Spengler says Jackson to blame for immature americans/economy

[ensho]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/KG14Dj05.html


Blame Michael Jackson


-snip-

The public's grief was unfeigned and profound, for Jackson embodied the desire of a generation, that is, never to grow up. Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray had a portrait that revealed his inner decay, and Michael Jackson had a nose. If one image captures the spirit of the times, it is that nose, which narrowed, shrank and finally fell in, in emulation of the failing youth of his fans.

-snip-

America's cult of youth persists, despite the rapid aging of its population. During the next 10 years, the country's elderly dependent ratio will rise to 25%, after holding steady for three decades at around 19%. Still, the baby boomers flee from the awful reality. Between 1997 and 2007, the number of cosmetic procedures per year rose tenfold, from 2 million to 10 million, according to the industry association. Its polling data states that 29% of Americans without children, and 24% of Americans with children, would consider plastic surgery.

In Beverly Hills, observes an economist of my acquaintance, there are five plastic surgeons who specialize in bodily rejuvenation, and women of a certain age reveal which one they patronize by the telltale shape of their derriere. Middle-aged women now come in identifiable models, as in the old Twilight Zone episode, "Number 12 looks just like you." Michael Jackson is just like the rest of us, only more so.

-snip that talks at length about what the pope has said and spengler's opinion with 2 charts.-
---------------------

seems like spengler is whoring Jackson too?

[Deja Q]

1. Rapid aging? Has somebody learned how to speed up time and forgot to tell the rest of us?

BTW: I work my ass off, I'm getting good grades in school - I'm getting tired of being told I'm somehow the cause of America's problems. The same can be said by a truckload of other people too.

[YOY]

2. Egon? He may be an expert on Proton packs and full torso floating vapors

but MJ might still be beyond his reach...but his ghost... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Am67-Sew7k

Well frankly I think Ray Stanz, Peter Venkman, or Winston Zeddmore might be a better choice on the subject matter.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. He has a point though, Americans fear old age and death

it is a cultural imperative. And yes Michael Jackson might have symbolized that. Though I'd say Jackson or no Jackson... this is a sharp comment. People in this country better start realizing we do age, and damn it with age comes wisdom many a times. WHy in OTHER cultures older people are priced, not shunned.

By the way, the only way you could get me to have a procedure is if this was MEDICALLY necessary... aka correct a nose septum deviation after a nose fracture, for example, or rebuild a face after a fracture... not these things done because gosh darn it, I really do not want to grow up.

[Deja Q]

5. In THAT I agree. Now, convince today's media makers to embrace that...

Most of them, which some DUers froth and drool over, have openly engaged in ageism or make comments that play into the very stereotypes...

It's not unique to America either...

BTW: I think you mean "prized". If they are "priced", I'll buy a dozen. Cougars...
:yoiks:

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. You are right it is prized, but

the point is that this is not the media, this is the culture.

And it is a history that is longer than the modern media.

I'd say it started in the mid 19th century, and removal of the dead and the dying from homes and to hospitals. It has a long history... and it is time we recognize this and start changing. Not just because we have an aging population, and those adds of hair for men are but an example of it, but because it is doing damage to the culture.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. You are right it is prized, but

the point is that this is not the media, this is the culture.

And it is a history that is longer than the modern media.

I'd say it started in the mid 19th century, and removal of the dead and the dying from homes and to hospitals. It has a long history... and it is time we recognize this and start changing. Not just because we have an aging population, and those adds of hair for men are but an example of it, but because it is doing damage to the culture.

[tularetom]

6. Well, I'm not big on death, but so far old age ain't too bad

My wife is fighting it a bit, but I'm enjoying being in my 60's, not having to go to work, able to do whatever I want, and having my kids actually listen to what I tell them (20 years ago they would never lower themselves to listen).

And I'm not too pretty to look at with a mashed up ear and a missing finger tip and not much hair on my head. But I couldn't afford the amount of plastic surgery it would take to straighten everything out.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. You know as a woman I have very thin hair

And if I wanted it to look much better, I'd have to spend thousands on it, and MAYBE it would work.

I couldn't care less either. Then again, I wasn't born or raised in this country, and a few EMS runs proved to me that there are far greater tragedies than having a head of hair that is all but pretty.

:-)

[gratuitous]

20. We do indeed

But I think our culture's necrophobia and gerontophobia began a little before Michael Jackson came along.

[Catherine Vincent]

4. Another asswipe that won't let Michael Jackson rest in peace!

[Demoiselle]

11. Yes. Please leave him alone!

I love the holier-than-thou chatterers who complain about all the coverage of Michael Jackson, and the "influence" of Michael Jackson,
in pieces that continue the coverage of Michael Jackson, and in doing so,by their standards, certainly, perpetuate the "influence" of Michael Jackson.

[Karenina]

12. I wish people could intelligently discuss

the REAL ISSUES his tragic life and death so clearly illuminate. I can dream, can't I? ;-)
This writer is quite the curmudgeon but raises a number of salient points.

[PretzelWarrior]

7. this should be unrecommended.

our new system works well, but I've seen it hasn't been fool proof.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. "...despite the rapid aging of its population..."

Sounds to me like someone is worried about his own aging. The population is NOT aging rapidly - if anything, aging is slowing down. If aging was increasing in rapidity, 40 would be the new fifty, not the new 30.

There is a small sub-set of the population that is obsessed about its aging and is wealthy enough to go to extreme measures to attempt to preserve themselves. This cites a poll by the cosmetic industry association that Surprise Surprise says EVERYONE wants plastic surgery. Maybe polling in Beverly Hills they can come up with that, but not in the real world.

Most of us out here are just fine with being who we are.

[Laelth]

14. Very interesting. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Narkos]

15. What the hell does this mean?

"Judging from the rock-star adulation accorded to Obama, Americans haven't yet learned their lesson, which is: after a certain age, no, you can't."

[ensho]

16. usually "a certain age" used by people, refers to post menopausal

women. (in a negative way) feminist caught on to this saying ages ago and exposed it.

agree, Spengler's sentence doesn't make much sense.

[Narkos]

17. Thanks. Still don't quite get what his point was, but oh well. n/t

[Tan Gent]

18. He has it ass backward.

:shrug:

[Taverner]

19. He makes a huge leap from "vain" to "immoral"

Last I checked, there is nothing wrong with doing to your body what you wish.