I watched the debate. I saw Joe Biden struggle on the podium as he faced a great evil, Trump. He stammered and seemed to lose his train of thought. Witnessing that happen to an 81-year-old president gives you pause. I know my eyes widened at his performance.
However, instead of rallying around their President, the Democrats immediately called for him to abandon his presidential campaign. The calls were swift and immediate. This blindsided Biden, and he didn't know what to do. He tried to stand tall, but after several gaffs, like calling Kamala Harris Trump and Zalinsky Putin, the calls for him to quit became louder.
I understand the Dems concern. The polls showed Biden losing to Trump. However, did his party have to be so disrespectful to a man who's given his life to public service?
Over 50 years in government as a senator and vice president, and now President, should've earned Biden more respect. A man of his age has done an excellent job. At least he was a decent human being with compassion. He didn't call Muslim and African nations shit-hole countries. He didn't label illegals as criminals. He understood women's right to choose. Trump packed the court with his minions, and now several states have outlawed abortion, and my home state, Louisiana, has made it illegal to have abortion pills in your possession. The SCOTUS has made a president a king regarding his powers.
In the past, President Biden made some mistakes regarding race. His stance on bussing was a point of contention in the 2020 campaign. Then, candidate Harris pressed Biden on the issue by recounting her experiences with bussing in California. However, in the end, he picked Harris as his running mate. He took a chance on adding a Black woman to the ticket in a deeply divided country. She was a woman who criticized him openly on his policies in the 70s but respected enough to see her talent and potential to be an ally during his tenure as President.
He served this nation's first and only Black President, Obama, valiantly for eight years. Biden nominated the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. He made that promise on the campaign trail, and he kept it. Little black girls can now look at the court and see themselves represented by Justice Jackson.
Biden came to office when the pandemic was still raging. He made sure people who wanted vaccines had access to the medication and helped the nation put COVID-19 on its heels. Many citizens smothered under student debt were relieved through several governmental programs, including myself, who saw over 225k erased through public service loan forgiveness.
The Safer Communities Act, which Biden championed, keeps guns out of the hands of violent domestic abusers, expands mental health care in schools, and supports school safety.
Those are only a few policies Biden has had a hand in as President.
What's happened to our President is wrong. I see it as ageism. As I stated in the beginning, his debate performance was concerning. However, his age became a weapon to push him out of power. His age was a point of contention in 2020 when he was 78, and it remained a point of conversation after his election.
According to a 2018 survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 1 in 4 American workers aged 45 and above have experienced negative comments related to their age, and 76% of older workers have been forced to leave their jobs.
Furthermore, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(DEI) doesn't consider ageism an issue because it's ingrained in our society. Once humans reach a certain age, they are put out to pasture with a gold watch and a pat on the back. Even if their experience and cognitive abilities are still in excellent working order, they are considered useless as bald tires.
Ageism is defined as discrimination against older people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes — and it’s so ingrained in our culture that we often don’t even notice. Most organizations now have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) departments to tackle issues such as racism and gender bias.
Last school year, I was a victim of ageism at the hands of younger people who I thought respected me. It wasn't students, as you would suspect. It was two grown women in their early thirties. I like graphic tees and Crocs. I wear them to work. I admit I am a little eccentric at times, but who cares? One afternoon, I stood in the hallway speaking to another staff member when these two began talking about me. They said I was too old to be wearing my graphic tee and my Crocs, which are blue, by the way.
I was pissed and wanted to cuss them completely out, but I maintained my composure.
I am 53 years old, and why do younger people think only certain things are for a certain age? I will be who I am no matter what. I've spent my life worrying about what others think about me, and at this stage of my life, I am quick to say, "Kiss my a**." Due to my age, I've earned the right to live my life and wear what I want. I am not an old man like Joe, but he deserved the right to fight to the end of his campaign if he wanted to.
My father is 76 years old. Next month, he will have lived on this planet for 77 years. He still works full-time. He rises at 4:30 a.m. daily and goes to the gym. If that wasn't enough for a seasoned man like my father, he runs a cattle farm on the weekends in Mississippi. He carries cattle feed on his back, rides a tractor, and walks his fields. Furthermore, he still works on some of his farm vehicles. I am 53 and probably can't keep up with this "old man." His girlfriend is barely 60 years old.
I understand why Joe walked away. His party was burning before his eyes, and he did what a man who loves his country must do: sacrifice his personal ambition for the sake of the many.
However, we should have treated our President better and not thrown him on the trash heap. I bet you won't throw your parents or a grandparent away because they have lost a step.
The benefit our elders bring to the table is important. That experience can make up for any slight cognitive decline.
Typically, experience more than compensates for cognitive decline. It is fair to argue that Biden’s legislative and presidential records speak to the importance of experience in American politics.
I know many Americans don't agree with the war in Ukraine or Gaza, and in politics, it's impossible to win them all. I don't agree with some of Biden's policies either.
But in the end, our older folks deserve to go out with dignity and not be subjected to archaic ideas that a person is too old to do the job. I know young people who flame out every day, and the guy over fifty comes in early and leaves late while the young "Thundercat" runs out the door at quitting time.
Biden did the right thing by walking away and putting Vice President Harris out front. However, his party could've handled their concerns about their aging leader better.
Black policemen were another matter. We used to say, “If you just must call a policeman”—for we hardly ever did—“for god’s sake, try to make sure it’s a White one.” A Black policeman could completely demolish you. He knew far more about you than a White policeman could and you were without defenses before this Black brother in uniform whose entire reason for breathing seemed to be his hope to offer proof that though he was Black, he was not Black like you.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium.