General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why is ageism suddenly all the rage on DU? [View all]Zorra
(27,670 posts)stuff that questions President Obama's actions, actions that they feel are too close to being moderate republican actions in nature. For example, appointing republicans to sensitive high level government positions, supporting trade deals that are harmful to American workers, supporting incredibly environmentally destructive corporate practices such as hydrofracking and the Keystone Pipeline, continuing the conflict in Afghanistan, etc.
While most of us here agree that the President is doing a pretty good job on social issues, many older posters view the President's apparent friendliness with corporations, particularly Wall Street, with suspicion and contempt, having been steeped in Democratic traditions, and having seen the power of wealthy private interests over our government, our economic well being, our democracy, our livelihoods our rights, and our daily lives, increase twenty fold since Reagan sold us out to the highest bidder.
Younger posters have lived with rule by corporation for much, or most, of their lives, and some don't seem to have a problem with being ruled by corporate oligarchs, if they even understand the reality and danger of rule by wealthy private interests. They've grown up with a Democratic Party that has been contaminated by "profit before people" moderate republicans, formerly known as the DLC, and now calling themselves the Third Way. So a number of younger posters may resent pro-democratic posters who are critical of the President, or other Democratic legislators, when they propose, support, or enact policies that older posters view as dangerously anti-democratic, and anti-Democratic party. The Third Way party republicans know that all they have to do is support some social issues that have no effect on the national/global global economic agenda of the fascists, and that a majority of people will not even be aware that democracy is an illusion, and that their government is being fully controlled by wealthy private interests; ie, become fascist in nature.
This age division is by no means absolute, for there are many younger folks who are even more hip to what is really going on than many of the older posters, and many of them supported, or were out there protesting, with Occupy. These younger folks give many of the older generation hope that the flame of resistance to fascism will continue burning after we are gone. And there are some older folks here who are conservative, and sympathize with the fascists.
So I believe much of the ageism here is primarily being expressed by younger people who are ignorant of history and global economic politics, and therefore don't understand why older liberals might be less than totally thrilled with everything that President Obama has done, so they lash out against older posters in their ignorance.
Here is an example of an older, traditional liberal Democrat, and traditional Democratic ideology. A good representation of many of the older liberal Democrat posters, and their "beliefs".