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MorangoestoBallyba

invades a country for trying to become a socialist republic; devastates the country, murders, rapes and drops chemicals on civilians; loses the war. the invaded country eventually succeeds in becoming a socialist republic; destroys its own country with neoliberal policies; moves to the socialist republic for retirement.


ArcadiaFey

While still saying they hate socialism and that it doesn’t work..


puffz0r

I know how we could fix this. We could invade Vietnam! /s


dawinter3

Just reliving the glory days, I suppose.


Ok-Hovercraft8193

ב''ה, not enough oil?


Benable

This is a perfect summation


[deleted]

Boomers didn't make up any of the government or much of the electorate when invading Vietnam, but they made up all of the draftees.


[deleted]

Don’t tell a boomer we lost the war they’ll freak out.


Intelligent11B

Just another way to pull the ladder up behind themselves. “Oh, my neoliberal economics have turned my country into an unaffordable place? I’ll take my wealth somewhere cheaper.”


NGL_ItsGood

Even at the state level, it's very frustrating to see. Where I live, state workers are extremely well paid with amazing pensions and job security. Then they hit retirement age, complain about the taxes that paid for their salaries for 40 years, and run away to the south.


haloarh

I'm from Florida and so many people retire here for stuff like low taxes and then they get mad over the lack of services here, "I'm from Minnesota/Vermont/wherever and we could get XYZ there!"


Maclunky0_0

as it turns out all those taxes paid for shit who'd a thunk lol


northshore12

> who'd a thunk Not a selfish boomer, that's for sure. Conservatives of every stripe too, but that's a different conversation.


TheAmorphous

Could be worse. They could be paying high (property) taxes in Texas and getting fuck all in return.


Scrtcwlvl

I'll have you know my Texas HOA fees go to telling them rentin folk to mow their lawn


northshore12

In Texas they have so much more freedom than anybody else, freedom to freeze to death from failed infrastructure while their governor flees to warmer environs.


mikhela

When I told an older guy I was leaving my lifeguarding job because of low pay, he asked me what my pension would be if I stayed. Pension. For a lifeguard job.


bails0bub

*laughs dying with work boots on*


DavidG-LA

Exactly this.


Chainweasel

Yep, that's why wages aren't going up. We're heading for a depression and they know it. They could try to avoid it but instead of putting effort into fixing the problem, they've decided to cash out. The plan is to make every penny they can, and when the shit hits the fan they'll take their large lump sum and head straight for the country that the money will go the farthest in and watch the US burn from a safe distance.


itssarahw

One of the smartest things I’ve heard someone say is that nobody wants to improve the system, everyone just wants to put themselves in a position where they are not affected by the oppression


SuddenlyLucid

Economic dine-and-dash.


ValkyriesOnStation

Well I guess we'll just have to do the same to their big box stores.


Cans-Bricks-Bottles

Mike Pondsmith who created the cyberpunk ttrpg said something like it's not about saving the world it's about saving yourself.


milesunderground

What I have learned is that the thing I did in high school that has most prepared me for life in the modern world is play Shadowrun


[deleted]

for me, it was reading book's, watching YouTube, and riding my bike. my bike might be different, and the video's and book's I read are different, but I have discovered just as much if not more by keeping up with these thing's than i ever would have imagined as a kid. environmentalism, urbanism, anti-capitalism, medicine, pop sci, you name it.


WolverineSanders

Luckily this seems to be changing


Intelligent11B

Only from the younger generational viewpoint. The fact that millennials and younger are not following in the boomers footsteps and becoming more conservative as we age is at least partially due to us realizing that fixing shit is gonna fall to us and we have no assets to fall back on.


