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Comment by basisword | original | Brits would quite like their private messages to stay private
[−]basisword · 2026-08-30 Sun 11:56 UTC · link
>> As for 16 years old voting, I'd argue the age to vote should be raised to 21.

Why? Brexit will impact 16 year olds for decades. A large number of the old farts who voted for it are dead now and won't have to suffer the consequences. If you're going to adjust voting ages but don't want to lower it, it makes sense that those over 75 don't get a say in something like Brexit.

And if your thought is that 16 year olds don't have the education yet to understand the implications of something so big, I'd say they're much better informed than most people over 60 who are consuming Facebook AI slop and believing it wholesale.

[−]ipaddr · 2026-08-30 Sun 13:00 UTC · link
60 year old people are better informed compared to 20-30 year olds and more involved and vote more often. Your ageism lacks logic.
[−]TFNA · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:16 UTC · link
As a middle-aged person, I can't agree with that. Declining social interaction as one settles into a narrower world of job and family, and less free time for activism and engagement, means that my peers and myself have less clue than we used to about how to vote; the general feeling about politics when it comes up at get-togethers with friends, is aporia.

Also, part of getting older and wiser, and becoming more aware of history, is knowing the damage that old people like us have done at times. It was people our age who caused the failure of May '68, for example.

[−]1718627440 · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:32 UTC · link
> A large number of the old farts who voted for it are dead now

You must meet extremely weird old people. Most old people care a lot about the future of their "offspring". Also they have already seen a lot and are able to see through influence much better.

[−]dudul · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:57 UTC · link
Brexit also impacts 12 year olds.

>And if your thought is that 16 year olds don't have the education yet to understand the implications of something so big, I'd say they're much better informed than most people over 60 who are consuming Facebook AI slop and believing it wholesale.

Care to back this claim?

[−]DrBazza · 2026-08-30 Sun 15:10 UTC · link
Well if you're dismissive of an entire generation by calling them 'old farts', I'm not sure I can take you 'better informed 16 years old' argument seriously.
[−]basisword · 2026-08-30 Sun 16:09 UTC · link
Re-read the sentence. It wasn't referring to an entire generation.