Conservative Pundit Ben Shapiro Sparks Controversy After Calling Retirement 'A Stupid Idea'

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro‘s comments calling retirement “a stupid idea” have provoked controversy online.

“And let’s be real about this – it’s insane that we haven’t raised the retirement age in the United States,” Shapiro declared on The Daily Wire podcast. “It’s totally crazy. Joe Biden – if that were the case, Joe Biden should not be running for president. Ok? Joe Biden is 81 years old.”

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He declared that nobody “in the United States should be retiring at 65 years old.”

“Frankly, I think retirement itself is a stupid idea unless you have some sort of health problem,” Shapiro argued. “Everybody that I know who is – who is elderly, who has retired, is dead within five years.”


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The commentator’s criticism of the traditional retirement model caused many people on social media to accuse him of being unaware of the struggles with which working-class Americans are dealing.

“He’s a glorified influencer who does nothing more than sit behind a desk and talk to cameras to make a living,” one person said during a YouTube reaction video. “He has no right to lecture anyone on work.”

Others addressed the physical toll many professions endure over a lifetime.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/conservative-pundit-ben-shapiro-sparks-controversy-after-calling-retirement-a-stupid-idea/ar-BB1k0QVh

[patphil]

1. My sister lived over 20 years after retirement.

Last edited Sun Mar 17, 2024, 10:41 AM - Edit history (1)

I've been retired almost 15 years.
I know a lot of people who have been retired over 10 years.
Hey, Florida is full of long term retirees.
If you have the money, just do it.

Ben Shapiro is full of shit.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevevernon/2024/02/01/life-expectancy-after-retirementheres-what-to-expect/?sh=2de9d0d77f94

According to the article men can expect to live about 17 yrs after retirement at age 65, and woman live close to 20 years after retirement at age 65.

[Walleye]

26. 10 1/2 years retired, still thriving.

[Cha]

2. He's Stupid.

[Celerity]

3. 'no retirement' for the masses is just taking RW American hyper-capitalism to one of its logical conclusions

[sakabatou]

4. So Shapiro believes people should keep working until they die?

[TxGuitar]

34. And start working as soon as we can stand up by ourselves

[Arthur_Frain]

5. I retired at age 47.

Going on 14 years of drawing my pension. Ben Shapiro can kiss my ass.

[joshdawg]

15. I retired at age 55.

Going on 24 years of drawing my pension. Ben Shapiro can kiss my ass.
Let me repeat that: Ben Shapiro can kiss my ass. I'll even mark the spot for him since he's too stupid to find it for himself.

[JI7]

6. Why ? It's not like he holding public office

or is a known expert on this or related issues.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. I might work forever if all I had to do was sit on my ass

and bloviate.

[madinmaryland]

8. Isn't Ben the incel who doesn't know how to make his wife wet?

Fortunately he is not reproducing!! Or can’t figure out how to do it!

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

11. he has a lot of kids now... I think he has four

[speak easy]

14. Four hostages

[brush]

9. What an idiot. 65 hasn't been the retirement age for a while now...

unless you retire early. Most people want to retire while they're still health and can just relax, leave the stress of rushing to work everyday, and the stress from a job...maybe travel if possible.

The jerk has no idea what he's talking about.

[NanaCat]

10. As if this soft little snowflake knows anything about

Real work.

Let's put him on a construction crew full time until he's 80.

[DFW]

12. That was my reaction exactly. n/t

[aggiesal]

13. What he's basically saying is that we don't need Social Security if there is no ...

mandatory retirement age.
Why should people retire if they can still work?
What an idiot.
And to think, people listen to the @$$h0le like he has some idea how life really works.

[Boomerproud]

36. Exactly, it's really about SS.

Smarmy jerk. All he produces is carbon dioxide.

[Puppyjive]

16. Clearly

He has no clue. People rarely make it to their full retirement age because of health problems. You take a big cut when you retire at 62. So basically, people will be filing for disability because their bodies often can't work much beyond 62, let alone 67. He is an idiot.

[BHDem53]

17. Because of the BMWE-IBT, I was able to retire from the

BNSF railroad at age sixty. The carrier even continued to cover my health insurance until I turned 65. It will be eleven years on May 3rd.

[GoodRaisin]

18. It's not that he's unaware of the struggles of working class Americans.

It’s that he doesn’t care about their struggles. He’s a greedy asshole with an agenda to convince people to vote against their own interests so that republicans can seize power and hand over old people’s retirement funds to the rich.

Incidentally I’ve been retired 11 years now and haven’t died yet. I probably would have died if I hadn’t been able to retire.

[B.See]

19. "He has no right to lecture anyone on work"

Or anything else for that matter. Strip away that psuedo intellectual veil and phony assed pretense at unbiased impartiality and what you've got is your run of the mill MAGA FASCIST at heart.

[no_hypocrisy]

20. Hey, Ben! Trump isn't retired either.

Bet he's using his SS $$ to buy the golf balls he's lost on a regular basis.

[AcrossThePacific]

21. Behold...

A classic Australian meme from around a decade ago, when right-wing Prime Minister Tony Abbott was attempting to raise the retirement age to 70 (thankfully stymied by the Senate). Feel free to share far and wide...

