Saturday, October 18, 2008

Ageism or is it?

Ok, so October 15, my grandfather turned somewhere around 79 years old.

You know, with the grands, you find that they have told you they were 30 for so many years that I can't place their real age. Never-the-less, he is a retired school teacher who even went back into the trenches for a moment as a sub maybe in his mid-seventies. He stopped doing that, because not only has the world moved on from when he was a teacher, but also it takes alot to get that get up and go that he once had. I love my grandfather dearly, he was like a father to me when mine was not around (a story for another day) and as most kids think, he was sort of my Superman as a child. Well, more like Batman, a super hero, but still very human. And guide my family, along with my grandmother, he did a magnificant job. But on his birthday, I saw on the news John McCain, and realized he is a few years younger than my grandfather. It got me thinking, could I see him runnng the nation at his age. I mean, I'm not talking about a Logan's Run esque existance, but is it really rational to have some one at the age past retirement, in most fields, run the nation? Of course McCain knows more, has more experience than Obama, he's 40 years older than him, much like my grandfather knows more about the world than I, but can he keep up in my classroom like he once did. Is it really ageism when I look at the Presidents in my voting time (Clinton and Bush 2) who going into office looked one way, and now... Bush 2 Clinton Which is really to say this job is difficult, and wears out the younger, imagine what it'll do the already advanced. And lets not forget who the running mate is: Mrs. and Mr. Pitbull in Lipstick .

Let's just hope when I'm 79 my grandkids don't put me out to pasture.....