Host Rachel Miselman talks about age, how youth is worshipped, how we should remain unbiased to older generations, Nikki Haley running for president and her comments on the ages of Joe Biden & Donald Trump, Biden's cognitive decline, the Trump assassination attempt, & more.
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- Hello, and welcome to Bostonian Wrap. My name is Rachel Meiselman. You are listening to me on WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston. This is Boston's Community Radio Station. Before we jump into tonight's show, we're gonna go to a quick disclaimer, and then we're gonna come back and I'm pack away. - The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio at bnnmedia.org. - Hello, and welcome back to Bostonian Wrap. Again, my name is Rachel Meiselman. You are listening to me on WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston. So I'm gonna talk again about age. There are a few different topics that I want to kind of explore, but definitely age is one of them. So as I said on a recent show, this country is one where quite honestly, youth is worshiped. It's not respected, it's worshiped. And while I think that it's important to ensure that our youth has the tools that it needs to succeed and when ready, step up and become part of that which communities rest upon. In other words, produce results, create things that move our communities forward, that ameliorate our communities. Well, of course, we want to make sure that our youth are in the position to do that and then perform and then deliver results and then continue to do so. But as much as I want to make sure that the youth have what it needs to succeed, I think that we need to pay attention to every age demographic and that's a point that I'm going to continue to drive home because we're not just made up of that particular demographic. And we often justify putting so much attention on the younger end of the millennials and Generation Z because we say, well, it's our future. But if we don't do what we need to do to take care of our present and that is to ensure that those that are already producing, that are actively producing have all the tools that they need to succeed, we're not going to have much of a future. And then, of course, we need to be mindful and respectful, have regard for those that embody our past. And so I think that all the generations together, they make up the spirit, if you will, of what makes, or the essence that makes America unique. Now, what I've noticed in this particular campaign, more than others, presidential campaign, is that there has been a lot of talk about age. And so we, of course, had Nikki Haley, who ran for president and I, look, I don't think she should have. I've never been a Nikki Haley fan and I never will be. I think that she's gone a lot further than she ever should have, but I understand her appeal, notwithstanding what I think, I nevertheless understand her appeal to others. I think for other people, she checks off some important boxes and they see, in her, speaking of the future, and comparatively speaking, she does represent the youth, if you will. In this context, she is someone that could be a leader for tomorrow. A leader in a more high-profile capacity. And again, I respect that. I see, as I said, I see her appeal, but I think that she's someone who has gotten a lot further than she ever should have. And I think she's ultimately someone of limited abilities and someone of very limited talent. But that's just my opinion. But I bring her up because in her bid, she made a lot of mention of age and Biden being passed as prime and Donald Trump being passed as prime. And I had a problem with that. And I wasn't shy about expressing my problem with that because we do need to be careful. As I've said previously on this show and as I said outside of this show, certainly there are individuals and whether we're talking about the realm of politics or some other sphere, we have people that because of their age, at least in part, they're no longer as efficient or as capable as they have been in the past. And so it's a question of being able to step aside gracefully to be able to step aside or step down. But I caution against having that mindset towards someone automatically because that person is of a certain age. I don't think that we should automatically look at someone who is older and say, well, that person must be passed as prime. Why is this person in this position? I think what we need to do is actually see how the person is doing. And I would hope that that's the critical eye that we would use to look at any individual engaged in professional activity rather than just judging based on some kind of bias. So Nikki Haley, she made a lot of the age of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. In the case of Joe Biden, I do think that there's an issue. Now you have other people like Donald Trump himself and I'll talk a little bit more about that in just a bit. And he's obviously still very much capable and informed. And he's ready. Should he be victorious in November, he's ready to lead this country. We have people like Bernie Sanders, still very capable, still very mentally and physically nimble and agile. So really it comes down to actually looking at how a person is performing. And we could come across someone who is in his late 70s, 80s or 90s and perhaps the person's not performing well, but maybe the person never really did perform well, but it might be just more obvious now, but it might not be down to age. So again, I'm just trying to make an argument for looking at a person and evaluating his or her professional performance based on deliverables, based on execution, based on participation, based on ostensible competencies and being able to maybe see abilities that might not be as readily visible. That's the argument that I want to make and I want to continue making. I'd like to see as a society respect people just period. I don't think we