Archive - What's Age Got to Do with It?

My Unofficial Grandmother

She died in June 2003 at age 95.

Jun 29 •

Margaret W. Crane

May 2025

Who Have You Been, and Who Do You Continue to Be?

I don’t make a habit of forgetting my age, nor do I often catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and say, “who is that interesting older lady?” That…

May 26 •

Margaret W. Crane

A Very Cool Form of Friendship

In the aftermath of surgery, I've treasured a pen pal's "get well" cards.

May 2 •

Margaret W. Crane

March 2025

Older Adults Are Inefficient. Come and Get Us, Elon!

Is efficiency, the principle being enforced by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), as desirable as Elon Musk would have us believe?

Mar 24 •

Margaret W. Crane

My Daily Dose of Ageism

It doesn’t happen often, but now and then, a younger person gives me a look that’s unmistakable in its intention: to show contempt for me—not as an…

Mar 5 •

Margaret W. Crane

February 2025

A School for Ageing

If, as we age, we expect to keep doing everything we’ve always done, we may be in for a rude awakening.

Feb 18 •

Margaret W. Crane

January 2025

Our Attitudes Toward the Young May Need a Few Adjustments

More than a century ago, Käthe Kollwitz—a German expressionist artist whose prints and sculptural works depicted her outrage at the plight of women…

Jan 22 •

Margaret W. Crane

He Calls Himself a Citizen Pilgrim. I Call Him a Moral and Intellectual Hero.

Nonagenarian Richard Falk’s Long, Fruitful Post-Retirement

Jan 4 •

Margaret W. Crane

November 2024

Death, Taxes, and Longevity

In her recently published New York Times interview with Hugh Grant, Sarah Lyall reveals that, in addition to his career and personal life, the two of…

Nov 10, 2024 •

Margaret W. Crane

October 2024

Our Fast-Disappearing Future

During our recent phone chat, I asked my unusually dynamic friend whether she was planning to slow down at some point.

Oct 1, 2024 •

Margaret W. Crane

August 2024

Je Regrette Beaucoup

The Edith Piaf song may be uplifting, but its ultimate message is lost on me.

Aug 27, 2024 •

Margaret W. Crane

An Ageist Wolf in Progressive Clothing

A TED Talk Star Blames the Old for the Plight of the Young.

Aug 6, 2024 •

Margaret W. Crane

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