Gaffe-porn: Are those making fun of Joe Biden ageist?

Since he took office in 2021 and in the past few days in particular, US President Joe Biden, 79, has been the butt of online jokes and trolling for his so-called gaffes.

Sample some of the latest: Biden calls Vice President Kamala Harris, the president. Biden has bird poop on his jacket but carries on with his speech. Biden speaks about Afghanistan and Pakistan but is diverted away by an Easter bunny. Biden appears to shake hands in the air with nobody, yet goes ahead with it anyway.

But look at these facts.

What happens when a person ages?

Human cognitive activity declines with age but there are variations. Generally, it starts at age 60 but some people can be fine even into their 80s.

Brain power declines with age with shrinking of the organ starting from the 30s or 40s in some cases and worsening from the 60s onward in most cases.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Our memory - short term and long term - starts fading, and it’s perfectly normal and a consequence of lesser brain activity caused partly by the shrinkage.

Age-related forgetfulness is not always a cause of Alzheimers’ disease or any such ailment. It just happens.

And the involuntary loss of muscle mass, which in fact starts in the 30s, becomes worse in the 60s onwards and leads to several mishaps and accidents that lead the elderly to be less active, wheel-chair bound, or bed-ridden.

Bone density starts to decline in the 50s.

I can go on, but you get the idea.

Now, what's a typical day for the president of the United States?

Much of it is not known to the public, but let's take a random day from what is.

The schedule of Biden on 21 April 2022 looks something like this:

9:00 AM -Receives the President’s Daily Brief; 9:45 AM - Provides an update on Russia and Ukraine at Roosevelt Room; 10:20 AM - Departs the White House en route Joint Base Andrews; 10:40 AM - Departs Joint Base Andrews en route Portland, Oregon; 3:40 PM - Arrives in Portland, Oregon; 4:05 PM - Visits Portland International Airport ; 5:10 PM - Delivers remarks on the investment that has been made thanks in part to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; 6:30 PM - Participates in a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee; 7:25 PM - Departs Portland, Oregon en route Seattle, Washington; 8:15 PM - Arrives in Seattle, Washington; 9:30 PM - Participates in a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee

I’ve cut some parts to bore you less, but you get the point. It’s a 12-hour work day. Some days are less packed than the others, but it’s generally a busy schedule.

This is in addition to the many other news interviews, speeches, public appearances, planned and unplanned media interactions.

Biden is no stranger to any of these. He is one of the longest-serving senators, and is not new to the White House, as he has been vice president before.

It's OK to make a political point against him. But to stalk his every move and troll him for being an elderly man smacks of ageism.

Such micro-analyses may have cost Hillary Clinton the presidency when she contested against Donald Trump. When on the grueling campaign trail, a video caught her appearing to faint. She said she is fine, but the damage had been done, and may have contributed to a perception she's not fit to be president. Ageism, mixed with sexism, is a deadly cocktail.

Similar attacks were made about Trump being overweight, having lost his marbles and being out of touch. But then, Trump kind of invited such criticism, almost reveling in it, as long as he is the headline.

Watch: Biden interrupted by Easter Bunny while answering questions on Afghanistan

Old people can rule

The issue here is the public perception that elderly people are senile. So let’s now look at the oldest heads of governments and heads of state.

A random check reveals many of them ruled past 80.

Queen Elizabeth II of Britain just turned 96. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is 83. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is 86. The age range of the top 10 oldest leaders currently living and ruling is from 96 to 83. I rest my case.

May be the cultural insensitivity towards older people is what's reflected in the constant attention to Biden's gaffes.

So, what is ageism?

Simply put, it is the mental or attitudinal bullying of people based on their age. It may be active, passive, or passive-aggressive.

World Health Organization defines ageism as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.”

We live in a youth-obsessed society. Looking younger and fitter than your age is a million-dollar industry.

At the same time, we also live in a world where several countries have ageing populations, and it’s also an era of medical advancements that makes longevity possible.

And the younger ones should not forget that, with some luck, we will all reach where Biden is now.

Watch | How did Joe Biden become so unpopular?

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer)