Ah yes, the global “SS freeloaders club.” Funny how you managed to meet almost all of them on your travels—what are the odds? It’s like there’s a secret handshake at immigration: “Here for the cheap rent and to personally drain this guy’s paycheck.”
And I’ve got to say, the image of you heroically “supporting a lot of them” from afar is pretty powerful. Somewhere in Buenos Aires or Bangkok, a retiree raises a glass and says, “Don’t worry, this one’s on him.”
Also interesting how these same people apparently “pay very little,” despite, you know… having paid into Social Security for decades. Minor detail, I guess. Easy to overlook when the narrative feels this satisfying.
But yeah, I get it—it’s annoying when people complain about the U.S. while living elsewhere. Almost as annoying as reducing an entire group of people to freeloaders based on a few conversations over beers in different countries.
Still, respect the consistency. It takes real commitment to travel the world and come back with the exact same conclusion about everyone you met.
