People who "discover themselves" after moving to SEA or Latam are just enjoying the fantasy of moving up social classes, amirite?

Not saying youre wrong, but its much easier to learn deeper things about yourself when all the basic needs are met.

by Suspicious-Pause9057 2 days ago

Yep. No amount of whiteness does bureaucracy, enrolling, renting, commuting etc. for you in a country where everything's different. Though I bet the rich kids lots have all this taken care of for them, so it's just a zoo for those

by Ok-Nectarine-2745 2 days ago

Came looking for this lol

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I can never remember the full name of the pyramid.

by Suspicious-Pause9057 2 days ago

Nope, I don't "live rich" because I don't have any money. I could have had a much higher income in the US, but I chose a place where every day was a pleasant experience

by Maleficent_Cut4121 2 days ago

Everyone's idea of a good day is different.

by Suspicious-Pause9057 2 days ago

I'm sure it is. For me, the factors that make every day a good day don't exist in the US in my experience. Once I determined I could make enough to live, there was no question for me. It was the easiest decision I ever made That said, I think some of the things I love most would be either unnoticed, unappreciated, or disliked by many Americans

by Maleficent_Cut4121 2 days ago

Id love to hear about those things.

by Suspicious-Pause9057 2 days ago

Contemplating one's navel while on a 12 hour shift at minimum wage is difficult, especially when the only crises in your life are financial.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

The richer you are the bigger the emotional dildo you can afford

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Not to be confused with an emotional support dildo like the one Taylor swift carries around with her

by Quinton17 2 days ago

I don't know exactly how I feel about that statement other than it is definitely funny. 😂 Other than that, I'm still figuring it out.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

"If I had all this money. I'd be nice, too." Parasite

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Idk ive never been rich, but its probably much easier to be nice if you are. Great movie btw.

by Suspicious-Pause9057 2 days ago

It's like a microcosm of the reasons that if countries actually took care of their citizens everything would improve practically overnight. The vast majority of stress and crime is caused by poverty and the fact that we're all forced to exist in a system designed specifically to chew us up and spit us out the other end.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

This. Poverty is debilitating and very very expensive. Source: Used to be in poverty as a student

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Heresy

by armani60 2 days ago

100%. I lived in Vietnam the last two years and grew tired of everyone talking about how amazing of a place it is when their definition of amazing is the fact they live like kings. When I did some quick armchair math for how much higher their salary was than the average vietnamese, their equivalent salary in the US would have to be like 400k usd. That may not be rich rich or anything in the us, but those same people would be choosing to live back in their home countries if their salary was that high.

by FickleLeg5201 2 days ago

Yup. People that make that much can buy just about any home they want, anywhere they want, and can pay it off whenever they want to. They can hire people to do just about anything for them, including meal prep (not quite dedicated chef levels unless they're real foodies) weekly maid and lawn service, go out for meals whenever and wherever they want. People that make that much usually also have very generous time off plans, so they can get off work if they want, can show up late or leave early if they feel like it (many, not all), and if they're not at a huge company they may even be getting some level of equity. They're definitely rich

by Anonymous 2 days ago

This is wildly inaccurate

by Anonymous 2 days ago

That's completely untrue. After taxes that 400k turns into like 230k making it a lot less than it seems. Furthermore many people earning that much live in very high cost of living areas like the Bay Area or NYC making that income middle class let alone affording maid services and any house that they want. Plenty of time off is a complete joke for most people at that level.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

My wife and I were at around the 400k mark for a long time and in a lot of markets that's barely middle class unfortunately in the US it's crazy. Of course if you make 400k you are theoretically on the track to earn more if you keep growing

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Respectfully, you're way, way out of depth on this. 400k household yearly is extremely rich. NYC will take a good chunk of that, but to think you're middle class is naive, or there's an insane spending problem.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I've had friends who experienced this in the US. A friend of mine worked for Microsoft for several years. He was making a CA level salary while living in a low COL state.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

And this is contributing to raising the cost of living everywhere

by leannlemke 2 days ago

Fellow TCK. I am the same way

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Hello there! Keep on keeping on.

by Desperate-Nose-3975 2 days ago

What is a TCK?

by Internal_Eye_5779 2 days ago

A third culture kid! Someone who grew up in two or more distinct cultures. I'm also an anationalist/forever foreigner: I don't identify with a national identity, but rather as a foreigner first and foremost.

