Not that it always did even back then. Genesis reports that Methuselah lived 969 years. More than any other age group, people over 50 spend more in the supermarket, watch more TV, read magazines and newspapers more and write more letters to the editor and congressional representatives. They buy more luxury automobiles, gamble more and dominate the cruise and up- scale vacation market. The cosmetics and fashion industry are pushing trendy new lines for older customers.
Banks welcome their loans and mortgages.
Hotels and resorts woo them with special discounts. Politicians listen to them. Silver-haired models are seen often in slick magazines and TV ads hawking sexy lingerie and slinky gowns, not just laxatives and denture fixatives. All were over 60, including Paul Newman, Norman Mailer, Lee Iacocca. All across the land we are witnessing the graying of the American campus, as older learners flock back to college and fill adult education classes.