Go Joe! What’s wrong with wanting to be the US President at 82?
Old men have sure being occupying media headlines over recent months.
Joe Biden seeking re-election as US President at age 82; Trump in Court at 78; Rupert Murdoch continuing to deeply influence Fox News at age 92; 80-year-old Harrison Ford going around again as Indiana Jones and now Robert DeNiro a father at 79. Not to forget Charles becoming King at the relatively young age of 74! Who thought a career as a gerontologist could suddenly make you a media celebrity and ‘life of the party’!
Joe Biden’s quest for a potential second term as President seems to be acting as a social ‘lightning rod’ about the continuing ability of old people to occupy positions of power and influence. At issue is the social dilemma of whether questioning an old person nominating to be the US President is a legitimate discussion or an example of ageism? A bigger question is how in a country of 334 million people, the leading candidates for nomination of their respective US political parties (at the time of writing) will both be over 78 years of age?
The ongoing scrutiny of Joe Biden I’m anticipating will be a positive development in the fight against ageism. I remain optimistic the debate surrounding his perceived suitability will bring into the open many attitudes surrounding ageing and force us as community members, politicians, employers and social influencers to hold a mirror to our belief structures. The old adage of ‘any publicity is good publicity’ holds true in the Joe Biden for President debate, for by shining a light on the issues of ageing and ageism, this social problem becomes increasingly difficult to hide, disguise or ignore.
I am surprised how the Joe Biden for President ‘issue’ initially triggered in me views that are at odds with a person who represents themselves as an anti-ageism advocate. My initial reaction was opposition to an 82-year-old wanting to take on the President’s role. Thoughts of family members and friends who lived into their 80s were my guideposts. Vibrant, active and engaged with the world they also showed the signs of physical and cognitive wear and tear associated with a long life. Simplistically transposing my older age ‘reference group’ into the imagined Presidential role left me feeling uncomfortable that a person of a similar age could be in such a position of power. I also referenced my own ageing experience. I love being physically and mentally active, but now no longer have the stamina for 70-hour work weeks or the inclination.
My reflection on the Biden age issue highlighted some critical learnings for me. Older people can be as ageist in their thinking as younger people. Research backs this up. Ageism is not an inter-generational issue but a universal challenge. In displaying an ageist outlook, I overlooked the evidence I have been constantly advocating – ageing is an individual experience and everyone ages differently. Recent Ashton Applewhite comments on the world of geriatricians ring true for me: if you’ve seen one octogenarian, you’ve seen one octogenarian. We have accumulated significant medical data about the early life stage with approximate age markers of when we might expect a baby to begin walking or talking, but we don’t have the same data points for when things may happen in later life. The truth is at older ages we become more individual and less like other people.
When you adopt this frame for Joe Biden’s 2024 Presidential suitability, indicative evidence suggests he could again function quite capably in the role. He has passed all his required medical tests and being assessed as physically and mentally able to continue in the President’s role. He exceeded the political pundit’s midterm elections expectations and has been an active President with a progressive policy agenda and a focus on economic development. He has also displayed a diplomatic resolve in dealing with complex international issues. To date, he has shown the ability to manage a gruelling work schedule. Some argue he is in better shape than many half his age.
Clearly, when sizing up a person’s ability to perform a role, age is inconsequential as it is not telling us anything meaningful about the person. Rarely, if ever, would a 30 or 40-year-old be asked whether they believed their age would compromise their ability to perform their job. No one when witnessing a past Australian PM eating a raw onion on TV questioned whether his age was impacting his mental suitability for the role of PM. Nor are we yet seeing younger political leaders knocking the door down with galvanising agendas to address the myriad of serious environmental and social issues confronting us all.
The key message is age and job capability are largely unrelated. Age remains a very unreliable indicator of an individual's intellect, energy or ability. Sure, physical changes are evident as we age; we might walk or talk a little slower, but so what? A physical slowing down does not equate to a cognitive slowing down. In the battle against ageism, the old saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’ resonates more strongly than ever.
The upsides of ageing and age remain undervalued and underappreciated. In a fractious world increasing applications of wisdom, insight and perspective might prove valuable. Outmoded understandings of age are now too often curtailing the careers of older people in public service or business who still have much to offer. Decades of invaluable learning about the world and wisdom derived from long professional experience is being lost or wasted.
Age on its own should never be a disqualifier of an individual to perform a role. Motivation, capability and a healthy dose of self-honesty are the only factors that ultimately matter in determining an ability to successfully perform in a role. Such a belief seems self-evident. Yet, the existence of anti-discrimination legislation and the emergence of a global anti-ageism movement tell us otherwise.
What is hard to fathom is in the voicing of ageist attitudes we are all really discriminating against our future selves. Whether we like it or not every one of us is, as the geriatrician Joanne Lynn describes, an ‘old person in training’. Becoming old is an inevitability for many of us. Once this inevitability is accepted perhaps we will be less judgemental and tough on octogenarians – our future selves. So, go Joe. There is no age limit on wanting to ‘make a difference’ or wanting to serve the community to make our world a better and safer place.
References
Carr, S. (2021). Retirement communities: ageism exists even among the elderly – new research. The Conversation. (Dec 27). https://theconversation.com/retirement-communities-ageism-exists-even-among-the-elderly-new-research-171855
Gendron, T. (2022). Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It. Steerforth Press.
Hall, C. (2023). ‘Can Political Media Cover the Negative Effects of Biden’s Age Without Being Ageist?’ Mediaite (April 24). https://www-mediaite-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.mediaite.com/opinion/can-political-media-cover-the-negative-effects-of-bidens-age-without-being-ageist/amp/
Hiltzik, M. (2023). ‘In praise of gerontocracy.’ Los Angeles Times (May 9). https://finance-yahoo-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/column-praise-gerontocracy-120038069.html
Ng, T.W.H.& Feldman, D.C. (2008). The relationship of age to ten dimensions of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 392 – 423
