Expats living on their pension in Thailand, why the negativity?

[eaglesflight]

You confuse a persons roots with their current assignment in the class system, a multi-millionaire movie star who rubs shoulders with royalty and US A listers will hardly be defined as working class today. But actually MJM, AOA, TTP or whatever your name happens to be on any given day, I'm kinda tired of your banal challenges to the obvious in thread after thread, time to move on methinks!

The only thing that's ludicrous is your inability to see what Billy Connolly would be only too happy to tell you himself: that no amount of money changes who you are or where you came from. Using words such as "methinks" doesn't change your social status either, however much you might wish that it did.

I will freely admit that my view of class is rather old fashioned, mainly because I disagree with your notion of class reassignment due to monetary success. It's a nice idea but it doesn't really work like that, not in the UK at any rate. If you believe that somebody like Alan Sugar is thought of as anything other than working class by his business peers, you're kidding yourself. But to be honest, I find the whole notion of class to be faintly ridiculous and those who see themselves as stuck in the middle are generally the only ones who are consumed by the subject. They feel constrained by their position in society: forced to act a certain way so as to conform to their own narrow-minded view of how the middle classes should behave. Those at the top and the bottom feel no such constraints and generally just get on with enjoying their lives. Being "middle class" is a very new concept, historically speaking, and not one that I buy into personally.

Most of those who like to call themselves middle class and who think themselves better than their less well-heeled neighbours would disagree with my definitions, but then they would wouldn't they?

Edited October 14, 2015 by eaglesflight

[MaeJoMTB]

You confuse a persons roots with their current assignment in the class system, a multi-millionaire movie star who rubs shoulders with royalty and US A listers will hardly be defined as working class today. But actually MJM, AOA, TTP or whatever your name happens to be on any given day, I'm kinda tired of your banal challenges to the obvious in thread after thread, time to move on methinks!

What eaglesflight said ......

Moving on

30% likes for you.

110% likes for me.

One of us is clearly out of touch with the membership here.

Edited October 14, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[fang37]

Many think that it is a right.

I can think of nothing in this world that is a right - even dying.

No matter what they get they say it isn't enough.

BTW, I am 67yo & no OAP.

[Jip99]

Because they, like nearly all here are just plain working class.

Their lives were governed mostly by those higher up. They worked for a living having not the entrepreneurial flair to make a real go of it in life. I guess, average Joes is what most are; at best. Hence, reliant on a pension.

Now, average Joes are more likely to have a fair to average view of life, often pessimistic.

It wasn't that great for them before, and realize now that it's no better in a country and women too foreign to them and with the realization they won't have a life better anywhere else. The exotic shine is lost and they don't have the luxury of financial wealth or savvy to make it any better anywhere else. Mediocre born whiners.

That's my thinking.

If you weren't born into money and you had to work for a living, you're working class. Entrepreneurial flair might enable one to make more money but it doesn't change your social class - that's just wishful thinking on the part of those who see social status as important and can't reconcile their overinflated opinion of themselves with their humble origins.

Is Billy Connolly considered to be working class.

A rhetorical question simply to point out the ludicrous nature of your statement.

Billy is absolutely working class, low class accent, low class roots, poor education.

Unless you are claiming boilermakers in Glaswegian shipyards belong to some other class?

He is about as working class as Bono, Russell Brand, Wayne Rooney and Tony Blair

[JoopJoop]

I have read in many threads negative whinge responses about expats living on their pensions in Thailand.

Because they, like nearly all here are just plain working class.

Their lives were governed mostly by those higher up. They worked for a living having not the entrepreneurial flair to make a real go of it in life. I guess, average Joes is what most are; at best. Hence, reliant on a pension.

Now, average Joes are more likely to have a fair to average view of life, often pessimistic.

It wasn't that great for them before, and realize now that it's no better in a country and women too foreign to them and with the realization they won't have a life better anywhere else. The exotic shine is lost and they don't have the luxury of financial wealth or savvy to make it any better anywhere else. Mediocre born whiners.