need to be worshiping anybody. I think we need to have a healthy level of respect for people period. And we should make sure that we're not afraid to look for good ideas and good people and competent people, wherever they may be. And if it happens to be someone who's 86 or 90 or 23 or 45 or 56, we go in that direction and we bring that person in and we give that person a seat at the table because I think that that's when we work best, when we are inclusive and we focus on abilities and competency and results and our desire for results. Speaking about Joe Biden in particular, as I said, I do think that there is a decline. Is it possible that he could beat Donald Trump in November? It is, it is possible. But I think that I think that there is legitimate concern about his ability to lead this country should he win for the next four years. I say this because it's not, I think it's not right to call the first presidential debate. I don't know if there'll be another one. I don't know if it was right. Actually, I know it wasn't right to say that we all have off nights because that wasn't, it wasn't about a poor debate. It just wasn't. It was, it was about two individuals, one of whom was just not up to this exercise. And it's not about Joe Biden not being as quick as he used to be, not moving, whether it's literally, physically or mentally, as quick as he did before. It's, this isn't about a slowdown. This is about a decline. And I'm very careful with my words. And I think that a slowdown is one thing. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's time to step aside or step, or step down, but I think a decline signals something else. Even if I look at him from, you know, in 2020, and certainly if I look at him in clips from 2016, there's a market, markedly different man, 2016 versus the man today. And I don't want to be disrespectful. I am a Republican. I mean, I'm pretty upfront about that all these years, even when it was not as, what's the word I'm looking for? It wasn't as palatable of a thing to be. I mean, it's still not going to make one necessarily mister or miss popularity, depending on where he or she is, but it's certainly, I think, more acceptable today to say that I'm a Republican than before. And I think that's for a number of reasons which I can always delve into at another time, but I think that, especially at this point in time, I think people just in general, even if they are not Republican, and certainly in this part of the state, many people are not, most people are not. In fact, virtually all of Suffolk County is not. Which is, which, well, there's no need of that. And that's another story for another time. And I might touch upon that if I can at different points during tonight's show, but the focus is ultimately going to be elsewhere. I think that, I think Joe Biden, it would be a challenge for him should he win. And November, I think it would be a big challenge for him to be president for another four years. I do. So I talk about my party affiliation, I bring that up, and I bring up my support for Trump because I want people to know that not withstanding that, I really am trying to look at this from a place of objectivity. I have my ideas of how this country should function and in the direction in which I want the country to go. But I still maintain the utmost respect for the Office of the President of the United States and that respect extends to the one that holds that office. And of course, that is President Biden. So I say all of this because I wanted to be abundantly clear that I'm not saying this from a place of disrespect. I just, I think that, I think it would be very challenging for him to be president for another four years given what we've seen in terms of what I am going to continue to call a cognitive decline. And I get back to, I want to jump back to Nikki Haley, because I don't think her strategy campaign strategy was appropriate and I don't think it was nice because it just, it fed into, I think, an existing prejudice that this country, again, unfortunately has toward people as they get older. Unfortunately, in this instance, I do think it's because of age with Joe Biden, there could be other factors that play, but I do think that age plays a role. But then let's look at Donald Trump. Let's look at him a little bit more closely. He, of course, survived an assassination attempt, thank God, on July 13th and the image of him being taken off stage and with his fist up, it's just, of course, that's already an iconic image, but it's going to be a historical one, two, for a number of reasons, because regardless of age, it shows, it embodies, it personifies what it means to be American, in my opinion. And I think that it goes to the core of Trump's appeal. Halt, gosh, I hope I'm pronouncing it. I'm trying to pronounce that right. Halt Vildes, the Dutch politician, of course, is a great friend of the United States and he is very outspoken. Well, when you think about different traits that are attached to different nationalities, outspokenness is one that's attached to the Dutch, so I don't know if that really sets Halt Vildes apart from his countrymen. But I'll still say that he's very outspoken and he's very passionate and he's also a Donald Trump supporter and I bring him up because he, in the wake of the assassination attempt, he spoke of Americans, their incredible resilience. And I think that that image of Trump with his hand, his fist stop, it's just, it's who we are. That's, it's something that's so primordial. It's just, it's who we are, it's what we're about. That we are Americans and we can bounce back from anything and that we're survivors and that we are really tough and strong, but there's also an optimism that it's going to work out. I remember living in France and remember, I remember watching movies where there wasn't a happy ending and I didn't realize, I learned more about being an American from living abroad than being here in the United States, but those