That's a fairly peculiar reply, does that imply the you're obsessed with ladyboys? I know that my friend certainly isn't. Most of us don't care for them one Iota.
Are we really better than the Russians, Indians, Arabs and Chinese in the eyes of Thais?
We are only really better than the Russians, Indians, Arabs and Chinese in the eyes of Western AN members who are "mostly white, older, male, English speakers" who have been raised since birth to be vehement anti-Russian and anti-Chinese haters. Their dislike of Indians and Arabs are part & parcel of their colonial upbringing and their world-view that Indians, Arabs, and other POC are "the white man's burden."
Basically most Westerners are cultural racists who feel superior to all others on this planet.
Thais ethnocentrism for the most part is only within the borders of their own country. Yeah, Thais are unabashed nationalists but it is difficult from them to haul that nationalism to other more advanced countries. Westerns, especially expats who made their move overseas late in life, take their ethnocentrism with them in their baggage wherever they go.
And "no." I don't count myself among these natural-born Western racists. I've traveled internationally since I was a young child and was raised in a family who rejected racism in all it's ugly forms. I was raised to look at people as individuals based on their on merit, not as part of the national identify of their country of birth. That latter view just leads to racism.
Hello Gecko :
I agree with what you wrote, but the issue isn't whether you can manage to live on 20K for a stint of a year or two, etc., but whether you can do it on an ongoing basis for "the duration" (10-20 years) so to speak. I get the 2K row house, farmer's market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, shooting hoops at the local elementary school lifestyle, but over time other issues/"wants"/needs emerge which make a 20K budget constraining, maybe not for everyone, but for many.
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