That's my thinking.

If you weren't born into money and you had to work for a living, you're working class. Entrepreneurial flair might enable one to make more money but it doesn't change your social class - that's just wishful thinking on the part of those who see social status as important and can't reconcile their overinflated opinion of themselves with their humble origins.

Is Billy Connolly considered to be working class.

A rhetorical question simply to point out the ludicrous nature of your statement.

Billy Connolly isn't living on a pension in Thailand and whining about it last I checked.

Some interesting posts above....even Jo's.

Nothing ludicrous about my statement matey.

[Linzz]

If you weren't born into money and you had to work for a living, you're working class. Entrepreneurial flair might enable one to make more money but it doesn't change your social class - that's just wishful thinking on the part of those who see social status as important and can't reconcile their overinflated opinion of themselves with their humble origins.

Is Billy Connolly considered to be working class.

A rhetorical question simply to point out the ludicrous nature of your statement.

Billy Connolly isn't living on a pension in Thailand and whining about it last I checked.

Some interesting posts above....even Jo's.

Nothing ludicrous about my statement matey.

Although Billy Connolly is a wealthy film star/ comedian in his own right, and thus entrepreneurial, he would be last person to deny his roots and proudly so. Well I do not wish to speak for him but I cannot imagine him ever saying he was something else other than working class. However I would say because of his talent, class couldn't hold him but that may not be what he might say about himself because he appears to be extremely loyal and grateful to his background.

[chiang mai]

You confuse a persons roots with their current assignment in the class system, a multi-millionaire movie star who rubs shoulders with royalty and US A listers will hardly be defined as working class today. But actually MJM, AOA, TTP or whatever your name happens to be on any given day, I'm kinda tired of your banal challenges to the obvious in thread after thread, time to move on methinks!

The only thing that's ludicrous is your inability to see what Billy Connolly would be only too happy to tell you himself: that no amount of money changes who you are or where you came from. Using words such as "methinks" doesn't change your social status either, however much you might wish that it did.

I will freely admit that my view of class is rather old fashioned, mainly because I disagree with your notion of class reassignment due to monetary success. It's a nice idea but it doesn't really work like that, not in the UK at any rate. If you believe that somebody like Alan Sugar is thought of as anything other than working class by his business peers, you're kidding yourself. But to be honest, I find the whole notion of class to be faintly ridiculous and those who see themselves as stuck in the middle are generally the only ones who are consumed by the subject. They feel constrained by their position in society: forced to act a certain way so as to conform to their own narrow-minded view of how the middle classes should behave. Those at the top and the bottom feel no such constraints and generally just get on with enjoying their lives. Being "middle class" is a very new concept, historically speaking, and not one that I buy into personally.

Most of those who like to call themselves middle class and who think themselves better than their less well-heeled neighbours would disagree with my definitions, but then they would wouldn't they?

I used to work for an international firm in the City that was full of Cambridge grads, old school toffs. One fellow was different, he claimed to be the son of a plumber and went to Hull uni. and when he told you these things he would harden his disguised northern accent that had been replaced by BBC presenters brogue. So would Billy freely admit he was working class, of course he would, it's frequently an attractive thing for noveau rich to say, their current lifestyle and thinking reveals something completely different however.

And yes you're right, your view of class is very dated, newer models refer to seven classes rather than three. But regardless of how many layers you wish to have the three major components for classifying someone involve examining their occupation, wealth and education. And since all three of those things can be subject to massive change throughout a persons lifetime, it's nonsense to believe that class is forever unchangeably assigned at birth. So when you wrote, " If you weren't born into money and you had to work for a living, you're working class. Entrepreneurial flair might enable one to make more money but it doesn't change your social class", you have based your views solely on a previous century model!

So is Billy working class? Not at all but he does come from working class roots, today however he is far from.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-22007058

[chiang mai]

You confuse a persons roots with their current assignment in the class system, a multi-millionaire movie star who rubs shoulders with royalty and US A listers will hardly be defined as working class today. But actually MJM, AOA, TTP or whatever your name happens to be on any given day, I'm kinda tired of your banal challenges to the obvious in thread after thread, time to move on methinks!

