Watch National Geographic

[SandT 0]

I didn't meet my fiancee via an agency, but it makes little difference - co-workers know I've gone for several months to live with her, and I've gotten an occasional 'borderline' comment, but they're shut up easily enough. It's never bothered me much what people think outside of the people who truly matter in my life, but some people will think whatever they wish; I see it as their problem, not mine.

I've seen the 'movie,' though - it can be found on YouTube if you haven't seen it. Here's part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7cM_6q4FeA

It's interesting, but a surprising choice of 'couples' for a National Geographic movie - it's a bit sensationalistic and plays to some of the stereotypes, IMO.

I think one guy never showed his girlfriend his apartment, after being together for years, and the one younger guy claims he knows her well, then mentions something like a half dozen emails in 6 months(!!!). Interesting nonetheless.

[dxg68 0]

it is about American women liberating themselves out of the market and getting angry because you refuse to tolerate their BS and find a more traditional woman who enjoys being a woman and looks like it.

100% true

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

100% true

I second that.

[SandT 0]

...

The worst part of it is that I'm working/living in Dillingham, AK atm and it's like the capital of fat chicks here. They take one look at my wife and give her a sh*tty look for the fact she doesn't have a fat ####### like the rest of them here. It's got to the point to where she doesn't even want to go out anymore for a few drinks and deal with the stares she gets from fat chicks here with chips on their shoulders.

...

This is priceless. My initial reaction is to laugh, because it is funny, but it does have to get old for both you and your wife.

There's something SO wrong about people trying to judge others because of their own shortcomings. (being annoyed with you/you wife because she isn't fat).

I'm curious - I'm assuming you finally gave in and said something to someone giving an attitude to both of you?

[eekee 182]

If ever there were a truism, it would be: who smelt it dealt it. I think it's particularly applicable here.

I watched part of the special, and those dudes were the awkwardest awkwards who ever awkwarded.

[Martyshk 137]

I watched part of the special, and those dudes were the awkwardest awkwards who ever awkwarded.

It's like they went into a home for mentally retarded and picked the slowest ones.....

[Martyshk 137]

I have to agree. My fiancee knows me better than some people who've known me for years. It really doesn't take long to get to know someone, just depends on how open you are about everything.

Of course there's other aspects that come in play - like never living together. So that's a period of adjustment too. But who says that all couples that meet locally live together before marriage? Hell, I know people who date girls 2 blocks away from them and see them on weekends MAYBE, if lucky.

The show was retarded FOR the retarded

[visaveteran 0]

If this is one they showed about a year ago, I've seen it. And yes, of course they have to find the most extreme examples, because who wants to watch a show about the (made up statistic alert) 90% of long distance relationships (LDR) that work out just like so-called "normal" non-LDR's.

I've tried to find a study that I saw some years ago, showing that the divorce rate amongst international LDR marriages is almost exactly the same as the non-LDR divorce rate, but it's either fallen out of Google's cache or maybe my search fu sucks, I don't know. But I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Dating and getting to know somebody who is geographically near you definitely has its advantages, but when it comes down to it I really think you can only know somebody so well. Except for the most extreme cases of men who just jump on an airplane as soon as they find a pretty picture on Elena's, I'd bet that most of us knew our fiancee's at least as well as most people know their SO's before marriage. They like to portray international marriages as a couple people who barely know each other at all, but the reality in most cases is, I think, a lot different. It's too bad the producers focused on such extreme cases, but that's what sells deodorant and car insurance I guess.

Divorce rates is not the whole story with international LDRs. You'd have to factor in how many Fiancee Visa people never actually got married and split up before the 90 days. I grant that this is an interim stage you would not contend with in marrying a local woman. But as you fiancee visa boys know, the 90 day period can make or break a relationship.

The challenges with language and cultural differences with the Russian ladies adds additional burdens you won't encounter with American women. And with the high costs and limited time most men can devote to travel to be with their Russian women, I can not see their is parity with time devoted to dating local women. So I don't agree with your position. I'll be like you guys and make one of those "I know a lot of people" comments and say I know a number of American men who've married 2 or 3 Russian women. They must get addicted and keep coming back for more. But, obviously, these guys keep getting divorced. Why I don't know. But this does not support a theory that Russian marriages work better than American ones.

[visaveteran 0]

It's sad to see National Geographic taking the low road like this. I know even NG have to pay the bills, but what's next, documentaries on young earth creationists? The NG name used to stand for a certain level of credibility. Not this kind of garbage.

