I am sorry if this is offensive to any elderly, but I am getting so sick of my soon-to-pension father who does nothing but complain about other people. They do everything wrong with the undertone, but never explicitly said, that he knows better than them.
Especially journalist, oh he loves complaining about them and how they are hiding the truth because they didn’t report about something that he knows is true in a short news article or clip (often the fact he mentions is true, but it is a really niche knowledge and he has always struggled with the idea that other people don’t know everything he knows).
This has gotten worse and worse as he gets older. We used to always discuss politics and what works and what doesn’t and I enjoy those conversations, but lately he is getting stuck on topics and gets very very repetitive. He is also getting sensitive about it, getting upset and raising his voice when I don’t agree with him.
have anyone else experienced this with their beloved elders? This is common stereotype for elderly, especially elderly men, but it is so true for him! I do remember my grandpa also being like this, although he never talked about politics.
i think it’s important to distinguish the difference between being critical of a subject (e.g. being judgemental) and thinking critically for oneself.
No doubt your father has a reactionary response to media because the ecosystem demands it from their audience and he now likely sits in a susceptible demographic.
Something to consider is if your father is starting to experience a cognitive decline (e.g dementia). How physically active is he? Does he have personal interests or hobbies that give him continued purpose? These play a part in how he responds to his environment and perhaps why you’ve noticed a trend among the elderly and maybe even within your own family.