by Desperate-Nose-3975 2 days ago

Possibly Third Culture Kid

by Parking-Bell 2 days ago

Rarely is anything just one thing. Maybe it's money, but I've also known people to backpack with almost no money share similar outcomes. Novel experiences broaden ones mind/horizons. In learning more about the world we learn more about what is important to us rather than what was important to the culture around us. To see that the scope of human experience is as diverse as it is immense helps to provide self perspective. 🤷‍♂️

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Nope, not me!

by Otherwise_Quit_8102 2 days ago

Noted.

by Otherwise_Quit_8102 2 days ago

100% but is this an unpopular opinion?

by Foster40 2 days ago

Anything that questions the spiritual/self-help elements of travel abroad is unpopular online. I agree with the OP and I think his point applies to majority of tourists who make such claims as well. Before the butthurt brigade arrives, I've lived in two different countries and vacationed abroad. Y'all just like living it up in tropical/picturesque countries, it's not that deep.

by Robin03 2 days ago

SEA is Southeast Asia, yeah. I will also say that I can disagree with OP because I lived in Southeast Asia for a time with a material downgrade in my living conditions versus home in the west and I still felt it to be a profoundly important experience. Smaller house, much more basic amenities, less to do, more basic groceries, etc etc.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I don't know why public transportation is relevant, but other than in Singapore public transportation generally sucks in SEA. And Singapore is not cheap.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I'm from Vietnam. I took public transit every day for 7 years in middle school and high school. I continue to take public transit now whenever it is even a remotely considerable option, even though the better decision individually, all things together, would be travelling by moped. I really appreciate public transit done well. Public transit in SEA is not. Small cities get barely any service, and buses are stuck in big city traffic.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Thailand has one of the most unstable political climates. As a westerner, one is completely insulated and ignorant (maybe a few truly understand) of the politics. Your opinion is uninformed

by NiceLeading 2 days ago

Well I wouldn't say my opinion is uninformed because you brought one example to focus. The purpose of my list of "three things" was not to claim that all three are better in every country in Latin America and southeast Asia, but rather to suggest that having a powerful currency is not even close to the only reason someone from the US, Canada, or Europe might prefer to live somewhere else. I think your take that a "westerner" can be ignorant of politics reflects considerably poorly, especially as of this year, now that the US gov't has spent the last 6 months enabling the voiding of environmental protections, racially profiling, and forcibly stripping millions of healthcare. After all of that comes to pass, will the US still be more politically stable than at least one country in the two larger regions OP mentioned so that you can fire off another example? Perhaps so. But, per usual, it is way too significant of a generalization to insinuate that a typical westerner can just continue on as if nothing is happening.

by Creative-Hand-7615 2 days ago

"SEA and connection with spirituality/diversity"... LMAOO. I think, this reply is the best one here LOL.

by DapperInteraction 2 days ago

And in the case of men, it's just because they can finally attract a poor girl cause middle class American girls all rejected them

by genevieve35 2 days ago

For some yes but experiencing things far out of your comfort zone, meeting different types of people, and interacting with different cultures can be eye opening

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I found it amazing how people can have so little in the way of material objects This has to do with the expected minimum Standard of Living. There, their material expectations aren't really high, so they can focus on other things.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yeah like being happy which is the point ....

by Anonymous 1 day ago

No. I am saying due to lower expectations, they need fewer things to be satisfied.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Have you ever travelled outside your country?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

??? Yes, I have. I understand how much impact your worldview (expectations) has on how you view life.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

are you saying this from experience? Does this apply to you? Mark Twain, James, Joyce, and John Irving (3 of my favorite authors) all said that to understand one's own culture one needs to leave their home country for at least two years. If you want to be a cultural critic, you need to step out of your native culture. by the way, calling another culture third world or developing can sometimes be a bit arrogant. Southeast Asia is not all Third World. Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, amd. Japan these all have better standards of living (better technology, better healthcare, lower infant mortality, better maternal healthcare, less food insecurity and equal (but bad in different ways) education to the United States. I wonder if you're projecting a sort of passport-bro way of thinking. That's not necessarily the majority of people who travel.

