Ageism

How Much Does McCain's Age Matter?

Posted by: Anti-Ageism Task Force

Thursday, August 14, 2008 — With John McCain now the official Republican Presidential nominee, the question of whether he is too old for the biggest job in the country has been receiving generous play in the media. Mostly, it has taken the form of late-night comedians’ jokes -- even McCain himself pokes fun at some of the signs of his senior status.

In this clip from Sunday’s Good Morning America (ABC), comedian Kathleen Madigan says — unlike jokes about race or gender —- it's okay to make jokes about age, because we are all going to get older.

But when GMA visited a senior citizens’ home in New Jersey and asked residents for their opinion – viewpoints ranged from those who believed the jokes to be discriminatory to those who said the best laughs are the ones we have on ourselves.

The segment concludes by stating that in one recent poll, 20% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for McCain on the basis of his age alone. What do you think? Take our snap poll, on the right.

Back

Related Links: Watch GMA Segment on YouTube