"Ain't nothin' happenin' after 50"

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Added: Mon. Jun 07, 2010 10:58am
Posted in: Aging

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Former NBA bad boy Charles Barkley makes a living by crossing the line in his job as an on-air NBA analyst. Barkley loves being controversial and never misses an opportunity to offend someone. He gets away with the kind of comments that have led to the firing of countless TV people before him. Why? Good question. I googled him and found an endless stream of negative comments from viewers – “He’s an egotistical moron with a big mouth.” “Charles is an idiot.”  “He is a rich fat man with a big mouth.”

Charles was interviewed by Parade Magazine this week. It was a short interview -- just 4 questions – but long enough for Charles to take a swipe at everyone over 50.

Parade Magazine: You just turned 47-- do you think about turning 50?
Barkley:  Yeah, I'm thinking I got three years to live--because ain't nothin' happenin' after 50. That's the way I look at it.

I get that Charles is just stirring the pot. That’s what he does. And I don’t want to validate his ignorant comment by wasting time actually documenting the endless ways in which he’s wrong. I would simply say, “Charles meet Sandy Scott, Harold Garde, Ann Kahl, Joe Kittinger, Roger McGuinn, Jackie Jones, Dan Beach, Rachel Veitch, George Blair, Mike Galloway, Oleda Baker, Virginia Ferrigno, Harold Rotenberg, Rowdy Gaines, Pat Morehead, Tony Handler, Ginger, Ruth Hamilton, Gene Evans, etc. etc." I could go on and on but that should keep Charles busy.

If, as Charles does, you believe that "ain't nothin' happenin' after 50", then most likely nothing will -- at least nothing good. But if you believe (as every one of those listed above does) that the best can happen after 50 - then there's a good chance it will.  That's the problem with the media today. It's mostly used to spread an ageist message. And since most of us believe what we repeatedly see and hear, "Ain't nothin' happenin' after 50" is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Lets check back with Charles in 20 years and see what kind of life he's living. Unless he changes his attitude, it will be exactly what he predicts - "ain't nothin' happenin'."