who have, Americans who have lived abroad, well, I think a number of them will probably say the same thing, but I, at that moment, I was, it was a bit of an epiphany because I realized how strong of an idea this was, not only for me, but I think for many Americans, most Americans, this idea of a happy ending that it's all going to work out. I realized how embedded, deeply embedded it was into my psyche, that it's, it's, it might not be good right now, but better and brighter days are ahead. And that Trump survived this, this defiance that he came out of it, that he came out of a, it just, this, this instant, which could have ended so many different things and could have been so profoundly devastating, but he survived that instant and then the next instant, he said, I'm still here, let's go. And it is just, that's what a leader is, and I understand, I know that a lot of people don't like Trump. There are a lot of people, of course, who love him. I think he's wonderful. I'm never gonna back away from that because I'm being honest and that's what I try to be. But I do understand that a lot of people don't like him or even despise him, but I think he's incredible. And I think that one of the reasons why I like him so much is because I love what he does for other people, how he makes them feel. I think for a long time, a lot of people felt that they couldn't say a lot of things. I mean, of course, we have some people who go online and under, they create these fake accounts and they say horrible things. And there's nothing that I like better than calling those people out and identifying them. But there are also people who, I'll put my devil horns away when I said that I put them on that last bit. But there are people, of course, who they go online and they speak their piece, but they do it anonymously. And that's because they're afraid. They're afraid of what others really think. They're afraid of how they're going to be received or perceived. They're afraid that they might lose their livelihood. And those fears for a long time were very legitimate, valid fears. I think the tide is turning. I'd like to think the tide is turning. I mean, of course, I'm never going to advocate for people being cruel or mean or nasty or bigoted, of course not. But being able to express oneself in a free society, oh my goodness, it's a cornerstone it's a cornerstone of any free democratic society. And I don't want anybody to write in and say, well, it's a constitutional republic, Rachel. The United States is a constitutional republic. I know that, but we're a society that for the people, by the people of the people, you can interchange. You can interchange those phrases. It all comes down to the same thing. It's very much a unique society. We are an incredible experiment in many ways. But the point is that we have to be able to express ourselves. And I think that in the United States, that's something that we cherish in particular here. And it's something that I think a lot of us have felt was taken away from us, this ability to talk about something freely without fear of repercussions. So certainly Donald Trump, speaking his mind, I think that that gave people courage. Again, I'm not going to defend people who then ran with it and then just said horrible, mean, nasty, racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic thing. I'm never going to defend that. Those people took this where they wanted it to go. And it took it to a place where it never should have been taken. And if it wasn't Trump, they would have found another excuse to emerge from underneath their rocks. But for so many people who are just decent people, and they might not say things as eloquently or as a tick as with as much eloquence as they would like, that doesn't mean that what they have to say is any less important or it's not something that we shouldn't be attaching any less importance to it. So I think that there's that. And that really did something for me. To see so many people find courage to say things that actually weren't that shocking. But it was just for so long and increasingly there were only certain things that we could say. But I think another reason, and this was, like I said, embodied personified in the immediate instance rather, excuse me, after the assassination attempt, it's this being able to bounce back from bad times or from the worst case scenario or from a tragedy or from a near tragedy. I think that I talked about this optimism. Americans need and want to believe that it's going to work out. And I think it's because that's the spirit of this country. It's what this country has always offered that no matter how dark or troubled our country has been, there has always been something that has allowed for a righteous struggle for something better, for something that looked like the promise that we were all entitled to as Americans, the promise of something great, and then to actually enjoy the realization of that promise. I think that a number of people have been, for many years, over the course of many years, they've been beaten down. And some of it is actually because they became afraid to just say things and express themselves freely. Again, I understand that a lot of people don't necessarily, like Trump might outright despise them. Maybe they can't stomach him. But it's important for those same people to understand that what they think of Trump is and what everyone else thinks of Trump and that he represents for many people the ability to fight. And so for a lot of people who fell beaten down by life, by circumstances from being overlooked, Donald Trump reminded them, just like he reminded them that they do have the right to express themselves, they also have the right to be counted and that they can stand up and fight for that. And I think that that counts in no small part for the loyalty, the devotion, and even love that a number of people have for Trump. And just think, he did that as someone who's not 45 or 55 or even 