(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . No Place For Old Men? Then Make Your Own [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-08-27 I’m an old white man. Not many days go by when something doesn’t remind me that my better (best would be an overstatement) days are behind me. I got another reminder when I watched parts of the Democratic National Convention last week. It was a great presentation, and very little seemed geared to the Baby Boomer generation of which I’m a part. Now, I’ve never been hip, or whatever you call being up to speed with the trends in things like music and pop culture, so you can just imagine how behind the times I am now. Maybe that’s why it seemed the Democratic Party was aiming everything it had at multiple generations that came after me. Am I the only one who doesn’t care what Oprah Winfrey has to say, but wonders why she got to say it in a better time slot than the sitting president? Who couldn’t care less if Beyonce showed up or not? Who enjoyed the musical roll call but could do without whatever that guy in the blue suit was doing on stage? Who has no interest in what some 20-something “influencer” has to say about anything? I know, I’m not covering myself in glory here. I’m just telling the truth. So, it seems to me that the Democratic Party sees younger folks as more important than people like me, or at least deserving of far more effort. That’s okay, because I care more about the party’s policies than who gets to sing, dance, or speak at its convention. They still need my vote, and they know it. My vote counts for as much as someone decades younger than me. Pundits talk about winning over this group or that group – and that makes sense – but they seem to talk less and less about my group. That’s okay, too. I just figure they understand that we know the score and the importance of every election. Some less experienced folks apparently need more prodding. Marginalizing seniors is nothing new. Every generation goes through periods where it thinks it knows more than its elders. A lot of them eventually learn the mistake of ignoring wisdom and experience built up over years, sometimes after they become elders themselves. Some never get it. So here we go, barreling toward what may be the most important election in our history – yes, the stakes are that high. What are we old folks supposed to do while younger generations rightly take their positions of power and influence? There’s lots of stuff to volunteer for. I signed up on the Harris campaign website, but they’ve yet to get back to me. Hint? Fortunately, there are other places, like Mobilize, to find things to do to. Your local and state Democratic groups should be able to help, too, if they’re worth a damn. Here’s the thing: There’re a lot of vibrant, active, important, maybe famous, seniors out there just doing what they do, and there are millions of others of us maybe without the wherewithal, connections, or savvy to be such big deals. But we are a big deal. Our numbers tell you that. Over the last 10 years I’ve tried to communicate with various U.S. congressional candidates in my district about messaging ideas – I did used to write for a living, after all. To a man – and women – they blew me off. Couldn’t be bothered. If I was a younger, better looking, more dynamic man would they have listened to me? I don’t know, and I don’t give a shit. It was their loss. We have an election to win, and we have a whole army of seniors that too many people are overlooking, forgetting about, and dismissing. We have to do this not to prove anything to them. Maybe to prove something to ourselves, but more importantly to protect the country we’ve invested our lives in. Yes, we have an investment, too. So, if you don’t want our help just say so, otherwise get the hell out of the way. We have work to do. *** Thank you for reading my post. You can see my other writings on my blog: Musings of a Nobody. Please share and subscribe for free via email on its home page. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/27/2266137/-No-Place-For-Old-Men-Make-Your-Own?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/