Ork life expectancy, How long do they live? Options

[evil_bacteria]

In SR3, Orks had a listed life expectancy of forty years. I always took that to mean an average, that was brought down by the sheer number of young deaths. Another way to say it is that I assumed Orks live as long as Humans, but are more likely to die early, which lowers the average life span.

It's no secret that Orks are a metaphor for blacks in America, and the average lifespan for a black man is roughly ten years less than that of a white man. This is not because black people just don't live as long, but it's an average brought down by the young deaths caused by the sheer number of blacks living in poverty and violence. Thus, I've always it's the same deal with Orks, that if the socio-economic factors were equalized, Orks would live as long as Humans.

Some adventure written for SR1 or SR2 (I forget which) made it clear that the author felt Orks simply aged faster, so a thirty-year-old NPC was all wrinkled and decrepit. I think that's a misunderstanding of what the SR team intended, but what does everyone else think?