Old, A Concept

The New York Times recently funded a poll that appears to show Donald Trump leading Joe Biden 48 to 43 percent. And, while both candidates were branded in the poll as being “old,” Biden is somehow more scorned for his age than Trump, who is a mere four years younger.

“Old” is fast becoming a pejorative, not unlike an accusation of criminal behavior. Seeking the rationale for such demonization, I turned to the two-volume edition of the Oxford British Dictionary and discovered that the word “old” merited a lengthy entry.

Given three full columns, “old” is defined as an adjective drawn from Old English, Old Saxon, Old Norse, and High German. The first Oxford Dictionary definition is concise enough: “having lived or existed for a relatively long time; advanced in age; not young; long in existence or use, worn with age; decayed, shabby, stale, and outdated.” However, “old” is also described as “great, plentiful, abundant” and “existing from an earlier period; long established, associated with a classical time.” Shakespeare used “old” to mean “rare.”

The word is followed by related terms like “olde,” an old English word defined as “quaint” and “oldie,” which is “an old person.” Then the thread sinks into sexism, defining “old womanish” as “a timid, a fussy character trait.”  That’s a contrast with “old man,” which links to picturesque phrases like “old man of the mountains” or “old man of the seas” and is defined as “a person who has authority over others.”

The New York Times, which often features Biden on its front page, concluded from the poll that 2020 Biden voters are concerned about his age and might not vote for him again, perhaps even switching to his rival. What a skewed rationale that is, when we can see from Trump’s speeches that he’s the one who is slipping.

Trump can be heard slurring words and mouthing non sequiturs. He confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi and, at times, babbles about competing with Barack Obama. Ignoring all evidence to the contrary, Trump continues to insist on the lie that he won in 2020. In other words: he has delusions of grandeur and has lost touch with reality. His mental state is beginning to replicate that of his dad, the late Fred Trump who suffered from dementia.

Hard to know what questions the Times/Siena College poll asked prospective voters. We can only hope it wasn’t something of a push-poll that inquired, “Do you think Biden’s age matters?” (Well of course.) At the same time, the poll purports to show that 53 percent of Trump voters believe he has committed serious crimes; yet many of those same voters (48 percent) said that they still intend to vote for him. Alarming to think they’d support a candidate who has been found guilty of rape and deceptive business practices and stands accused of 91 other charges.

The results of polls — especially when taken seven months ahead of the election — may not mean a lot. But any downside indicator is likely to cause campaigns to refocus their message. It would be surprising if the Biden camp doesn’t work on getting the president out selling his administration’s accomplishments — such as repairing infrastructure, championing home-grown companies, working to achieve full employment, lowering drug prices, backing unions, and supporting women’s reproductive rights. “Old” in this instance can mean experienced and wise, rather than over-the-hill.

For the record, it isn’t just the American presidency that has gone gray. The average age of Congress has trended up for decades. The 118^th Congress’ House has grown ever so slightly younger at 58, but the average age in the Senate is 64, with 54 Senators older than 65. And while the Supreme Court has added three younger members, others on the court are aging. Justice Sotomayor is now 69 as is Chief Justice Roberts while Justice Alito is 73 and Justice Thomas 75.

One explanation for the aging demographic is that so many belong to the large Baby Boom generation. Boomers, born between 1946-64, have dwarfed succeeding generations. Unlike parliamentary systems that elevate younger leaders, our system tends to reward those with more seniority and name familiarity.

There’s no disputing that Americans are aging. Yet many older workers (and politicians) continue to be productive. Think Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dan Evans, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, and actress/activist Jane Fonda. Today there are thousands who work productively into their 80s and beyond.

We can all cite examples of individuals known for tremendous accomplishment, fueled by brain power and the wisdom of older years. This has been true throughout history: Ben Franklin signing the Declaration of Independence at 70, Pablo Picasso creating 347 engravings at 87, and Peter Mark Roget giving us the log-log slide rule and publishing Roget’s Thesaurus at 73, editing every subsequent edition into his 90s.

When examining the question of “old” as an impediment, I am reminded that I, too, am old. There. I said it and it’s true. When I was younger, I never dreamed I’d be old – – what young person does?  In my case, I didn’t have much to aim for: My own parents succumbed in their 40s.

If I had to answer for my older demographic, I would have to admit that there is an occasional search for a name (which I usually retrieve after a momentary delay), but I also can remember to avoid the stupid mistakes one makes when, er, younger.