Is age a laughting matter?

[JDPriestly]

I would like to caution all Democrats, especially Obama supporters, to stop and think before making jokes about McCain’s age and being “old” in general. Se senior citizens vote. We vote regularly, and many of us vote reliably Democratic. Watch out. Your jokes could cause some of us to stay home from the polls or, worse, to vote for McCain.

Why am I posting this message? On my way to work today, I turned on the local progressive talk station, and there was Stephanie Miller laughing and laughing at a joke about an elderly person at the grocery who held up the entire line just to buy one piece of fruit.

Stephanie, what’s the joke? Do you realize that many elderly people, even some who live in expensive areas of town, who had successful careers and who served the community in wonderful ways, are living on next to nothing? Have you ever stopped to think that the senior citizen who is holding up the line just to buy one piece of fruit may not have the money to buy more than that?

The facts are not all that funny: Social Security pays the average recipient all of $989.80 per month and the princely sum of $1,082.30 for the average retired worker. If that is what a person is living on, there isn’t much left for fruit after the rent is paid.

I know, I know: People are not supposed to just rely on Social Security for income after retirement. They are supposed to save. Sounds good, but, let’s remember, back in the days when Social Security started, people expected to stay in their jobs long enough to earn pensions, and until Reagan, unions negotiated good pensions for their members. Sadly, employer pensions went the way of the Made in America label. They exist, but fewer and fewer people are getting them. As for saving money, try as you may, it is tough to save much for retirement on average wages if you have a couple of kids to educate, a mortgage, a car and health care to pay for.

Besides, once a person retires or, as is more often the case, is too unhealthy to work or just can’t find a job and gives up (more about that later), that hard saved nest egg doesn’t go very far. Forget the stock market. The risk is just too great for the ordinary senior citizen. You can forget the banks and retirement funds too. The going interest rate on CDs today is between 2.23 and 4.5%. Try living on the interest that an average person’s savings will generate at those rates.

As for finding a job, regardless of your training, it’s nigh on impossible to get and keep a new job that pays decently once you reach 55, and from that point on, each birthday makes it harder and harder. Of course, once you take Social Security, you are no longer counted among the unemployed – a fact that renders the country’s unemployment statistics completely irrelevant to the reality of people over 55.

A life of hard work at low pay – and as you struggle to survive on next to no money, you become the brunt of jokes on the Stephanie Miller show. I don’t mean to pick on Stephanie Miller. She is not alone. I have been hearing a lot of derogatory remarks disguised as humor about the elderly and about “old” John McCain. Unfortunately, the terrible plight of the elderly in our society is not a laughing matter.

For information about the average Social Security benefit:
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/

[DrDan]

1. not only the things you mention, but with the best of intentions

concerning saving and hard work, bad luck can hit anyone. A turn in one's health or the health of a spouse can easily wipe out a lifetime of savings. A natural disaster can mean the loss of a house - and if the insurance company fails, or decides it does not want to pay - then a huge impact is felt - as well as possible job loss. The health of a son or daughter or grandchild have also wipe out a lifetime of saving - and this is probably beyond the scope of one's health insurance. You cannot simply ignore these issues.

More and more seniors need to return to work to survive. They deserve respect for doing so - not ridicule.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Only if they are really, really old. Like, 28 years old or older.

Just kidding. K&R

[Indenturedebtor]

3. I agree with you

We shouldn't laugh about McDeath's age. But it is a factor. If he were to win, there's a good chance that Diebold would really be selecting his VP to run the country. The man is not in very good health.

And for that matter I remember many calling Obama too young. Difference?

[pitohui]

4. you either laugh or you cry

if you can't laugh about your aging, then you're going to be a miserable old fart, and if you're in the public eye and can't laugh at yourself, then you're going to be a double miserable old fart

i like the bumper sticker i saw on bartcop for the mccain campaign: older than reagan, dumber than bush!

old people know they're old, you don't have to humor them or tiptoe around them as much as you think

it isn't necessarily respectful to treat someone like you have to walk on eggshells around them

there needs to be a balance, i guess, maybe the miller joke was completely awful and age-ist but pretending not to notice mccain's age is just unrealistic

[JDPriestly]

6. Balance, That's the point. I'm well over 55, and I'm sick of age discrimination,

agist remarks and age jokes. It's OK to note that a person is young or old. It is even OK to note how old McCain will be in four or eight years. Those are facts.

It isn't OK to go on and on laughing about how "elderly people" eat fruit, or associating making people wait in line at the supermarket because you are only buying one piece of fruit with age. People of all ages are inconsiderate.

You are right, for every voter who will vote against McCain because he is too old, there may be a voter who will consider Obama's youth before voting for him.

Let's remember. Age may not be as strong a selling point as we might think in the campaign against McCain. His mother is in her '90s. Unfortunately, Obama's mother died at an early age. So, the age issue might backfire. Just drop it, period.

[AlCzervik]

5. it shouldn't be but....being a grumpy out of touch bastard is an issue.

[JDPriestly]

7. Grumpy and out of touch -- yes. But elderly, age, senior -- those are not

good subjects for political jokes. It's just not smart.

It's no smarter than making jokes based on race or gender. In her L.A. public high school, my brilliant but very blond daughter (the only blond in her class) was utterly humiliated by dumb blond jokes. Oh, so funny. After all, blonds are not a minority???? And she wasn't dumb. So, she was fair game for jokes. Is it any wonder that she has lost contact with her high school classmates?

If you want to do something good for your candidate, think before you make jokes at the expense of a huge and important group of voters.

Age is just another one of those conditions that the Supreme Court referred to as "immutable," meaning you are born with the trait and can't change it -- like race. Your age may change, but you are born when you are born and you can't change it.

And, by the way, wait until you, too, are older. The world changes very fast. Before you know it, you too just may be grumpy and out of touch. But you probably won't think of yourself as grumpy and out of touch, and you won't think it is funny when someone else does.

I can't resist adding that it isn't just older people who are grumpy and out of touch. Anyone who has raised a teenager can tell you that they, too, can be grumpy and selectively out of touch.

[AlCzervik]

10. hell i'm only 40 and i'm grumpy as hell but i think thats because unlike McCain

i am in touch. Grumpy and age imo and experience have not a whole to do which other.

[Xenocrates]

8. Young whippersnappers!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a person of maturity, of judgement, that isn't continually changing course with every fad, whim, and popular poll?

[malaise]

9. No

MCSameasBush is a war criminal supporter. Who needs to use his age when he has so many other negatives although I see nothing wrong with using his age. He is way too old.