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I don't know what tradition you're referring to - I don't see many depictions of old men going and fighting wars.

AlgorithmicTime 4y ago
zmgsabst 4y ago
That’s because old people aren’t very effective at war compared to fighting age people. He’s talking about during famines, during emergencies, etc. I think if we’d asked most of the parents who skip meals to feed their kids if we should harm their kids’ future to protect elderly and disabled people, they’d have said no. That’s nature: the weak and elderly die — and destroying the whole herd to protect them is stupid.
- pessimizer 4y ago
  In famines, children die.
- hotpotamus 4y ago
  Humans aren't herd animals and live much outside of nature (we try as much as possible). Who would you say is more powerful - a twenty year old man who can perform much physical labor, or an 80 year old with a few million in the bank? In America, looking at their leaders; I'd go so far as to say it's gerontocracy.
  - zmgsabst 4y ago
    > Humans aren't herd animals and live much outside of nature (we try as much as possible). Humans are animals who live in groups and in nature: denying that is what caused ultimately negative COVID policies (among other social ills). > In America, looking at their leaders; I'd go so far as to say it's gerontocracy. This is also true of elephants, but their leaders are wiser than American ones and look after the well-being of young in their groups. (Complete with the leader often being an elder rather than the physically toughest bull.) You also confused social credit with power, which is easy to do if you view society as absolute.
- InCityDreams 4y ago
  >That’s because old people aren’t very effective at war compared to fighting age people. I often wonder about that. Apart from physical strength and stamina, does any army have old people (apart from a few officers etc) in? At my older age, properly trained, i reckon I'd give a young person a fairly good run for their money - let alone a full squad.
- juve1996 4y ago
  "Destroying the whole herd." The alarmism on here is absurd. The "herd" isn't being destroyed. School standards have been sinking for decades, grade inflation is crazy, but no, this is the moment the herd is being destroyed. Now all of a sudden people care about education. The reality is it's a political narrative. The herd will be fine. The herd has gone through way worse things than this.
throwaway5959 4y ago
We also spend 10:1 on old vs young. See Medicare and SS while kids eat two breadsticks for lunch.
paganel 4y ago
For older times, there is of course The Ballad of Narayama [1] > The film explores the legendary practice of ubasute, in which elderly people were carried to a mountain and abandoned to die. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Narayama_(1958_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Narayama_(1958_f...
- CalRobert 4y ago
  In a somewhat less serious vein, Norsemen explored the conflicting emotions of the Ättestupa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwD7f5ZWhAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwD7f5ZWhAk
  - teddyh 4y ago
    Note: The Ättestupa is also purely legendary; there are no reliable instances of it happening.

That’s because old people aren’t very effective at war compared to fighting age people. He’s talking about during famines, during emergencies, etc. I think if we’d asked most of the parents who skip meals to feed their kids if we should harm their kids’ future to protect elderly and disabled people, they’d have said no. That’s nature: the weak and elderly die — and destroying the whole herd to protect them is stupid.

pessimizer 4y ago
In famines, children die.
hotpotamus 4y ago
Humans aren't herd animals and live much outside of nature (we try as much as possible). Who would you say is more powerful - a twenty year old man who can perform much physical labor, or an 80 year old with a few million in the bank? In America, looking at their leaders; I'd go so far as to say it's gerontocracy.
- zmgsabst 4y ago
  > Humans aren't herd animals and live much outside of nature (we try as much as possible). Humans are animals who live in groups and in nature: denying that is what caused ultimately negative COVID policies (among other social ills). > In America, looking at their leaders; I'd go so far as to say it's gerontocracy. This is also true of elephants, but their leaders are wiser than American ones and look after the well-being of young in their groups. (Complete with the leader often being an elder rather than the physically toughest bull.) You also confused social credit with power, which is easy to do if you view society as absolute.
InCityDreams 4y ago
>That’s because old people aren’t very effective at war compared to fighting age people. I often wonder about that. Apart from physical strength and stamina, does any army have old people (apart from a few officers etc) in? At my older age, properly trained, i reckon I'd give a young person a fairly good run for their money - let alone a full squad.
juve1996 4y ago
"Destroying the whole herd." The alarmism on here is absurd. The "herd" isn't being destroyed. School standards have been sinking for decades, grade inflation is crazy, but no, this is the moment the herd is being destroyed. Now all of a sudden people care about education. The reality is it's a political narrative. The herd will be fine. The herd has gone through way worse things than this.

throwaway5959 4y ago

We also spend 10:1 on old vs young. See Medicare and SS while kids eat two breadsticks for lunch.

paganel 4y ago

For older times, there is of course The Ballad of Narayama [1] > The film explores the legendary practice of ubasute, in which elderly people were carried to a mountain and abandoned to die. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Narayama_(1958_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Narayama_(1958_f...

CalRobert 4y ago
In a somewhat less serious vein, Norsemen explored the conflicting emotions of the Ättestupa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwD7f5ZWhAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwD7f5ZWhAk
- teddyh 4y ago
  Note: The Ättestupa is also purely legendary; there are no reliable instances of it happening.