Folks over fifty don't give a damn.

[PartyPooper]

My partner and I met with a long-time friend for lunch today. Invariably, the discussion went into to politics.

I mentioned the "Jesus" craze at the Air Force Academy and our friend had no clue. He had not even read or heard about it. And, he's Jewish@! So, I informed him of the take-over at the AF Academy by students and faculty of the "Christian" persuasion.

He did say, "What's happened to our country?" Well, DUH!

This friend is very intelligent and well-educated. But., he's over 60 and I presume (because of his remarks) not too concerned for us or the next generation.

I feel so sad.

:-(

[alfredo]

1. We don't?

That's news to me.

[tk2kewl]

2. Bad generalization. I know many concerned people in that age group.

And a number of them are traditional centrist repugs.

[seabeyond]

3. well your wrong, so you dont need to feel so sad

about that anyway

my father keep abreast and has said what is happening, and he doesnt know anything, but he listens to fox. he just doesnt know how much information he isnt getting.

i dont think you can do it by age. some people are politically inclined and many arent, doesnt have to do with age, from what i see. and i am not over 50

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Oh, I think you're wrong about that.

On the contrary, I've been worried because so many of the political events I've been going to for the last year or so seem to have been populated almost entirely by people who are a bit, shall we say, long in the tooth, like me. I have seen relatively few younger people at a lot of these things and haven't been able to figure out why, since they will have to live a lot longer with, and in, the mess Junior is making of the world than I will. Your older friend is clearly uninformed, but don't attribute that to his age. I've run into a very dishearteningly large number of completely oblivious young people who evidently either don't know, or don't care, that it's likely to get pretty DRAFTy one of these days.

[Richard D]

5. Actually . . . .

. . . I've found much the opposite: that the 50ish people seem quite tuned into what is happening.

[Carla in Ca]

25. Well, as a '50ish' person,

I appreciate you saying that.
As for the original poster I say what a shame you come to such a sweeping conclusion from one conversation. If I thought for one minute you were really being serious...

[Carni]

49. I saw very few young people at the pre-election events

I also find the opposite to be the case.

Yes, there are some younger people that are involved but mostly I talk to people 45 and up who are aware of what's going on.

[Fridays Child]

6. Unfortunately, that blinkered approach to the world...

...can be seen across all adult age groups. The majority of Americans--even those who exercise their right to vote--will never understand what "politics" has to do with them, until it hits them in their bank accounts. Then they get pissed.

It may take another "Great Depression" to turn things around.

[tblue37]

7. I will be 55 in August.

Didn't you see the thread that showed that those over 50 comprised the largest percentage of DU members? Don't you see the articles about how cosnervative young adults and teens are becoming? In my experience, it's the younger people who are not sufficiently engaged to understand what is at risk. (I teach freshman/sophomore English at a large state university, and I am always astonished at how little my students know about what is going on.)

[Djinn]

30. can't agree with the OP

given most of my views were informed by the oldies (now in their 60's) who are very aware and involved and have been all their lives, but I'd say the majority of DU users being over 50 has a little more to do with access to the internet. Most 50+ also don't have young children under their feet anymore and fewer of them (out of the group with net access) are having to work two or three jobs to pay off student debts or pay their rent

ignorance cuts across all ages, so does awareness

[tblue37]

63. I have several jobs, actually,

because I am a poorly paid adjunct faculty member.

I also do freelance editing, ghostwriting, proofreading, and a lot of tutoring of students at all levels in all subjects, both with and without learning disabilities.

A lot of women in my age group ended up having to raise their children on ridiculously low incomes while their husbands went off with a younger woman and started a whole new family. Many of us have packed several part-time jobs around our regular jobs and raising our kids in order to make ends meet.

[Djinn]

89. i think that's why I said most

no need to get defensive

[MazeRat7]

8. There are many days when I just dont give a damn either....

Maybe your "long time friend" had some things going on in his life that were just a wee bit more personal and demanding of his attention ? Besides its not the responsibility of older generations to take care of younger ones, quite the reverse actually.


MZr7

[roguevalley]

9. I don't think you have the right kind of friends. The people most

concerned around here are people my age, fifty and older.

[eleny]

10. Over 50 and giving a damn, here!

[LeahD]

29. Me too. n/t

[Bozita]

11. Seen any clueless well educated young folks lately?

Guess what they mature into.

[paineinthearse]

12. BS

Don't make crass generalizations based on one person.

Since 11/2, I have been to serveral political forums, demonstrations and conferences for activist groups in the Boston area.

