Have you ever noticed that the majority of politicians in democratic countries are elderly people? I don't think so. While you are reading this right now, this may sound like a pretty normal situation. However, the low number of young people among politicians is a negative situation for young people. According to research conducted by the United Nations Development Programmer, the average age of parliamentarians is 53. And these elderly politicians are struggling to adapt to the values of the ever-changing and evolving world.
The fact that a significant majority of politicians are elderly people may not be so inconspicuous. But this is an important political problem that no one wants to discuss. In recent years, this problem has started to be talked about in the USA. A lot of people in the US think that politicians who are quite old are becoming a problem, which in fact is already a problem. These politicians, whose age range is between 60-80, face many difficulties both physically and mentally.
It is absurd to think that these politicians, who already have many health problems due to their old age, can really focus on the problems of the country. Besides, these people have the values of the previous century. And I think these senile and outdated politicians are just not keeping up with us.
From the past to the present, societies have always had their own values. As the years progressed, some of the values that could not keep up with innovation were forgotten, while others were shaped according to the necessities of the age. As we go into the past, we see that this situation took place over a longer period. As we approached the present day, this process began to work more rapidly. Because technology is developing much faster now and new discoveries are made every day. Generations born in the 21st century were born in a world where everything is developing and changing rapidly. The values of this new generation of youth are more variable than the values of past generations.
In a world that is constantly changing and developing, a new generation is born under these conditions, so it is normal. But the same is not true for older generations. The wishes and needs of young people are often seen as unnecessary in the parliaments of most countries. Of course, there are cases where the opposite happens, but this is not because old politicians understand young people.
The real problem is not whether the old understand the young. The main problem is that there are few people from the younger generation in the parliament.
Another interesting thing is that it seems normal to people that most politicians are old. This is normal even for young people. It is seen as if being a politician and dealing with government affairs is already a job for the elderly. People complain when their wishes are ignored or seen as unimportant. In particular, young people complain that their problems are seen as unimportant. But the real problem is not that they are ignored. The real problem is that these old politicians have a hard time understanding the younger ones. That's why we are ignored.
So why do people find it normal that politicians are mostly old? I think this is due to a misconception. People assume that the older a person is, the more experienced he is. But to what extent is this true? Of course, we can say that older people are more experienced in life. But the same situation cannot be applied to the subject of administration and politics. You might ask, weren't these people also young at the time? Of course, it is, but the period when these people were young was about 30-50 years ago. So, are the youth 50 years ago and the youth today the same? You can answer yes to this question if you approach it from a simple point of view. But if you consider the change in the world in 50 years, it will become clear what the answer is, no.
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash
Understandably, the fact that most politicians are elderly people is a big problem that we have overlooked. The politicians representing us young people are very few. Most of these are just political strategies implemented to gain the sympathy of young people.
We need young politicians to represent the youth. Several suggestions can be given to solve this problem. For example, to obtain the right to vote and to be elected, it is necessary to reach a certain age. Likewise, I believe that people over a certain age should be deprived of their right to vote and be elected.
I don't know if you've thought about this before, but it sounds absurd to think that an 80-year-old is the President, doesn't it? So let me tell you a little joke. US President Joe Biden is exactly 79 years old.
Another viable solution would be to open a separate council for older politicians. It may be unethical to completely take their voices away from these people. But somehow, the representation of young people in the political arena needs to increase. It seems like a more logical option to have a separate council where we can consult these elderly politicians. That way, we can make our own choices about whether to follow their advice.
Long story short, let the kids play.
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