Supercentena-What-Now?

Scott Hardie | August 15, 2007
Please forgive my morbid mood, but does anyone else wonder why it's newsworthy when someone new becomes the world's oldest living person? It's not like the death of the previous record-holder was unexpected. And it's not like someone else won't have the "honor" soon afterwards. The title changes hands about as often as I change my oil. I get that it's a feat to live so long and we can learn a lot from our elders, but why does it keep making the same headline over and over? If it's merely as a human-interest story, I've about lost my interest.

Worse, perhaps, is the reporting of such deaths as the passing of Nebraska's oldest living male librarian or the oldest living freemason who served in WWI. If you have to qualify the person's "record" that much, then sorry; they may have been a fine citizen in life, but they are not newsworthy in death.

Disclaimer: I write this with all due respect to our elders, those who have recently lost a loved one, and Willard Scott.

Lori Lancaster | August 15, 2007
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Erik Bates | August 15, 2007
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Amy Austin | August 15, 2007
I was actually tempted to start a discussion about the same thing... but from a less "what's the big deal" tack... ;-) I think it's a pretty noteworthy title, particularly when it goes along with a description of "sprightliness" at that advanced age! I mean, I'm not too especially keen on hearing about someone at that age who's not mentally there or spiritually defeated as they cling to the vestiges of a life not worth living... but someone who is *that* old and still considers it a joy and privilege to be alive? I think that's truly a newsworthy item, providing inspiration to those of us who dread the thought of our old age and of becoming that decrepit, senile, drooling old person that everyone wishes would just die already (especially when it seems that they've pretty much already "checked out")!

Jackie Mason | August 15, 2007
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Aaron Shurtleff | August 16, 2007
Have they announced the new oldest person yet? The one article I looked at didn't say who the new oldest person is. You would think they would have the next person ready to go, since it's no surprise that the next oldest person has been kicking around since the late 1800's!

And I love this kind of stuff. 1000000000X better than the usual stupid crap I have to read about as news...

Scott Hardie | August 16, 2007
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Scott Hardie | August 20, 2007
Case in point. I came across this during my normal web surfing, not seeking it out.