General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What's with all the Ageism in These Threads?? [View all]PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,816 posts)It was obvious to the most casual observer that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's in his second term. Yeah, he lived to be 94 but HE HAD ALZHEIMER'S the last twenty-five years of his life. Those were not productive years for him, not by a long shot. Sheer longevity is meaningless.
And while I understand that not everyone gets Alzheimer's, least of all as (relatively) young as he got it, it is NOT ageism to acknowledge that older people haven't the stamina and flexibility of younger people.
I'm 68. And I'm a very young 68 in that most people take me for a good ten years younger. I am in incredibly good health, far better than anyone else my age that I know. I have no chronic health issues. I have the liveliness of someone at least 20 years my junior, which is why I think so many people are astonished to learn my real age. I'm reasonably smart. I'm decently well read and follow current events. But I'm still 68 years old. I can't stay up until 3am and then get up at 6am and function, as I could in my 20s.
The reality is that as we get older we slow down. I think even more to the point is that we are often stuck in the past. There's a saying about generals always fighting the last war, and that's simply a shorthand for what I'm trying to say.
Every time I read some pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking about a vastly extended life span, I shudder. Because if that ever happens, the generation then in power won't relinquish that power for decades, maybe centuries, and that is NOT a good thing.
We need young people. We need new ideas. We need the stamina of youth. I am very proud to be a Baby Boomer. I think my generation accomplished a lot. And if you disagree, that's fine. But no matter how proud I am, I know it is past time we gave way.
Among the many things wrong with Donald Trump is that he's too old. He's stuck in the paradigms of his youth, as many of us are. In his case, his thinking is stuck some decades in the past, not counting his genuine stupidity and inability as a businessman. Even if he were competent, I'd still be thinking, although perhaps not saying it so publicly, that he's too old to be President.
I'll refrain from naming names, but that was also, in my opinion, a serious issue with the Democratic candidate. But no matter. We cannot keep on thinking that various Democratic figures, now in their late 60's or early 70's are who we need going forward. Yeah, I'm very sorry Al Gore didn't get to be President. As I'm very sorry Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders didn't. But it's time to move on. If we don't start letting the younger generation move into genuine positions of power, we will have nothing and no one going forward.