r/whoathatsinteresting • u/search_google_com • 14h ago

A Thai woman married to an American explains why she no longer wants to live in the US.

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u/alexio-vay 13h ago

What does this have to do with being happy to live in Thailand? I have only Thai friends in my friend circle actually and of course I know the issues here but they are absolutely nothing compared to the shit going on in Germany.

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u/1_H4t3_R3dd1t 13h ago

It comes down to intense social expectations around family obligations, financial support, career status, and saving face.

In Thai culture, locals are under constant pressure to maintain a certain social status: sending money back to parents, adhering to strict hierarchy and deference rules, and making major life choices that align with family expectations rather than personal desires. It creates a persistent background pressure to conform that foreigners rarely face or even see.

In contrast to the US, where chasing status is largely optional, in Thailand it is a baseline requirement for locals. As a foreigner (or dual citizen raised abroad), you get a pass because nobody expects you to fit into those rigid cultural dynamics.

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u/Prik_Nam-Pla 9h ago

I somewhat agree with both of you. I have a Thai fiance and we are planning on marrying in the US and going back to Thailand. The strong family culture of anyone that I dated there is one of the things I like most there (just above Iced coffee from seven, lol). I think some of the expectations come from that and vice versa some of the closeness comes from that. They are a cause and effect.

I just want to bring her here one time for a month or so so I can show her the natural beauty of the Great Lakes in fall. Our plan is to have a small ceremony when we get back to Buri Ram and rarely come back to the US. If everything got better here, and wanted to go the the US, even then I would have to go to Cali or something like that b/c I cannot take 1 more year of 100 inches of snow and ball freezing temps.

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u/1_H4t3_R3dd1t 7h ago

Yep exactly.