirineou

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

Heres a prediction for you, those over 65 now will not be here in 10 yrs unless wealthy.

The changes to immigration policy, insurance requirements, value of currency, will see a huge number forced to return to thrir place of origin.

Will have to disagree, partly

As an over 65 I expect to be dead before age 75 (like all my pals), so I'll still be here but as ashes.

I don't believe immigration (easier than ever before), insurance (I don't have any) or western currency will change all that much, if anything western currency will only rise against the Baht.

 

[Old Croc]

43 minutes ago, seedy said:

Coincidence that all those conflicts had America as the protagonist ?

Don't think so ...

You are mainly correct and my Southern Hemisphere country, Australia, meekly followed in to all those wars.

The hundreds who died are just as dead as those killed in WW2. I

 

This forum isn't yet completely Anglicized is it?

[GammaGlobulin]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Will have to disagree, partly

As an over 65 I expect to be dead before age 75 (like all my pals), so I'll still be here but as ashes.

I don't believe immigration (easier than ever before), insurance (I don't have any) or western currency will change all that much, if anything western currency will only rise against the Baht.

 

Are you sure? 

 

IF you die at such an early age, then will you, do you think, go the same way as Winston Churchill's father? 

[cdemundo]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Did you mean Pinker from McGill? 

 

I was there when Pinko was there. 

 

Pinker is smart. 

Pinker studied at McGill around 1976. 

Since then he has had 4 or 5 best sellers aside from his successful academic career.

So I think you are safe to say he is smart.

I plowed through his 800 page "Better Angels"; he is very optimistic although he says he is realistic.

And that book is not based on opinion but interpretation of statistics; numbers of course never speak for themselves, always need interpretation.

My biggest criticism is that in "Better Angels" he attributes the song "Who Do You Love?" to Ronnie Hawkins when it was in fact written by Bo Diddley. (He was misled by the movie "The Last Waltz").

 

Pinker is an interesting guy, not shy about the spotlight.

Has a sense of humor, refers to intellectuals like himself as the "chattering classes".

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, cdemundo said:

Pinker studied at McGill around 1976. 

Since then he has had 4 or 5 best sellers aside from his successful academic career.

So I think you are safe to say he is smart.

I plowed through his 800 page "Better Angels"; he is very optimistic although he says he is realistic.

And that book is not based on opinion but interpretation of statistics; numbers of course never speak for themselves, always need interpretation.

My biggest criticism is that in "Better Angels" he attributes the song "Who Do You Love?" to Ronnie Hawkins when it was in fact written by Bo Diddley. (He was misled by the movie "The Last Waltz").

 

Pinker is an interesting guy, not shy about the spotlight.

Has a sense of humor, refers to intellectuals like himself as the "chattering classes".

Personally, I just love his curly hair. 

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

Pinker studied at McGill around 1976. 

Since then he has had 4 or 5 best sellers aside from his successful academic career.

So I think you are safe to say he is smart.

I plowed through his 800 page "Better Angels"; he is very optimistic although he says he is realistic.

And that book is not based on opinion but interpretation of statistics; numbers of course never speak for themselves, always need interpretation.

My biggest criticism is that in "Better Angels" he attributes the song "Who Do You Love?" to Ronnie Hawkins when it was in fact written by Bo Diddley. (He was misled by the movie "The Last Waltz").

 

Pinker is an interesting guy, not shy about the spotlight.

Has a sense of humor, refers to intellectuals like himself as the "chattering classes".

Were you in Montreal around 1972? 

 

I didn't see you there. 

 

Maybe you were too busy taking a leak against a city wall in Montreal. 

[cdemundo]

1 hour ago, seedy said:

Coincidence that all those conflicts had America as the protagonist ?

Don't think so ...

The US has been very naughty, trying to live up to the Mother Country I guess.

 

https://kottke.org/12/11/britain-has-invaded-all-but-22-countries

 

[connda]

You obviously have not read The Fourth Turning.  If you had you'd understand where we are in that cycle (don't get too comfortable) and why other generational archetypes can't stand 'Boomers.' 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

I think it's churlish not to recognise that western baby boomers had it pretty good. You could buy houses cheaply. Good economies. Fun decades 50's onwards. Types of freedoms unheard of previously. 

The rest of the world is much better off too. Heard from my ex Thai wife's father 15 years ago about the life of his childhood in the 30's and 40's - incredibly tough. There are huge exceptions like the Vietnam war and Pol Pot genocide but overall life had been much better for the baby boomers. I am Generation X and it's been pretty good for us too. 

Tough for young to buy a home. Aspects of online lifestyle not fun in my opinion. Covid sucked for the young. But still a pretty good life. 

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

Sense you have a crystal ball that allows you to see the future.

Lottery numbers please.

reading the tea leaves has not worked well for me so far. ????

The future is already here and IMO it sucks.

[Gecko123]

A time for rejoicing? I think not.

 

The golden age the OP describes has been built upon recklessly accumulated sovereign debt, exploitation of black, brown, and yellow labor, the pillaging of the environment at the expense of future generations, and, as others have pointed out, conflicts having been fought in distant lands.

 

When you consider the enormous debts our generation will leave behind, the global inequities in income and wealth, not to mention the shameful condition we are leaving the planet in, it's scarcely a time for rejoicing. What's called for isn't complacency and self-congratulation, but redoubled efforts to be charitable, to reduce our environmental impact, and to make the world a more equitable place for those who have suffered because of exploitation, disadvantage, and environmental degradation.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I think it's churlish not to recognise that western baby boomers had it pretty good. You could buy houses cheaply. Good economies. Fun decades 50's onwards. Types of freedoms unheard of previously. 

The rest of the world is much better off too. Heard from my ex Thai wife's father 15 years ago about the life of his childhood in the 30's and 40's - incredibly tough. There are huge exceptions like the Vietnam war and Pol Pot genocide but overall life had been much better for the baby boomers. I am Generation X and it's been pretty good for us too. 

Tough for young to buy a home. Aspects of online lifestyle not fun in my opinion. Covid sucked for the young. But still a pretty good life. 

Indeed we had it great, except for one fly in the proverbial ointment, we also saw woman become able to take our houses off us with the full blessing of the law. I lost my golden egg to an undeserving woman.

Not all baby boomers benefitted, or should I say that the ( ex ) wives did at the husband's expense.

[thaibeachlovers]

7 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

A time for rejoicing? I think not.

 

The golden age the OP describes has been built upon recklessly accumulated sovereign debt, exploitation of black, brown, and yellow labor, the pillaging of the environment at the expense of future generations, and, as others have pointed out, conflicts having been fought in distant lands.

 

When you consider the enormous debts our generation will leave behind, the global inequities in income and wealth, not to mention the shameful condition we are leaving the planet in, it's scarcely a time for rejoicing. What's called for isn't complacency and self-congratulation, but redoubled efforts to be charitable, to reduce our environmental impact, and to make the world a more equitable place for those who have suffered because of exploitation, disadvantage, and environmental degradation.

Your last sentence is right, but never going to happen, IMO.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, Oxx said:

So, what do you call the Gulf War? Somali Civil War? Kosovo War? Vietnam war? Korean War? Ethiopian Civil War? War in Darfur? Syrian Civil War?

 

All minor tiffs?

 

To declare no major war is to suggest either a lack of historical knowledge, or an incurable pollyannaism.

I think he was only referring to western people dying in large numbers in pointless wars like WW1.