CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Most Damaging Mental Disorder: Gerontocracy is Just a Symptom

Photograph Source: The White House – Public Domain

The term “gerontocracy” (rule by the elderly) isn’t new — it’s been in use since the 1830s — but according to Google Trends it’s come into more frequent usage since 2018.

And no wonder. The two most recent US presidents have been the oldest ever, senior citizens who frequently lapse into dementia-driven rants in public.

A number of US Senators and Representatives likewise have to be led around by the hand, shushed when their babbling gets too weird, and told by staff how to vote on bills.

To be clear: Not just which votes to cast on which bills, but sometimes literally how to operate the voting machinery they’ve been operating for decades. And that’s when they’re not collapsing and dying, or disappearing into hospitals,........

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