Does Poverty In Thailand Ever Get You Down?

[Dupont]

This is turning into a witch hunt!

Well, it's saturday night. What else can we clean living slim middle aged men do to amuse ourselves.

Anybody want to argue that if you were to check the weight of the first 100 men to walk down sukhumvit with Thai girlfriends against the weight of the first 100 western backpack "babes" you see, you will find the later to be the most overweight!!

Try it next time you are out!

[Jingthing]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

[Dupont]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

I'm with you here.

Success is success.

You either are successful or you are not, and if you are successful here you are successful.

Anybody wanting to be a success in the west should go there and try it. In the meantime, we will bask in our obvious success.

You younger trolls will have to put in the graft that we did if you want to emulate our success rather than jelously carp at us from behind ridiculous monikers.

Real success that isn't it!! you have a Real life, and Real money to go with that Real shirt. Or have you been stood up by a Real Thai woman because she prefered a real man with money (an obvious sign of success) over a sweating pimply fat palid white kid!!

[Goshawk]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

I'm with you here.

Success is success.

You either are successful or you are not, and if you are successful here you are successful.

Anybody wanting to be a success in the west should go there and try it. In the meantime, we will bask in our obvious success.

You younger trolls will have to put in the graft that we did if you want to emulate our success rather than jelously carp at us from behind ridiculous monikers.

Real success that isn't it!! you have a Real life, and Real money to go with that Real shirt. Or have you been stood up by a Real Thai woman because she prefered a real man with money (an obvious sign of success) over a sweating pimply fat palid white kid!!

too much success can be a bad thing..

[lazeeboy]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

I'm with you here.

Success is success.

You either are successful or you are not, and if you are successful here you are successful.

Anybody wanting to be a success in the west should go there and try it. In the meantime, we will bask in our obvious success.

You younger trolls will have to put in the graft that we did if you want to emulate our success rather than jelously carp at us from behind ridiculous monikers.

Real success that isn't it!! you have a Real life, and Real money to go with that Real shirt. Or have you been stood up by a Real Thai woman because she prefered a real man with money (an obvious sign of success) over a sweating pimply fat palid white kid!!

too much success can be a bad thing..

only in other people ,like the tramps or the people without a limb or two ,myself i came with nothing ,made bundle and hav'nt done a stroke of work for 7 years ,if i stay in thailand i can live out my life without having to work .......

[mcgriffith]

I lift my glass in toast to you, lazeeboy!

Success...the ultimate revenge

[Goshawk]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

I'm with you here.

Success is success.

You either are successful or you are not, and if you are successful here you are successful.

Anybody wanting to be a success in the west should go there and try it. In the meantime, we will bask in our obvious success.

You younger trolls will have to put in the graft that we did if you want to emulate our success rather than jelously carp at us from behind ridiculous monikers.

Real success that isn't it!! you have a Real life, and Real money to go with that Real shirt. Or have you been stood up by a Real Thai woman because she prefered a real man with money (an obvious sign of success) over a sweating pimply fat palid white kid!!

too much success can be a bad thing..

only in other people ,like the tramps or the people without a limb or two ,myself i came with nothing ,made bundle and hav'nt done a stroke of work for 7 years ,if i stay in thailand i can live out my life without having to work .......

good for you my blind friend, but my previous post was a joke on the one before it..

[kopite]

another boring thread for old arse ex-pats to justift their existence or their reason for living here.

or blame it all on pattaya. sad.

[Dupont]

another boring thread for old arse ex-pats to justift their existence or their reason for living here.

or blame it all on pattaya. sad.

You read it mate! Not only that, you posted as well!

You really sad or just confused by it all?

Why did you feel the need to criticise something you obviously know nothing about?

[kopite]

another boring thread for old arse ex-pats to justift their existence or their reason for living here.

or blame it all on pattaya. sad.

You read it mate! Not only that, you posted as well!

You really sad or just confused by it all?

