Thursday, August 21, 2008

Old People and Elections

Most people don't know that the older a person was, the more likely they were to be against the war in Viet Nam.  Sure, the youth were most visible in their opposition, but, as an age cohort, youth were most pro-war.

I hear, also, that in the current war, young people have always been more pro-war than adults (also in the pre-war period).

Two reasons jump to mind.  One, mentioned in the NY Times article above, is that older people know about wars, they know it is the worst possible thing in the world that humans consciously do.  Another is that younger people are usually less aware, and therefore more susceptible to propaganda from their own government.  I remember once seeing (on TV) a classroom of kindergarten kids who almost all thought Britney Spears sang and danced because it was fun to do!

And this is one reason to consider voting for McCain, his marginally greater support among older voters.

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