Society used to be run for everyone. Now it’s run for the old at the expense of the young. That’s true of politics, economics, media, basically everything.
A strong focus on the future with the aged proud of the sacrifices they make for the young.
Elders now are concerned with maximum, selfish value extraction and consumption.
They seem to detest and resent the youth and have done whatever possible to structure society in their favor with little regard for what will happen when they are gone.
Empires grow great when the old plant trees for the shade they'll never sit in.
It is possible both groups of people were just as self-interested, but one did not have the capacity to spend more resources in retirement, simply because they did not have the option to live as long.