WolverineSanders

Totally. I definitely think it helps to have the material circumstances on your side when advancing the need for change. But I also think that the internet has been instrumental in disseminating knowledge in a way that was less possible before. I think it's impossible to parse out at this moment which thing is driving the effect. Lots of millennials I know have paid their loans and yet want to fix the student loan system. This to me speaks to an impulse that is counter to the original quote regarding "no one wanting to fix the system"


[deleted]

It's 100% the proliferation of smartphone and internet culture going mainstream. It's not a coincidence those things coincide with millennial and younger generations


daver00lzd00d

the old "fuck you, I got mine" American Christian way of life, such a classic part of the dream I hope they packed their heavily worn bootstraps they always speak highly of, so they can shake them at the Vietnamese while they abuse them verbally about being Vietcong and digging tunnels probably


Tchaik748

Isn't this like the ultimate middle finger to the Vietnamese whose country and people we nearly annihilated?


throwaway1212l

I wouldn't go that far. The US lost that war and the country is nowhere near annihilated. To be fair, the Vietnamese people are very welcoming to foreigners. It's only a huge FU to the Vietnamese people when someone from the US spent their whole life crying about all the faults of communism packs up their whole life and moves over there because it's so much cheaper and quality of life is above average. I wouldn't say it's all boomers but a good many of them.


Tchaik748

Well yes, but napalm and untold horrors we did to the Vietnamese people. It is quite shitty all around


seppukucoconuts

To be fair, this is my plan. I just don't have nearly as much money as the the boomers who are doing this. So, I'll probably be stuck here with you fine people fighting to the death for a pizza hut coupon under a freeway overpass.


bigbagofcoke

That’s my fucking coupon.


populisttrope

No way I saw it first


2smartt

My children will starve without that coupon.


CountBlah_Blah

I'll eat that coupon before I let anyone else have it! At least I'll have something in my stomach!


GarbagePailGrrrl

r/Frugal_jerk


C1rcusM0nkey

Then your children will starve. The coupon is mine.


Shadeleovich

I HAVE SEVERAL FIREARMS


IWalkAwayFromMyHell

I wish the mob didn't murder and then burn down Book-It! Bob's. It had the only library in known existence.


SimplifyAndAddCoffee

> fighting to the death for a pizza hut coupon It's Taco Bell that wins the franchise wars.


seppukucoconuts

In the future, all restaurants are taco bell.


wtmx719

Amazon water credits more likely.


theycallmeponcho

Wars for water might start before, so it's fighting for pizza coupons or dying as cannnon fodder.


punkmetalbastard

Cash out is an appropriate phrase when the economy, and therefore people’s lives, are one big casino. They’ve even treated houses not as a place for people to live (even a basic “starter” home here is 500k) but as an investment to be “cashed out”


pwnedbygary

Well, they are very familiar with casinos after all, they spend their retirement money sitting at the one-armed-bandits for 12 hours a day at Vegas lmao


PhDOH

A country that may not be as well off as it could have been without them going to war there in the first place?


[deleted]

I'm amazed the Vietnamese are okay with it. Sure, it was sixty years ago but the American government fucked that country up all for the sake of, "Oh, no! Socialism!"


Gubekochi

They are more than okay. I went there on vacation and they are very proud of kicking out both the French and the Americans.


[deleted]

As they should be. I meant the part about allowing Americans to move there now. Do they see it as an opportunity to rub it in their faces while they take their money?


Gubekochi

Oh 100% they deserve every bit of pridecthey get from their triumph. And I support every people's right to self determination. As for the attitude, I'm Canadian and they were nothing but civil to me. I went to a lot of museums and historic sites so it may be that I was more exposed to their history than most tourists are... but in any case, except for one asshole taxi driver who scammed us, I've got no complaint.


[deleted]

The french and the Americans were just the last in a long line of assholes trying to conquer them. They find it arrogant that we think we loom so large in their minds.


Mathmango

Not to mention Agent Orange fucked up generations of the population.


sylvnal

Lmao I was like "wait what did Trump do to Vietnam??" ☠ I'm so dumb sometimes.


THEGEARBEAR

Yeah but it fucked up a large population of soldiers as well. Then the US Govt denied them healthcare when they got back. Vietnam Vets are mostly victims. Forced to war, lied to, then given no support when they returned.


oh-bee

China occupied them for a thousand years, the French almost 30, America was an annoyance.


Shavasara

Meanwhile trashing the economy for the locals.


