Why a American Man should Leave America (If just for a bit…)

I will have to be honest, it wasn’t until after I left America that I really began to appreciate it.

The first day of hunting season. A big garden full of tomato plants, peppers and onions. Football on lazy Sunday afternoons. The local sports section in the newspaper with photos of friends, relatives, and their kids. Fishing brook trout. A compound bow. A Ruben sandwich with real coleslaw. Rummaging around in a auto junkyard and scrounging some spare parts.

Meeting some friends at the local bar, or club. Chatting about the latest movies. Depth-charges, and pickled eggs. Cleaning out the gutter, and raking leaves. (Yeah, really.) My riding lawnmower.

Chilling out with my uncle while jazz played on the stereo in his living room. Having a "Dagwood" sandwich. The editorial section of the Pittsburgh Press. Taking my motorcycle out for a spin on a nice sunny summer day. "Lighting up" next to a hopper while the Indian summer breeze blew some leaves about. You take these things for granted. It is not until you live without them that you begin to miss them, and appreciate them.

Here is an interesting little vignette from an American who went to visit a coffee-shop in Amsterdam, and discovers that instead of selling coffee, it sold weed and magic mushrooms!

"So you decided to skip breakfast, and just start dinking long island teas early today.

It’s your life (bitter and angry though it may be) I suppose."

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Right on the mark, sir. So many of the folks who bash retirees should take a cue from the Asians and show a bit of deference............. but they won't.

While most of these guys spewing this nonsense have probably never visited Southeast Asia, they could listen and learn from the believers in theravada buddhism found throughout the area: tolerance is golden.

Based on my experience of visiting here for 15 years and living here for the past decade:

The guys who say Thai women are "subservient" have never been in a long term relationship with one, or have only known the bar girls working by the hour or the day.

Thailand culturally is the closest thing I have ever seen to a matriarchy. From a young age the females are taught to be the solid part of society who take care of family and neighbors regardless of their sometimes modest means. They are the sensible and grounded sex who control the finances in a relationship while their partners continue to act in an irresponsible manner. And yes, when the need within the family is great they are the first ones to march off to a falang friendly bar to market what some tourists are looking for.

Male children are coddled and spoiled and so many never seem to grow-up and behave in a mature manner. Women's liberation will never catch on around these parts because in much of Thai society the women are already there by necessity. Husbands hand over their pay packet on payday and are given an allowance while their wives make sure the bills are paid. Because if they didn't the money would be splashed about until it is gone without taking care of responsibilities.

If you don't drink or do drugs and if you can be trusted to keep it in your pants when you are out on your own you will find yourself to be very much in demand in a country where most men do not have those attributes. My Thai partner has a solid job and could support herself without me, but of course I give her access to some things which would be beyond her reach without my money. I'm retired so I have the time to do much of the shopping and I do most of the laundry here at home while she is at work. She cooks us terrific Thai food at the end of the day when she gets home from work which we share together. And she is just about the kindest, most compassionate person I have ever known in my life. If it wasn't for her, I would probably move back to America, but as long as we are happy together life is very good.

Spent a week in USSR back in the 70’s (student exchange program). Kissed the ground when I came back to the good ol’ USA

It was still screwed up in the 1980's when I bicycled all over Russia, Estonia, Latvia (with my friendly commie Soviet government "minder" always keeping me in check). Even then you still had to unplug all hotel TV's after use because they would blow up otherwise. When you come in to your hotel after a night out at the finest restaurant (cold peas and a cold bun-less hotdog if you're lucky) you get off your elevator at the nearest floor with a door (they don't do doors on every floor... too expensive) and check in with your floor monitor at the desk she reminds you to remember to unplug the TV after watching. It was that way all over the USSR then.

Don't even ask me about my summer in Yugoslavia in 73.

Agreed on your well described perceptions. Here’s some interesting biographical information.

Cyril M. Kornbluth

Very interesting biography. I find it interesting and amusing that he moved to Levittown (the first "planned" community), of all places.

I don't know how many "alternate" universe stories about the Axis winning WWII were already around, but Kornbluth's predates Phillip K. Dick's "Man in the High Castle" by a few years.

I did find it interesting that women don't show up in "March of the Morons" except in the anecdote of a neurotic woman taking a trip to Venus, and references to barely dressed women appearing in video and publications. Frankly, other than the bad diction and the dislike of "bluenoses", the "morons" in Kornbluth's story compare favorably to many of the real people walking around today.

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