Every time I read a poll broken down by age the over 50s / over 60s are shown as having a majority of coionservative / reactionary opinions. Why is this? for all of my life I have known hundreds of progressive people from the babyboomer generation - after all we started the 68 libvertarian and socialist mass opposition to the reactionary regimes of the time including sexual freedom for all, anti racism and sexism, against imperialism and the Vietnam war - yet now we ae always on the right in opion polls.
Is it really true that the older you get the more right wing you become - it has not happened to me. Maybe we need a little more differentiation between the older working age - babyboomers ( 50- 65+) the active pensioner genration ( 65- 75/80) and the 'frail elderly ( 80+) and apologies to all of us who dont think we fit into those age groups - but by and large we do. Thiose are separate generations just like the youngsters and we should not all be shoved together - after all the older woking age make up nearly 25% of the working poulation and do over half of all caring ( especially the women) and we still think and act - or many of us do in an actuve progressive way enjoying life and adventures - we are not in old people's homes - yet.
Also maybe the questions asked are not approrpiate - I cannot imagine that all of those active trade unionists form the 50s - 80s who fought for and benefitted from trade union membership can now have forgotten how iportant solidarity is and how you can only gctively to force employers to pay us our due.
Maybe we are the ones who dont respond to opinion polls. Or maybe we - the progressive seniors need to take our arguements to our own generastion as well as supporting the youth - who will always be in the vabguard of change and progress and the fight for freedom, democracy, fairness and equality
what do you think?
maybe because there are a lot of very well off babyboomers with their own homes and proper pesnions who want to safeguard what they have
ReplyDelete