What eaglesflight said ......

Moving on

30% likes for you.

110% likes for me.

One of us is clearly out of touch with the membership here.

Interesting that both AOA and TTP used to get really hung up on "likes" also!

[Linzz]

Everyone likes to be liked. Me too. Please like me.........Damn I can't even like myself

[fang37]

IMHO, they should consider themselves very fortunate.

[Expat1]

Don't sweat it gentlemen, who really cares what a bunch of self involved little piss ant punks say about this or that. Ignore them. They are usually just commenting on their own inadequacies and lack of ability and experience. I will concur with the various comments on jealousy being the main reason here.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Expat1

[Linzz]

Everyone likes to be liked. Me too. Please like me.........Damn I can't even like myself

Thank God

[fang37]

I'm only negative when I have no $$$ & no honey to love.

[Gecko123]

sorry, wrong thread

Edited October 16, 2015 by Gecko123

[Naam]

Don't sweat it gentlemen, who really cares what a bunch of self involved little piss ant punks say about this or that. Ignore them. They are usually just commenting on their own inadequacies and lack of ability and experience. I will concur with the various comments on jealousy being the main reason here.

[pgrahmm]

One small reason/example for their incomprehensible jealousy:

An old Dr. Geezer became very bored in retirement and decided to open a clinic.

He put a sign up outside that said: "Dr. Geezer's clinic. Specialist treatment for $500. If not cured, you get back $1,000."

Doctor Young, who was positive that this old Dr. Geezer didn't know beans about modern medicine, thought this would be a great opportunity to make a quick $1,000.

So he went to Dr. Geezer's clinic.

Dr. Young: "Dr. Geezer, I have lost all taste in my mouth. Can you please help me??"

Dr. Geezer: "Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put 3 drops in Dr. Young's mouth."

Dr. Young: Aaagh!! -- That's Petrol!"

Dr. Geezer: "Congratulations! You've got your taste back. That will be $500."

Dr. Young is annoyed and returns after a couple of days figuring to recover his money.

Dr. Young: "I have lost my memory, I cannot remember anything."

Dr. Geezer: "Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put 3 drops in the patient's mouth."

Dr. Young: "Oh, no you don't. That's Petrol"

Dr. Geezer: "Congratulations! You've got your memory back. That will be $500."

Dr. Young (after having lost $1,000) leaves angrily and comes back after several more days.

Dr. Young: "My eyesight has become weak --- I can hardly see anything he complains.

Dr. Geezer: "Well, I don't have any medicine for that so, here's your $1,000 back." (giving him a $10 bill).

Dr. Young: "But this is only $10!"

Dr. Geezer: "Congratulations! You got your vision back! That will be $500."

Moral of the story--Just because you're "Young" doesn't mean that you can outsmart an "old Geezer"!

Edited October 20, 2015 by pgrahmm

[dhream]

One thing that's happening, is the raising of the pensionable age in the developed countries, and in Australia for one, they seemingly go out of their way to penalise citizens who decide to retire elsewhere, why this is so seems petty, we are not leaning as heavily on 'society' as the ones who stay, and they're clearly worried about the cost of the so-called tsunami of Baby Boomers, so why do they penalise those that opt out of the system?

Could it be because we're not contributing to that over-inflated economy they created by the unintended consequence of turning the fundamental necessity of having a roof over one's head into a speculative feeding trough for investors?

If any Aussie accountants reading this have a better clue than me, i'd be happy to stand corrected.

There must be some elderly 'goat cheese' guys in LOS who have hit the skids, and are just too old and broke to go back and regroup. I really feel for them, not everyone comes to grief through their own hand. While it sucks to be poor here, it is relative, and I'd hate to have to consider being homeless or living in a Western Sydney slum, at any age.

Frankly, if I lost everything, I think a nice lethal dose of pure Thai heroin would be the best way out.