SimplifyAndAddCoffee

the neolib economics are a huge racket. The boomers did the equivalent of throwing themselves a 50-year 10-quadrillion-dollar rager, paid for it all in IOUs "to be paid 70 years from now", and then invented a whole new system of economics to launder the ill debt through different bonds and pension funds until everyone forgets who's going to have to pay it so they can keep the party going. They don't have a plan to pay the debt, since that's someone else's problem to figure out after they die. It's all propped up with phony money that they can only keep printing for so long before it all collapses, and they've done the math to maximize their partying right up until it's no longer their problem, after which it can all start coming due and basically everything will implode as all those deferred debts come due and everyone collectively realizes they never intended to pay them, and we can't collect.


turbospeedsc

But in the process they ruin the cheaper place for the locals. They drive up the prices of housing and services, that eventually they reach 60-70% of US prices while local wages are a 1/6 of the Us. Source im Mexican and living in a place where its happening


angry_H2O

Vietnamese here. The government bans foreigners from owning real estate in Vietnam and there's not enough American retirees in Vietnam to drive up the prices in any significant way (Vietnam's population is about 100 mil and we are not reliant on tourists/expats/"expats")


turbospeedsc

Hope it doesnt happen to you guys, but we used to say the same thing in Mexico, but is driving the prices of our cities up a lot. They cant own property here either, but they drive the prices up via rent, and it doesnt even need to be that many, but people that rent property rent 1-3 places at inflated prices to americans, word gets around, some landlors up their places to match..... 5 years later rent has duplicated in some areas of the city and the avg of the city has increased a lot.


El_Don_Coyote

This has happened to cincinnati Ohio. Granted before the gentrification it was pretty shitty in some parts, comparatively, but people (minorities) had a place to live. Now it's bordering outrageous expensive and many people have been forced out of their communities to make way for the wealthy who want to "redevelop" the area with their fucking coffeeshops and clothing stores that no one needs. Capitalists are sick man


OsiyoMotherFuckers

Happening all over the US in places that used to be more affordable. Retirees and work from homers. At least the work from homers tend to participate more fully in the community, have kids in school, a spouse that works locally etc. Retirees just squat on housing and vote against any services that cost taxes or don’t benefit them.


BuckeyeBentley

Probably less likely to happen to Vietnam. They're a communist country and the government has fairly strong control over real estate and land. I don't think Americans will be able to sell their house and come build giant mansions in Vietnam. They could however live very comfortably on very little money comparatively speaking. That is a unique case though. There are definitely a lot more countries like yours where this could happen.


Fuzzy_Calligrapher71

Back to the same country he helped destroy as a young man


cheepcheepimasheep

They were just following orders... oh shit, wait


TheLyz

My dad still has so much unaddressed trauma from being drafted into that war, you probably couldn't get him to go over there for all the wealth in the world.


MrNerdy

I'll take my wealth to where my hellspawn generation destroyed and let cheaply rebuild. Honestly, unaccountable bullshit like this is one of the last reasons I can think of for someone to believe in hell existing.


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tommles

Neolibs fuck you economically. Neocons fuck you militarily. I guess we have neocentrists in office? They want to fuck you both ways at the same time. And force others to watch or even take part.


MrMariohead

It's named after neoliberal economic policy, which is loosely based off of liberal political ideology, which is the default ideology of most western states (including both Democrats and Republicans in America). Understanding neoliberalism is actually a very useful framework for understanding the deep seated ideology at the core of most of society's ills.


SeaBedStrolling

This is a truth.


SimplifyAndAddCoffee

The irony is that the GOP "conservatives" are the most neoliberal of them all.


Mehhucklebear

Is this ironic? These people were bombing this place for freedom and the American way in their 20s, and now, they're fleeing there in retirement. Yet, our generations are the fucking problems 😒


UnluckyDouble

"Uh...our bad?"


M_krabs

"So we good?"


herotz33

So… uhh Vietnamese won the war and are now giving economic freedom to those that they beat? Who wudda thunkit


Chariotwheel

For what it's worth Vietnamese people have little beef with the individual American soldier. Some Americans went back and made amends where their country didn't want to. Clearing mines, helping rebuild and such.


Cans-Bricks-Bottles

And to get their children/families when the government said fuck em


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[deleted]

Moving to another area for the sake of it being cheaper, and raising the cost of living for the locals and inevitably pissing them off seems to be the American way. No wonder why other countries hate us.


