Most irritating attitudes towards seniors?

Gael

Gael

Senior Member
Location
County Down, N Ireland
What attitudes/stereotypes displayed towards seniors irriate you and why?

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None at all. I've seen no negative attitudes and stereotypes are pretty much spot on. Nothing to be irritated about. Too many people are too damn sensitive about every little thing. That irritates me.
 
I used to be irritated about becoming invisible until I realised that it was actually an advantage.

A bit like being under Harry Potter's invisibility cloak,
it allows me to wander around wherever I like without being judged on my appearance.

Total freedom IMO.
 
Some think older people should be patronised, and they call them darling and sweetheart, which is very demeaning, imo!

The idea that children should automatically care for their parents in their old age also irritates me. However good your relationship is with your parents, looking after them in your own home is bound to put a strain on the family. If you don't get on that well with your parents it is impossible, imo. My father was sensible enough to realise in his last illness that he needed professional care, and booked himself into an excellent nursing home, where he was able to surround himself with things which were important to him. It also meant he was free of our mother!

After his death our mother carried on living in their apartment, which our father had left to his four daughters. When it was quite clear she wasn't looking after herself properly we suggested a care home, although she had imagined one of us would put up with her! She was always difficult and the unfortunate daughter who took on that task would either be charged with murder, or end up in a psychiatric institution! Our mother refused to go into a care home, but was becoming totally impossible, and badly upsetting the daughter who had power of attorney over her. In the end as the eldest child I decided to give her an ultimatum. I told her she had three option, she could either stay in the apartment with no help from anyone, be sensible and go into a good quality care home, or I would fly over and petition the Royal court to section her. She was in the lovely care home within three weeks. Mother had the best of care, not that she appreciated it, and we felt sorry for the carers who had to put up with her. Fortunately for everyone she died 11 months later, we are not quite sure what she died of, anger probably!:D If that sounds hard, I would have challenged anyone to try living with that woman, I bet they would have felt the same about her!
 
As people are living much longer these days, their children tend to be OAPs as well. Therefore the task is onerous, when you might have health issues of your own.

My children and I have an on going banter, which is great. At the moment there is a debate about which cliff to push me off when I get too senile!:D My son-in-law suggested the clinic in Switzerland would be kinder.:D Of course I give as good as I get, and I feel so fortunate that I can have this sort of fun with my kids. They seem to be fond of the daft old bat, as I am of them.:)
 
Gael said:
What attitudes/stereotypes displayed towards seniors irriate you and why?

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Just the whole "too old" thing. When is a person too old. I will be too old when I say I'm too old. I still like rock, I still like to dance, I know me well enough to know I'm never NOT going to like rock music. I love muscle cars, I will always love muscle cars. There's some other things too, but that tells you what I don't like about stereo-typing "older" people. Oh, there is one more thing, I will never be too old to wear my boots and jeans! LOL! Oh yeah, another thing, I'll never be too old to drive a jeep with the top down!
 
rkunsaw said:
None at all. I've seen no negative attitudes and stereotypes are pretty much spot on. Nothing to be irritated about. Too many people are too damn sensitive about every little thing. That irritates me.
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Seriously? You aren't aware of any different attitudes towards older people in society? Here are some common ones and though you may not have encountered them, plenty of people have.

"The elderly do not desire, and do not participate in,
sexual activity.


Most elderly people are set in their own ways and are
unable to change.

The elderly are unproductive and uncreative;
cannot work as effectively as younger people.

The elderly are slow to learn, less intelligent True False
and more forgetful.

Elderly people are crabby and hard to get along with.

Elderly people become more religious as they age.

” Ageism makes judgments about the
actions, character and desires of people based on their age. There is also a sense
that old age is inferior to youth.
Ageism has developed over many years as our society as a whole has put a greater
value on youth than on aging. Television, movies and the printed media tend to
strengthen the idea that young is “good” and old is “bad.”

People may also believe the myths of aging because information about normal
aging is scarce. As the size of the elderly population has grown, interest in research
on aging has increased. Early research was found to be invalid due to the subjects
chosen so, until very recently, reliable information about the aging process has not
been available."
 
Warrigal said:
I used to be irritated about becoming invisible until I realised that it was actually an advantage.