[Emile]

22. It's a fact people live longer if they retire early.

Republicans have made it harder and harder to retire early. The overlords want a big pool of old, desperate and willing to work cheap labor pool.

[NickB79]

23. Guess I'll go against the grain here

I personally don't plan on retiring until I'm into my 70's. And even then, I want to possibly work a part time job, maybe at the local nursery tending plants for sale, or opening my own tree nursery. I would lose my mind without a job to keep me busy all day. As it is, I put in 40-50 hr a week in the factory QA lab and then another 30-40 hr around my hobby farm. Winter is horrible for me, because I can't plant anything and it's harder to work on projects outdoors.

But, I'm a bit of a workaholic, like my dad. And I saw what happened when my dad sold the family farm for a high price and retired at 50: he spiraled into a deep depression. He only survived by buying the feed mill in town and working that for another 10 years, until selling it a few yr ago for a profit as well. Now he fixes tractors for other farmers, volunteers at church a lot, runs their community garden, and helps his 6 brothers and several nephews on their farms. My grandfather was the same way; he never really stopped working his farm even when he was in his 80's, though most of the work was done by his sons at that point. And my great-grandfather worked his farm until he was 90, retired, and passed away comfortably at 96. Men in my family seem to need that structure that comes with work. All 6 of my uncles are the same way.

But that's MY choice. I wouldn't push it on anyone else, because I'm just built a bit differently than most. My mom retired at 65 and seems to be doing great, traveling and spending time with friends.

[ProfessorGAC]

24. This Quote Exemplifies The Stupidity

Everybody that I know who is – who is elderly, who has retired, is dead within five years.”

First, I have been retired 5&1/2 years. I'm not dead & I'm not sick. Strike one.
He uses the word "elderly". The "elderly" aren't too old? Strike two.
And he KNOWS (present tense) dead people? Strike three.
This idiot whiffed on 3 pitches.

[Renew Deal]

25. It's bad for the economy to keep people working into their 70's because they can block younger people from the workforce

Which can cause a load of other problems. Also companies aren’t great about keeping workers over 50, so you can have a bunch of unemployment problems. And that’s besides the fact that health issues become more of a challenge, which would become expensive for companies. It just doesn’t make sense. But considering who said it, it’s not a surprise.

[jayschool2013]

27. Ben should get a real job first

Then he can wax ineloquently about retirement.

[Redleg]

32. Excellent point

It is high time that little Ben gets off the wingnut welfare circuit and finds a real job.

[jayschool2013]

39. I know where he can find a good pair of bootstraps

Bootstraps

[HAB911]

28. Has he ever had a real job?

why is he famous again?

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

31. he was a child prodigy - violin. not sure if he ever held real jobs before joining talk radio

[HAB911]

33. wow, I wonder what happened to him

he should have stuck with music, we would all be better off

[LakeVermilion]

29. Shapiro is just 40 years old...

The only injury he's probably had is carpel tunnel.

The worst part of being 40 is that when you write something stupid, it is hung around your neck for the next 40 - 50 years. Good luck with that.

[doc03]

30. I have been retired 13 years and I am still alive last I checked nt

[0rganism]

35. Garbage Pundit Makes Headlines With Trashy Opinion

Speaking of stupid ideas, Mr. Shapiro parades a legacy consisting primarily of Very Stupid Ideas in the most clickbait way possible. So no surprise here, it fits his standard MO.

[GuppyGal]

37. Besides what he said it's also how he's saying it. It's soooooo hostile ...nobody wanna listen to his bleatin bullshit

[._.]

38. Asshole

What a complete and utter asshole. I retired at age sixty seven, after working from the age of fourteen. That was SIX years ago. I ain't even close to being dead, and I wish I had retired a bit earlier, as it took me a few years to get the hang of it. Now that I have, I'm making plans on enjoying every fucking minute I have left. Screw that bloviating pig.

[calimary]

40. IF you feel so inclined, check out your local Indivisible group.

But only IF you feel like it. Like all volunteer groups, you'd hear from various group leaders eager to welcome you and invite you to join in on various activities. I found it was a great way to meet new people and make new friends when we moved north from California. And that's what's happened! I did make new friends, and they're terrific friends to have! There are lots of activities and campaign events, but attendance is not mandatory. If it's a move to another area or state, I'd highly recommend an Indivisible group because they'll be good and trustworthy guides to help you get acquainted with new issues and politicians. They'll be able to answer any questions you might have.

[Yavin4]

41. Conservatives also don't believe in public education

So, kids can start working and work until they die.

[peggysue2]

42. Yeah, retirement is a stupid idea until . . .

Ben Shapiro or any of these nitwits hit their 60s and begin to feel the effects of a long life or perhaps, have enough money that it doesn't matter because they can ease into old age with no worries and relative comfort. Then they swim in the seas of the elite, pretending that their experience is the only one that exists.

I'm so sick of people who cannot imagine the lives of other people, who have no concept of walking in the 'others' moccasins.

Sorry, it's just selfishness and being dimwitted.

Read a God damn book, fiction preferably, where you spend time behind the eyeballs of another.

A revelation is at hand. But then, the Shapiro-like jerks want to ban books and revel in their ignorance.

Die-hard ignoramuses, all of them.