65. So it made Nikki Haley's campaign strategy, especially going back and looking at it. Now, well, even at the time, it looked-- it was ridiculous, but certainly all that much more now. And I will add that I'm not so sure that someone who's a lot younger could have, just so instinctively looked at the warrior so effortlessly and so naturally, rather, after such a catastrophic, what could have been a completely tragic event. So on that note, I'm going to go to a quick break. We're going to come back. We're going to pivot. And we will, you know, so then talk about something else. But those are my thoughts about not only what Trump represents to so many people that do support him, but also my ongoing reminder that when we look at a person and evaluate his or her ability to do a job, we look at the person's record and the person's competency and the person's just performance. We don't-- just like we are not going to look at a person's color, I don't think we should look at a person's age and just say, OK, well, this person's-- you know, in this particular demographic, let's just count this person out. I'm not saying be unrealistic or not taken to account certain valid concerns, but I think that we should evaluate a person first before just making assumptions. So let's go to that quick break. And then we'll be right back to talk about something else, which is hopefully as thought-provoking as I'd like to think that the segment was. But we'll be back in just a bit. As veterans, we're no strangers to helping others. That's what we were taught, service before self. But we do have one question for the veterans listening. When is the last time you reached out for help? If you or someone you know needs resources, whether it's for stress, finances, employment, or mental health, don't wait. Reach out. Find more information at VA.gov/reach. That's VA.gov/reach. Brought to you by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ad Council. The impact of a meal goes well beyond feeding our bodies, because when people don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, they can truly thrive, like Marta. And now we'll hear from our class valedictorian, who, with our hard work, never ceases to amaze us. Please welcome Marta Moreno. And Alex. Hey, Alex, how did the interview go? I did it. I got the job. I can't believe it. I knew it. Let's meet up later to celebrate. And Diego. Mom, I got first place at the Science Fair with my volcano project. That's amazing, sweetie. Congratulations. Because when people are fed, futures are nourished, and everyone deserves to live a full life. Join the movement to end hunger at feedingamerica.org/actnow. A public service announcement brought to you by Feeding America and the Ad Council. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. 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The impact of a meal goes well beyond feeding our bodies, because when people don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, they can truly thrive, like Marta. And now we'll hear from our class, valedictorian, who, with our hard work, never ceases to amaze us. Please welcome Marta Moreno. (audience cheering) - And Alex. - Hey, Alex, how did the interview go? - I did it! I got the job! I can't believe it! - I knew it. Let's meet up later to celebrate. - And Diego. - Mom, I got first place at the Science Fair with my volcano project. - That's amazing, sweetie. Congratulations. - Because when people are fed, futures are nourished, and everyone deserves to live a full life. Join the movement to end hunger at feedingamerica.org/actnow. Feedingamerica.org/actnow. A public service announcement brought to you by Feeding America and the Ad Council. - Hello, welcome back to Bostonian Wrap. My name is Rachel Meiselman. You are listening to me on WBCALP102.9 FM Boston. This, of course, is Boston's community radio station. So I, just a quick little blurb, I, of course, played a couple of times this wonderful, wonderful ad about hunger. And I wanna talk more about that because in all the years that I've been doing the show, I first started Bostonian Wrap in 2008. So it's been my baby for quite some time now. It's hard to believe, but it won't be long before it's been 20 years, which is quite, it's been quite, quite something. All over the course of all these years and all the people I've spoken to and all the topics that I've covered. And I never meant to just be a show where I talk politics, I talk politics a lot, but I also like to focus on issues where I think that I could possibly offer a different perspective that might be of interest. And I also like to talk about issues that I think that deserve more attention. And so certainly when it comes to efforts to end hunger and talks around food insecurity, I'm more than willing and quite eager to participate in those conversations. And if I can initiate or encourage others to have those conversations, my next show, I do wanna talk more about efforts to end hunger and to talk about food insecurity. So it's kind of a preview of coming attractions, if you will. But let's get back to tonight's show and after talking about age and kind of making it very, what I hope was the concrete discussion by talking about the Republican nominee and what, oh, who at the moment is the Democratic nominee for president. I hope that I drove home my point or provided some kind of food for thought on the larger issue of age. You know, when is old to old? Well, if the person can't perform, I do what's expected of him or her in a particular role. But I think that in this particular instance, while it's, and I say this respectfully again, while it's definitely a concern with president Biden, I don't think that, in fact, I'm confident, abundantly confident that it's not an issue with former president Trump. So again, hopefully my perspective provided some food for thought, but I wanted to talk about first chances. That's the pivot. And in some ways, this is kind of a continuation