Why are some expats here so toxic?

Let me tell you a little secret: they're not actually expats.

Where are these intellectuals?

You again?

I think you hit the nail on the head with the money thing. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure keeps a lot of unhappiness away. A lot of guys live solely on an 'average' Social Security check, and that wears on you. Thanks to planning and luck, Social Security is just one of my five income streams. Not bitter at all.

I don't think most people are good anymore. Everyone mostly acts for their own benefit, and the lines people draw on how far they'll go seem to have moved. Stealing stuff, badmouthing the neighbor, cutting in line, blocking the neighbor's parking spot, poisoning their dog. I think most people are just bad. And it's definitely not just here. People are toxic everywhere. But I also think a lot of people who move this far away and become expats are running from something they created back home. You can start over here, but if you don't change your thinking and your behavior, the same thing will just happen again here.