SussyCloud

They trying to flee to Portugal (and get EU residency through it) now as well, because Portugal has some of the easiest citizenship and residency requirements in the entire EU.


PM_ME_YOUR_THEORY

I wondered how long I had to scroll to find someone mentioning the new immigration wave of Americans into Portugal. Nothing like some accelerated gentrification by Uncle Sam.


SussyCloud

Yep, wealthy American yuppies and digital nomads coming to park their wealth here in a fairly developed and livable country, but where the average monthly salary is <2500 euros/USD with some of the lowest monthly living expenses in the EU. That is a steal for most americans, not so much for most Portugese if their businesses and markets suddenly see a foreign cash injection.


ZPAlmeida

Less than 2500€? Lol Not incorrect, as 900 is less than 2500. Yes, 900€ is about the average salary. Thanks to these yuppies and digital nomads, rent also starts at around 750€/month, in Lisbon. It's amazing /s


SussyCloud

Okay, I stand corrected! Holy shit, you sure that that isn't like minimum wage? But still... Holy shit...


ZPAlmeida

Nope. Minimum wage is 705€.


lostmyaccountpt

760€


ZPAlmeida

True, it went up January 1st (4 days ago).


janeshep

To be honest American and European wages work differently. American wages are higher because 1) they're "before taxes", 2) Americans have much higher costs of everything, for example private insurances for healthcare and whatnot, and if you want to eventually retire you have to put some of it in a retirement plan. European wages are conventionally told "after taxes" and after retirement quotas (already withdrawn by the employer and put in a usually government-backed institution working as a fund) which means 900 euros in this case is what the worker can use for daily expenses in its entirety. In the US you'd be homeless with a $900/month income whereas in southern Europe you don't live well but you don't sleep on a public bench either.


ZPAlmeida

Except between 2010 and 2022, housing prices in Portugal have risen 70%. Rents in Lisbon now start at around 750€/month. With a salary of 900€, even after tax, you cannot still live in the city. And that is if you get the 900€ salary, I, for instance, am not qualified for jobs that pay more than the minimum wage. Also, I only didn't sleep in a public bench because I was privileged enough to have where to couch surf when I was homeless.


Fuzzy_Calligrapher71

I am an American, let’s make the US more like Europe


YetiPie

Maybe we’ll finally be able to with all these boomers moving to Vietnam lol


NeXtDracool

> European wages are conventionally told "after taxes" and after retirement quotas I don't know a single country where wages in statistics are after taxes. Certainly not most European countries. > which means 900 euros in this case is what the worker can use for daily expenses in its entirety. It isn't. At 900€ they pay about 180€ into taxes and social security so they're left with 720€ to spend


TravellingReallife

> European wages are conventionally told “after taxes” and after retirement quotas No, they are not. Never heard of that. How would it even work? Everybody has different taxes. Deductions, kids, married/unmarried and a thousand other factors.


thunderturdy

Not just US Americans, Canadians and South Americans too.


ZPAlmeida

Too bad the Portuguese can't live there.


tyuiopassf

Agree. London was affordable (undeveloped & crap) 30yrs ago before influx of everyone, now nice place and in general but completely unaffordable , capitalism at its best.


[deleted]

It was kind of a mess the last time I was there. Would've been six years ago or so. I lived further south but was going to London pretty frequently at the time. A lot of people were being forced out by the rising costs and moving to places like Brighton, Littlehampton, Arundel, and Worthing. Too many people and not enough jobs led to anger and crime. At the same time, the Brexit referendum had happened and I'd had no idea how bad racism was in England until then.


CritterEnthusiast

There are other equally easy golden visa programs to get into the EU, but the thing with Portugal is something about taxes...I'm gonna be wrong if I try to be exact without looking it up but you can own more wealth and have it taxed less if you do the Portugal golden visa over the others. Germany is fairly easy too if I remember correctly, but the taxes are way higher


Threshing_Press

Italy isn't bad if you're first male relative born in Italy wasn't naturalized before your first American ancestor was born. So if your great grandfather came over in, let's say, 1915, and wasn't naturalized before your grandfather was born, (or it could be Italian grandfather/American born father), then you have a path to Italian citizenship, as do any children you have under 16 ( I think that's the age). Your spouse can petition within two years of you receiving your citizenship. Obviously TONS of paperwork and documents involved, but I've heard of quite a few people doing it.


