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Old people: Dont be ageist, you shouldnt assume someones abilies based on age!
Also old people: 17 year olds shouldn't have the right to vote, drink, live on their own or have any of the rights of an adult because they having matured mentally yet...
Then by that logic once someone ages over 70 they should loose all those rights as well and should be passed to whoever their next of kin is between 18 - 70...
If the logic is "the parent should be a dictator over their kid and decide what rights the kid can or cant have cause they are too young to decide for themselves"... thent he same should be true over 70, after that age your too old to decide for yourself by the same logic.
I would argue the parents shouldnt decide any more than the states should decide... any child at **any** age who can clearly articulate their desire to exercise a right, and can past all the prerequisites the state normally has to access that right, then they should have it.
Obviously this brings up weird questions like "should an 8 year old be able to buy a gun"... and I would answer "no more or less so than a 40 year old with the same mental capacity as the 8 year old would"
> who determines mental capacity?
Right now? The government... they look at your age and use it to assume mental capacity.. <18 you dont have it... I argue that **if** they use that logic then it only makes sense if you use the same logic to deny it >70 too, since there is decline at both ends of the spectrum.
If we agree this sounds like a really stupid and unjust way to do it, then I dont have the answer, but obviously that answer isnt "the parents" because thats what we have now.
> Why should parents who largely (exception for psychopaths) have only the best interests of their kids in mind not have any influence or say?
Why should adult children of 70+ year olds who largely (exception for psychopaths) have only the best interests for their infirmed parents in mind not have any influence or say?
> They invest 100% of the time, energy, emotion, and money. Seems rather fucked to think they shouldn't have a voice
They invest 100% of the time, energy, emotion, and money caring for their infirmed parents. Seems rather fucked to think they shouldn't have a voice
I dont have a good answer for how, I just know that the way we do it now is a grave injustice and is not the way.
What i know is whatever system we have in check to see if someone is mentally capable of exercising a right, that system should not rely on assumptions around an arbitrary age threshold.
If for example a car requires a license... as long as you can demonstrate you can drive a car succcessfully and pass all the tests successfully then regardless of your age you should have access to it.
What this really exposes is the unanswered question in society... if we are so worried about an 8 year old driving a car and killing someone even if they can pass the test, because they arent responsible enough... then why arent we equally scared about a 40 year old with mental limitations who has the same maturity as that 8 year old... why arent we protecting against that?
