TOW #18 - The Supremely Old, Supremely Sharp, Supreme Court

Ryan Park, author at the Atlantic, explored the ironic nature of ageism in his article, the Supremely Old, Supremely Sharp, Supreme court. The article explores the sharpness of all of the judges on the supreme court, and shows how ironic this is because of their age. In this article, the author uses logical reasoning and expert evidence in order to show the ironic nature of ageism in America. When talking about the supreme court upholding a law in Missouri forcibly retiring Judges after the age of 70, it shows that Justice Ginsberg, age 83, chose to support that law. If she was smart enough to make this decision, then why did she contradict her own position? The supreme court is an obviously able group of people, Scalia was bright and aware until the day he died, and they too are generally quite old. Park quotes a professor at the University of Edinburgh to show that people who are smart as children maintain their intelligence throughout their life, showing why the supreme court justices are still as bright as they are. This article questions why the laws are the way that they are, and shows counterexamples as to why they are wrong. In this way the argument is successful. The author shows the contradictory nature of the court, and wants them to change their policies. By showing the intelligence of the supreme court and their age, the author brings into question the validity of their decision - why do they encourage the ageist policies established in places like Missouri? Nevertheless, the author was successful, and wrote a great article contradicting the decision of the supreme court.