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October 29, 2004
Age and Leadership
Here are some good brief descriptions of the elder and younger Pitts and the elder and younger Plinys.
One weird thing about our current political system compared to other political systems of the past is how it favors the old. Bush and Kerry are both in their fifties and our youngest presidents have all been in their forties. Our constitution does not even allow people under the age of 35 to become president. Pitt the Younger first became Prime Minister of England at 24 and remained prime minister for 14 years. Alexander the Great and other extremely skilled world leaders have been as young. But now all the world leaders are old. If you were to suggest to most Americans today that a 24 year old should be the leader of a major empire or country you would probably be laughed at. This is true despite the fact that history has shown in many instances that the young can lead great nations as well as the old. There are probably several reasons for this change such as an aging world population, far less responsibility placed on or expected of the young which results in delayed maturity, and a greater emphasis on experience and expertise, both of which require age. The only recent cases where this trend has probably not been true is with revolutionaries, which allow for young leaders like the twin boys in Myanmar that were only about 12 and leading a rebellion.
Posted by Pete at October 29, 2004 12:01 PM
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