# Demonizing older voters **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 3, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949 "2018-11-03T21:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/81 "2018-11-05T17:17:32Z")
How about this: only non-voters get jury duty. Or at least they go to the top of the list. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/82 "2018-11-05T17:45:09Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > How about this: only non-voters get jury duty. Or at least they go to the top of the list. That is a good point. If I am not allowed to vote just because I didn’t vote in the past couple of elections, I don’t want to see a summons for jury duty. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/83 "2018-11-05T19:39:23Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > That’s just suppressing the vegan vote 😉 We cater for all types. 😛 > [@](#): > > In some cases, vegan sausages are sold on the polling day in particular polling stations.[5] This was the case with The Greens in 2017 Queensland state election. > > Sausages on bread are not the only items sold at the election day stalls. Voters can also purchase cakes, drinks and other food items such as vegetarian and gluten free options ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/84 "2018-11-05T22:06:41Z")
That’s what the government and democracy does. It divides groups and pits them against each other. That being said, I don’t need an ad to tell me how ridiculous Boomers have been throughout their lives. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/85 "2018-11-05T22:47:44Z")
You can’t generalize any group. My first vote was for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and have voted in every election for Democrats since. I’ve voted for property tax increases, both before and after I owned any property. I vote for what I perceive to be in the interest of the nation and/or the environment. Sure, a lot of voters my age would vote for a dog turd if it formed the letter R and some vote against any proposal with a price tag. If the young people aren’t happy with how I vote, I recommend that they start participating in democracy themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/86 "2018-11-06T20:32:25Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > This is a scandal. I’m outraged that there isn’t more outrage against it. I applaud the people who waited two hours, but if it were me (and many others, I’m sure) I’d turn around and go home when I saw the lines. Voter lines are now up to 4 hours in Georgia. The man who currently oversees elections is the GOP candidate for Governor. [https://hillreporter.com/predominantly-black-georgia-district-forced-to-wait-four-hours-for-functioning-voting-machines-13293](https://hillreporter.com/predominantly-black-georgia-district-forced-to-wait-four-hours-for-functioning-voting-machines-13293) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/87 "2018-11-06T21:09:01Z")
Voter suppression in Michigan: > > > Raw Story @RawStory Headline: Voters turned away because voting machines were ‘locked in a closet’ in Detroit precinct See my post on proximate and ultimate causes. h/t Jared Diamond for the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Brawndo\_with\_Electrolytes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Brawndo\_with\_Electrolytes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brawndo_with_Electrolytes)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/88 "2018-11-07T07:51:39Z")
The only thing age has to do with anything, is whether you were born before or after society fuckin collapsed. There’s a slow-motion collapse going on, due to the success of humans and the attendant resource scarcity. There will not be as much wealth in the future as there was in the past. We were on that trajectory starting a long time before the current “old” people were born. I also think you would’ve done the exact same goddamned thing if you’d been born before them. Instead you were born after and get to claim the dubious moral high ground and victim status. You got the shit end of things, that much is true. But it was just a matter of luck, like being rich, having good looks, and most things. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/89 "2018-11-07T14:03:36Z")
Not breaking out of Florida: Old people suck and are massively racist. The sooner they die the better. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/90 "2018-11-07T15:25:45Z")
I kind of wonder if there are belief shifts / increases in cynicism that happen with people as they get older that might be part of the cause of this. I mean as a younger, single man, I was pretty much devil-may-care about stuff like jobs, insurance, etc… because I felt like I could always get another job, etc… As I’ve gotten older, married and have kids, that stuff is now VERY important. And so is stuff like my retirement savings and the state of the economy, because one hinges directly on the other. So I could see people whose retirement savings are dependent on a good economy voting the way that they perceive as protecting that, as well as the way they perceive as at least not raising taxes, and possibly lowering them. I mean, I think it’s a little bit unreasonable to expect some 75 year old person whose 401k is not where he’d like it to go off and vote based on social justice concerns. They might be important, but they’re not going to affect him directly, unlike the state of the economy. Roll a bunch of creeping age-related paranoia about safety and crime into the mix, and you have a very reasonable set of circumstances that might make someone vote Republican, even if they’re not otherwise unreasonable. And it’s not “they’re old and stupid” either- this is very rational decision making I believe. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/91 "2018-11-07T16:02:28Z")
