He took it surprisingly well, and after only about 2 minutes of conversation and a couple quick google searched, he seemed to completely change their tune.
I walked up to him after I cashed out and politely said, “excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your comment about people not wanting to work. I would like to just point out that the June report just came out and US unemployment is actually 3.6%. February 2020, pre-Covid, it was 4.4%”. He looked at his phone, shocked.
I then explained that, when you look at the excess deaths (deaths in excess of the pre-covid rate) and compare it to the reported covid deaths, something like 3-4 million more people died either due to underreported covid deaths or indirectly due to covid. I added that a massive number of baby boomers went into retirement early as a result of covid, opting for boredom and leisure over dying before enjoying their retirement. So when you combine all of those things, it's just a labor shortage relative to demand (it's not like those baby boomers suddenly stopped consuming), not a lack of people willing to work (again, 3.6% unemployment).
He thanked me and I actually heard him say that no one had ever explained it so clearly to him as I was walking away.
Do your part and kindly correct misconceptions. He may not be an ally of the antiwork/work reform movement, but I doubt he'll be an active obstacle.
I felt good about it so this is a bit of a brag, but I thought it was worth sharing.