News Round-Up: One Carter has Cancer another is a Cancer

I like Jimmy Carter. His presidency was a disappointment, but his post-President life has been exemplary. He’s an upright, honorable dude making the world a better place.

That said, it boggled me when people were praising him for being so positive about his diagnosis. He’s 90 fucking years old, former governor and President, Nobel Peace Prize winner. If not “wealthy,” he’s certainly well-off, and he doesn’t seem to have any worries about his family and heirs. What the fuck would he be despairing about? Is 90 years and the laundry list of life accomplishments not enough to stave off despair? Plus, he’s a pretty committed Christian, so he’s covered, you know afterlife-wise.

Give the same diagnosis to a 40 year-old slob in middle management who doesn’t know if he’ll be able to afford a new car next year, let alone college for his kids, and then you’ll see despair. But a 90 year-old ex-President is probably feeling pretty good about his life, regardless of how much time he has left.