Why did you feel the need to criticise something you obviously know nothing about?

i know a lot more than you think mate, but its the same old discussion yet again. i moved here when i was 23, that was 5 years ago, and ive done very well. the same conversations get thrown about everywhere.

why, how, who? and its 90% of the time by ex-pats who are retired with nothing to do. stop worring about the small details and start enjoying the rest of your lives.

im not having a dig at the older lads, but its a fact of life here. also, people feel the need to justify their actions. its not my fault she works etc...

im no angel, but it becomes quite boring after a while.

[JimmyCA]

Also I get the feeling that the majority of westerners in Thailand failed in their home countries.

Do you mean Thailand or ThaiVisa?

[JimmyCA]

another boring thread for old arse ex-pats to justift their existence or their reason for living here.

or blame it all on pattaya. sad.

You read it mate! Not only that, you posted as well!

You really sad or just confused by it all?

Why did you feel the need to criticise something you obviously know nothing about?

i know a lot more than you think mate, but its the same old discussion yet again. i moved here when i was 23, that was 5 years ago, and ive done very well. the same conversations get thrown about everywhere.

why, how, who? and its 90% of the time by ex-pats who are retired with nothing to do. stop worring about the small details and start enjoying the rest of your lives.

im not having a dig at the older lads, but its a fact of life here. also, people feel the need to justify their actions. its not my fault she works etc...

im no angel, but it becomes quite boring after a while.

What is your net worth Khun Knowitall28. Where do you think your life is heading? Are you some kind of special case more sucessful than others?

[Goshawk]

i smell a Mod aproaching, jangling keys and all ready to lock this one up..

hope so, cos its gone way of the OP's initial 'verse'

[spot]

It was a bit of daft thread to start with.

[thaigene2]

i know i am supposed to be thrilled that prices in Thailand are low and the Thai people are mostly poor, and all of the advantages this provides middle aged Western men living in Thailand but I just can't do it. Does anyone else find it kind of sickening how much farang in Thailand talk about how cheap everything is and what they can get? You see a young girl walking with an old man and it just destroys you. If she was born in another country her life would be so much better. Also I get the feeling that the majority of westerners in Thailand failed in their home countries.

To the OP.

I think after a while you will see the reality. You've heard from the other farangs here. My point is that you need to stop focusing on the "farangs" and the sex thing - it's a cliche anyway - and start to undestand who the real manipulators are - and guess what pal, it ain't the farangs! It's home-grown!

Think about it for a while. You'll figure it out - but it takes a couple of years and it depends how much you are willing to delve below the big smile thing and open your eyes a bit more to the class and ethnic divides -and how that all plays into the way the richer people exploit the poorer classes (whom they despise by the way!).

[kopite]

another boring thread for old arse ex-pats to justift their existence or their reason for living here.

or blame it all on pattaya. sad.

You read it mate! Not only that, you posted as well!

You really sad or just confused by it all?

Why did you feel the need to criticise something you obviously know nothing about?

i know a lot more than you think mate, but its the same old discussion yet again. i moved here when i was 23, that was 5 years ago, and ive done very well. the same conversations get thrown about everywhere.

why, how, who? and its 90% of the time by ex-pats who are retired with nothing to do. stop worring about the small details and start enjoying the rest of your lives.

im not having a dig at the older lads, but its a fact of life here. also, people feel the need to justify their actions. its not my fault she works etc...

im no angel, but it becomes quite boring after a while.

What is your net worth Khun Knowitall28. Where do you think your life is heading? Are you some kind of special case more sucessful than others?

no not all, but too be honest in my experience its just whats happened. the people i know from the age of 45-75 are the ones who tend to moan and worry about the insignificant things in life here.

not that its a bad thing, just my experience. dont really get it myself like.

for instance, why worry about poor thai people when the majority of us haggle for the odd 10-20 baht. im not slagging, just find it funny.

and on TV all bad things lead to pattaya. just me thoughts.

we all think and have different opionions

but why does my net worth have anything to do with it? bizarre that. did you know where your live was heading when you was 28?

special case? no, just a normal lad in thailand loving life. no reason to begrudge anyone else

[geriatrickid]

You offer some salient points, but they are a bit over the top.

1. Does anyone else find it kind of sickening how much farang in Thailand talk about how cheap everything is and what they can get?

