The many faces of AARP

By Theodore Dawes

My wife just turned 50, so she recently experienced that least favorite American rite of passage: the arrival of the dreaded solicitation letter from AARP. I'm pleased to say that she took advantage of this opportunity to do precisely as I have done for the past eight years: she immediately and with malice aforethought dropped the solicitation in the trash. Not that she was offended by the reminder of her advanced age; rather, because she holds AARP in contempt. So do I. Two quick questions, dear reader: 1) Do you belong to AARP? 2) Which AARP do you belong to? If you're confused by the second question your confusion is, in AARP's eyes, a marketing triumph. You are likely thinking, "Which AARP? Why, I belong to the American Association of Retired Persons. I belong to that AARP." Surprise. There is no such thing as the American Association of Retired Persons. The non-profit organization that was founded in 1956 to help older folks was renamed some years ago. It's now called.... (Read Full Article)