Sam Donaldson recently argued [1] that the problem with 72-year old John McCain (referring to McCain’s confusion and his erratic unfocused ways) is due to his “age.” I vehemently disagree with Donaldson (who, at 74, is two years older than McCain). Blaming mental incoherence on “age” is a form of bigotry. There are numerous older folks who are as sharp as can be. To say that “age” is the problem is to prejudge all of those older folks, even though many of them are intellectually performing at high levels. Who do I have in mind? Here’s a few examples.
How about 78-year old investor and billionaire George Soros, [2]who recently finished writing his new book, The Credit Crisis of 2008 [3]? And consider Bill Moyers, [4]who is doing phenomenal work as a broadcast journalist and writer, at the age of 74. Here’s two for the price of one: Bill Moyers conducting this recent interview with Soros. [5] Watch this insightful interview and then ask whether either of these gentlemen are too old to be doing the work they are doing. Speaking of billionaires, consider Warren Buffet [6], 77, who Forbes recently declared the world’s wealthiest man.
Who else comes to mind? How about Bertrand Russell, [7] who lived to the ripe old age of 98. Russell was busy writing his three volume autobiography, starting it at age 95 and finishing it up, just in time, at the age of 97.
Consider, also, Ernst Mayr, [8]the evolutionary biologist. A few years ago, I read one of Mayr’s books, What Evolution Is. [9] It’s really a terrific book, with a forward by Jarred Diamond recounting how Mayr did some of his field work back in 1927. You see, Mayr was born in 1904 and lived to be 100 years old. He wrote his fine book when he was 97 years old. He then went on to write one more book at the age of 99.
Are some old people unable to function? Why are they unable to function? That’s an entirely separate question.
Therefore, whenever I hear that McCain is “too old,” I jump in to remind people that many people are at the top of their game when they are in their 70’s. Perhaps McCain has suffered injuries that affect his ability to think rationally. Perhaps he has a medical condition that is causing his thought process to crumble. Perhaps McCain never was able to think coherently. To call McCain’s problem one of “age,” though, is to engage in bigotry.
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