Living in Thailand vs living in America?

[jerrymahoney]

5 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

No Mercedes and swimming pool

Don't have no Mercedes or a car for that matter, but for me, a swimming pool is essential. With the big move last June, I now have a 25 meter saltwater pool about 100 meters from my house.

 

So some people have to be near water on a coast, but for me, this is even better.

[1FinickyOne]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:51 PM, jack71 said:

I would like to here from some Americans

Well, it really sounds like this post is an attempt to clear a path for America bashing... 

 

It would be like me showing a video of the Sydney sewer system and saying I am reconsidering my plans to move there... 

[1FinickyOne]

On 8/14/2022 at 10:22 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

The land of the free...

 

oh geez, how many people did they have to interview to get the clips they wanted... ??

[Longwood50]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:51 PM, Jerno said:

f you like all your neighbors and most strangers carrying guns everywhere, schools unsafe due to violence and shootings

Now that is just not true and non-sensicle.  Most people do not carry guns either openly or concealed.  Are there areas of the USA that are unsafe, absolutely.  I worked for a bank headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and there were areas of the city where you would not want to venture.  Conversely some of the suburbs of Detroit are extremely beautiful and safe. 

As to gun violence, the vast majority of it is centred in the major cities, urban areas and is drug related.  If you removed the gun deaths from cities including but not limited to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Los Angeles the USA instead of having one of the highest rates of gun violence would have one of the lowest. 

Just like most countries and major cities, there are areas that are beautiful, safe, have good schools, and you can leave the home with its doors unlocked.  Other areas, even the police are are afraid to enter because of the danger in those areas. 

America stretches 4,262 KM from coast to coast and 2,546 KM from north to south.  You can't portray what is happening on Kensington Ave  or for that matter narrowly focus on any region and say that is typical of the USA.  

Is healthcare more expensive.  Yes.  Are other things cheaper, Yes.  Is the average person wealthier and with its tougher the enviornmental,  zoning laws and no garbage on the streets enforcement generally  better than Thailand, Yes.  

 

Just like you can not compare the quality of life for someone who has an oceanfront home in Phuket to one who has a one room shack in the slum areas of Bangkok you are mistaken if you believe the Hamptons in New York is anything like Kensington Ave. in Philadelphia. 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Longwood50

[KhunLA]

K&A was a S-hole 50 yrs ago, and you didn't venture too far inward at night, without a purpose and with very little money on you.  There are worse areas in Philly that, PoPo won't venture into.

Edited August 15, 2022 by KhunLA

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

oh geez, how many people did they have to interview to get the clips they wanted... ??

For 10 clips probably about 11 Americans? ???? 

[1FinickyOne]

10 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

For 10 clips probably about 11 Americans? ???? 

getting a little nasty now... 

[GammaGlobulin]

5 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Don't have no Mercedes or a car for that matter, but for me, a swimming pool is essential. With the big move last June, I now have a 25 meter saltwater pool about 100 meters from my house.

 

So some people have to be near water on a coast, but for me, this is even better.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I guess, by now, almost everybody around the world has seen the videos coming out of Kensington Ave, Philadelphia.  There is nothing new to be seen here.

 

But, just 15 miles from Kensington Ave, you will find yourself on The Main Line.  I grew up there.  Gladwyne is a nice and safe place with decent houses.  I can recommend that you move here if you want to live a decent life.

 

Yes, this is where my friends live....

 

 

 

[bookstore]

I am American and I used to live in LA. What a <deleted> hole now. California used to be nice back in the day but now no way. I couldn't survive in the US on my pension that why I moved to Thailand. Every country has there good and bad. They are going to bury/burn me here in Thailand because no way in hell would I move back to the US. Been here 6 years and i'm staying here. I was stationed here for 2 years at Utapao and loved it but Thailand has changed with the times too.

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I guess, by now, almost everybody around the world has seen the videos coming out of Kensington Ave, Philadelphia.  There is nothing new to be seen here.

 

But, just 15 miles from Kensington Ave, you will find yourself on The Main Line.  I grew up there.  Gladwyne is a nice and safe place with decent houses.  I can recommend that you move here if you want to live a decent life.

 

Yes, this is where my friends live....

 

 

 

We used to go to a club out there... was it called Main Line? And one of my college Gf's lived in one of those big main line houses... 

