[thepossum]

I didn't see any accusations Ken. Just some rhetorical comments. By me anyway

And I don't label a whole generation by the alleged (imagined) actions of maybe a few

Some of us may have some exposure to some of them but I never met you

But my smiles and letting you free of your unnecessary defence (against me anyway) should be considered in the light of my very serious concerns about how some political interests seem to have flipped in scary ways. I don't want to risk starting up any fights over my geopolitical and economic concerns again though. I apologise for being so hypersensitised to such issues these days that I allowed Pilowsky to draw me into such a comment

I am making the most of the few years in my life left before I become an OF. Back to my cave

[kenberg]

 shyams, on 2023-August-16, 12:35, said:

How about 38? (or to be more precise, 39 by the time next year's elections come around)

The issues at the young end of the age spectrum are completely different from the problems at the old end. The Constitution says 35 for the presidency and that sounds very reasonable to me. Some 30-year-olds might be ready, but if they wait until they are 35 they will probably have learned a few more useful things. At the old end the problem, as I see it, is not that we lapse into unrealistic memories. That can be a problem but it is usually pretty obvious and such a person could be rejected. The problem is that the presidency is an extremely demanding job. Most people who serve two terms come out looking like they are a good deal more than eight years older than they were when they started. Sure, there are variations. Some 80 year olds that I know are dead, some are feeling fine. But none of us are what we were 25 years ago. I am not at all suggesting that we replace the rule "must be 35" by "must be 35 and must not be over 75". That's too extreme. Biden is functional. But he is also noticeably past his prime so I look at him and say "Can't we find a decent guy who is at least somewhat younger?"

When this or that physical issue arises with me I do not take kindly to the view "You are 84, that's the explanation". I want details beyond that. But 20 years ago I was not having issues arise nearly, not remotely, as often. It is simply a fact that I am too old to take on a highly demanding job with great responsibilities. That's not ageism, it is realism.

So yeah, 37 or 38 is fine, depending of course on which youngster we are talking about.

[shyams]

Ken, I used that specific number because I was referring to Vivek.

He is running for President in the GOP primaries. He goes about talking of how he's the youngest ever (or maybe for the past 100 years).

Vivek turned 38 this month. If polls are to be believed, he is running third in the GOP opinion polls, way ahead of Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and numerous others.

[kenberg]

 thepossum, on 2023-August-16, 18:23, said:

I didn't see any accusations Ken. Just some rhetorical comments. By me anyway

And I don't label a whole generation by the alleged (imagined) actions of maybe a few

Some of us may have some exposure to some of them but I never met you

But my smiles and letting you free of your unnecessary defence (against me anyway) should be considered in the light of my very serious concerns about how some political interests seem to have flipped in scary ways. I don't want to risk starting up any fights over my geopolitical and economic concerns again though. I apologise for being so hypersensitised to such issues these days that I allowed Pilowsky to draw me into such a comment

I am making the most of the few years in my life left before I become an OF. Back to my cave

We're fine, at least I trust we are. I'm easy.

I like simplicity and, for me, the obvious fact is that 50 is a better age than 75 for taking on a tough job. Sometimes I think many problems should be much simpler to resolve

[thepossum]

 kenberg, on 2023-August-17, 13:16, said:

We're fine, at least I trust we are. I'm easy.

I like simplicity and, for me, the obvious fact is that 50 is a better age than 75 for taking on a tough job. Sometimes I think many problems should be much simpler to resolve

No worries, sorry if you ever take offence at anything I say. Since I never met you there is no way they could include you

But I stand by what I said. Existential considerations are one thing. Totally changing from what some of us thought was cool in youth to borderline fascism in old age - that's something else - not directed at anyone in particular -existential realities get people off a lot of things but not everything - I'm dreading becoming an OF - I imagine some may argue we are all driven by such things. Too deep for my brain

I was thrown into genuine fear for the world a few years ago and those fears have not yet been totally assuaged

[kenberg]

 thepossum, on 2023-August-17, 22:22, said:

No worries, sorry if you ever take offence at anything I say. Since I never met you there is no way they could include you

But I stand by what I said. Existential considerations are one thing. Totally changing from what some of us thought was cool in youth to borderline fascism in old age - that's something else - not directed at anyone in particular -existential realities get people off a lot of things but not everything - I'm dreading becoming an OF - I imagine some may argue we are all driven by such things. Too deep for my brain

I was thrown into genuine fear for the world a few years ago and those fears have not yet been totally assuaged

Maybe the contrast between OFs and Young Whippersnappers should be thought of as a bit similar to the contrast between Americans and Australians. It's been a long time since I saw Crockidile Dundee but I recall I got a real kick out of it. There was a small family gathering a few days ago where the youngest was a 20-year-old grandson.We had a congenial and interesting discussion about generational differences.

Cultural expectations have changed. This can be discussed. Change can be good, but sometimes there are side effects.

In some cultures, the old are regarded as wise simply because they are old. Obviously, that's crazy. But possibly we can make useful contributions to a discussion.

[thepossum]

As I said above Ken you are talking to the wrong person with an unnecessary defence

I regret ever making what was a political point in response to Pilowsky. I don't even think about OFs

I think about ideas

But I stand by my views of people of any age thar betrayed their previous ideals so readily in any situation. Some of us have too much personal experience of some of them too. OFs or not. It's worse than political betrayal. Its personal betrayal for some of us too. Some essentially stole our lives from us

A lot of younger generations act like fascists these days too

Anything over 30 is regarded as ignorant OFs by some these days

I am talking about politics and betrayal not age. Even whole movements

[Winstonm]

The water cooler needs a new jug.

[pilowsky]

Avi Widgerson just won the Turing prize for his work on a topic dear to our hearts.
Here he is talking about randomness after winning the Abel prize a few years back.