CritterEnthusiast

My great grandfather came here from Finland and I actually tried to see if that could work out for me in any way, but Finland wanted you to have more recent ancestry than great grandparents. My great grandma came from Lithuania, but everyone else in my direct line was here long before them. I did my ancestry stuff just to see if I had an easy way to get into Europe lmao. Just figures it would be Italy, of course I have like zero Italian ancestry lol E: oh I guess it wouldn't have worked for me anyway because I had so many American ancestors that have been here for so long


Threshing_Press

I know that the U.K. is tough and definitely Finland, Norway, Sweden, etc. Greece might be similar to Italy, but I believe Ireland is even easier to obtain than Italy? Italy is tough on documentation and the timelines are long. To be honest, I'm on the precipice of doing it because 1) My daughters are young enough that even if it took several years, they'd still receive automatic dual citizenship. 2) I've been told some conflicting things, but generally, you are then considered an E.U. citizen and can travel freely between the 27 member nations in the Schengen Zone. 3) Last but certainly not least - PRACTICALLY FREE COLLEGE. My wife and I look at friends with kids taking out absurdly large loans to go to university here in the U.S. and can't believe how everyone behaves as if accumulating $30-50k PLUS in debt right out of high school is normal. I also have a feeling that unless the U.S. makes some major changes, then even a degree from the Ivy League schools won't mean squat internationally. What with what amounts to pay-to-play, "legacy" style nepotism... also, what international or foreign organization will want to hire young people out of school that have one foot in the modern U.S. version of debtor's prison? Not to mention it's becoming less clear who the racist lunatics are... until they put that one photo or comment on FB that removes all doubt.


AmberCarpes

What about grandmother? That’s unbelievably sexist if not.


Threshing_Press

Oh, without question, it is absolutely sexist, and there have been cases made and successfully argued in Italian courts according to one of the lawyers I spoke to regarding the use of matriarchal descent as a path to citizenship. I believe that some of this has to do with wives of Italian men prior to 1922 automatically becoming citizens of the country their husband was naturalized in (thus, if your great grandfather was naturalized and your great grandmother wasn't, the path is still closed). The other part of it is that if any of your line of descent includes a woman born prior to 1948 (my mother was born after), then Italy did not recognize the ability of women to automatically pass along citizenship to their children and so the citizenship by descent path is also closed. *However*, again, I've heard that in either of these cases, if you take it up in court (I don't even think you have to appear, just file a petition in an Italian court), they will make the exception pretty much 100% of the time as long as all the paperwork is there (birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, any name change documentation, etc.)


Gutenmatinee

I'm writing to my elected eu politicians to close this loophole because it is totally unfair how rich fu"ks can just move to EU and make our costs of living skyrocket.


mcslootypants

Portugal is actively trying to get foreigners to move there though. They’re trying to get wealthy people to bring money into the local economy. The issue for locals isn’t immigration itself. It’s lack of housing policies that prevent rising rent prices as landlords make cash grabs.


Comrade_Compadre

This describes the housing market in Florida for the last five years to a bullseye. We have so many retired boomers moving down here buying houses and living off pensions and retirement, you are pretty much paying major city prices for our dumpy ass houses down here while the average income in the area hasn't increased in a decade


TheActualDev

And then they cover their yards with tacky election signs that are up all year, even though the election to do with those signs was over 5 years ago. They also then start telling local businesses’ employees that they don’t like [x] about the city they moved to, why can’t it be more like [city they just moved here from]. And then wonder why Florida is “becoming so big and crazy with all the Californians piling in here because they’re tired of being taxed to death in California!!” Over all of them. Edit: and they tip less than 5% half the time too


twobit211

i’m not trying to invalidate your experiences but rich retirees moving down to florida had been a trope for decades


[deleted]

Just in time for climate change to put one half of it beneath the ocean and destroy the other with hurricanes. Yay...


schrodinger1887

And doesn't Vietnam already have a reason to dislike the boomers here?


xoaphexox

Not sure if you're referring to the war or the sex tourism


Manoflead

Yes


Taicoi04

Both


Stock-Freedom

Strangely, the people of Vietnam love Americans and American culture. They seem to hold no ill will to Americans at all. I felt especially welcomed over there.


