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**Nimbus** · 07-03-13, 05:30

Oh, there's plenty of bellyaching here along with a good number of keyboard warriors, it's just that the mod team is doing a great job in keeping things civil. They're also not shy in banning the worst offenders, so the knucklehead population is comfortably low. Hazing newbies is strictly verboten here, so locals who are brave enough to post for the first time don't get scared away by cranky old farts.

**lantern** · 07-03-13, 05:45

A keyboard warrior.

**DanInAceh** · 07-03-13, 09:25

lantern. That is a shocking likeness of me. Have you been stalking me?

estreeter, it's not too bad here. Yeah sure we argue about religion a lot here, but generally no one gets extraordinarily butt hurt. We have loads of "keyboard warriors" though. I think I probably fall into that category.

**waarmstrong** · 07-03-13, 09:30

Originally posted by estreeter View Post

Hi All.

Just a quick impression from a newbie here - feel free to correct me on any of this. I admit that many on Thai-based expat boards are simply disgruntled old curmudgeons, but I'm afraid it's my only frame of reference. Please adjust all flamethrowers accordingly....

Inevitably, this thread will be greeted with howls of protest from those who have been here since Monas was built, but that's all part of my transition from naive newbie to disgruntled old curmudgeon, and lurkers may benefit from any roasting I receive. Feedback welcome.

Peace,

estreeter

I am retired and probably in the top third of posters age-wise. I don't know if that qualifies me a a curmudgeon and I also have no acquaintance with your point of comparison, the Thai-based expat boards, nevertheless my impression is that if you assume your mild comments "will be greeted with howls of protest," you don't know the character of this board very well.

**Hombre de Maiz** · 07-03-13, 09:31

...and, and, and there's even a thread about "audiophile headphonistas"!

**estreeter** · 07-03-13, 09:50

Point taken, waarmstrong, and you are correct - I don't know the character of the board very well, but I *do* know how quickly some expats react to anything they view as a differing POV to their own. Call it a defence mechanism, but the 'howls of protest' line is part tongue-in-cheek, part serious. I do find it odd that Indonesians would want to join an expat board, but again that is based on my own experiences elsewhere. Plenty to learn, obviously - onward and upward.

**ohmdafyd** · 07-03-13, 09:52

Originally posted by estreeter View Post

Point taken, waarmstrong, and you are correct - I don't know the character of the board very well, but I *do* know how quickly some expats react to anything they view as a differing POV to their own. Call it a defence mechanism, but the 'howls of protest' line is part tongue-in-cheek, part serious. I

do find it odd that Indonesians would want to join an expat board, b

ut again that is based on my own experiences elsewhere. Plenty to learn, obviously - onward and upward.

I did too at first but now I find lots of valuable contributions from locals and as for the increasing numbers of gold hunters, well that's self explanatory.

**ohmdafyd** · 07-03-13, 09:53

Originally posted by Nimbus View Post

Oh, there's plenty of bellyaching here along with a good number of keyboard warriors, it's just that the mod team is doing a great job in keeping things civil. They're also not shy in banning the worst offenders, so the knucklehead population is comfortably low. Hazing newbies is strictly verboten here, so locals who are brave enough to post for the first time don't get scared away by

cranky old farts.

Easy Injun, I might fart a lot but I'm not cranky all the time ...

**rabbit_39** · 07-03-13, 09:53

Plenty of Indonesians are expats and ex-expats. And some are ex-Indonesian expats. Among other reasons.

**estreeter** · 07-03-13, 09:54

Originally posted by Hombre de Maiz View Post

...and, and, and there's even a thread about "audiophile headphonistas"!

Hombre, you are a known quantity from our previous, ahem, interaction on HF. All that mysterious smoke'n'mirrors stuff about exactly where the 'land of beautiful women' could possibly be - you and I both know it's THAILAND !

**estreeter** · 07-03-13, 10:00

Originally posted by rabbit_39 View Post

Plenty of Indonesians are expats and ex-expats. And some are ex-Indonesian expats. Among other reasons.

I kinda staggered into that one, didnt I ?

**Kinky** · 07-03-13, 10:51

This is very funny, but somehow true... Even I'm not a keyboard warrior, sometimes I think someone on the internet is wrong

**atlantis** · 07-03-13, 11:35

Originally posted by estreeter View Post

- generally, you seem to have less keyboard warriors here - thank God for that.

We have a pretty long list of people who have been encouraged to check other community forums.

Your comparison with the thai boards is pretty apt... Some of our banned members are happy posters on thai boards. I could give you a few name

Originally posted by estreeter View Post

- many here seem more intent on job prospects than retirement - it may simply be that retirees feel less need to post regularly.

I think that the explanation is to be found in the huge difference in between immigration facilities in between both country, Indonesia and Thailand. Lansia are still a rarity in Indonesia due to the lack of an adequate policy encouraging them to settle in Indonesia, at the difference of Thailand. At the end of the day, it gives you a very different global picture of the immigrants to be found in both country. Here, retirees are still odd. I can't remember the statistics at the moment, but if I think that the number of retirees amount for 1 or 2 % only of the total number of immigrants in Indonesia.I can't remember the exact figure, but it is ridiculously low. A figure which is very different if you look at the structure of immigration in Thailand.

Originally posted by estreeter View Post

- local members on a board designed for expats - almost unheard of on the Thai-based boards. Combine the aforementioned keyboard warriors with topics that routinely criticise everything about Thailand (except the monarchy and Buddhism) and most Thais just don't want to know. I'm told that their 'feudal' culture and education system doesn't prepare them for critical thought, but that comes from many of the curmudgeons mentioned earlier.

Don't be mistaken, I've read and heard similar comments made by jaded expats who never see anything positive in Indonesia or with indonesian. Fortunately, they are not the norm and many posters here enjoy living in indonesia and the interactions with our indonesian friends both in and outside the forum.
You got it right, some of our most helpful and prolific contributors are indeed Indonesian. This is something this forum is pretty proud of.

Anyway, welcome to the forum. Hope you will enjoy it.

**estreeter** · 07-03-13, 11:44

Thanks for the feedback, atlantis. FWIW, the current hysteria on many of the Thai-based boards is 'Get me outta here !'. Disenchantment seems to be particularly high among English teachers - you cant teach in the public system any more beyond the age of 50, and many claim they are being screwed over by their employers in private schools because they know they have them over a barrel. The other big bitch session seems to be around the strength of the baht and the weakness of the USD and GBP - somehow, that is seen as being Thailand's 'fault'. In any case, very few of them are prepared to walk the walk - they just seem to enjoy bitching.

Given that I dont want to turn all of my threads into 'This one time, in Thailand ..', I'll leave it there. Pretty clear - even to me - that these are very different countries with completely different systems.

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