Not ready to go

It is time for old people, specifically those 70 or older, to either give up on life or have their lives given up on by society, one of my students said during a discussion in my Sociology and Media class in mid-February. That was when the whole COVID-19 thing was just starting to get a tad of attention in the United States.

I laughed and said that I was 61, so that proposition would mean I would have to pack it in and give up on life in a decade or so. The student, and some of her friends sitting around her, just shrugged in agreement and smiled. And I think that particular student actually likes me. Either that or she is a really fine actress.

As crazy as that statement sounded a few months ago, the idea that older folks, or those with certain health issues, are expendable during this COVID-19 epidemic is no longer just being discussed, it is being seriously considered in some circles. The culling of the herd of the old and weak is being forwarded as a viable action among some.

Ben Shapiro, the enfant terrible of the new right, said as much recently, insisting it wasn’t as much a tragedy for an 81- year- old who had lived a full life to die from COVID-19 as it would be for a

30- year- old to die from the virus. One could argue that Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is 79, probably will be doing more good for the human condition in one day in his 81st year than the now-36-year-old Ben Shapiro will do in his entire life of pontificating, but I don’t think it is my job to decide who lives and dies, so I will be better than Ben-Ben and not go there.

Sadly, many seem to be coming to the conclusion that older folks, or people with pre- existing conditions such as immune deficiencies, heart issues, diabetes, asthma and various other conditions that make such people more susceptible to getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19 are the problem, are in the way of people in our country getting back to living the lives they want to live.

And this isn’t just the opinion of cultural outliers such as Shapiro. Other, more mainstream thinkers are saying that people over 60 or with pre- existing propensities to get the worst of COVID-19 should be shut away and isolated until this thing is over. Such older folks who are still working around others should be offered disability, temporary leave or golden parachutes for retirement, some are saying. Donald Trump himself even said if schools in our nation reopen relatively soon, that no one over 60 should be allowed on campuses for the foreseeable future.

I know the argument being made is that any such actions taken would be aimed at protecting people such as yours truly. And while I appreciate the sentiment, I would rather make my own decisions about what is good for me.

I am 61, have asthma and work on a campus in a job I love and at which I believe I am pretty good. I don’t want to be cajoled or forced into retirement. Other than the asthma, I am I really good shape, as I work out every day. I would guess I am in better physical condition than 80 percent of 30- year- olds in this country, because I try harder to stay in shape than they do. I don’t like to be looked as a burden to society, because of my age or my one health issue. I believe I am a contributor to our society and want to be for a long time to come.

Yes, even after I turn 70.

Bret Kofford teaches at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley. His opinions don’t necessarily reflect those of SDSU or its employees. Kofford can be reached at kofford@roadrunner.com