Why has this myth about seniors in the Villages — a retirement village in Florida — been so tenacious?  The seniors are thought to be a breeding ground of STDs.   It is a myth that simply won’t go away, despite the lack of evidence.

Payback for Politics

The reason is payback for the oldsters’ politics.  The Villages are loyal hard-right country.  In ruby-red Florida, the Villages stand out as a fortress of Trumpism.  And if you want to know what people are going to be saying in Iowa tomorrow, take a pass at the Villages today.

The liberal press hates this.  So, it’s payback time.  “Yeah, they’re a bunch of fascists, but their STDs are also through the roof.”  Yay.  They’re all groaning with the clap, so that will pay them back for their right-wing politics.

It’s perfect.  You cross us politically, we’ll pay you back.  The seniors love Trump. And guess what? They’re out screwing every night.

Politics and Myths of Promiscuity

There seems to be almost no evidence to support this hypothesis.  And anyone who believes that eighty-year-olds are out having sex every night would probably not pass the Good Housekeeping Judgment Test.

But it’s what we want to believe of this right-wing geriatric set.  Politics often flies a social banner.  The hippies were anti-Nixon (and it was mutual).  The farmers lined up behind Reagan (and he reciprocated).  And now the oldsters are thought to be enamored of the Orange Guy.  These are media stereotypes, but each one has payback written on it.

We’ll pay back the hippies for corrupting our youth with sex.  We’ll pay back the farmers by calling them rednecks.  And we’ll pay back the right-wing oldsters by calling them lascivious.

Nuance is always missing in action in these media scenarios. Grandpa and Grandma have really got the hots at Bingo?  I don’t think so. We’re being fed a line here. Not for the first time.