Re: Happy New Year

Samael (samael@dial.pipex.com)
Sat, 9 Jan 1999 11:59:03 -0000

-----Original Message-----
From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky <sentience@pobox.com>

>Isn't it amazing how whatever age we happen to be is "grown-up"? My
>parents invest a great deal of emotion in the fact that THEY are now
>adults. My grandparents disagree, of course; only they are really old.
>Sadly all my great-grandparents passed away a few years ago, but I
>assume they suffered from the same delusion. My fellow teenagers are
>all ready to do whatever the hell they feel like and my little sister is
>a big girl now. If we could understand an infant's gurgles, they would
>translate to "I'm not an embryo any more and I can spit up on whatever I
please."

Every so often I think "Phew, thank goodness I don't think like I used to 2 years ago, boy was I a schmuck then." This has been going on for about 20 years now...

>Humans don't live long enough to grow up. I quite agree with _Deception
>Well_ that 100 years is minimum voting age.

I'm not sure that you need a minimum voting age, more a minimum voting competency. Ask voters to name the president, vice president and leadrer of the opposition. Name the country to the south of you and the last war you had with them. Show a general knowledge of politics. If you're going to play the game, you ought to know the rules.

Samael