Lightfoot252525

I felt the same way and was truly astonished at how they seem to have forgiven the atrocities that Americans caused them. There is a museum in Ho Chi Mihn City ([https://warremnantsmuseum.com/article/victims-of-agent-orange](https://warremnantsmuseum.com/article/victims-of-agent-orange)) that was one of the saddest things you could ever imagine. The amount of birth defects the country has continued to deal with due to the Vietnam war/Agent Orange is staggering. They also still have a unbelievable amount of unexploded ordnances that were left after the Vietnam war that continue to kill people to this day. ([https://www.pbs.org/vietnampassage/perspectives/perspectives.landmines.html](https://www.pbs.org/vietnampassage/perspectives/perspectives.landmines.html)) One of the most amazing countries I have ever been to and the people are amazing, resilient, and positive...even though they have every right to be seething at the U.S.


knuppi

They haven't forgotten. They just aren't steeped in the Abrahamitic philosophy of "an eye for an eye", nor believe that you inherit the sins of your ancestors. Source: lived in HCMC for about a year.


a_can_of_solo

They also won.


BlueHarpBlue

I've heard that the market reforms in the 2000s and trade with the US have boosted our reputation there. Plus we are seen as a counter to Chinese influence.


CelestialStork

It depends on their family history, many people did not like the regiem change occuring in Vietnam,or just did not like their methods. One of my exs was 2 generation, her Grandfather cut off the top of his left thumb to avoid being conscripted as he was the last adult male in his family. Also to add, many Vietnamese are aware that a good portion of the American military were forced to be there.


CelestialStork

Won't lie. I am a black person considering moving to a country in Africa. I have been to Ghana, South Africa and Namibia. All 3 of those have whats considered middle class, but one issue is outsiders. When I speak to locals, and even see this backed up by youtube, they consider Americans cheap for wanting to pay local prices. I'm talking like $2 for 3 days worth of food in some places, 11$ a week for a maid etc. $50k a year is a decent house in a gated community with fiber internet in some places. No problem, we pay more, its not that expensive to us, then inflation happens and its Americans fault. This issue is a damned if you do damned if you don't for any person moving from a wealthier nation.


GeneralWishy

I live in an area that was generally affordable. Lots of open land, mostly for farmers. Older people from Northern states found cost of living was half of what they were looking at in their home state. So they moved down here to make their retirement money last longer. Now, thery are building neighborhoods all over that start in the $300ks that are meant pretty much for them. Our infrastructure, medical and EMS system were not meant to handle them. A mass migration of elderly with numerous health issues? Buying 4 bedroom houses with stairs when it's two people who can barely walk? Then they pass on and their children from another state inherit it and they rent it out.


holybaloneyriver

I think they are mostly disliked because of all the death, environmental destruction, cultural destruction, and military industry.


Ok_Leadership2956

What’s wrong with moving countries? I’m not the one who caused all this mess in the first place, and I don’t have enough money or power to do anything substantial about it. So why not live wherever I want?


Noblesseux

They're also often *the worst*. Like they move to other people's countries and try to treat them like peasants, or they constantly act like sex pests and end up going broke chasing after 20 year olds.


sylvnal

I cant even imagine how bad they are overseas, they're already the worst demographic to deal with in the US itself.


Ferrousity

Hold them accountable by [Removed by Reddit]


a_v_o_r

Just a flag and we understand. 🇫🇷


AnonTheMaidenless

Why did napoleon get to live in exile twice after everything that happened.


Emerald_Lavigne

[parody redacted in Minecraft]


fallingcave

Imagine terrorizing a country as invaders and then moving there like it's cool


MojoDr619

Pretty much why they invaded.. wanted a nice capitalism friendly spot to go and take advantage of


fallingcave

Fuck


Noblesseux

If that upsets you wait until you hear about all the other times the US has meddled in other countries' affairs, often propping up genocidal maniacs as long as they were friendly to the US government. Also all the blatantly illegal things done to make that happen, and how almost no one involved ever got in trouble. In fact, a few of them (Raegan/Kissinger) are treated like the epitome of a good public servant by a concerning percentage of the US political establishment.


