one...two...tree

Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.

1968? Was that date less convenient?

Here's Susan B. Anthony being pummeled for attempting to vote in 1872. What the photo doesn't show is how turned on she is by being surrounded by strong men. Her mouth must have been watering at that point.

Set aside your ideology and partisanship, and remember those souls who lost their lives 11 years ago.

Most couples here met online via an international dating site, so talking about why someone chose a particular dating site and what the criteria was for women who became members is part of the story here. Are there any Filipino men who use the site to find American women? Are there any American women who find Filipino men? It's a niche market - middle aged or older men pairing up with young Filipinas, and with that, all kinds of problems.
As for how I met my wife, we were introduced by mutual friends. These friends I had met from a previous trip to the Philippines, where I did get to know another Filipina that I connected to through one of those dating sites. That connection ended up being a disaster. I had used local dating sites (Lava and another one I can't remember) prior to trying an international dating site and the interactions with the women are much different in comparison. For example, on a local dating site, the interactions are very casual, cautious and lighthearted. You also have snowball's chance in hell with dating-up to someone who is ten times more good looking than you. With an international dating site, women will practically throw themselves at the men, regardless of his physical appearance. The reality is, that for many Filipinas who use those dating sites, it's a potential ticket out of a meager existence, so the men have the upper hand and therefore can date-up to girls who would never give them the time of day if they were living in the U.S..

Sounds like you went looking for love from the Philippines on the presumption that American women only look at your bank account. Hopefully, you can see the irony in that.

Go back and read my posts - I never said anything about "no love." And yes, of course some women here in the states still look for financial security when finding a potential mate, but the difference is that women in the states are much closer to equal ground when it comes to earning power and economic mobility so they are less likely to make that a precondition of potential suitors. And the only reason I bring that up is the the OP of this thread mentioned 'scammers.' It's far too easy to dismiss any of these marriages to Filipinas that fall apart as 'her just going after the green card' when essentially, for most of couples here, the Filipina is in fact looking for financial security by marrying a Kano. That doesn't make a girl any more a scammer than it makes the relationship any less valid. As you pointed out - it exists in varying degrees everywhere. The difference, however, is that a man with relatively modest income, who carries with him the baggage of divorce, kids middle age and whatever comes with that, and he can find a very young, petite Filipina who will be eager to marry him with a minimal amount of courtship. Those marriages, on average from the statistics I've seen, are actually quite successful, but on the occasion that one doesn't pan out, I think these guys aren't being honest with themselves if they react by claiming the Filipina was just after a green card, as if that never factored into the relationship to begin with.

You realize that is a marketing tool by the international dating services to get gullible, lonely American men to believe that if they marry a Filipina, she'll never leave him, right? Because it is pure BS.

BJ, people have always married for various reasons, and the romantic notion of people marrying strictly out of love is a fairly modern one and to be quite frank, a fairy tale. That doesn't mean the love between the two spouses isn't real or that somehow the marriage is less legitimate. I brought this up earlier in the thread - ask yourself these questions:
1. Would you have ever considered marrying a woman who is 20 years or older than yourself?
2. What if she's over 20 years your senior, divorced and has kids?
3. What if she's also overweight and not attractive by modern standards?
Because if love truly is blind as you suggest, then we'd see a diverse crowd of Fil/Am couples here, but we don't. There is a disproportionate amount of older men married to younger women. Where are the older, divorced and overweight Filipinas with children finding younger, attractive husbands? I doubt you'll find any.
I don't think anyone needs to feel defensive about that reality. It is what it is and in the end, if both spouses are truly content, that's all that matters. But the issue of the age gaps gets brought up here often because people are curious why so many older men are marrying younger women. The reasons why have to do with economics, because with all things being equal, we wouldn't be seeing such a disproportionate amount of older men married to younger Filipinas.

You bring up some valid points about why many Filipinas marry American men, but that's really beside the point since across the board, it's largely older men marrying younger women - a statistic that doesn't exist in other foreign marriages when both spouses are from similar economic backgrounds.
There aren't many older men marrying younger American women who are poor because even among the poorest Americans, they believe that economic opportunities exist without having to marry for them that their Filipina counterparts don't have.

Thanks for sharing that but the issue behind the age gap of these marriages is that the American men have the upperhand. He typically has many eager Filipinas to choose from as many of then will say up front they are looking for an American husband. So it's natural to pick one that is young, pretty and petite. Its like hitting the jackpot - a plethora of young,eager women who can't wait to be married to a man much older.

There's really no need to feel defensive about anyone's relationship here. No one here is qualified to judge the validity of the marriage. People are just curious why there's such a high number of older men with younger Filipina wives. The men here are choosing younger wives because they can. The younger women are open to marrying men much older than they are because economic opportunities are more important to them than age compatibility. If that makes you uncomfortable, just wait until you hear it from family and friends.

