Blind Prophecy

You know, months ago I started worrying about how ageism would impact this campaign. No, it’s not like you expect. Certainly the jokes about McCain being an out-of-touch geezer are ageist. What is less obviously so is the ageism being played out against Barack Obama.

Every time McCain or one of the Faux News talking monkeys refer to Obama as “naive” or “inexperienced” or insults Obama as being untested, it’s ageism, too. It’s a play on the stereotype that young and fit people are simple, unschooled and prone to error. But is Obama “naive”? We’re talking about a man with three college degrees, a legal scholar who held the most prestigious student position (editor of the law review) at Harvard Law School, an experienced grassroots community organizer from the mean streets of Chicago, and a legislator for over 10 years.

Frankly, his experience and intelligence have few rivals among the talking heads of cable news, and it’s not just ivory tower experience, either. But too many Americans are willing to believe this notion that he’s naive and inexperienced.

And that’s ageism, too.

Filed under: politics by Jere Keys