Face reality...the mail order bride concept turns many people off. And men who have to turn to a frozen wasteland, and spending thousands of dollars, to find a woman who'll tolerate them can seem pathetic. The stereotype of MOB men is as losers. Desperate men (fat, bald, old) permeates the discussion. You jokers have now added "retarded" to the dialogue. And the perception of the women is equally negative. Gold diggers, green card whores, cold, exploitative women desperate to escape an inferior homeland.

What did you expect from NG, Joanie meets Chaccie?

[Martyshk 137]

It's sad to see National Geographic taking the low road like this. I know even NG have to pay the bills, but what's next, documentaries on young earth creationists? The NG name used to stand for a certain level of credibility. Not this kind of garbage.

Same has happened to Discovery and History.... I mean have you seen that show American Pickers? It's two guys tripping on acid running around the country collecting sh!t... #######...

[Cixelsyd 1]

Busy day so I've been missing the fun here.

I agree with the NG taking the low road. I mean when I think of NG, I think of those yellow magazines we used to always read in school. They were always about some crazy far away place that hadn't been developed yet.

Or just an article featuring one animal having an Antelope buffet.

As for the History channel, I must be missing the really bad stuff since I only watch it late at night. Everything I see on there is generally war/weapon documentaries. Although some of that plays up to the "We were the good guys, they were the bad guys". And that takes steam out of the analytical aspect, which is what I enjoy the most.

[Cixelsyd 1]

The war stuff is fine, and in fact there really is some good stuff on HC. It's the ####### like "The Real Face of Jesus" (which is based on the Shroud of Turin, a known fake "artifact," not to mention that there's not even any evidence that Jesus actually existed) or Ancient Astronauts and ####### like that, that really puts me off. They try to pass stuff off like this as science, when in fact it's mostly just crazy people who can manage to sound scientific.

Oh right, I think I actually stumbled on that one for a minute. Fortunately either Mythbusters or Family Guy must have been on.

I do hate the biblical related ones as well, I can't change the channel fast enough. I don't have anything against most religious beliefs, but to pick one religion and pass it off as fact is a bit insulting to the people who don't align to that faith.

One that really annoys the ####### out of me is the alien finder one (I'm pretty sure it's on History Channel). They're always probing highly sensitive military facilities with camera's and then acting surprised when people with guns show up to persuade them away. They always respond with "They mus be hidin some of dem Alien saucers in der". And then they get some guy with a 10th grade education to verify he's seen it with his own eyes.

[visaveteran 0]

Oh man, Mythbusters is one of my absolute favorite shows!

Being a right-thinking atheist , I'm pretty much insulted by all religion. But whatever, if people want to worship a cosmic zombie who is his own father and a ghost but also not a ghost, who can make you live forever if you symbolically cannibalize his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in all humans because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree and thereby pissing off an invisible wizard who lives in the sky, then yeah ok whatever, knock yourself out. Just please don't try to pass it off as science.

Oh yeah, the alien believers are almost as annoying as the invisible magic man believers. Again, whever, if people want to believe in flying saucers then more power to them, just please don't pretend it has anything at all to do with science or reality. I absolutely hate the fact that they pass this stuff off as anything but fictional silliness.

For your sake, I hope your Russian wife (assuming she exists) is a real commie and, thus, an atheist. Otherwise, you must have some interesting Sundays. And I guess you won't be posting any wedding photos at your local Russian Orthodox church.

For the rest of you non believers, I guess this poses a dilemma for you. Dealing with staunchly religious wives while you make fun of their beliefs secretly here on the forum.

Edited April 9, 2010 by visaveteran

[Cixelsyd 1]

Being a right-thinking atheist , I'm pretty much insulted by all religion. But whatever, if people want to worship a cosmic zombie who is his own father and a ghost but also not a ghost, who can make you live forever if you symbolically cannibalize his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in all humans because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree and thereby pissing off an invisible wizard who lives in the sky, then yeah ok whatever, knock yourself out. Just please don't try to pass it off as science.

I avoid conversations about religion like the plague. As long as they can respect the fact that I don't want to be a part of their belief, then I can respect they want to have that belief. It's the ones that try and "save" me where the conversations end with them telling me I'm going to burn in a lake of fire or whatever the consequence is for that particular religion.

[Martyshk 137]

I avoid conversations about religion like the plague. As long as they can respect the fact that I don't want to be a part of their belief, then I can respect they want to have that belief. It's the ones that try and "save" me where the conversations end with them telling me I'm going to burn in a lake of fire or whatever the consequence is for that particular religion.

It's so nice when both people in marriage don't have any religious beliefs. So SOOOOOOOO nice