Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The weaponization of Biden’s age

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The weaponization of Biden's age
By Rachel Sonis
Associate Editor, Ideas

The 2024 presidential election cycle is well underway, and voters are more concerned than ever with the age of the candidates. More specifically, the age—and as a result, the cognitive and physical health—of President Joe Biden, who would be 82 if he were to take the oath of office for a second time. But as Mauro Guillén—author of The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society and vice dean at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania—suggests in a new piece for TIME, perhaps the debate over age this election cycle is far too simplistic and, even more importantly, veers into blatant ageism.

Among Guillén's most intruiging points:

  • Humans start to cognitively decline as soon as we are are in our late 20s, but experience—in this case, Biden’s extensive legislative and political career—can compensate for this.
  • The average 80-year-old American male is now expected to live another seven years. But Biden has one thing that many people don’t: privilege. His healthy lifestyle and access to world-class medical care mean he has a good chance of outlasting the average life expectancy.
  • Instead of using this moment to perpetuate ageist stereotypes, we should focus on having a national conversation that puts intergenerational dynamics and policies front and center.

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ONE LAST READ
Your daily reminder to stand up

The health risks of a sedentary lifestyle are well known, and people who spend most of their days sitting are at higher risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

You can now add dementia to that list, according to the Washington Post, which reports that a new study published in JAMA shows that even people who exercise face increased cognitive decline if they spend too much time seated.

Read More »

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Today's newsletter was written by Rachel Sonis and Oliver Staley, and edited by Angela Haupt.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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