by AdNearby6062 1 day ago

also, what you're saying seems to apply to anyone who join the military right? They joined a socialized system. All their needs are taken care of. They get sent someplace different. The idea of maturing or developing while you're in the military must be an illusion by your thinking.

by AdNearby6062 1 day ago

This is a wild take considering that most people who migrate from those regions to the U.S. do the same thing.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Thanks for the gentrification/s

by IntroductionNaive 1 day ago

They hate gentrification and being pushed out of their neighbourhoods until its their turn to do the gentrification.

by Generalabernath 1 day ago

As someone who is currently traveling SEA and has been to quite a few countries by now and met a whole range of people, I can 100% say this is not only an unpopular opinion… It is quite frankly complete Bullsh*t

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Tell me you've never traveled without telling me you've never traveled. I almost never hear people say it was "spiritual" but rather life changing. Because it is. It's extremely life changing. I had this conversation a couple of weeks ago with cousins that finally did a 3 week trip to Japan and admitted to me that my 8 month, 15 country trip that I worked a minimum wage job saving for, was in fact impressive and they can see how it would be life changing. Especially at 23 years old (now 31) I gained a deep appreciation for where I came from after going to the largest slum in Asia and spending time with true poverty. I've seen horrors that still give me nightmares. I've broken down crying several times after a day in the streets of India. I was permanently changed. This has absolutely nothing to do with my dollars being worth more and feeling rich in a 3rd world country

by Efficient-Cod-7837 1 day ago

Nah you're just being obtuse. Learning to appreciate what one has does not equate to "enjoying the fantasy of moving up social classes."

by Dependent-Truck 1 day ago

Ok then decouple the two. Show me any instance where you can appreciate what you have without looking at others who dont have it.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yeah, but also, gotta sound good for the story. Nobody wants to tell the story of having their spiritual awakening in Licking, Missouri.

by Motor-Knowledge 1 day ago

Yes...

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I don't think anyone is denying it, it's merely crass to say it so bluntly and directly. But more importantly, directly declaring the existence of the elephant in the room does nothing to optimize that person's social standing. All the world's a stage and many of these people "discovering themselves," also desire to maintain their networks and close relationships. Saying "I'm going to SEA to enjoy feeling richer than everyone else rather than sucombing to the relentless financial vice grip of late stage capitalism in the West," isn't going to maintain any friendships. Suspension of disbelief is also a critical lubricant when it comes to interacting with strangers - directly saying this to anyone in the destination country is a non-starter.

by Mental-Pop 1 day ago

Eat pray love

by NiceLeading 1 day ago

LBH - Losers back home.

by Meda42 1 day ago

English teachers think they are the sh*t lol but most people that have been abroad can tell they can only attract a specific type of local women.

by Rude-Morning 1 day ago

I agree. Its similar to the fundamentals of the loser white and black guys in america. They get a bad ass asian girl in thailand because the economy is so trash compared to western society

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I mean that's sorta the point ain't it? People can "discover themselves" easier when there is less stress and constant grind to exist. When you can more easily provide for yourself you can spend more time on yourself and find things out about yourself, that you wouldn't have discovered otherwise.

by filiberto62 1 day ago

Seattle?

by Educational-Sun-3572 1 day ago

In my 20's I would backpack in different National Parks and live in the wilderness for multiple days. You begin to appreciate the things you take for granted in society like electricity, running water, and heat. And it also teaches you what is important and what's extra.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Man discovers that money lets people solve other problems

by Forward-Site-3121 1 day ago

I mean you're not wrong. But it's not so much "moving up social classes" and more of an extended vacation. It help.

by Benedictgutmann 1 day ago

I mean, that's what generally happens when you move to places where you don't have to worry about your next helath incident wiping out your lives savings. You won't be "moving up the social classes" if you move to Syria , or Ghana.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

And? Work doesn't necessarily define you. But when you only have time to work then of course it necessarily is you

by bernieosinski 1 day ago

Well.. it's not a fantasy when you literally are a higher class there. But also, traveling anywhere is extremely good for you. You can also "discover yourself" when you go to any place even far richer than your own like Europe or Scandinavia. Facing the pure size and diversity of our world is extremely impactful. If something is a fantasy then its the "global village" theorem that states that our world is much smaller now due to globalization. Easier to access yes but not smaller.

by Legitimate-Edge-187 1 day ago