Honor thy boomer

It has become a truth universally acknowledged that America is run by the elderly—or at least by an aging generation. Consider this: The 2020 presidential election featured two candidates with a combined age of over 150. Congressional stalwarts are holding onto power deep into illness and infirmity, so much so that some partisan disputes now include demands for proof of life. According to many observers, this trend registers throughout American culture, as Boomers are often hesitant to pass the torch in the public and private sector.

The reasons for this generational paralysis are complex. Yale professor Samuel Moyn recently appeared on Ross Douthat’s Interesting Times podcast to promote his book Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth—and What to Do About It. Moyn argues that unfolding historical events, achievements in life-prolonging science, and laws favorable to old wealth (especially tax laws) have combined to enable and encourage the elderly to hold onto what they have instead of passing it on. The result, according to Moyn, is a country that puts its best resources in the cold, dead hands of the old, while the young are left to absorb the consequences of economic scarcity and political stagnation.

For the sake of argument, stipulate that Moyn’s analysis of the problem and its general causes are more or less correct. We might observe a few possible reactions.

The first reaction is indifference. This tends to be more common among (ahem) older, more conservative folks. Team Indifferent points out that if boomers are benefiting from the current economy, it’s an economy they built and invested in over the decades. Instead of complaining, younger Americans should simply cancel a few streaming subscriptions, make peace with foregoing that Disney trip, and work and save hard, mindful of this country’s plenteous opportunities to those willing to grab them.

The second reaction is resentment (the “OK, boomer” movement). Boomer resentment is mindful of the burden an economy and a commonwealth bear when those who lack physical and mental acuity control the levers of power. This group instinctively blames cultural crises on boomer selfishness and suggests that the only way younger generations will get a fair shake is if wealth and power are forcibly redistributed from the expiring to the thriving.

Both of these reactions make some sense. It’s true that every generation tends to blame its problems on the one before it, and excuses do not age gracefully. On the other hand, it’s equally true that a ruling class consisting of 70 and 80 year olds will not be as aware of or responsive as it should be to the problems facing the country’s younger workers. (One might suggest aging government leaders as a reason for Washington’s slow and confused response to Big Tech).

But neither indifference nor resentment is a sufficient response to these realities. Rather, what’s needed is a Christian distinction between honor and power. Solving the puzzle of gerontocracy requires discerning who deserves honor, who deserves power, and how to render the first without confusing the second.

Distinguishing between honor and power clarifies the relationship between the young and the old. Ideally, we would ask those with vitality and strength to run the country, and ask those with wisdom and experience to influence it. The situation we have is nearly the reverse: In some cases, power is concentrated among those without the vitality to wield it, and the most influential voices in the public square are activists and technologists, often repeating the mistakes of the history they haven’t lived.

Christians have long understood the command to honor our father and mother as essential, and as a cornerstone of the moral law. Yet we also acknowledge what Scripture and nature both reveal: That the relationship between children and their parents changes with time. In other words, parents are entitled to lifelong honor from their children, but not lifelong power over the society.

Gerontocracy presents real problems for society, but so does a culture of youth driven by contempt and cynicism toward the elderly. In a society that honors the image of God in human persons, older generations will likely always have levels of honor and influence that seem economically inefficient. That’s the whole point of Christian anthropology—that human beings cannot be measured on a scale to see how valuable they are to the world, either economically or otherwise. Infants cause plenty of disruption through expense and care, yet this isn’t a flaw with them, or a justification for population control. Likewise, the elderly deserve to be protected, cared for, and treated with honor.

However, honoring the elderly does not necessarily mean affording them all of the political or economic advantages imaginable. Term limits and mandatory retirement laws ought at least to be considered. Communities that want to see more younger families take root have moral freedom to consider healthy, liberty-affirming ways to do this. And boomers themselves can and should take a view of their lives that harmonizes with Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

A nation honors its Creator when it does right by both those who came before and those who will come after. Remembering our mortality is key to putting honor where it is owed and power where it is wise.

Put another way: Do unto your parent’s generation what you would have your children’s generation do unto you.

Editor’s note: This column has been corrected to reflect that it was the 2020 election in which the two major nominees had a combined age of over 150.