Three in four people live under a leader older than 65
One in ten people are older than 65. Three in four live under a leader who is
Hannah Ritchie compiled data on the age and tenure of leaders across more than 140 countries. She finds that three-quarters of the world lives under a leader over 65, and two-thirds under one over 70. In Africa, 31 of 41 countries are autocracies, home to 8 of the 10 oldest leaders. Cameroon's Paul Biya, 93, governs a population with a median age of 18 — a 75-year gap.
Most of the world lives under a leader who is past the age when most people retire.
- nyargh
All the cries of ageism but there have been countless leaked reports of US Senators being treated for dementia and clearly cognitively impaired senators still serving. They're doing a weekend at bernies with McConnell right now!
Absolutely there are sharp people >65, but there is no question that cognitive decline starts in middle age and the risk for dementia increases dramatically past 65.
Then there is the argument, which imo is even stronger, of an inverting demographic pyramid and inter generational economic warfare to preserve pensions for people who won't live to see the effects of their policies. This is not at all sustainable and creates misery for the working class who will soon lack sufficient democratic power to vote their way out of it.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for dinner, etc..
- CGMthrowaway
Ten in ten children have parents who are older than them
- andsoitis
Numbers, but I couldn't find insights in the article. Is there anything worthy of take-away?
- monideas
The term "Senate" comes from the Latin word "senex" meaning "old man", and obviously the US inherited the term "Senate" from ancient Rome. This is a basic structure of society.
The issue is that this particular group of people older than 65 at this particular time in world history (which you happen to be living in) are Boomers who are probably the most child-like, foolish, and ignorant generation of people in world history, due to the circumstances of their upbringing (post-WW2, high technology, opulence, drug use, sexual revolution, peace in the developed world).
This isn't ageism, since normally old people do tend to have more wisdom and knowledge than young people.
There is something that really went wrong with the Boomer generation. The goal of every society is basically to survive their Boomer generation which many are not really seeming to manage.
- avazhi
Yes, in general people place a lot of value in the wisdom that comes with age so long as the person isn’t senile.
Obviously with autocrats this isn’t applicable but there’s nothing inherently nonsensical or inexplicable about why mostly old dudes rule much of the world.