[GammaGlobulin]

7 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

We used to go to a club out there... was it called Main Line? And one of my college Gf's lived in one of those big main line houses... 

Was it the Merion Cricket Club???

 

This is the only one I can think of worth visiting.

 

Super nice, for sure....

But now...it's really No Big Deal.

It was a totally different operation in the 1960s and 1970s.

Wish I could go back, in fact.

Those days are long gone.

 

https://www.merioncricket.com/

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[JimTripper]

Kensington Ave is not the norm. That's the worse I have seen anywhere. It's drug addicts and not just homeless. Different animals.

 

However, homeless camps are getting bigger all over. Portland is getting over run. I know people who live in Portland and the homeless are coming into their driveway and stealing stuff. They are considering moving out.

 

Rents are also going way up. A 1-Bedroom near Los Angeles or SF could be $1,800 a month minimum for example. That would be a deal if you could find it.

 

There are loads of applicants for available units and landlord asks for credit score, references, employment history, etc. It's like going to a job interview.

 

Not at all like Thailand where you can just pick a place and move in.

Edited August 15, 2022 by JimTripper

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Was it the Merion Cricket Club???

Not that kind of club.. it was a small music venue.. I saw Dave Von Ronk there.. maybe didn't seat more than 100 people.. People like Arlo played there.. 

[KIngsofisaan]

One thing about the USA these days, it seems you can still get a job at any age.

 

My mother told me I have an Aunt that is working as a greeter at Walmart even though she is 94.

 

For those that didn't plan their savings or pensions very well, possible to still make US $2,000 a month standing around

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Not that kind of club.. it was a small music venue.. I saw Dave Von Ronk there.. maybe didn't seat more than 100 people.. People like Arlo played there.. 

Hey Man!

 

I KNOW the one you are talking about!!!!

 

It was called...  THE MAIN POINT...

 

Right???

 

Yes.  Great venue.  Very, very small, and only about 75 people MAX.

 

I saw a few guys there.

 

Jim Croce, for one.

 

Randy Newman, for two.

 

The Main Point in Bryn Mawr was AMAZING!

 

They had these old tables where people would sit and do nothing but listen to great music, UP CLOSE.

 

I KNOW the one you are talking about.

Not the Main Line....but....THE MAIN POINT, Man!

 

Thank you, so much, for mentioning this place.

 

I am not sure if this place is still in existence, but it CANNOT be the same as it once was.

 

Fantastical place, in fact.

 

Take care!

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Hey Man!

 

I KNOW the one you are talking about!!!!

 

It was called...  THE MAIN POINT...

 

Right???

 

Yes.  Great venue.  Very, very small, and only about 75 people MAX.

 

I saw a few guys there.

 

Jim Croce, for one.

 

Randy Newman, for two.

 

The Main Point in Bryn Mawr was AMAZING!

 

They had these old tables where people would sit and do nothing but listen to great music, UP CLOSE.

 

I KNOW the one you are talking about.

Not the Main Line....but....THE MAIN POINT, Man!

 

Thank you, so much, for mentioning this place.

 

I am not sure if this place is still in existence, but it CANNOT be the same as it once was.

 

Fantastical place, in fact.

 

Take care!

There is one other place, of similar stature, also small, that I really like, which I, of course, have never been to...

 

Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club.

 

 

Anyway, I once lived about 15 minutes from the Main Point, but now I regret not having attended the many shows, more often, while it was just almost in my neighborhood.  This is really one thing I regret, now that you mention it.

 

Take care!

 

(In Our Present Climate of Fame:  You would never get a top performer to play in such a place as The Main Point, these days.  This was a thing of a long-gone era, maybe.)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[Sticky Rice Balls]

17 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

My "crystal ball" is a bit cloudy but I do fear unless the underlying economic stress on the American working class is addressed, the madness will continue. The wealth gap reflects the unsustainability of the direction over the last 50+- years (actions/policies of both major political parties).

I left the stated in 2008     let it burn....

[GammaGlobulin]

Back to the Topic of Living in America...

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Living in America....just....  Feels so Good....  You know?

 

 

ONLY in America.  America is the Sex Machine.  America has Soul.  No other country has Soul.

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by GammaGlobulin

[Jingthing]

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I guess, by now, almost everybody around the world has seen the videos coming out of Kensington Ave, Philadelphia.  There is nothing new to be seen here.

