The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
In the New Yorker...
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on January 17, 2020, 11:50:52 am ---I would like a little more clarification on the point about John McPhee being 89. Are you surprised because he is still writing for TNY at age 89?
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--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on January 17, 2020, 04:17:50 pm ---What's to be clarified? I'm surprised to learn that the man is 89 years old, period. I did not know he was that old. I was never that interested in him to look him up, but from the nature-y topics I remember him writing about, I assumed he was my generation--possibly even younger--so that it came as a surprise to me to learn that he is of my father's generation.
--- End quote ---
Same. Although I would have guessed him to be in his 70s. Maybe even late 70s, but not 89 for sure. It's not related to his personal characteristics, it's that I don't feel like I started hearing about him that long ago (I mean, long ago but not that long ago). Also, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him.
I mean, he writes about things that happen in rugged places, which I suppose you could consider are slightly more likely to be written by youngish writers, but obviously not necessarily. Plus, even the fact that he's working, period, is a bit unusual at 89. But not unheard of.
A year or two ago Christopher Plummer, now 90, stepped into some role that was scheduled to be played by some actor who was #MeToo-ed out of it. As I recall, he was said to have been prepared in three weeks. And just last week I just saw a movie (Knives Out) in which Christopher Plummer played a key role and was great.
The longtime famous sports columnist at my newspaper is still working at 99. He comes in with a walker and a nurse, and gets help from some younger guy typing up his columns. But he's hanging in there, which is good because I might still be there at 99 myself. He started at the newspaper at 25 and the paper is 150 years old, so he has worked there for almost half its history.
On Facebook the other day, I saw a woman at least in her 60s and possibly over 70 say she didn't support Bernie as president (though would vote for him if he's the nominated Democratic candidate) because she didn't think he'd live through his term(s). I pointed out that according to actuarial tables, at Bernie's age, 78, your life expectancy is over 9 years, so statistically he's likely to make it through two terms.
I'm still amazed, though, that people over 60 have a hard time getting hired for just about any job in the world ... except the one job that's presumably the most important in the country. It's not that we should have younger candidates, it's that people should stop being ageist and thinking people who are 60 and beyond can do all kinds of great work.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on January 17, 2020, 09:31:58 pm ---But voting bloc wise, our numbers are shrinking. Donald Trump, the official oldest boomer in my mind because he was born 10 months after the end of the war, is still pretty active. Unfortunately. There are now more millennials than boomers and the youngest millennials are of voting age.
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Are there statistics on Millenial voting? I don't know--I really don't. It just struck me that just because there are more Millenials than Boomers doesn't necessarily mean they vote. If they do, then maybe we're fucked.
I guess you and I both were among the first 18-year-olds eligible to vote in the Presidential election of 1976. My dad even offered to come pick me up at college (a half-hour drive away from home) and take me home to vote, and I couldn't be bothered. I'll regret that till the end of my days because I can't say that I voted for President when I was 18.
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on January 17, 2020, 11:36:34 pm ---Are there statistics on Millenial voting? I don't know--I really don't. It just struck me that just because there are more Millenials than Boomers doesn't necessarily mean they vote. If they do, then maybe we're fucked.
I guess you and I both were among the first 18-year-olds eligible to vote in the Presidential election of 1976. My dad even offered to come pick me up at college (a half-hour drive away from home) and take me home to vote, and I couldn't be bothered. I'll regret that till the end of my days because I can't say that I voted for President when I was 18.
--- End quote ---
I voted, but I voted for John Anderson, the third party candidate, because he'd spoken on my campus and seemed good. A huge mistake, because then Reagan won and made terrible policy changes. Not as bad or crazy or self-serving as Trump, and certainly a much more pleasant person. Trump is like Reagan on steroids.
Last night I read part of an article about all the suffering caused by cuts Reagan made to SS disability. People with severe medical conditions were left with no safety net, a guy killed himself, etc. Apparently the benefits were restored by subsequent presidents but now Trump is making even harsher cuts.
I'll never vote for another third-party candidate, however good they seem, unless the two main candidates are, like, Trump and Hitler. The third-party candidate will never win and it just throws the election to the other side.
I suppose if the third-party candidate were right-leaning I could consider voting for them to throw the election in favor of Democrats, but that sounds like a risky strategy and I wouldn't feel good about it.
As for millennials, the youngest ones are now about 23 or 24, so if they voted in low numbers last time they might step it up this time, especially because of what's at stake. I think young people are more politicized now than they were four years ago.
On election night 2016, as it became increasingly apparent that Trump was going to win, my younger son texted me from Chicago to assure me he had "voted for Hildawg." (Rapperish slang.) My other son was living in LA at the time and forgot to register in time to vote remotely, so he couldn't vote. He was initially a Bernie supporter, but in the end he would have voted for Hildawg, too. I told him not to worry, because there's no way Trump would win Minnesota, which he did not, but the election revealed a lot more red in outstate Minnesota than I knew existed.
The older son got to vote for Obama in the previous election, though.
serious crayons:
I finally started reading the cartoon issue. As usual, I don't find many of them funny, even though they're supposedly people's favorite cartoons ever. And I don't know who those people (who picked them) even are. Also, a major flaw: the cartoons aren't labeled by year. Knowing the historical context in which they originally ran might have helped make the more accessible.
I just started the Gopnik/Chast piece, though, and it's good so far.
Front-Ranger:
Yes, the comics are labelled by year! In fine print at the bottom of the page.
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