Whether you want me to set up your Spotify preferences depends on how much you like punk and contemporary rock. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/92 "2018-11-07T17:09:51Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Not breaking out of Florida: Old people suck and are massively racist. The sooner they die the better. On behalf of old people everywhere, fuck right off you fucking piece-of-shit slag. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/93 "2018-11-07T19:32:16Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I kind of wonder if there are belief shifts / increases in cynicism that happen with people as they get older that might be part of the cause of this. > > I mean as a younger, single man, I was pretty much devil-may-care about stuff like jobs, insurance, etc… because I felt like I could always get another job, etc… As I’ve gotten older, married and have kids, that stuff is now VERY important. And so is stuff like my retirement savings and the state of the economy, because one hinges directly on the other. > > So I could see people whose retirement savings are dependent on a good economy voting the way that they perceive as protecting that, as well as the way they perceive as at least not raising taxes, and possibly lowering them. I mean, I think it’s a little bit unreasonable to expect some 75 year old person whose 401k is not where he’d like it to go off and vote based on social justice concerns. They might be important, but they’re not going to affect him directly, unlike the state of the economy. > > Roll a bunch of creeping age-related paranoia about safety and crime into the mix, and you have a very reasonable set of circumstances that might make someone vote Republican, even if they’re not otherwise unreasonable. And it’s not “they’re old and stupid” either- this is very rational decision making I believe. Your points are well taken, but hardly universal (nor do I feel you intended them to be). I’m four years younger than your hypothetical individual — and my 401(k) is not where I’d like it to be — but while I’m not exactly enamored of taxes, I **do** have children who will need to live on this planet and in this country when I’ve rung down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible. Not to mention nieces and nephews, and grand- versions of the same. Similarly, while some of the social changes afoot now are a bit out of my comfort zone, I feel they’re preferable to attempting to freeze society (not to mention regressing it to some mythical past state). Bottom line: I tend to vote liberal/progressive, which in practical terms means Democratic. Also, I try to tread lightly on the Earth: as I said, there are a lot of people who will need it when I’m done with it. (As far as taxes are concerned, I take my cue from my father [on whom be peace]. He sent all his children to Catholic school, but never failed to support a public school levy. After all, he said once, we would have to work and live beside public school students — so best give them a good education as well.) ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/94 "2018-11-07T20:22:08Z")
I am pretty much fine with the demonization of older voters. Generally speaking, they have basically ruined everything and don’t know when to go away. Because they can’t let go, it seems like the generation X’ers won’t have a chance to lead, and the millennials will take over from there. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/95 "2018-11-07T20:34:48Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Not breaking out of Florida: Old people suck and are massively racist. The sooner they die the better. Again, the winning SDMBesque tactic of fighting bigotry with more bigotry makes an appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/96 "2018-11-07T20:49:15Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > I am pretty much fine with the demonization of older voters. Generally speaking, they have basically ruined everything and don’t know when to go away. Because they can’t let go, it seems like the generation X’ers won’t have a chance to lead, and the millennials will take over from there. The Prince Charles conundrum? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/97 "2018-11-07T21:36:52Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > The Prince Charles conundrum? Exactly! My generation is Prince Charles, lol. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/98 "2018-11-07T21:37:53Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Again, the winning SDMBesque tactic of fighting bigotry with more bigotry makes an appearance. Right, so we should be “tolerant” to racists who spew hate speech. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Huey\_Freeman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/huey_freeman/32/251_2.png) [@Huey\_Freeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huey_Freeman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/99 "2018-11-07T22:10:07Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Again, the winning SDMBesque tactic of fighting bigotry with more bigotry makes an appearance. No, the SDMB tactic is to lob an insult at the OP without addressing the substance of the OP. But, here, let me help you. The substance of the complaint was that old people in Florida voted for DeSantis who is more than likely to be a white supremacist. When this point was brought up during the debates, DeSantis cursed on live television. DeSantis objectively lost both debates. Hands down. DeSantis win is a testament to the durable power of whiteness. His win tells every white man “You can be poor to average and still beat a good to excellent person of color”. It tells every person of color that if we want to succeed, we’re not allowed to average, we have to be exceptional and much, much, much better than the white candidate. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949/100 "2018-11-07T22:37:43Z")
> [@Huey\_Freeman](#): > > No, the SDMB tactic is to lob an insult at the OP without addressing the substance of the OP. But, here, let me help you. The substance of the complaint was that old people in Florida voted for DeSantis who is more than likely to be a white supremacist. When this point was brought up during the debates, DeSantis cursed on live television. DeSantis objectively lost both debates. Hands down. DeSantis win is a testament to the durable power of whiteness. His win tells every white man “You can be poor to average and still beat a good to excellent person of color”. It tells every person of color that if we want to succeed, we’re not allowed to average, we have to be exceptional and much, much, much better than the white candidate. The point is not worthy of address when it’s so hypocritically stated. Maybe some time before the heat death of the universe the left will learn that that is not a winning tactic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demonizing-older-voters/823949.md?page=6)