Javier Milei, from political insult to generational contempt | Jorge Fontevecchia

Milei's "Old is Bad" Narrative

• 💡 Javier Milei uses terms like "jubilate" (retire) as an insult, exemplified by his attack on businessman Paolo Roca, whom he labeled "Don Chatarrín."
• 🎯 This reflects Milei's core belief that "old is bad, obsolete," positioning himself as a "foundational leader" combating Argentina's historical decadence.
• 📌 He blames "old, rancid" figures for the country's failures, advocating for the disruptive "new" represented by himself and his social media followers.

Personal Roots of Milei's Anti-Old Stance

• 🧠 The speaker suggests Milei's "enmity with the old" may stem from deep resentment linked to his personal history of physical and psychological abuse from his father.
• ⚡ Milei himself claims these childhood traumas, including a beating over the Malvinas War, shaped his personality, fostering cold decision-making and resilience under pressure.
• ⚠️ This personal narrative is presented as a potential displacement of rage from his "old man" onto "the old" in general, influencing his political actions.

Historical Context of Ageism

• 📜 The concept of "ageism" (viejismo) is explored as a cultural matrix where youth signifies truth and future, while old age represents error and an obstacle.
• 🇫🇷 The French Revolution demonized the "old regime" and tradition, with young Jacobin leaders embodying the "new" and "reason."
• 🇷🇺 The Russian Revolution similarly sacralized youth and the "new man," viewing the old as counter-revolutionary, though it eventually devolved into a gerontocracy.

Literary and Cultural Reflections

• 📚 Adolfo Bioy Casares' "Diario de la guerra del cerdo" is presented as an allegory of extreme juvenilism, where age becomes a political condition for persecution and violence.
• 📺 The phrase "lo viejo funciona" (the old works) from "El Eternauta" is highlighted as a counter-narrative, suggesting the value of basic, traditional elements against external threats.
• 🎭 Milei's "forces of heaven" movement, with its aggressive, masculine aesthetic, is compared to historical youth movements like Mussolini's "Brownshirts."

Critique of "New is Superior" Ideology

• ❌ The speaker warns against the powerful installing the idea that "new is superior" and "old is obsolete," as it justifies the cruel discard of a segment of society.
• 💡 This ideology, which associates youth with truth and progress while degrading old age, can lead to a society that is amnesic, infantilized, and cruel.
• ✅ Ultimately, a community that breaks with the old does not become freer but more fragile, eventually discovering that it too will become part of the "old" it learned to hate.