2 ms·

The most active voters are elderly people, who are thinking of a future they are not likely to see. How fucked up is that? Well, seeing as how I turn 55 in le

by hga 11y ago

The most active voters are elderly people, who are thinking of a future they are not likely to see. How fucked up is that? Well, seeing as how I turn 55 in less than 2 months, I'm inclined to say "probably less fucked up that you think" ^_^. Wisdom is often comes with age, and I think I've seen enough and learned enough that I can make much better decisions than I could when I was under 30. (I grant that I'm not the normal case, was politically aware by Nixon's 2nd election in 1972 (knew it was important he win in 1968, but not really why). And I study history, a lot, this comment is being made as a break from reading yet another book about the Manhattan Project.) As for the disinterested populace, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. The American "leave me alone" and "live and let live" attitudes have a lot to say for them. Especially since they rapidly adjust when things get really bad....

ddingus 11y ago
I'm nearing that range too. It's not that I think older people are ill informed. They too have time, and they have experience. Your last point rings true. It's why I say the process is just. People find the difficulty of change for something like Citizens United difficult. That's as intended. If it's really bad, then more of us will care, and it will get changed.
ddingus 11y ago
I didn't really respond as I would have liked to this comment. It's not anything about older people among us lacking in some way. What I meant with, "how fucked up is that?" has more to do with our crappy political dialog. Truth is, younger people should be engaged more than they are and they should be hearing what older people have seen and learned too. That experience is a net benefit to everyone when it's shared and there is a dialog about it all. I've lived my life doing this, nearly always having mentors and trusted others older than me to consult with. It's a huge benefit. All started with literally, "the old farmer up the road" when I was a kid. That guy would just tell me real stuff that really mattered. Got more out of helping him out for the day than I probably even know. And I would just show up too. "Need some help?" and off we would go. Doing whatever, and once we got comfortable, task at hand moving along nicely, I could just ask stuff. Truth is, I know he loved that, and would tell me all kinds of things, sometimes challenging me in various ways too. Always wanted to know outcomes as well. When I saw some success or other, I would share it back and see that grin... The political process itself is solid. I've no real complaints, other than some abuses we can and should be more concerned about. But the dialog is horrible. That's what I was getting at, and I just didn't put the effort into it that I should have.

by hga 11y ago

ddingus 11y ago

I'm nearing that range too. It's not that I think older people are ill informed. They too have time, and they have experience. Your last point rings true. It's why I say the process is just. People find the difficulty of change for something like Citizens United difficult. That's as intended. If it's really bad, then more of us will care, and it will get changed.

ddingus 11y ago

I didn't really respond as I would have liked to this comment. It's not anything about older people among us lacking in some way. What I meant with, "how fucked up is that?" has more to do with our crappy political dialog. Truth is, younger people should be engaged more than they are and they should be hearing what older people have seen and learned too. That experience is a net benefit to everyone when it's shared and there is a dialog about it all. I've lived my life doing this, nearly always having mentors and trusted others older than me to consult with. It's a huge benefit. All started with literally, "the old farmer up the road" when I was a kid. That guy would just tell me real stuff that really mattered. Got more out of helping him out for the day than I probably even know. And I would just show up too. "Need some help?" and off we would go. Doing whatever, and once we got comfortable, task at hand moving along nicely, I could just ask stuff. Truth is, I know he loved that, and would tell me all kinds of things, sometimes challenging me in various ways too. Always wanted to know outcomes as well. When I saw some success or other, I would share it back and see that grin... The political process itself is solid. I've no real complaints, other than some abuses we can and should be more concerned about. But the dialog is horrible. That's what I was getting at, and I just didn't put the effort into it that I should have.