Grumpy Old White Men

This essay is a caricature  of Trump's  grumpy old white men. A Greek painting depicts Hercules with Geras. Geras is a Greek personified figure of old age. In the painting, the muscular  Hercules towers over the bald, bent , emancipated Geras  leaning on a crooked stick with his reversed genitals. Geras represents Trump's  elderly white male voters .

First , a few  statistics  of  males aged  65  and older:  1.  24.8 million  2.  Median income $35,808  3. 1 in 10  live below the poverty level.  Another 2.6 million near poor  4.  Life expectancy has decreased 1.8 years, largely because of increases in mortality due to Covid -19, unintentional injuries, heart disease, homicide, and  diabetes.  5.  Percentage of divorce and separated spouses absent  has increased since 1980.  6.  76% of persons  were not  of racial or ethnic minority populations 7.  51%  live in Florida and Texas.  8.  10.6 million or 18.9%  were  working,  or actively seeking employment 9.  20%  assessed their health as fair or poor, compared to 27% of the population aged 75 and older  10.  They have at least one chronic health condition and many have multiple conditions.  11.  Leading chronic conditions  include arthritis 47%,  coronary heart disease 14%  ,myocardial infarction 9%, angina 4%, cancer 26% ,COPD, 11% ,and diagnosed diabetes  21% 12.  9% reported they were current smokers, 30% were obese ,12%  prescription medication for feelings of worry, nervousness or anxiety.  11%  prescribed medicine for depression , and 97% reported they had a usual place to go for medical care.  13.  18% reported they could not function at all, or had a lot of difficulty with the least one of six functioning domains.  Specifically, 21%  trouble seeing even if wearing glasses , 29% had difficulty hearing even if wearing hearing aids ,39% had trouble with mobility ,walking or climbing stairs, 8% had difficulty with communication,  understanding  and being understood by others,  20% had trouble with cognition, remembering or concentrating  and 8% had difficulty with self-care such as washing and dressing.

Second,  In my 60s, I completed the  one day 100 mile Tevis ; I  was an age division winner in the one day 100 mile Western States endurance run; and with my partner Jonathan ,my horse Gypsy,  won the  one day  100 mile Swanton Pacific Ride and Tie .Also, the males in  It Has Nothing To Do With Age read were competing in extreme sports at age 65 and older .

Third, further descriptions of  Trump’s white men : 1. They repeat  sentences, questions  and stories over and over which  are associated with  failing short-term memory.  They don't necessarily realize that they are telling the same story again because they don't recall having already told it. Listen to a Trump  when off script .He rambles  with incomplete and run-on sentences and repeats the same  theme over and over again . His verbal presentations are associated with his  failing  brain ..

Fourth, humans grow . The spine extends with resilient  cartilage in the vertebrae as bones elongate . Then gravity takes over. Now,there's  a sagging head , double chin, jowls hanging , flabby skin on upper arms, enormous  belly , and even  earlobes grow long toward the floor.  Trump and his kind  gaze  downward to watch their step while descending the stairs. As the body changes, nastiness also appears with wicked stories , twisted gossip about surgical mistakes, bad doctors, crooked relatives ,scandals, accidents and  finances.  The Geras types also watch the vicious cycle of  afternoon soaps and bizarre pathologies exhibited on talk shows .

Fifth, old people lie awake in the dark, at sleep in the daylight as prescribed  sleep of eight hours dwindles. In earlier years, the involuntary urination did not disturb sleep , but in later years the urge to urinate interferes with sleep , Christian monks who lived in desert caves tried to banish sleep altogether. They believed that pagan powers  approached  pious souls through dreams. In the  United States ,80 different sleep disorders have been cataloged and there are 337 sleep disorder clinics. In our republic , 10% of the population reported nightmares at least once a month.  

Sixth, names of family members merge . It's difficult to put a name to the face ,walk to the right door,  and match a pair of socks .The Geras group have difficulty speaking as an adult ,feeling as an adult and thinking as an adult. 

Seventh, every decade after age 50, the brain loses 2% of its weight; the motor area of the frontal cortex loses between 20 to 50% , visual area in the back loses about 50%; and the physical sensory part also loses about 50%.  Did you remember correctly to take your pills , do you  remember names, dates,and words ?

Eighth, the brain is held responsible for memory loss.  The inability to recall this morning's conversation, last week's visitors are examples that occur while aging . Trump’s people tend to spend more time taking stock of their life in review.  They tend to remember the traits of  parents, who attended the wedding and some things that want to return  from the distant past .Old age gives time to commemorate and embellish  achievements.  There is more of a desire to return to the past and  not to look forward.  Some might argue that forgetting may actually be the truest form of forgiveness and a blessing.

In conclusion, the long term short-term memory issue makes sense when thinking about the slogan Make America Great Again.  Simply put, when  in a Geras state , one compares an earlier time with the present, it's obvious that the past represents youth, growth and thrills. There was once upon a time when an individual “dominated. "   White supremacy ruled without question in every area of our society and culture.  Trump's Apprentice program was designed to represent power ,supremacy and control over others.  The past can be embellished, changed ,and/or  distorted.  But now , come to the present and future.  How many elderly white men are looking to the future with their frailty ,illness ,and incapacities of a failing mind and/or  body ?  Their  future doesn't look terrific when their  present is represented by inadequacy, despair and pain on so many levels.  In other words, for the grumpy elderly white Geras  men ,It's about the past and not at all about the future.

Reference

Hillman, James.  The Force of Character.