Well, I don't know about you, but my burn rate per annum is about 1,500,000 baht. to maintain the lifestyle I enjoy. Yes some things are cheaper, but those savings are quickly gobbled up if you want clean water in your home or certain foods or a vehicle.

2. You see a young girl walking with an old man and it just destroys you.

Yes, it also applies when you see the teenage boys with the old geezers. It drives my Thai friends bonkers to the point where they have sat for hours discussing Hannibal Lechter routines. But that is a small portion of the population. In a nation of 65million, if only 5% of the population follows that lifestyle, that's 3.25million, so for sure you are going to see that. It's no different in the west, except in the west it's more discreet and the men use escort websites or variations thereof.

3.Also I get the feeling that the majority of westerners in Thailand failed in their home countries.

Bingo. That applies to a large chunk of the foreigners in Thailand. However, if you went to the foreigners homelands, you'd also see the same thing. What you don't see either because you are not in the right place to see it, or because you don't want to see it, is that there is also a large chunk of foreigners that are wonderful, caring smart people. Go to the animal section in TV and you can read about the wonderful people. Better yet, go to some of the expat supported social service organizations and watch the expats in action. Lots of retirees volunteering. Without them, especially the ladies, some social service entities would collapse.

For every stereotype I can make about farangs such as loud obnoxious germans, there is a kind soft spoken german helping some orphans or animals. For every drunken aussie grabbing a girl's ass, I can find 5 aussies that are contributing to their local community just being australian and doing the right thing. I find Israelis rude and pushy and yet the team that dealt with a resistant strain of HIV in the north was Israeli and it was the most sensitive & caring group I had ever seen in action. My longwinded point is that you need to get out and see what's really going on and not stay in your little tourist zone where most people are transient. There are alot of highgrade expats from all backgrounds in Thailand. They just aren't smacking their chests and screaming, hey look at me, I'm great.

[realmadrid25]

i played for real madrid for two years in the early 90's. i retired from real estate two years ago. my networth is upwards of 120 million baht.

does this qualify me to use the nick realmadrid, dupont?

[Goshawk]

i played for real madrid for two years in the early 90's. i retired from real estate two years ago. my networth is upwards of 120 million baht.

does this qualify me to use the nick realmadrid, dupont?

[esbobes]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

Why do Farangs claim they love Thai culture. And then talk about all the poor all the drinking of beer all the women and then claim they love Thai culture. Remember this is part of the Thai culture. Most Thais are poor why do you blame the poor fat Englishman for this. And why do they want to change Thailand to FarangVille if they love Thailand culture so much leave it alone

Please r

Edited September 15, 2007 by esbobes

[Goshawk]

Success and failure are relative things. For those of us smart enough to retire early to Thailand and other places in the world where this is possible, I think we are very successful. Who says you have to stay in your home country to experience success? It is true that many or most of us could not afford to retire early in the west, but SO WHAT?

Why do Farangs claim they love Thai culture. And then talk about all the poor all the drinking of beer all the women and then claim they love Thai culture. Remember this is part of the Thai culture. Most Thais are poor why do you blame the poor fat Englishman for this. And why do they want to change Thailand to FarangVille if they love Thailand culture so much leave it alone

Please r

racist..!

what about poor/rich burger gulping, pepsi swilling, fat yankee doodle dandys.. plenty of them here..

[GuestHouse]

The OP has already linked this thread to the discussion on 'Father's responsibilities' and noted his distaste at many of the attitudes on that thread - He is not alone in that respect.

However, what the OP needs to understand (perhaps does already) is that Thailand attracts people who are delighted that they have financial power over many of the local people in Thailand - In particular women.

If the suggested resgtrictions were put in place these people would head elsewhere (this is already happening with Farangs forced out of Thailand by visa rules, cost and all the other gripes we read here are heading for Cambodia).

I think the end of the 'happy times' in Thailand is not so far off. Costs are rising as Thailand's ecconomy improves, airfares rise and general inflation takes its toll on spending power.

Added to which women's rights groups are mobilizing in Thailand and then there is the Thai reaction to the ever increasing numbers of thugs heading to Thailand.