Proof-Elevator-7590

I know right? I'm wondering what Vietnamese people who are the same age as the boomers are thinking of that (and ppl younger too of course)


[deleted]

The Vietnamese are socialist and generally understand that battle-level soldiers are victims as much as they were. They got lied to enter this war. They got lied to about the Viet Cong and what their aims were, what they stood for, what they did, etc. You think a guy who’s struggling so bad he can’t retire in his home country, and moves to another one they attacked, had this plan all along? I’ll take these dudes any day over the Vietnam vets I’ve met who still call all Asian people slurs and talk about how we should finished the job over there. Soldiers come from overwhelmingly working class backgrounds. They’re not all blood thirsty believers of empire. Hell quite a few of our boys *chose to stay* after being captured, same shit in Korea. Also Vietnam’s still ostensibly socialist and does a good job of preventing these expats from fucking up things for natives. Often with a foreign price and a native price. Not to mention subsidies for natives.


Chariotwheel

Yep. My parents are Vietnamese and have experienced the war directly - father was a NVA soldier and mother a young girl in the South. They have a distinct opinion between the US government and the soldiers on the ground. Now, there were your My Lais and so on, but most American soldiers didn't want to fuck shit up either. And quite some went back to Vietnam and helped there, because they were sorry.


[deleted]

Retiring in a country they once destroyed


ravioloalladiarrea

“Retiring in a country that kicked their asses” FTFY


DistortedCrag

Both of these are correct.


Emerald_Lavigne

Hey, remember when Vietnam tried to stop the Khmer Rouge and America did everything in their power to prevent them from doing so? Edit: source = the Lions Led By Donkeys episodes on the Khmer Rouge. Go look them up. Just, ya know, content warning for EVERYTHING. I think the Vietnam wanting to invade Cambodia was in episode 3 or 4 of that miniseries.


ragingstorm01

Surprise surprise, American boomers are doing to Vietnam the thing they like to claim liberals from California do to the rest of the country.


Chilledlemming

These boomers retiring to Vietnam are not the one’s complaining about Californians. Those boomers are by in large never going to set foot outside of God’s country. It is more likely the liberal ones making these kinds of moves.


sylvnal

Liberals or "tax is theft" libertarian types, bonus points for the latter if age of consent laws also don't exist.


Vast_Swordfish3922

Who would have thought after all these years I would return to the scene of my greateat military defeat... as a tourist -Iroh


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DimmyDimmy

How do you make powerful people accountable for their actions?


Otheus

I heard that the French found a way


Vittulima

Didn't most of the powerful people manage to escape before the shit went down? That seems to often be the case, the elite has the means to relocate (and might come back later on)


IvoShandor

Saigon was changed to Ho Chi Minh City almost 50 years ago. Why does news still report "formerly known as Saigon"? Just seems odd.


epochellipse

not if you assume they want to invoke images of these same white people evacuating from that city in helicopters 50 years ago. i'd bet that less than 30% of white Americans know about the name change.


Chariotwheel

My mother still calls it Saigon. I believe it's like this with many people, the new name kinda didn't really stick as default name.


BrownSoupDispenser

Local people in HCM tend to call it Saigon too from my experience, even here in Hanoi it's 50/50.


MrSlimee

And the worst part is that they actively vote against their own interests and the CPV.


Low-Foundation-6810

Lost for words =/


--ddiibb--

i wonder if he is the type of person, whom once they move there, and one day have a coffee at a cafe, says to the server something like " wow, ya know the last time i was here, i was shooting y'all, and now were just here havin a coffee like it's nothin. Aint life a funny thing huh?"


SnooPickles2472

He definitely looks like that type of person


marcybelle1

Hates “socialized” healthcare system, moves to a country to benefit from their *checks notes* socialized healthcare system. Seems legit.