[fang37]

I am a retired accountant (ex Australia) BUT I agree with you totally.

[Rhys]

Because they planned ahead....

[prvtdetdave]

1. Civil Service Pension

2. Military Reserve Pension

3. Decided to stop living here fulltime and just winter here Mid October- Mid April

4. Golf every day that I possibly can.

My advice, get a government job work till minimum retirement age, take your pension and do not marry!

[MaeJoMTB]

Because they planned ahead....

Not necessarily...I for one never ever dreamed I would be spending my latter years in LOS....Stuff was out of my control sooo.....

BUT, I am a happy bunny with the decision I made with what I was left with...

Better than selling carpets in a brrrrrrrrrrr environment for sure...

Yep, when the going got tough, I got going & ended up here.

[fang37]

I think that these pensioners get it too easy.

(I am not on the pension)

[silverado]

maybe after the 2/3 first years euphoria, came lots of Disappointments.....

maybe they 've decided too hastily to stay in los , leaving all of their own countries (losing friends, homes, etc) without really having a B plan....now they know thailand is not the paradize of their previous dreams, they are maybe stuck and no solution for them (maybe also no power/energy or money enough anymore) for going through...

this can make ones bitter........... and can explain extreme negativity

my advice : the ones should make their "mea culpa" before critizing everything/everybody around them , so disapointing life in los would be easier to digest

Edited November 11, 2015 by silverado

[chiang mai]

maybe after the 2/3 first years euphoria, came lots of Disappointments.....

maybe they 've decided too hastily to stay in los , leaving all of their own countries (losing friends, homes, etc) without really having a B plan....now they know thailand is not the paradize of their previous dreams, they are maybe stuck and no solution for them (maybe also no power/energy or money enough anymore) for going through...

this can make ones bitter........... and can explain extreme negativity

my advice : the ones should make their "mea culpa" before critizing everything/everybody around them , so disapointing life in los would be easier to digest

I think you'd do well to re read the OP, the question asked is why so many people are negative towards pensioners, not, why are pensioners so negative.

[MaeJoMTB]

leaving all of their own countries (losing friends, homes, etc) without really having a B plan....now they know thailand is not the paradize of their previous dreams,

My B plan is Spain, followed by my C plan Ecuador, Chile or Brazil, and my D plan France.

Plenty of countries left on the map that I haven't tried yet, and not all that long left to try them.

[silverado]

maybe after the 2/3 first years euphoria, came lots of Disappointments.....

maybe they 've decided too hastily to stay in los , leaving all of their own countries (losing friends, homes, etc) without really having a B plan....now they know thailand is not the paradize of their previous dreams, they are maybe stuck and no solution for them (maybe also no power/energy or money enough anymore) for going through...

this can make ones bitter........... and can explain extreme negativity

my advice : the ones should make their "mea culpa" before critizing everything/everybody around them , so disapointing life in los would be easier to digest

I think you'd do well to re read the OP, the question asked is why so many people are negative towards pensioners, not, why are pensioners so negative.

okay, now i can understand some pensioners, but NOT those others who are so negatives towards them.....

tourists who are disapointed just never go back to los ! but just not critizing the ones who have taken their risks/responsabilities ! those other ones who try to get advantages from the cheap cost of living in thailand same as the "digital nomads" should shut up, simply.... get it of leave it !

Edited November 11, 2015 by silverado

[heybuz]

tea bags only twice? it must be nice to have money in abundance living in the fast lane of life

i buy a packet of cigarrette papers and smoke the left overs

[piersbeckett]

I take my hat of to pensioners the world over who decide to relocate to sunnier climbs irrespective of how much money they have,anyone who has spent in my case 30 years grafting in the UK watching its continued demise freezing your nuts off for half a year has the right idea by upping sticks and leaving.

Fortunately I have been in rotational work for some time so can choose to live pretty much where I like except for the hassles of traveling.

Good luck to one and all I say.

Spot-on, stoney.