2 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

Apparently, quite a few older foreign men have retired to rural Thai villages where they marry local women who are often much younger than them. The retirees are said to often speak limited Thai, and typically settle in areas with few other foreigners. To outsiders, these relationships might appear imbalanced due to differences in age, finances, or life experience.

 

I’m curious how local Thai communities perceive these relationships. Are these foreign retirees accepted and viewed as a normal part of Thai village life now, or do they spark gossip or social tension? Do locals see them as providing security and opportunities for the women, perhaps admiring the foreigners for their contributions, or do they view these relationships as exploiting economic disparities?

 

live and let live

12 minutes ago, transam said:

Nobody cares, and if you asked, they would be thinking "mind your own bloody business" .........🤗

Nice! Fresh installment from the "none of your business" forum police. 👍🏼

1 minute ago, short-Timer said:

Nice! Fresh installment from the "none of your business" forum police. 👍🏼

Thank you..........🤗

Perception of aging foreign man as Thai woman's husband in rural area?

 

They are certainly welcome; as the sudden big(ger) wallet from the heaven.

A lot bigger blessing, than Pheu Thai govt's  occasional money handout if such  a man comes with  sizable saving/pension from own home country.

 

But elderly alien man's fate is  sometimes unknown.

Since my settlement here 2 decades ago I have heard quite a few cases where they were  kicked out of their wive's houses(after all of the saving sucked out).

Or dying some mysterious deaths while sleeping.

And the body dumped into nearby reservior.

 

Hope it won't happen to you in any future...

1 hour ago, short-Timer said:

And what do they say? Do tell!

Must send our daughters to Bangkok and Pattaya to find falang husband

32 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

But elderly alien man's fate is  sometimes unknown.

Since my settlement here 2 decades ago I have heard quite a few cases where they were  kicked out of their wive's houses(after all of the saving sucked out).

Or dying some mysterious deaths while sleeping.

And the body dumped into nearby reservior.

 

Hope it won't happen to you in any future...

One way to deal with that is to be worth a lot more alive than dead.

3 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

Apparently, quite a few older foreign men have retired to rural Thai villages where they marry local women who are often much younger than them. The retirees are said to often speak limited Thai, and typically settle in areas with few other foreigners. To outsiders, these relationships might appear imbalanced due to differences in age, finances, or life experience.

 

I’m curious how local Thai communities perceive these relationships. Are these foreign retirees accepted and viewed as a normal part of Thai village life now, or do they spark gossip or social tension? Do locals see them as providing security and opportunities for the women, perhaps admiring the foreigners for their contributions, or do they view these relationships as exploiting economic disparities?

 

I can't believe you don't know the answer to this.  It's blindingly obvious to anyone who has spent any meaningful amount of time in Thailand.  Tourist might be like "Oh no, these evil foreigners are exploiting these poor innocent locals, taking advantage of the wealth disparity", but anyone with half a brain knows otherwise.

1 hour ago, persimmon said:

Those with money are able to get what they want

 

it's also seen as very smart for a woman to get money just for being in a relationship with someone.

32 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

it's also seen as very smart for a woman to get money just for being in a relationship with someone.

There is more than one aspect to the question or questions asked. 

 

You got those who running from lets say Pattaya out of convenience, and everybody in the village knows it, and if he is an alcoholic as well, you know how this goes down in a rural community. 

 

Then it comes down to how much he respect her family, or the elderly if they move close to her family. Being stingy is not good, and being to stupid with his money is the same thing. Me and wife takes good care of her parents, but they have to work for it, and be there living at our farm when we are not there, so they get everything paid for when living there. If not working or not living there, they gets nothing except special days where my wife and brother gives the same amount. Never big money. We upgraded their bathroom and kitchen 7 years ago, that’s the biggest investment I have done for them, but we where living there at the moment, so it was for our well being as well. 

 

What I haven’t done, is to build a castle, but kept it simple and practical for enough comfort to live a good life there, and what the neighbors thinking, I really do not care much about. 

 

Im sure we are as much likable as any girl back home marry a foreigner, and bring him back to her local community. It is up to each an one of us to prove ourselves for good and bad. 

 

When there is a wedding in the village, be a local with a local, or a foreigner with a local, there is a competition who brings the most to the table. Luckily my family and my wife was smarter than that, and looked at it for the long run instead of short run. 

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

If you are 75 and your partner is 50 I don't think anyone cares. As long as you are both friendly and sociable. 

