Sunday, February 14, 2010
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
The only problem is that most of the boomers now have no money left, the profligate bstds.
ReplyDeleteWe, in the back of the Shearing's omnibus, salute you.
ReplyDeleteThing is though but there are nouveau old, that will be the wife and I, the bloody old, that will be the cast of Lewis and the "what, is she still alive", that will be her Madge and that burd who used to be in the Forsyth Saga.
Spare a thought for us, kind youngsters, we intermittent empty nesters, FOC babysitters, squatters upon the inheritance, drainers of the national purse, and consider this, one day, in the not too distant future...
The media are so fickle – no sooner do they run out of ready money than they start courting us oldies. Likewise the young, they’ll have to grow up fast with the prospect of mass unemployment and death taxes on the horizon. Meantime, I shall pray (if that’s allowed) for many more years of vintage-youth culture, combined with a healthy body and mind… and wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!
ReplyDeleteThe young may well be lousy payers, but when the baby boomers start defaulting on the huge national debts they are rackng up non-payment for music downloads will be mere bagatelle. The baby boomers may well be the most indulged and financially reckless generation in human history.
ReplyDeleteInteresting you should mention Francis Fukuyama. In his Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution, Fukuyama gives some attention to the consequences of aging populations, most notably the negative impact it is having on innovation in the developed world; great ideas belong to the young.
ReplyDeleteI thought of this when the markets collapsed and we boomers resigned ourselves to delaying retirement, further impeding the contributions of later generations. Personally, I've set getting out of the way as a primary goal.
As someone who has worked with older people for many years I welcome the sentiments but I am dubious of the claim that 70 is the new 40. Lifespan may be increasing but quality of life lags behind. Many of the people who need social care have multiple physical and mental health problems and social trends ( obesity mainly) suggest this will get worse.
ReplyDeleteAs you may have noticed this morning our political parties are competing to see who can look the biggest prat, rather than finding answers. Make no mistake - when the budget cuts are made older people will suffer first.
This is a great article, thanks Bryan! I wrote my PhD on Pina Bausch and love this inclusive, human aspect of her work. (Actually it's an aesthetic that is integral to her work). Real people on their journey through life are so much more compelling than mere physical prowess. I'm attempting to get some projects off the ground here in Dublin involving some venerables of great age, so was really thrilled to read your article and discover that my aspirations in that regard a part of a larger zeitgeist. Thank-you! Deirdre Mulrooney (www.deirdremulrooney.com)
ReplyDeleteThe Eskimos, or the Inuit People as the BBC respectfully calls them, had the answer, when Großmutters last teeth fell out and she could no longer chew sealskin then out onto the ice with the old bat. Not even a Jack Wolfskin puffer jacket to comfort her.
ReplyDeleteOne thought, although resistance would be enormous, train and employ older people as teachers, the statologists would hate it. The teachers unions would foam at the mouth as would that shining beacon of all things sprogish, Mr EBalls.
You're right about the admen waking up Bryan, feverishly opening the sarcophagus lids and wheeling the likes of Parkinson to the studio.
So you took my advice and went down to the local Morrisons for breakfast?
ReplyDeleteIts not a pretty sight is it?
On one hand, old people are becoming a huge voting block to protect themselves from serious ageism. But in some societies, it is okay for adolescents to mistreat old people on the streets. So much for wisdom and respect. When your eyes go, you hold up pedestrian traffic, and your bones start creaking, you just might take your place at the bottom of the food chain. Financially it means curtains for us baby boomers, especially those of us at the tail end. We're in for some serious disrespect. We just might be shipped up to the arctic circle to be eaten en masse by polar bears farmed just for the occassion.
ReplyDeleteHere's some blues:
Gettin Old by Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings
Yours,
Rus
We either win or we die. Both ways we win!
ReplyDeleteSince I came out in 1928 along with Shirley Temple, Mickey Mouse and the Model A Ford, I naturally oppose Barack Hussein Obama's dream of socialized medicine with its necessary quotas. Hopefully Obamacare will be stopped in the near future. Obama loathes our nation and has since, as a teenager, he fell under the influence of Frank Marshall Davis, member of the Communist Party USA and close friend of another member, Paul Robeson. Obama has no respect for either human life or the rule of law.
ReplyDelete