&gt; we&#x27;re seeing for the first time in history is a huge swath of healthy, long-lived older people...<p>Exactly, and they cast a disproportionately long shadow over society and politics.<p>EDIT: just look at the recent Irish referendum on same-sex marriage. A vast majority of the &quot;no&quot; votes came from the &gt;60 cohort. I&#x27;ll wager the age breakdown of last weeks election would reveal a similar dynamic: the young want change and meaningful progress while the old continue to vote for the past, keeping our culture and politics firmly rooted in the early&#x2F;mid 20th century.