“I’m Getting Too Old For This Shit” is the catchphrase of the fictional character Roger Murtaugh (played by Danny Glover) from the Lethal Weapon series of buddy cop action films.
At the time, Danny Glover was only 41 years old. This summer, on July 28th, 2023, I turned 40 years old. Like my boy Danny Glover, I’m also getting too old for this shit. Here are three things I’m getting too old for:
Work
Yup, I’m lucky to have a white-collar job. I get flexibility with time off and vacation days, unlike countless U.S. workers who barely get days off or maternity leave, either in blue or white-collar jobs. The crazy thing is modern American citizens work more days yearly than Medieval peasants. Yup, even the ruthless European Kings and Queens knew to give their worker bees more off time than modern political leaders to prevent uprisings.
On top of that, as an elder millennial, it’s projected that I’d need one to three million dollars in savings to retire comfortably. WTF? It was the recession of 9/11, then the housing crash of 2008 and the Great Recession, then the 2020 global pandemic, and now the era of hyperinflation. I ain’t got savings like that. That means many folks like myself from working and middle-class backgrounds will never be able to retire. On top of that these fools are gonna cut our social security until there’s nothing left. I guess, I’ll be working until I’m 80 years old. At that point, I’ll really be too old for this shit.
Taxes going to more military and police
I’m a homeowner and military veteran. I served the United States as a U.S. Navy sailor. I’m also a homeowner. I pay property taxes. In fact, despite what the GOP and conservative Democrats say, we all pay taxes. Yes, citizens, refugees, poor folks, and migrant workers alike. Since the federal government plus state and local government officials are brought and paid for by the wealthy elites and corporate America, they don’t really tax the super-rich. They tax our broke asses. Every time you buy gas, booze, food, legal weed, concert tickets or clothes, you pay sales taxes. There wouldn’t be a need for a sales tax if we actually taxed the wealthiest individuals and corporations. But socialism or hurting the job creators or whatever.
The sad thing is too many of my fellow Americans think they’re other poor ass fellow citizens like refugees, migrants, or black people are the real ones getting free stuff from the government. Nope, the only people who get free shit in the United States are the uber-wealthy. They get tax cuts and tax breaks every election cycle and the soulless corporations that get those sweet government bailouts once they tank the economy. Since so many American citizens think that one day they’ll rub shoulders at the Met Gala with Elon Musk, Jay-Z, or Donald Trump. They gladly let the rich fuck them over because one day, they might be a billionaire too. New flash: none of you will ever be a fucking billionaire. Unless your mommy and daddy are already rich. Elon Musk and Bill Gates were trust fund babies. You ain’t.
The police don’t keep us safe. Hell, the police barely solve any crimes because they’re too busy harassing homeless people or shooting unarmed black folk. Those bloated police budgets are there to make sure it’s a buffer for the rich to be protected when the citizens finally decide they’ve been fuck over by the elites too long and riot. As a former servicemember, the U.S. ridiculous defense budget doesn’t go to the pockets of the enlisted troops on the ground; many of them are getting public assistance to support their families because their pay is so low. Nope, it’s going to boost up the stock portfolios of General Dynamics, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.
We can’t afford Medicare for all, to raise the minimum wage, or cancel student loan debt. But the United States always has money to spend on blowing up poor brown and black people halfway across the globe. With my fucking tax dollars. Those idiot libertarians should be mad about that, not some broke single mother who barely gets enough food assistance to feed herself or her children. Apparently, that single mom is gaming the system, not the wealthy CEOs and their corporate boardroom members. I’m too old for this shit.
Dumb ass celebrities
I was a huge Will Smith fan. It peaked with I Am Legend. Years later, I didn’t know I’d be privy to the most personal aspects of that man’s marriage. But for the last several years, I know all types of shit about his relationship thanks to Jada Pickett Smith. I like Will Smith, but could he and Jada work out their shit in private. Please spare us the public drama of their dramatic relationship. I can just talk to my friends to get relationship drama and at least I personally know them.
Then you have crybaby celebrities on Twitter or X or whatever they call it nowadays bitching about getting canceled. If you act like an asshole online or in person. If you’re a public figure, you’ll most likely get called out. If the public drags you online or in the tabloids, you’re not getting canceled. You’re still rich. So shut up and take some responsibility for your actions. Singer Chris Brown has been a violent asshole for years, and he’s still out here causing terror in these streets. He hasn’t been put in jail or rehab or got his ass whooped yet.
You know who got canceled: Dr. King and President Lincoln. They were assassinated. They got permanently taken off the census. Yet, these famous and semi-famous folks complaining about ‘mean tweets’ as being canceled are reaching. I don’t expect much from super famous people. Sarah Silverman claimed smoking weed made them turn pro-genocide or sleeping pills turned Roseanne Barr into a racist. Nope, they were just assholes to begin with. Being a celebrity means you can surround yourself with Yes people who never question your stupid thoughts or call you out. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but if your opinion and views are about hurting another person or group because they’re different, you deserve to be called out. Anyway, I am too old for any of this shit, but like Detective Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon, I still gotta deal with it.
Evolving Folks Project 