“Worry That Our Country Is In the Hands of Doddering Oldsters”: Stark American Concern Addressed By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Over the years, several NBA superstars have indulged themselves in social and political activism regarding pressing socio-political issues plaguing the nation. The Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar has been a trail blazer for such players for a long time. In fact, Abdul-Jabbar runs a blog where he addresses the alarming concerns of the day and the most relevant stories. When Cap writes, he likes to call a spade a spade. Recently, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has addressed the controversial ‘competency test’ issue raised by a former South Carolina governor, while highlighting a very unique perspective.

In a recent post in his blog, the Lakers legend has criticized former American ambassador Nikki Haley for calling for competency tests for politicians aged 75 or more. Abdul-Jabbar highlighted the dangers of promoting such a policy.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar exposes Nikki Haley’s prejudice against the elderly

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley had been demanding that a competency test must be made mandatory for politicians who are above the age of 75. Haley spoke at an event launching her 2024 presidential campaign on the matter. The move was supposedly prompted by President Biden’s(who is the oldest serving President at 80) multiple public gaffes throughout his tenure in office.

In an article on his blog, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stated that Haley’s notion is nothing but prejudice against the aged, masquerading as an ultimate solution to enhance governance. He admitted the genuine concern regarding the policy’s premise, “I certainly understand the appeal of this proposal to some people. They look at Trump, Biden, Sanders, and Feinstein and worry that our country is in the hands of doddering oldsters lacking in cognitive reasoning.”

However, the six-time NBA champion added, “This is partially based on real concerns about the mental challenges of aging(which at 75 I know all about), but it also partially feeds off America’s cultural prejudice against the aged.”

As it turns out, Kareem thinks it’s a common trope in America to portray the elderly as powerless, thoughtless and sexless, among other things. Haley’s arbitrary age limit exposes a similar sentiment prevalent in the country.

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The 75-year-old NBA legend not only exposed the shallowness of Haley’s argument, but also gave a much more valuable suggestion. He added, “If cognitive ability is so important, why not test all candidates? Then again, why not test candidates for their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution? Or American history? Or critical thinking”?

This is not the first time that the Tower from Power has called out politicians. In one of his write-ups in his blog, the Lakers legend had criticized GOP Congressman Andy Ogles for falsely claiming that he was trained in Economics.

Do you agree with Kareem’s take? Let us know in the comments below.

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