90% of the attendees are at least 45. There is a conspicuous absence of the younger generations.

[punpirate]

13. Always dangerous to...

... generalize from a particular--unless that particular is truly representative of the general situation.

I would say that the overall evidence is probably to the contrary. Most of the people my age went through the end of WWII, the period of McCarthyism, all of the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Watergate, etc., and know that what's happening now is similar to the worst of those times--and for similar reasons.

Just for contrast, I recall one of Will Pitt's posts a few weeks ago, where he was lamenting the fact that everywhere he goes to give talks, the people in the audience are invariably elderly.

You're going to find ill-informed people across the spectrum. Want proof of that? Just spend a few minutes over at that "other" board. :)

[BikeWriter]

14. The same can be said for all age groups.

[dchill]

15. Don't be an age-ist

Not giving a damn is an across-the-board affliction, applying to any damn demographic you want - including age, gender, religious affliction (I know, affiliation), sexual preference, race - whatever.

It's my opinion that every one of us has a few things he/she doesn't give a damn about. For me it's Bill O'Reilly's cancelled ocean cruise.

Oh, yeah - I'm 53.

[Rowdyboy]

16. Feel sad for your friend, not for the millions of us who ARE concerned

and aware and contribute and are over 50. I can guarantee you those older 50 voters vote one hell of a lot more than their 20 or 30 year old counterparts who are too busy pursuing careers and sex and beginning families to bother. My time is free and I have disposable income. I can finally contribute.

[welshTerrier2]

17. my folks are 84 ...

i'm 55 ...

my entire family is very politically active and politically aware ...

what you should feel sad about is not that people over 60 don't care but rather people of all ages are generally ill-informed and don't participate in protecting the ideals of democracy ...

[Old and In the Way]

18. ?

nt

[pdxblue]

19. what planet do you live on? eom

[Cleita]

20. In my neck of the wood, we seem to be the only ones

who care. Every political meeting or gathering I go to is a sea of gray hair and aged faces. Very few young people seem interested.

[Misskittycat]

75. Same here. Overwhelmingly in late 40's, 50's, 60's and older. n/t

[shanti]

21. again?

this subject is rehashed on a regular basis, and frankly, it's getting tired.

[Nostradammit]

22. Blond people don't like dogs. It's so sad.

My friend came over the other day. He has blond hair and he doesn't like dogs. I said, "Hey, dogs are cool!" but he didn't agree.

I wish blond people didn't hate dogs so much.

:-(

[chknltl]

32. I hate dogs too???? but, but ,but... I thought liked dogs...

My dogs seem to think so, maybe if I dye my hair, do you think that would work?

[ginnyinWI]

23. we care more,if anything

I'm 53 and I care. My friend is 65 and she cares. My father in law is 81 and he cares!

When I was younger I just kind of threw up my hands at the "older generation" who were in power. Now I'm their age. We feel just as qualified as them to voice our opinions, and feel responsible to try to do something to make things better.

I worked with many people middle-aged and older on the campaign last year.

[Carolab]

24. Yes, they do. You just need to engage them in it. Educate them.

Send them e-mails/information by snail mail. It's not their fault. They don't know about the Internet and alternative media!

P.S. I'm 56. Didn't you see the DU poll about the age range in here?

[Irreverend IX]

26. Is that so?

A lot of the demographic research on activist groups indicates that most of their members are middle-aged. I can say that most people in my late-teens-to-twenties age group I've met are a lot deader to the world than the 50-somethings I know.

[Warren DeMontague]

27. People Who Make Blanket Generalizations Suck Ass.

You Know, Usually.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Most of this news has been under the radar

and some people just feel helpless

[Piperay]

31. Yeah you're right

I'm over 50 and I don't even have any kids so I don't care, why should I.(?) :sarcasm:

Actually there is no outstanding reason that I should care. I will most likely be dead before global warming causes major trouble and I don't have any kids or grandkids that will die in Chimp's war but strangely enough I DO CARE...go figure. :shrug:

[raccoon]

70. Same here, over 50, no kids,

Unless I live to be a centenarian, I won't see the worse projections, either, but I care. I probably think about this kind of stuff too much and I need to lighten up. That's what one relative has told me.

[Richard D]

80. I'm in the same place

and I really give a damn.