With all things being equal, women nowadays don't need to find a man for financial stability.

Why people bring up the issue is because there's an imbalance where a majority of older men are seeking out younger women. It is disproportionate even among married men when their wife is American. People wonder why. It comes down to economics - these young women are looking for opportunity and financial stability that is harder to achieve in their country. That gives the American men the upperhand in picking what they want - young, pretty, petite.

Many of these guys here chose to find a younger Filipina wife because it is a lot easier to find someone considerably younger and more attractive than anything they would have a chance at here in the states. It is a double standard, but I doubt most of the age gapes reach a level of creepiness. It is what it is and these couples aren't fooling themselves into believing that the courtship was on a level playing field. Take away economic desperation of these young women and offer them opportunities within their country to move up the economic ladder and they wouldn't be looking to marry older, foreign men.

If you asked a guy here if he'd consider marrying a woman 20 years older than him, he'd probably choke on his saliva.
If you ask a young American woman if she would marry a man 20 years older than her she would first want to look at his financial portfolio. If you told her the guy isn't wealthy by any American standards, she'd tell you to get lost.
It's a double standard, but it is what it is.
ETA: There's also the baggage of previous marriage(s) - lots of men and women who are single don't want to touch that with a ten foot pole.

Mike,
I know you like to use this place as your personal playground, but if you want a real discussion, get out of the sandbox.
It's not rocket science in understanding that income inequality is a mitigating factor in these international marriages between older American men and younger women from Third World countries. You're welcome to search for whatever data you are looking for, but the evidence is right there. The income inequality provides an avenue for which older American men can find eager, younger women to marry. That doesn't make these marriages any less bonafide. The consulate in Manila understands this element. No one is turning a blind eye to that reality, except some of the men here who like to think that their younger Filipina brides chose them out of pure love without any other motivations. That's fairy tale BS. How many times are you going to read about some sad sack Amerikano posting on here saying that she left him after she got her green card before you recognize the pattern? While some guys here want to blame the girls - believing that they are the scammers, the reality is both are playing a game of mutual exploitation. All I'm saying is that income inequality is the underlying factor - where both partners, consciously or unconsciously, enter into the relationship under that pretext. If an Amerikano truly wants a fairy tale romance, they can go find it in a divorced, pudgy, middle-aged American woman with kids. Because that's when love is truly blind both ways.

There is no real difference between whether an Amerikano meets his future wife through a dating service or face-to-face in terms of the potential for fraud, given that in both situations, it is incredible that a woman would be so willing to give up everything she knows and leave it behind to spend her life with a man who is typically older than her, along with all the personal baggage he has. You only need to think about the likelihood that an older American male with relatively limited income would be able to attract a much younger woman from a First World Country - the chances are nil. Young Filipinas, by and large, who are eager and willing to marry these older American men are looking at marriage as a way out of poverty. That's the reality. The consulate recognizes this and most of these couples, if they are honest enough with themselves, know this as well. So whether you meet her through a dating service or face-to-face, there is always that factor - income inequality, that impacts the decision making process for the Filipina. Recognizing that would go a long way in helping these older American men avoid feeling they are being exploited for the 'green card.'

McMerlot

They do the McRib year-round there, too.

Has anyone actually eaten Subway's Bacon? It doesn't look like Bacon to me. I wouldn't eat it.

So, 200 out of 41,000+ locations have instituted this program. In addition, franchises in other areas can elect to restrict certain other ingredients, including pork in American kosher franchises.
Don't you hate it when private companies get to choose how they cater to their communities in such a way to maximize their profits? I do, because I'm a commie.

People need to understand that 10x of 10y is really the same as 1x of 1y and the only difference is the position of the decimal point.

Same thing with my ex US Navy that l met online too, he gets mad easily over little things. He always gets annoyed and mad at me when l don't argue or fight with him back. Our relationship was like a movie, he was the movie director/writer and l was the character/actress. Because he always tells me what to do and when l don't follow him, he gets angry. Ayayay! I broke with him early last year because l got really scared when seeing him mad at me. Aside from that, l found out he just fooled on me, he did many lies. Anyways lesson learned, do not look for the physical appearance as your top criteria for searching/looking online because looks can be deceiving sometimes. RlP Wichelle

Former member Tyson Stocken, murdered his Filipina wife, Whichelle, then took his own life, here in Portland, OR.
http://portlandtribune.com/cr/24-news/243455-110950-ccso-seeks-tips-on-husband-wife-murder-suicide
You can find what their activity on Visa Journey here:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/user/49112-babycake3675/?tab=topics
This coward couldn't just take his own life, he had steal her life as well. Even before she came to the USA, this loser was living with his parents and needed them to co-sponsor in order to get approved for a fiancee visa. Filipinas - if your Kano doesn't even make enough to sponsor you, call it off! Don't think that love is blind - it takes a commitment, including a financial commitment. What a senseless tragedy.