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Commentary
Yes, Joe Biden is old. And?
When I asked one of my adult grandsons about his take on President Joe Biden, the first thing he mentioned was the man's age. I can almost guarantee you that the reaction of most people to this same question includes the words "too old."
Journalists regularly report on the subject of his age as if it is a serious drawback. Editorial pages question his stamina. Voters, in various polls, report a fondness for “Uncle Joe” — if only he weren’t so old.
We’ve all read and heard of the difficulties faced by families as their elders age. When I was in my 70s and 80s I cared for a husband with dementia — I know, personally, how exhausting that can be mentally, physically and financially. But this does not define my view of older individuals.
At 91 years old, I know about "elder speak.” I can tell you that if we sometimes move more slowly, we are often just being cautious and adjusting to our changing bodies. If we interject some point of interest into the conversation, we are not being "cute" but exhibiting our continued curiosity in the world around us, and sharing a unique perspective gleaned from years lived.
Because of the common assumption that our most productive years are over, however, the quality of our work is often questioned. Can it truly be better than it was before? Can it be trusted? As an older person, who is still actively working in my field, I’d like us to see the benefits of age and not get caught up in the tired and negative tropes that exist even in the face of someone like Joe Biden, who at 81, has engaged in Herculean endeavors that a far younger man might dismiss as too difficult or dangerous. (See: traveling in secret to active war zones.)
At 91 years old, I know about "elder speak.”
In Biden, it’s clear to me that we’ve got a Super Ager, a term used to describe someone over 80 with exceptional memory — at least as good as the memories of people who are 20 to 30 years younger.
To help Biden continue to function at a higher level than many younger men, the perks of his office include instant medical attention when needed and the best preventive care. When I see him on TV as he walks up a zillion steps unaided by a banister, it's very clear that he also has a well-designed exercise regimen. (Instead of becoming upset by a rare stumble, consider how FDR presided over this country for 12 years while confined to a wheelchair.)
Anyone who has not watched him grow into the role of president over the years, as I have, may not realize that the few gaffes he makes now are nothing when compared to the ways he often misspoke in the past. At one time I wasn’t sure that he would ever be disciplined enough to become the self-assured speaker that he is today. He spent years taming a persistent stutter and a penchant for off-the-cuff remarks. The fact that his voice is softer now, has little to do with how his brain functions. (Remarkably, Trump’s voice, just a few years younger than Biden's, doesn't seem to change in its annoying tenor from year-to-year as it regularly spews hatred and nonsense.)
In the short time since the chaotic Trump years, President Biden has helped to restore America’s stature in the world. Among his many accomplishments, he’s ensured a major infusion of funds to fight climate change, signed a massive infrastructure bill, lowered prescription-drug prices and pushed promising efforts at gun control reform. Because of his across-the-aisle abilities, he's been able to come to agreements with the Republicans that had seemed improbable.
I invite us all to remember the Super Agers, and to recall that nothing about aging is a monolithic experience.
But because he is 81, people make assumptions about his worthiness and fitness for office. I invite us all to remember the Super Agers, and to recall that nothing about aging is a monolithic experience.
Consider Frank Lloyd Wright, who completed one third of his life's work between the ages of 80 and 92. Or Michaelangelo, who only turned to architecture in his late 80s and was writing poetry and working on St. Peter's Basilica when he died at 89. Painter Rosalyn Drexler is still creating and exhibiting at the age of 97. Leonid Hurwicz received the Nobel Prize in economics the year before his death at 91 — while still active in his field. Faith Ringgold, artist, author and quilter, participated in a major retrospective when she was 91. Or Norman Lear, who was engaged in planning a new TV show when he died last year at the age of 101.
And then there are also many lesser-known elders like me who continue to paint and write or practice the work that we may have done all our lives, well into our 90s and beyond. I once knew a respected physician who regularly made house calls at the age of 101. Some Super Agers do continue to produce meaningful work even while dealing with debilitating illnesses.
There are other benefits to be derived from Biden’s eight decades. His term thus far has been free of palace intrigue and scandal. We see his storied empathy come to the fore with every natural disaster. With our world in turmoil, his years of experience mean he knows personally all of the major actors on the world stage, and in many cases has their trust. We cannot say any of the same about his likely opponent next November.
In some cultures, a few exceptional elders are designated as National Treasures and valued for their wisdom. But in our country, anyone continuing to grow in a field in which they have excelled in the past or eager to develop new skills is continually questioned. At this important time in history, we’d be wise to look at Biden’s age as a bonus instead of a detriment — and his accrued wisdom and experience as decided assets in the service of a sustained democracy.
Pat Lowery Collins is completing a memoir of her days as a child radio actress.