A bit like being under Harry Potter's invisibility cloak,
it allows me to wander around wherever I like without being judged on my appearance.



Total freedom IMO.
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You're absolutely about the invisibility factor, especially concerning females. And bravo, you've managed to turn it on it's head!:clap:
 
Just sayin said:
Not so much stereotypes, but the op photo above makes me cringe. Trying to produce an equality based stereotype, the ‘we can do what everybody else does’ thing. If you try to mimic the young generation, sorry, but it just makes me cringe. The photo is not meant to produce int
erest in the music, it’s supposed to be something that produces laughter, because it looks so odd and out of place.

I think sometimes we produce our own stereotypes based on our behavior? We all earn respect and its not achieved by making ourselves look stupid. :)
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I think whenever we try to be something we are not, the false note sounds discordant and harsh.
To be able to embrace yourself for what you are today is a strength.
 
Diwundrin said:
Most stereotypical attitudes I find quite beneficial, I'm shameless in accepting assistance with things I can cope with myself when it's offered by patronising youngsters. Good on 'em, they're doing what our generation was told/taught to do for the elderly and I'm pleased to find they still do that. Not all, there are the ones who bash you up for your handbag too, but they're in the tiny minority. Like Warri I also enjoy being able to go out wearing whatever is handy and not getting a 2nd glance.

The one thing that does annoy me is the attitude of some gen X and Ys that we Baby Boomers are responsible for the fact that they didn't own McMansions by the time they were 25. We're referred to as greedy for having saved the money that we worked for and in our older years have the unmitigated gall to spend it on supporting ourselves instead of them.

It seems they resent us still being alive at all as they object to paying taxes for our pensions and health costs and they also object, even more strongly, to those of us who are self funded retirees and cost them nothing. We it seems are the greedy ones who must have been crooks to have saved a nest egg. Their upbringing in the age of golden entitlement has apparently blinded them to the notion of being self sufficient, living within a budget, and having a savings account at the bank rather than a maxed out credit card.

But other than them, no problems at all. .... well, maybe that some think anyone over 60 is stupid but as I mentioned, that can be turned to our own advantage, big time. No point in getting old without getting cunning at it. Bwaaahahaha.
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You may like this clip:

 
One thing that annoys me is being called "Young man". Like (for example) a store clerk saying, "How may I help you,

young man?"

WTF ? I'm OLD, I look OLD, I KNOW I'm old, and the clerk thinks he/she is trying to cheer me up by calling me YOUNG !

Well, I've got news for them....It has the opposite effect.
 
Falcon said:
One thing that annoys me is being called "Young man". Like (for example) a store clerk saying, "How may I help you,

young man?"

WTF ? I'm OLD, I look OLD, I KNOW I'm old, and the clerk thinks he/she is trying to cheer me up by calling me YOUNG !

Well, I've got news for them....It has the opposite effect.
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They did that to my husband one event we were at here and I thought it was patronizing and glib. But it was a DJ who was just a big ahole to begin with.
 
Falcon said:
One thing that annoys me is being called "Young man". Like (for example) a store clerk saying, "How may I help you,

young man?"

WTF ? I'm OLD, I look OLD, I KNOW I'm old, and the clerk thinks he/she is trying to cheer me up by calling me YOUNG !

Well, I've got news for them....It has the opposite effect.
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Man I hope no one ever says that to me.
 
Why should people be treated differently because they are old, I don't get it? Obviously if they have special needs then they should be addressed, just as you would with anyone else. However old age alone doesn't demand respect imo. Respect has to be earned whatever the age, and some old people definitely don't qualify because of their attitude.
 
Justme said:
Why should people be treated differently because they are old, I don't get it? Obviously if they have special needs then they should be addressed, just as you would with anyone else. However old age alone doesn't demand respect imo. Respect has to be earned whatever the age, and some old people definitely don't qualify because of their attitude.
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It's like hearing someone talk baby-talk to a child, I don't mean an infant, but I love to hear parents talk normal to kids. I think it should be the same with all people. I am careful who I disrespect if they are grouchy etc. I've found some of those folks to be the most wonderful people. It's just they have a lot of pain, maybe physical, maybe other. I know that some folks (any age) will be miserable in their attitude, I get there on occasion, and I think the objective is to make others feel as miserable.
 
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