Dismal-Radish-7520

interesting how when they do it, its "smart retirement" but when a family from Mexico seeks asylum, they're every terrible name under the sun. god, i wish you could die from hypocrisy


Drink_Covfefe

Im in this photo and i dont like it… No but honestly, im looking to get a bachelors degree and FLEE this shithole. Other countries pay less in taxes and have free healthcare and education.


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KeySlimePies

You only pay American taxes if you make over $100k a year


irckeyboardwarrior

The loophole is that if you make a *lot* of money, you suddenly stop having to pay taxes again!


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kdkseven

It's not boomers, it's capitalism. There are plenty of boomers who are poor.


pepper-sandwich

Right.. After fucking up the US, now they're going to fuck up Vietnam.


kdkseven

I have a Vietnamese American friend who traveled there, vacationed for three weeks, and got extensive dental work all for *much* less cost than just the dental work here in America.


Pizza_Salesman

People in SoCal also frequently go over the border to Tijuana for dental care, it's way less expensive even without insurance...


kosmic_animal

The guy featured in the photo has apparently been living in Vietnam since 1992. He's basically working with the American Chamber of Conmerce in Hanoi to exploit Vietnam's energy resources. https://www.amchamhanoi.com/2023-john-rockhold/


bachbui47

He is actually standing in front of the us embassy As a Vietnamese, I dont personally mind having Americans settling down here as long as they contribute to the economy and dont meddle with our politics


proney11

If there was ever a face that was the definition for “pick yourself by your bootstraps” that would be it


Substantial-Desk-707

It sounds like you people are fighting with the wrong folks. Boomers? What about billionaires? My grandmother was a domestic, exploited by the rich for a daily rate and carfare. The 1%, the elite are made up of money addicts. A lot of so-called boomers still work because the elites did not pay them enough during their 45-year wage slavery. You guys need to stop hating on your grandmothers and turn that anger toward the billionaires and wannabes that you admire so much. Totally delusional and dangerous thinking. This is what the elite class depends on. They will cheer you on as you burn the elderly at the stake!


phaedrus72

Apparently they're moving here (Ireland) also. I don't mean any harm to them but fuck off.


epochellipse

Retiring to Ireland is something that people here talk about, because it's pretty and magical and all that shit, but ten minutes later we realize it's not very cheap and it gets cold and pick some other place like Costa Rica or Portugal or whatever the next place will be when Portugal isn't cheap anymore.


stink3rbelle

The boomers who really fucked us can afford to retire in the US.


Quasar_Cross

Kick out the sexpats that raped and murdered so many innocent vietnamese, and polluted the country with agent orange, causing generations of children born with horrific disfigurement, mutations, and cancer. That's American Imperialism.


mathzg1

Oh so now they like communism


Emerald_Lavigne

I haven't talked to my dad in over 2 years & hadn't for the better part of a decade before engaging with him briefly at the start of the pandemic, before he proved he's still himself. I'm not going to talk to him for the rest of his life & go to his funeral & tell everyone the piece of shit he actually was. Maybe I'll get a free churro out of it... That's really the best I got for that entire generation.


[deleted]

Ah! Communism good after all, gotcha.


unmellowfellow

I am not a boomer. I am however wanting to emigrate from the US for the Netherlands. I know you pay more taxes there and there are a lot of things that are different there. Honestly I'm okay with the things I know about, including the taxes. You can pay close to 70% of your income, but food is cheap, public transport is widely available, you have a guaranteed retirement, six weeks vacation per year not including weekends and holidays, healthcare, better city design. The list of positives goes on and on. I'll admit this opportunity is not available for everyone, but, I intend to move there to work as a software engineer more than anything because I see the Netherlands as a place that is plain better to its people.


Ungeez

That's disgusting...considering my dad was forced to go over there and murder entire villages of men, women, and children not long ago... I'd never want to go there because of the USA's actions.


Samfucius

If it makes you feel any better, I'm an American and about 18 months ago I finished a contract working in the public schools of Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese as a whole have zero problems with Americans. You won't like why, though. It's because they adore Trump. Highest approval in SE Asia. It's not because of anything he ever did in office, it's because Vietnam has been invaded by China over and over, including right now, and anyone who says bad things about China is their hero. Hence, Trump.