Dangerous old men

Barack Obama said something recently that I found quite thought-provoking. 

OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) September 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM

Having studied Obama intensely over the last decade, I can tell you that he doesn't throw stuff like this out lightly. I can actually imagine him calculating how many of the world's problems track back to old men who are afraid of death.

It's important to note that, based on past statements, Obama wasn't using the term "men" generically. This statement echoes something he said back in 2019.

The world would be a better place if more women were in charge, former President Barack Obama says. Speaking at an event on Monday, Obama also said that many of the world's problems stem from "old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way...They cling to power, they are insecure, they have outdated ideas and the energy and fresh vision and new approaches are squashed."

My mind immediately went to that fact that, ever since about 2016, I've said that the three most dangerous men in the world are Donald Trump (79), Vladimir Putin (73), and Benjamin Netanyahu (75). Globally, men's average lifespan in 71, while in the U.S., it's 75. I wouldn't be surprised if those were three of the men Obama had in mind.

As someone who is now in their 70's, I can attest to the fact that the imminence of death is much more present that it has been in the past. It is clear that, even in his dementia-addled brain, Donald Trump is thinking about it a lot as well. Over the past couple of months, he's talked about his desire to get into heaven several times. 

None of this is to suggest that I endorse the kind of ageism that I've seen on display lately. Someone shouldn't simply step down based on the year they were born. Those kinds of calls should be based on performance. There is a certain kind of wisdom that can come with age that is worth revering, just as there are young men who cling to power out of a sense of insecurity (J.D. Vance is only 41 years old).

But it is interesting to view Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu through this lens that Obama articulated. They're scared to death and are clinging to power in order to avoid the insignificance of death.