Life Expectancy
I was at the gym yesterday, watching the TV, and I learned that in 1900, a person's life expectancy was only 47 years. Let me tell you, people, that is young, very very young. Today it's up to 78, which is still young, actually, but when I saw that number 47, it hit me something hard.
Back in the day, you were most likely to die from infection, childbirth or an accident. Today it's cancer, heart disease or dementia. I like to think that I'll just die peacefully of some natural cause, like old age, but I suppose that's wishful thinking. It'll probably be cancer or heart disease, as both run in my family. Dementia, not so much, so that's good. Although if you die of some form of dementia, maybe you wouldn't know you were dying, so that might actually be better!
How did I stumble upon this information? Well, I find that my television choices are very limited at the gym, as stupid fricking comcast has decided that you have to have a special box to be able to view MSNBC, which is my news channel of choice. CNN is my second pick, but they are often so inane as to be unwatchable. FOX still comes in, of course, but I'd rather die of dementia than have to watch that.
What I'm left with, then, is C-SPAN, which is actually quite informative, especially in the morning when they have an expert on who takes calls and discusses subjects in depth. Yesterday it was the cost of end-of-life medical care, which led to the statistics I quoted above, and hence my realization that had I lived a hundred years ago, I'd probably already be dead.
The Danks--"Die Young" mp3 off Are You Afraid of the Danks (buy)
Jeremy Enigk--"Life's Too Short" mp3 off OK Bear (buy)
Out Hud--"One Life to Leave" mp3 off Let Us Never Speak of it Again (buy)
Those olden-days life expectancy numbers are one of my pet peeves because
they're deceptive. Those numbers are the AVERAGE life expectancy in former
times. Keeping in much higher infant mortality rates, people who lived past
childhood had lifespans not dissimilar to today.
I have no comment about life expectancy. But MSNBC - during the tail end of
the Bush Administration I really liked them because they were critical and
thoughtful. These days, they really do seem like an organ of the White
House. I like this White House, but I'm not keen on a press that acts as a
cheerleader most of the time. I wish Fox was good, because at least they're
somewhat critical, but their style of journalism? Yuck.
I like C-Span, but at the gym, I check out Fox News on my little screen on
the treadmill. (or Food Network, which seems odd while I'm exercising!)The
gym staff plays MSNBC or CNN or ESPN on their big screens, and I would
rathe rnot be forced into their narrow choices. I think that both CNN and
MSNBC are too liberal, and Fox is too far right, but during the day that
Hannity jerk and stinking Beck aren't on, so I can take their regular news.
I don't know where the White House gets off singling out Fox, and I'm glad
the other news orgs. stood by Fox yesterday. This White House is reaching
Nixon enemiies list scary.
lyle--i suppose you're right, although i do think there are other things
that account for an uptick in the average as well. that said, i am your
average human being, so i still could have kicked it at 47!!
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