Wisdom with age

Once again John Bishop has nailed it with his ‘‘It’s not OK’’ letter (Nov 12). Chlo¨ e Swarbrick’s throwaway comment said so much, in just two words, about attitude and intolerance.

I recently heard her speak at a student rally at Victoria University on the legalisation of marijuana issue. She is young, intelligent, articulate and glib.

In her 20-minute slot she managed to denigrate a senior opposition MP on four occasions with the comment ‘‘she is seriously deluded’’. Rapturous applause.

But her comment which left me really taken aback was ‘‘Life experience doesn’t count’’. As one of the silent generation, even older than the Boomers she thinks so poorly about, can I assure her that age, life experience and the inevitable mistakes which go with these do give some small measure of wisdom. And tolerance. One day she may realise this herself.

David Marshall, Karori

I would love John Bishop to explain what ‘‘views, experience, arguments and analysis’’ he can find in some mindless interjection from some nameless National Party MP during Chlo¨ e Swarbrick’s speech on climate change, expressing the serious concern of her generation.

If he cannot, then he and his National Party cohorts are the ones who must wear the mantle of being ‘‘facile, trite and intellectually shallow’’, not Swarbrick.

Bishop’s arrogance has blinded him to the fact that he is doing exactly what he is accusing the younger generation of doing.

It behoves us older folk to do all we can to support the younger generation in this serious issue they will be facing, and I find Bishop’s attitude shameful in the extreme. I refuse to be associated with it. Demetrius Christoforou, Mt Victoria

If only that rude parliamentarian who chose to interrupt Chlo¨ e Swarbrick had just waited her or his turn and let her finish, the ‘‘OK, Boomer’’ comment would never have been uttered, and poor John Bishop would never have got the chance to vent about his perceived intolerance by Millennials of the opinions of us Baby Boomers.

I truly believe that most Millennials, and especially switched-on intelligent people like Swarbrick, have plenty of respect for the points of view of others from all generations.

The real problem here is the age-old, and completely counterproductive, custom of barracking in the House. That behaviour would not be appropriate or tolerated in civil society outside the House of Representatives.

I suspect that, if John Bishop was expressing his political views in a conversation, and a listener was constantly giving him the equivalent of fart sounds to express their disagreement, then he may react similarly to Swarbrick.

So I say to Mr Bishop and all of those in the House of Representatives, shut up and listen politely. Someone else may have an enlightening point of view.

Randall Cobb, Masterton