I don't know how you feel but, when I hear about "older" people and their risk for the Coronavirus and then realize that most of my friends and I fall into that category, I am stunned. How can that be? How can those of us in our seventies be so vulnerable, particularly when we feel energetic (well, most of the time), healthy (except for the usual aches and pains that come with aging), and more adept at caregiving than being cared for?
I hear discussions all day long on the radio and on TV. There is constant chatter and, I'm afraid, statistics that substantiate the fact that yes, indeed, we remain the age group with more deaths than any others except those eighty-five and over. Still, I'm not the only one who, upon hearing these numbers, breaths a momentary sigh of relief, only to realize that WE are the most vulnerable.
Sure, we've all heard the saying "Seventy-five is the new fifty" or "Seventy is the new (fill in the blank). And, hey, it's comforting to know that that's the impression a lot of women have. But when push comes to shove and when categories of diseases and suicides and who knows what else are defined, we women in our seventies don't fare so well.
So, the message here is: Take care of yourself. Be vigilant when it comes to Coronavirus and any other communicable nasties floating around.
ON ANOTHER SUBJECT
Can you believe it? Or maybe you can, given the political climate today. Biden's choice for VP, Kamal Harris, is now the target of every misogynist and racist in this country. She's been slurred as "mean," "aggressive," "not eligible to be VP because I don't know, her parents are immigrants or simply because she's a woman of color, "angry," "radical", and in a Tweet from Eric Trump, "a whoreenous prick" And here I thought "prick" was a slur hurled at the other gender.
Whatever your political persuasion, as a woman it's hard to imagine that you support this barrage of insults that hark back to another time when women were told their place was in the kitchen, their role was to support "their" man. Women were to be seen, not heard.
So, all you men out there who are afraid of an assertive woman with power (and who happens to be a woman of color), look out. We're going to bring you down.
Maybe you live in the suburbs. Well, according to Trump Sr., you are a woman who will vote for him because, for one thing, you don't want low-income housing in your neighborhood. Give me a break!
“They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood,” Mr. Trump wrote.
I don't know: I live in the burbs and, along with every woman I know here, none of us supports the spread of such racist slurs and fears. Hell, there is low-income housing all over this city, and I've yet to hear of any problems or complaints.
As women in our seventies, we've heard and had to battle all of this crap before, and it appears as if we've been called to arms once again. So, make a sign, grab some pots and pans, and join a peaceful demonstration. Oh, most importantly, VOTE.
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