Getting a little old, and the issues of oldsters
I’m not old, but I’m old. I turn 50 this year. I’ve been forcibly aged out of two professions already in my life, and it’s those pesky kids coming along with their fresh degrees and willingness to work for next to nothing because, frankly, they don’t know any better, and they’re being taken advantage of.
I’ve worked union jobs. I know how important collective bargaining is, and I know how important it is to ask your worth from an employer. The kids, though, are starting to figure it out, too, which is awesome.
And not the point, but, I think I’ll get there as we go.
It’ll be at least 20 more years before I’m even near the average age of Democratic leadership in Congress. I’m at the age where a lot of folks start really thinking about running for office – at least I used to be.
Age is a tricky thing. To be blunt: Pelosi and Schumer are too old for leadership. NOT to old to run and serve, because they ran and got elected. Now, Pelosi is a tricky judgement call for me. She’s a genius strategist and has been more effective as a Speaker than just about anyone who has held the office before. She can run the caucus with shrewd skill and accurate foresight. What she lacks, in my humble opinion, is any fucking clue as to what needs to happen to help Democrats expand their majority, and get shit done for people outside the DC beltway. She’d really make an amazing WHIP.
Schumer … I’ve never understood the point of Schumer. Not only is he feckless, he’s weak, inauthentic, slow, and, after that whole secret contract with Manchin last year … he’s criminally liable for a lot of what’s gone sideways for the Biden administration.
I am a rabid, frothy mouthed, hedonistic liberal. Total bleeding heart. I used to be a centrist. With a couple of small exceptions, I haven’t changed a political position since the 90’s. Food access, housing access, medical access … I’m in the same place, yet now I’m a radical. I’m also an exception to the rule that you get more conservative as you get older. Older folks, like Pelosi and Schumer, however, keep resetting the lines.
I have spent some time complaining about agism is the workplace, so, even I can feel the double standard of complaining about how fucking old members of Congress are, especially in leadership. I own the double standard, and have no idea – nor desire – how to balance it.
People in their 70’s and 80’s are driving the governmental machinery and making decisions that will impact people long, long after they’re dead. I want the people who will have to live with the ramifications and consequences to have a little more weigh in.
Considering the fancy pants health insurance provided our lawmakers, even people in their 50’s are preferrable to the octogenarians that are currently running the show.
This isn’t a screed against just Democrats, though, they are where I find some little hope of change, no, it’s for Republicans, too. Mitch McConnell being the prime example of old age with power corrupting from soul to toes.
It’s getting to point that raging against boomers is losing its authenticity. I’m starting to get upset with the kids that the current power structure is abusing, because they seem – according to polling – to be checking out and letting the boomers just do whatever in the hell they want.
I’m firmly nestled in lefty Gen-X. We’re transitional at this point. Often ignored, in spite of whatever fatalistic wisdom we have. We pointed at our Boomer parents and raised the alarm – and got ignored. We railed against war profiteering, and got ignored. We’ve catcalled progressive causes and been blown off for our troubles. We were, in a nutshell, pretty marginal, truth be told.
Kids these day, though … they are starting to figure shit out. Even as they disengage from the system (instead of – with certain awesome exclusions like AOC – fixing what’s broke) they are starting to unionize. They are protesting with vigor and stamina. They are, in some cases, raising their voices, seizing their power, and changing the conversation. It is awesome to watch. On the other hand, in regard to disengagement, they are watching their gains get neutered by the old folks still running the show.
Vanity Fair had a write up not too long ago about Gen-X and our place in the world. It’s a pretty good article, tbh, but I think it misses an important point.
Gen-X is the transitional step between what is, and what will be. We have an enormous responsibility to help repair the damage our parents caused, and to prepare the way for our kids in a way the benefits our grandchildren.
We are failing the future, but it’s not for lack of trying.
I have an unpopular fix.
Run off the oldsters, make sure they’re well taken care of, and stop the star-fucking adoration cults of the elected class. We can hand out trophies and accolades, thank them for their service, and finally get around to making the change we’ve wanted.
Since we can’t have an IQ test (obviously), you should be able to set up your own wifi hotspot to be in political leadership. Something like that.