[chknltl]

33. Thats because politics is giving me...

....grey hair!!!:hippie:

[HeeBGBz]

34. One clueless friend does not equal blanket generalization

Now, where's my Geritol, I need to watch I Love Lucy reruns. That Ethel, she's a hoot.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. from a conversation I just had with a kid

I cuold make the same general generalization abuot kids under thirty

Then again I have met more kids that don't care than older people, but my sample is NOT statiscially significant

[mandyky]

36. It's not they don't care, the corporate media has discredited dissenters

in general and Dems in particular.

Generational concerns exist, but not because people do not care.

[Vinca]

37. "Folks under fifty don't give a damn."

How's it feel? I very much resent the topic of your post. We fifty somethings are the ones who took to the streets and stopped the Vietnam war. I'm still waiting for the demonstrations to end the Iraqi war. I heard on the news that if the under 30 crowd had actually come out to vote last November, we'd have a different president right now. Maybe my generation needs to grab our Depends and have a million walker march on Washington. Sheesh.

[SammyWinstonJack]

81. Us Baby Boomers just suck in general, ya know?

:silly: Is this another one of those "baby boomers suck" threads?

[July]

38. I resemble that remark.

As my Dad used to say.

[Puglover]

39. LOL...maybe when you are over 50

you will learn how foolish it is to paint with such a broad brush.
:eyes:

[DancingBear]

40. Psssst - all that stuff like women's rights, gay rights, voting age, etc.

That was us - back in our youth - hitting the streets, taking the flack, and moving the cause forward.

So you wouldn't have to.

The don't give a damn folks you speak of today are those same folks who didn't give a damn back then either.

But they sure as hell aren't us. Trust me.

DancingBear, age 51 1/2

[triguy46]

41. Any other pejoratives to toss in the mix?

Being an asshole knows no age, race, gender, national origin limits.
This could have been titled "(fill in the blank) over (fill in the blank) don't give a damn.
Dumb post.

[Andromeda]

42. Excuse me?

I take exception at that remark. Before you start making assumptions about middle-aged people maybe you'd better talk to more people over fifty.

Generally, the older you are the more interested you become in the issues that affect your quality of life and well-being. You become more concerned about the recklessness of our leaders and the real dangers that arise from their policies.

Getting older doesn't mean you stop being concerned for the welfare and security of our nation. More Middle-aged and elderly people vote in droves on election day.

Me thinks you should get out more.

[BiggJawn]

43. Folks under 25 don't give a rat's ass, either.

Met more than one slacker-boy during the last 2 election cycles who, when asked if they were registered and going to vote, replied some variation of "No, I'm WITHOLDING my Vote, in order to Send a Message..." (thoughtful drag on cigarette)

"Oh, so in other words, you're too lazy or clueless to give a fuck, but you wanna appear worldly and Chompsky-esque to the Chicks, right?"

2 can play the stereotype game, too.

I'm almost 50. My girlfriend is in her 50's. ALL we do is talk about What's Going On and write letters. AND give money. My girlfriend worries that Shrub will allow our employers to pull the pension out from under us, like the Airlines are doing to their help. Our savings won't be enough, and Social Security will be gutted, so you young folks can "Keep more'n yer OWN MUNNY!!!"...

Sounds like WE give a damn.

[johnnie]

44. I'm only 40

And sometimes I wish I didn't give a shit. I sometimes envy the people who just walk around in la la land and go through life with their head in a cloud.
I would love to not care what the hell is happening, but I still do.

[Bridget Burke]

45. PartyPooper has disappeared.....

The "friend" mentioned is also Jewish. So I guess the thread title could have been even more divisive.

And the "friend" simply had not read the story. Once he got the info, he WAS concerned.

[ScreamingMeemie]

48. I know. This forum is divisive enough without the hit and runs.

:hi:

[soup]

62. Thanks for noticing, BB.

:hi:

I'm reeling in my ?WTF? anger over the original post title and moving on, too.

Gotta watch that over 50 blood pressure, donchya know?

[formercia]

46. I'm over 50 and mad as HELL!!!

so, there.

[formercia]

84. Bunch of Peckerwoods

Fearless leader and his Organized Crime Gang.

[ScreamingMeemie]

47. My 61 year old father gives a damn.

:shrug: People from all age groups have differing stances on this. Let's not brush that group as such.

[Ilsa]

50. My 79 year old father gives a damn. He stays pretty well-informed

on alot of news issues.

He does feel pretty helpless to change anything though. He doesn't have enough money or clout to influence policymakers.

[Liberal In Texas]

51. Another over 50 checking in. Hello...I give a damn...

I will be 56 in a couple of weeks and I'm so political my wife has to tell me to tone it down when I meet some con at the pub and start ranting about their talking points and misconceptions.