True, the older a couple get the more the age gap narrows. I'm 18 years older than my Thai wife, and I'm 78 next birthday, so she's nearly 60. 

3 minutes ago, grain said:

True, the older a couple get the more the age gap narrows. I'm 18 years older than my Thai wife, and I'm 78 next birthday, so she's nearly 60. 

If a man is 20 and a girl is 15, the difference is staggering  

If a man is 30 and a woman is 25, the difference is almost insignificant. 

If a man is 40 and a woman is 30, the difference is almost insignificant. 

If a man is 50 and a woman is 35, the difference is almost insignificant. 

If a man is 60 and a woman is 40, the difference is almost insignificant. 

3 hours ago, transam said:

Nobody cares, and if you asked, they would be thinking "mind your own bloody business" .........🤗

Usually the younger woman has children to other Thai guys in the village or near by.

 

Quite often the were what is known as the “Town Bike”. Everyone had a ride.

 

Mostly these couples didn’t meet in the isolated village up in Nakon Nowhere.

 

The villagers will all know they met in Pattaya or Bangla Phuket etc.

 

So there will be zero jealousy as no men in the village wanted these girls anyway.

 

The Farang if he can not speak the local lingo will be treated pretty much as the village idiot.

 

The Thais are not big on causing the Farang or his little teerak to lose any face and the Farang won’t understand any of the sleazy jokes about his teerak anyway. Teerak knows what’s going on but mostly just ignores it.

 

The Farang will think he is popular smiling and making hand gestures and pulling faces when in shops etc trying to explain himself which will just re-enforce his image of being The Village Idiot.

 

Ignorance is bliss. The wife won’t really help the Farang with language skills because it is easier to hide her affairs, her gambling and other issues and she keeps him in the dark like a mushroom and feeds him sหเt.

3 hours ago, short-Timer said:

Nice! Fresh installment from the "none of your business" forum police. 👍🏼

He hates any threads that reflect his life.

The Nile is a river in Egypt.

11 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

The villagers will all know they met in Pattaya or Bangla Phuket etc.

 

So there will be zero jealousy as no men in the village wanted these girls anyway.

 

Where were the available men in the village before she had to leave for Pattaya to support herself?

 

 

11 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

 

Where were the available men in the village before she had to leave for Pattaya to support herself?

 

 

They all had a turn but all the parents of the boys wanted something a bit more pure.

If she got herself pregnant before marriage then it is solely her problem.

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

 

Where were the available men in the village before she had to leave for Pattaya to support herself?

 

 

It is a high percentage of women vs men many places, and think about it, winning the lottery ticket they imagine some western men are, vs a Thai boy/man who cheat, drink, use drugs and spend their money. 

 

I do not say western men who search out Pattaya are better, but the chance to make some decent money is real for little effort. 

 

Smart girls often succeed 

5 hours ago, transam said:

A Thai lady I know runs a small beer bar

 

5 hours ago, transam said:

husband was probably 40 years older than her

Beer bar girls usually marry older.

What is your point?

5 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

They all had a turn but all the parents of the boys wanted something a bit more pure.

If she got herself pregnant before marriage then it is solely her problem.

Not your problem either right, as long as you get yours..

The OP has the mentality of a gossipy old lady.

I dedicate this song to him.

 

6 hours ago, transam said:

Is that you Goat.................😂

 

A Thai lady I know runs a small beer bar near me, been there for decades, her now deceased Thai husband was probably 40 years older than her..........😉

 

So to answer your question, locals don't give a sh_t about age differences, Thai or Farangy........

Jesus, you actually said something on topic and with a genuine opinion... 

6 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

Apparently, quite a few older foreign men have retired to rural Thai villages where they marry local women who are often much younger than them. The retirees are said to often speak limited Thai, and typically settle in areas with few other foreigners. To outsiders, these relationships might appear imbalanced due to differences in age, finances, or life experience.

 

I’m curious how local Thai communities perceive these relationships. Are these foreign retirees accepted and viewed as a normal part of Thai village life now, or do they spark gossip or social tension? Do locals see them as providing security and opportunities for the women, perhaps admiring the foreigners for their contributions, or do they view these relationships as exploiting economic disparities?

Yesterday saw a 65-70 guy walking through the market here in rural Thailand with his 20 year old GF.  They were holding hands and seemed happy.  Think the locals just giggle a little and that is about the extent of it.  In Pattaya nobody would even notice but here definitely is noticed immediately.  I would feel stupid but to each his own.  

