@Marney *******

It seems that many Thai men treat women rather badly. Before meeting my wife, I chatted with a number of middle aged to older Thai women. All were well educated and professional and all were either widowed or divorced. I asked each of them why they were interested in meeting a farang. The replies were somewhat different, but much the same; they all thought that farang treat women better than Thai men do and they all had stories of bad experiences. After their previous experiences, they had no interest in another relationship with a Thai man. I happen to know a few Thai men who treat their wives quite well, but there are quite a few that do not. My wife is well educated and professional and her family is not poor. She had two previous relationships with Thai men that turned out very badly. At that point, she had decided that she simply was not destined to be in a good relationship and didn't even want to try. Her sister tried very hard and finally convinced her to reluctantly try meeting a farang online. I'm very grateful that she did.

@Richard **************

Thinking about moving to Thailand at the first of next year.

If you hang out in American or European bars and strip joints, it is highly unlikely that you will meet the sort of woman that you would like to take home to mother. Thailand is no different and there's no reason that you should expect it to be. However there are many other Thai ladies whose primary interest is not monetary. You can't judge all Thais based on those you encounter while partying in Thailand; most are quite different. I suspect that most of the cynics on this page had a fling with a bargirl that ended badly. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

@Ellen ************

One last question; I'm rather curious. Since you're so authoritative, do you actually live in Thailand or have you spent much time there?

@Peter ******

OK, yes I agree that it is often the case, but I also believe that it is often not. I would agree with "many", but not necessarily with "most." Also, I don't think that there is anything unique about Thailand or relationships between Thai women and farang men. I've seen many situations where an American woman is mostly interested in the wealth of an American man (and in one case, vice versa), but I also know of many where the money is irrelevant. I don't think that we can generalize.

@Ellen ************

Frankly, I'm rather pleased that we have no common ground.

@Richard **************

You said, "if your support ever has to be cut off for whatever in life happens, so will the relationship and that's the fact you cannot dispute." Yes, I certainly can dispute it. The fact that your woman was with you only for the money does not reflect well on you. Yes, it's certainly a flaw in her character, but it's also indicative that you may have little else to offer. Personally, I have no doubt that if I lost every penny, my wife would take care of me for the rest of my life. We are bonded by more than money.

@Ellen ************

Not all Thais are desperately impoverished, although that seems to be your conclusion. Many manage to live quite comfortably even though not rich by Western standards. You comment, "but the money makes all the difference in the world for them" is undoubted true in many cases, but it is not a universal truth. Money is not the prime motivating factor for absolutely everyone. You claim to have "a fair and even hand", but then Fox News claims to be "fair and balanced."

@Peter ******

All of your suspicion about the motives of women makes me wonder if, perhaps, you have had numerous bad experiences with Thai women or women in general. My observation has always been that when a man has had bad experiences with several women, Occam's Razor would indicate that the fault more likely lies with the man rather than with the several women.

@Ellen ************

and you accuse others of "arrogance"? Look in a mirror.