However, that said, I do think that over 60 or more you don't find many who are computer literate. They depend entirely on MSM and what their friends tell them for what's happening in the world and in politics, and I think they tend to be more conservative because of that.

This is course dosen't mean all people who use the internet are progressive (freepers and ditto heads!) or all older people are conservative (becuase they don't have ready access to the net). My elderly mother who couldn't tell you how to turn a computer on let alone use it, is very anti-Bush after having voted Repub most of her life.

Then there are some people, young or old, who just don't care at all. As long as their is gas for the SUV, food at the Safeway, the TV still works, and they still have a job, they really don't care. It will take some crisis in their personal life (lose the job, have a medical bill they can't pay) to make them sit up and take notice.

Just my 2 cents.

[kliljedahl]

52. I'm 55 & I give a shit

Keith’s Barbeque Central

[Steel City Slim]

53. I'll Be 57 In August

If you don't know what you're talking about----don't talk.

[Terran]

54. What a stupid thing to say. n/t

[OnionPatch]

55. People under 40 just don't give a damn!

It's been my experience that the younger people are the ones who don't care. I belong to a Dem club and the youngest one is in their thirties.

I talk to young people at work and they're all clueless. They don't know the slightest thing about politics and no realization at all about what's going on in our government.

Now, I'm not saying they're all like that everywhere but from where I'm standing, that's what it looks like.

[aeolian]

56. Uh oh. You dared to criticize a generation.

I did that once. :hide:

be prepared to be told to "learn your history," have some respect, and stand in awe of all that has been done before.

Oh, and expect a few especially cowardly PM's.

Happy flamming!

[Bridget Burke]

58. Why are you speaking of "cowardly" PM's?

Of course, a PM would be the only way of reaching the OP who "bravely" has abandoned the thread he/she started....

[aeolian]

60. Don't assume. I did not abandon my thread.

I had half the posts in that thread.


And when someone says to me in a PM what they didn't have the gonads to say in public, well, I don't call that heroic.

[Bridget Burke]

73. I was speaking about THIS thread.

And PartyPooper is conspicuous in his/her absence.

[ScreamingMeemie]

76. But I do call it respectful of the thousands of other DUers here who

don't wish to view or smell your dirty laundry. :hi:

[SmokingJacket]

57. All the peace protesters in this town have white hair.

It's weird, actually. And I live in a college town, where there certainly ought to be a lot of young radicals. But no.

There might be a certain segment of the older population that has tuned out -- but that's true of all ages.

[TX-RAT]

59. All that from talking to 1 person.

Leaves this 50+ year old man, just shaking his head.

[in_cog_ni_to]

61. Senior citizens VOTE!

They DO care! My 79 year old father knew what Bush is doing and HATED the man and his administration. My mom detests the very ground he walks on. They care, they pay attention and, most importantly, THEY VOTE.

[NuttyFluffers]

64. heh, wow, shoe on other foot story

wonder how many panties get in a bunch over this.

meh, i'm used to older generations raggin' on my generation, i can take it in stride now. but i must admit this was refreshing to read.

i guess now we have some people who knows what it feels like when they harp this age-old mantra that the young have no understanding like the old. heh, doesn't make you feel all lovey-dovey and cozy, does it?

[efhmc]

65. One person gives you the right to make this statement. Over 50, well

informed and did not know or care about this. Too many other matters that matter more for this to matter to me.

[BlueIris]

66. Some of the only folks I know who DO give a damn are the 50+.

It's the under-fifty crowd I want to beat the crap out of (at least in our area). Mature citizens make up 60% of my DFA group. In more than one year of active support for that group, I've NEVER seen a person under thirty, apart from me, attend one of our meetings. It's so frustrating. Voters younger than age 35 make up 1/3 of the city I live in and...where are they? I don't even know.

[Booster]

67. I can't believe you'd judge an entire age group of the comment

of one person. I'm over 60 and I certainly care.

[newportdadde]

68. My father is 56 , my grandmother 80.

They are both very concerned especially my father, now that he is a grandpa he has gotten more into politics then I have ever seen before.

EDIT:

If anything its my generation around 30 that seems to care less. They also seem to think they will get rich with Bush's SS BS. There are a lot of people my age with their 100% down loans that have a lot of learning to do in the next few years.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

83. Wait until they get their draft notices.

If I remember correctly, that got a whole lot of people pretty stirred up once upon a time. And maybe that's what it will take; maybe then some of us old folks, who long since managed to get ourselves tear-gassed, clubbed by cops and arrested, can finally sit back and let the young ones take over. Because they will finally have a really, really good reason to put down their Game Boys and take to the streets.