 

The  better question is how many people do you know that are with women younger than their daughters and are still enjoying each other after a the goofy honeymoon stage. I know of only one couple that enjoy each other.  It happens but I've got better things to do than deal with very young women.

The age gap problem is quite a western only thing.

1 hour ago, MalcolmB said:

Usually the younger woman has children to other Thai guys in the village or near by.

 

Quite often the were what is known as the “Town Bike”. Everyone had a ride.

 

Mostly these couples didn’t meet in the isolated village up in Nakon Nowhere.

 

The villagers will all know they met in Pattaya or Bangla Phuket etc.

 

So there will be zero jealousy as no men in the village wanted these girls anyway.

 

The Farang if he can not speak the local lingo will be treated pretty much as the village idiot.

 

The Thais are not big on causing the Farang or his little teerak to lose any face and the Farang won’t understand any of the sleazy jokes about his teerak anyway. Teerak knows what’s going on but mostly just ignores it.

 

The Farang will think he is popular smiling and making hand gestures and pulling faces when in shops etc trying to explain himself which will just re-enforce his image of being The Village Idiot.

 

Ignorance is bliss. The wife won’t really help the Farang with language skills because it is easier to hide her affairs, her gambling and other issues and she keeps him in the dark like a mushroom and feeds him sหเt.

That's pretty good. I like that. I think you could probably turn that into an entire forum topic of its own. Here are half a dozen possible titles you can use for it:

 

“Village Idiot or Prince Charming? A Farang Fairy Tale”

 

“The Town Bike Diaries: Farang Edition”

 

“Mushrooms, Teeraks, and the Art of Staying Clueless”

 

“Why the Village Cheers When You Take Her Home”

 

“Buying Love and Renting Respect in Nakon Nowhere”

 

"The Village Idiot Chronicles: Life as the Oblivious Farang Husband"

 

 

8 minutes ago, short-Timer said:

That's pretty good. I like that. I think you could probably turn that into an entire forum topic of its own. Here are half a dozen possible titles you can use for it:

 

“Village Idiot or Prince Charming? A Farang Fairy Tale”

 

“The Town Bike Diaries: Farang Edition”

 

“Mushrooms, Teeraks, and the Art of Staying Clueless”

 

“Why the Village Cheers When You Take Her Home”

 

“Buying Love and Renting Respect in Nakon Nowhere”

 

"The Village Idiot Chronicles: Life as the Oblivious Farang Husband"

 

 

It would make a good comedy movie.

With a happy ending at the start of the movie.

39 minutes ago, pub2022 said:

The age gap problem is quite a western only thing.

Or if your wife is a lot older.

Just now, MalcolmB said:

It would make a good comedy movie.

With a happy ending at the start of the movie.

Yeah, Thai movie narratives all move in reverse. Happy at the begging and tragedy at the end. 

I was 19 years older then my exwife Nobody talked negative about that.Everybody friendly and nice Often came visit and also invited me to their home.Eating and drinking together and we laughed even we didn't have a clue what we talked about.After i learned to speak thai more and more it was so much easier to stay there The locals also learned me to speak thai and Khmer.My exwife parents cant speak English at all and they also with my exwife only spoke thai and Khmer to me Sitting and listen and people speak to u all day is the best way of learning i think.

1 hour ago, atpeace said:

Yesterday saw a 65-70 guy walking through the market here in rural Thailand with his 20 year old GF.  They were holding hands and seemed happy.  Think the locals just giggle a little and that is about the extent of it.  In Pattaya nobody would even notice but here definitely is noticed immediately.  I would feel stupid but to each his own.  

 

The  better question is how many people do you know that are with women younger than their daughters and are still enjoying each other after a the goofy honeymoon stage. I know of only one couple that enjoy each other.  It happens but I've got better things to do than deal with very young women.

I was in my embassy in Bangkok.A guy age 80 came there with his gf age 18.She needed permission from her parents to apply for a tourist visa.Her parents was also there stated they allowed her to travel.I must admit i was shocked.

17 minutes ago, norsurin said:

I was in my embassy in Bangkok.A guy age 80 came there with his gf age 18.She needed permission from her parents to apply for a tourist visa.Her parents was also there stated they allowed her to travel.I must admit i was shocked.

A young Nurse, very young

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

A young Nurse, very young

Way to young for me but i agree that shes a wery young nurse.