 

But, just 15 miles from Kensington Ave, you will find yourself on The Main Line.  I grew up there.  Gladwyne is a nice and safe place with decent houses.  I can recommend that you move here if you want to live a decent life.

 

Yes, this is where my friends live....

 

 

 

What percentage of Americans can afford that?

Yeah, I know Main Line. I was born there.

[GammaGlobulin]

18 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

What percentage of Americans can afford that?

Yeah, I know Main Line. I was born there.

Which hospital?

Or, were you born at home?

Bryn Mawr Hospital, or Lankenau?

On the Paoli Local?

 

Who cares what percentage of Americans can afford what, anyway?

 

We were not born here to be Utopians or Marxists, I would think.

 

It's just not in our nature.

 

So, anyway, at which hospital were your born?

Fair question, since you mentioned it first.

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Which hospital?

Or, were you born at home?

Bryn Mawr Hospital, or Lankenau?

On the Paoli Local?

 

Who cares what percentage of Americans can afford what, anyway?

 

We were not born here to be Utopians or Marxists, I would think.

 

It's just not in our nature.

 

So, anyway, at which hospital were your born?

Fair question, since you mentioned it first.

Houses like that in areas like that. Obviously.

Will send PM. 

[Damrongsak]

22 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

...  But, just 15 miles from Kensington Ave, you will find yourself on The Main Line.  I grew up there.  Gladwyne is a nice and safe place with decent houses.  I can recommend that you move here if you want to live a decent life.

 

Yes, this is where my friends live....

 

Monk Ave in Gladwyne has a few nice houses.

[GammaGlobulin]

11 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

Monk Ave in Gladwyne has a few nice houses.

 

The photo you have posted is a photo of one of the many slums of Gladwyne.

 

Don't believe me?

 

Believe me.

 

Those houses are just McMansions inhabited by the new rich, basically hillbillies.

 

Keep on looking, baby.

You will find the nice homes if you keep on googling.

 

This photo is just a photo of some "tract housing" built on a broken-up estate land.

 

Keep on searching.

 

 

[Skeptic7]

The USA is huge and has much to offer regardless what one is looking for. A great country with many affordable cities and towns. Lots of nature, national parks, beaches and other things to do and see. Maybe visit for a month and travel around.

 

WARNING...you might find the females to be a bit different. ????

[newnative]

     American with a Thai spouse, who has lived in the US in the past.  We have a much better life here than what we would have in the US, for a variety of reasons.  We do now have the resources to live in the US, at least in certain areas, but neither of us wants to; we prefer to just visit our relatives there.  

[onthedarkside]

A series of posts on off-topic political hot-button issues have been removed.

 

[BananaGuy]

On 8/14/2022 at 6:01 AM, pomchop said:

  As i get older the thing i miss most about Thailand is FUN.....if you are so inclined you can always have fun joking around with Thai people ..in usa trying to joke around often just gets you strange looks or if it happens to be a  hot gal perhaps a ride in a police car.

 

  Bottom line is to me Thailand is just more fun...i get a kick out of observing all the strange and funny to me things that Thais can do. I love being smiled at all the time (yes i know some are fake smiles but still better than a sad frown).  I love listening to how Thais can mangle the English language and string together non sensical sentences that may not make sense but are fun to hear. I love watching how Thais come up with ways to solve problems without spending a fortune.  I love to watch how Thais seem able to avoid most conflicts by just ignoring it.

 

  The older I get the more I realize that one of the most valuable things in life is to  smile more, laugh more and have more FUN.  If you can't have fun in Thailand I suspect you need to take a good look in the mirror as sanuk is all around you.

Dumb ‘piece of string’ type question but this is one of the smartest responses I’ve ever seen to anything in this forum.

 

Goodonya Pomchop.

 

Please continue to have fun ???? for a long time.

[swm59nj]

It all depends where you live in America.  Different environments and different income levels.  You are watching a YouTube video based on a bad neighborhood.
Im an American and proud of it. I came to live in Bangkok because I wanted to experience living in another country .  And it was easy to get a retirement visa here.  But I will move back to America by the middle of next year.  And at least I have the income and resources to do so.  Compared to some of the miserable expats that blame America and other western countries for their misfortunes.  Which seems to be a regular occurrence on these forums. 
You don’t have enough income, health insurance,  whatever?  That’s on how you planned your life.  Not the fault of your country.  So you move to a place like Thailand looking for a free ride.