[spanone]

69. Crock of shit. YOUR freind is uninformed. Don't lay it on everyone.

[Cats Against Frist]

71. If I could have a nickel for every time my lap-dog, authority worshipping

father said, "What do I care, I'm 53 years old!" I would be a millionaire, right now. He used to be a strong union supporter -- now, he's just useless.

[Tippy]

72. You're wrong

We have more older folks involved...Here in our county...They are the one's who go to demonstrations...they are the one's writing letters to the editor..Attending meetings so forth and so on...

[LibDemAlways]

74. I'm 52 and I most definitely

give a damn. My 81 year old parents are very politically aware, too. My eighteen-year-old nephew who has posted here was just voted "Most Likely to Become US President" by his HS graduating class because of his activism.

The only member of my family who doesn't give a damn about politics is my 12-year-old, but not for lack of effort on my part.

[IChing]

77. PARTY POOPER NEVER RESPONDED SO GIVE IT UP AS FLAME BAIT

Yes, I was slighted but did not respond until today waiting for a response from the partypooper.

[Desertrose]

79. what the hey, woke us "oldsters" up tho, didn;t it?

Guess we still care and still have some fight left.

:hide::popcorn:

[Desertrose]

78. Ever check into the age demgraphics here at DU?

You might be very surprised at what age group the largest majority of posters belong to here on DU.

"Folks over fifty don't give a damn."

That has to be the worst generalization I've heard in awhile.
I'm over 50 and I sure as hell give a damn! Most of the people I worked with on the last campaign were over 50...where are the young ones? They're gonna be here a lot longer than me. Why aren't they kickin ass to keep a decent world for themselves??

Please don't tell me about people not giving a damn...I agree there are way too many but its not about age groups IMHO.

[greatauntoftriplets]

82. 55 and still challenging authority....especially corrupt governments.

My SO is 57 and in the same boat. Nice broad-brush generalization of an entire generation. Not to mention hit-and-run flamebait.

Still :hippie: after all these years.

[B Calm]

85. 54 here and I worry that Bush is trying his best to destroy this

country. I fear all the dollars I invested into social security will be given to the rich in the form of tax cuts. I know for a fact that the cheap labor cons are salivating over the prospect of millions of desperate baby boomers with no social security to hire as cheap labor..

[Media_Lies_Daily]

86. 54 here...read a few of my 10,000 to 11,000 posts and....

...insult me again by telling me that I don't care.

It's posts like yours that make me want to just shake my head and walk away.

[geniph]

87. At least half the really hard-core members of my Democratic LD

are over 50. As a matter of fact, it's something we've worried a great deal about - that those who are carrying most of the burden as PCOs, legislative district chairs, etc., are the older folks. We're having a lot more trouble getting the younger folks involved than we are in keeping the older ones engaged.

[DURHAM D]

88. I feel like calling you a name but I will resist. I am over 60 and

have been politically active for over 40 years. I have been involved with the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, the women's movement, the ERA fight, the pro-choice movement, the gay rights movement and the anti-war movement again. From time to time I have (as have my good friends) felt like we were trying to keep a flame alive that few people cared about. Year after year as democracy appeared to be in danger of disappearing, after one more republican success, we would tell each other that maybe this would be the wakeup call to the kids.

When this country attacked Iraq we all cried together and just kept saying "America doesn't do this". "America doesn't do this." Finally my best friend said that day "I'm tired - the kids get what they deserve. They can have it and they deserve the results". Since that conversation I have found DU and have tried repeatedly to get him to look in. He is still angry at the apathy and disengaged from the process. Frankly, he earned the right but I am still trying to get him here.

[LittleClarkie]

90. On the contrary, seniors are fighting the Soc Sec Bush plan

not for themselves, but for their children and their children's children. They might not be internet savy, is all.

[msmcghee]

91. If I told you once . .

. . I told you a million times, don't fucking exaggerate. And leave some info in your bio if you want anyone to take you seriously - flamebait.

[bobbieinok]

92. 60+ and very concerned......but there are days when I see one positive

result of being this old........I may not live to see some of the worst effects of bushco's policies, especially environmental, civil rights, international relations.....and I lucked out by birth year, so won't get too hurt over potential SS and Medicare changes

I'm concerned about my son and his wife, but they are very aware democrats

my 26 year old nephew and my 13 year old niece.....brainwashed by their republican fathers all the way