The Thai people are pround of their nation and proud of their culture - The dregs of western society are trampling rough shod over Thai sensibilities and that is an issue that is getting increasing coverage in teh Thai medial - I fully expect a reaction.

[keemapoot]

The OP has already linked this thread to the discussion on 'Father's responsibilities' and noted his distaste at many of the attitudes on that thread - He is not alone in that respect.

However, what the OP needs to understand (perhaps does already) is that Thailand attracts people who are delighted that they have financial power over many of the local people in Thailand - In particular women.

If the suggested resgtrictions were put in place these people would head elsewhere (this is already happening with Farangs forced out of Thailand by visa rules, cost and all the other gripes we read here are heading for Cambodia).

I think the end of the 'happy times' in Thailand is not so far off. Costs are rising as Thailand's ecconomy improves, airfares rise and general inflation takes its toll on spending power.

Added to which women's rights groups are mobilizing in Thailand and then there is the Thai reaction to the ever increasing numbers of thugs heading to Thailand.

The Thai people are pround of their nation and proud of their culture - The dregs of western society are trampling rough shod over Thai sensibilities and that is an issue that is getting increasing coverage in teh Thai medial - I fully expect a reaction.

I think Guesthouse is partially right. Yes, airfares will rise, visa restrictions will weed out many, general inflation has shown already that prices are equalising.

However, Guesthouse treats the subject of pride of nation as though it were one unified concept. In fact, there are several nations. One is the unified nation of priviledged Bangkok and central families who seek to consolidate their power; one is the Thai Thai culture of middle class and other working class of the industrial age; and the third is the disenfranchised Isaan and other farmer and lower working class.

Guesthouse, to which to you refer please?

[GuestHouse]

Guesthouse, to which to you refer please?

To the one that has the political will and the political power to force changes in the laws - we are already seeing this happen.

(The urban middle class and no doubt a measure of support from a whole lot of Thai men who are not happy to see Thailand's name an women treated the way it is).

The Thai popular press and media frequently runs stories on the unacceptable behaviour of foreigners in Thailand - The ball is rolling.

[zzdocxx]

This type of thread is typically characterized by dramatization, unsupported sweeping generalizations, and stereotypes.

There are alot of people here that just love a good (or bad) debate, or argument, or whatever.

Yet at the same time, there are some fine intellects, which add some substance to the discussion.

So I guess I will continue skimming for now!

Edited September 15, 2007 by zzdocxx

[britmaveric]

i played for real madrid for two years in the early 90's. i retired from real estate two years ago. my networth is upwards of 120 million baht.

does this qualify me to use the nick realmadrid, dupont?

[canadiangirl]

The OP has already linked this thread to the discussion on 'Father's responsibilities' and noted his distaste at many of the attitudes on that thread - He is not alone in that respect.

However, what the OP needs to understand (perhaps does already) is that Thailand attracts people who are delighted that they have financial power over many of the local people in Thailand - In particular women.

If the suggested resgtrictions were put in place these people would head elsewhere (this is already happening with Farangs forced out of Thailand by visa rules, cost and all the other gripes we read here are heading for Cambodia).

I think the end of the 'happy times' in Thailand is not so far off. Costs are rising as Thailand's ecconomy improves, airfares rise and general inflation takes its toll on spending power.

Added to which women's rights groups are mobilizing in Thailand and then there is the Thai reaction to the ever increasing numbers of thugs heading to Thailand.

The Thai people are pround of their nation and proud of their culture - The dregs of western society are trampling rough shod over Thai sensibilities and that is an issue that is getting increasing coverage in teh Thai medial - I fully expect a reaction.

Very good post, Guesthouse! I often find what you have to say interesting.

[britmaveric]

GH is quite correct as far as what should happen, but the more things change the more things stay the same in thailand. Mai Pen Rai.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

It must be time to close this topic. It is going nowhere.

[blizzard]

i notice a lot of threads gravitate towards the h...k.er kind of thread.

its not the farangs fault los is the way it is. they just take advantage of it, rightly or wrongly.

not everything wrong in los is coz of the farang.

los aint gonna change. not till the peeple who run it change.

Edited September 15, 2007 by blizzard