of talking about president Biden and president Trump, former president Trump. So for me, president Biden, he, like so many other elected officials and activists and just John Q. Public. It's just this idea of second chances. And I spent a lot of this show talking about what I don't like or something about the United States that I don't like. But one thing I do like and appreciate is that we do like a comeback kid in this country. We do like someone that can turn his or her life around or turn his or her fortunes around. We do like second chances, or even the hurt and fourth, beyond, it depends, of course, on the circumstances. But we certainly like stories about second chances. It makes us all feel good. It's something where we can put down our pitchforks. You know, we no longer raise our voices. We can all kind of come together and say, ah, you know, no matter what we're focused on or where we fall in the political spectrum, we can just say, ah, that isn't that wonderful? Isn't that, oh, I'm so happy. I like second chances too. I do. I want to see someone succeed. I think not to want to see someone succeed. I think that, well, we do have people like that, unfortunately. And I think those people are very miserable and ugly people. I think most people, even with a modicum of decency, they want to see others succeed. My concern, though, has been increasingly about first chances because in so many different areas, we have the same people. We have the same people, we see the same faces, and people are just moved around from one position to another. We see all kinds of people who are getting second chances. And in some instances, there are some people who are on their fourth or fifth or sixth second chance. It's not even being presented as a third, fourth, fifth or sixth chance. It's just, no, it's the third or fourth second chance. And I think that it's great, again, that a person has a second chance. And in some instances, maybe more chances are warranted, but we have the same people. Everywhere I happen to look, here in Boston, I see the same names, the same names keep on cropping up. And I then noticed that there are a number of people who are tremendously talented, and they're not even getting a first chance. Or if there's someone who gets what looks like a chance, people are very resentful, which I find quite ugly and nasty, right? So it doesn't even have to be, at the end of the day, what is actually a first chance, but people are just jealous and resentful, which is tremendously sad, again. Ugly, sad, all those things. But I think that, you know, the United States, Massachusetts, Boston, we're talking about, I mean, whether we're talking nationwide, statewide, or for purposes of this show, and what I wanna talk about in tonight's show, citywide, it's, we're talking about a space of opportunity, but we can't be a space of opportunity if we're given the same people chances after chance, after chance, after chance. What that creates is an environment where we have the same people who are making decisions that affect us all, and because we are not staying true to this idea of it being a space for opportunity for all, we have a lot of people who are now in this category, if you will, of those who are at the mercy of certain people who, maybe because they check, you know, it's all the right boxes of being checked off when they're there, or maybe it's because this one knew that one, or maybe it's a combination, or maybe there's yet another reason, but then we have another category of people who are the gatekeepers. So we have gatekeepers, and those who, maybe you're not gatekeepers, but enjoy some kind of benefit, or maybe a lot of benefits of being in this particular category versus people who are, I don't know, they're just, they're just, they're doing what they need to do, they have the ideas, they're trying to get skills, they're trying to make a breakthrough, and I just, I don't get it, and nowhere is that more evident than in the realm of politics, and again, President Biden represents the same old, same old, whereas President Trump, at least for me, he represents someone who's willing to see other people in different roles, he's willing not only to give second chances, but also to give first chances, and so I'd like to see that attitude a little bit more in Boston. I'd really like to see different faces, I'd like to see here about different ideas, because what we have is not working, and when we have the same people who are making all the decisions, and all ideas are not being taken into consideration, and all the talents aren't being used, after a while there's stagnation, and then after that, there's a de-evolution, if you will, and so I just, it's just time for something new, and we need to shake things up. So it's not just in politics, but I think in politics, it's this kind of, really kind of bad attitude, bad mindset, it's particularly prevalent, and quickly with this, there was a clip that I saw with Scott Brown, and he's talking about how he might have another campaign in him, and I just remember thinking to myself, I've been a huge supporter in the past, but unless Scott Brown has something new to bring to the table, I wanna hear from somebody else. I'm tired of the same people, the same names, and it's not because they go away and then come back like four or five years later, and they never truly go away. But coming back four or five years later, it doesn't mean that they have anything new to say, so if he wants to campaign again, he better have something new to say, besides, well, bipartisanship. I'm gonna continue this particular topic though, the next week's show along with talking about ending hunger and food insecurity, and there might be another topic or two. But thank you so much for listening, and as always, I look forward to hanging out with you next week. - The preceding commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215, or email radio@bnandmedia.org. [BLANK_AUDIO]