Old leaders are back in the news. Biden & Trump are often seen as diverging in signs of age-related decline. This is a reminder that *perceived* age matters in politics, not just raw age. Thoughts! Based on a recent ISQ journal article w/ @joshuabyun.bsky.social academic.oup.com/isq/article-... - ThreadSky

carsonaust.bsky.social • 381 days ago

Old leaders are back in the news. Biden & Trump are often seen as diverging in signs of age-related decline. This is a reminder that *perceived* age matters in politics, not just raw age.

Thoughts! Based on a recent ISQ journal article w/ @joshuabyun.bsky.social

https://academic.oup.com/isq/article-abstract/67/1/sqad008/7032858

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carsonaust.bsky.social•381 days ago

A theme of the Biden/Trump discourse is that numerical age only tells us so much. Voters tend to judge Biden more harshly partly because his public *performances* exhibit stereotypical signs of old-age decline.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/10/us/politics/biden-trump-aging.html

carsonaust.bsky.social•381 days ago

This kind of news coverage focuses on *signs* of elderliness, even senility. Biden's verbal and physical features are seen as embodying stereotypical indicators of physical, possibly mental decline. These are seen as tell-tale signs of old age taking its toll.

carsonaust.bsky.social•381 days ago

Even forgiving-sounding stereotypes cut both ways. The article notes that the special counsel’s report characterized Biden as a “well-meaning elderly man” with memory problems. This may elicit sympathy in some settings …but can be deeply problematic for individuals in high-stakes positions.

carsonaust.bsky.social•381 days ago

Biden has been prone to “verbal slips and malapropisms” his entire political career. However, old-age stereotypes and his advancing age have turned what were once forgettable slip-ups into tell-tale signs of senility for many.

carsonaust.bsky.social•381 days ago

Over to IR/diplomacy!

In "More than a Number," we build on gerontological findings on age-related stereotypes. Thus Biden’s behavior is often seen along the lines of the “default descriptive stereotype of older people”—namely that they are “warm but incompetent.”

carsonaust.bsky.social•381 days ago

Trump, on the other hand, is often seen as performing younger than his age in front of political audiences. This is regardless of how the two men might *actually* compare in terms of health and competence.

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