[throwaway6734]

>The main thing I question about FIRE is...how many people can achieve FIRE and live off the stock market returns, essentially contributing very little to society, before society is unable to sustain the "parasitic" load they generate?

I wonder how many of these people are even factoring changing demographics. As the population continues to age, retirement is going to get even more expensive because labor will continue to cost more and more

[I_Am_Nous]

Especially as people are deferring starting a family as long as they can, with some just giving up entirely. Lots of countries are struggling with replacement birth rate and our economy is based on endless growth, so something's gotta give.