Side Deal Palooza sale - "Old People Stuff". Seriously?
10Hey meh - so how old is old enough to be negatively stereotyped by meh as old? Anyone over 17? A 9 year old I know stated everyone over 17 is old. I asked him how many years until he is 17. Once he figured that out I then asked him if he’d be old in 8 years. He looked horrified and told me, “No way!!!”. I then asked him how old is old. He then said, “18.”.
Of course I had a twenty something student state in class that old people, which was everyone over 40 when I asked for clarification, should retire to give the young people a chance. Plenty of heads nodded in agreement. I told him I’d love to retire at that age and then be supported by society in the style in which I’d like to become accustom since I’d have not worked the needed 27-30 extra years to be able to save enough for that; retirement for potentially 50 or 60 years would be so much fun. He, and others, were equally as horrified at how expensive that would be for them and decided that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all; that 40 was too young to be forced to retire.
Age stereotyping is insulting to many of us over the age of 17. Even more so to those of us over 40. By the way, my mother says you are not old until you are 104. So I guess no one should look at those items for sale unless you have already turned 104?
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Old is 20 years older than you are today.
@blaineg Twenty years older than me is usually dead.
Old is five years older than me.
Old is whatever age your parents or other authority figures are who are trying to prevent you from having any sort fun. Too old is your grandparents’ who gets into your Honda and say to the dash Alexia, please take us to the shopping mall by the river.
And getting old is those of us who get incensed at anything/anyone that even hints at us becoming old.
KuoH
@kuoh I may get old, but I’ll never grow up.
Old is a state of mind
@tinamarie1974 States?
I know where New York, New Jersey, New Mexico are.
Do we have US states of Old York, Old Jersey, or Old Mexico?
@phendrick @tinamarie1974 Istanbul was Constantinople ʅ(́◡◝)ʃ
@tinamarie1974 My arthritic right knee begs to differ. My eyes, which used to be able to read the tiniest letters, do too.
@phendrick @tinamarie1974 Old York is in northern England.
Old Jersey is in the Channel Islands, near France.
Old Mexico is just under New Mexico (Which is the only state whose license plates specify “USA”.
@phendrick @tinamarie1974 Another option for old York.
@blaineg @tinamarie1974 definitely an old York there.
@tinamarie1974 My husband has been saying “Just wait until you’re my age” since we met. He was 27.
Hanging with older people means I’m always young!
@callow absolutely
And my frame of mind comes from my Great Grandma. She was 100 when she passed. The woman was amazing. She lived alone. Cooked, cleaned, paid her own bills, would go fishing and travel. The later 2 was with family, but she was self sufficient - she just never learned to drive.
When we would talk to her about moving into a SR Living facility (at the age of 98-100) the response was ALWAYS, no old people live there!!! In her mind she was still young and spunky and that is how she approached life. Sure she had bad knees and walked w a cane. She survived breast cancer and a heart attack in her 70s or 80s. She didnt let any of it stop her or slow her down.
In the end, she had a heart attack. Went to the hospital and that night was fine. Had a room full of kids, grandkids and levels of greats in the room. Telling all of us what she wanted. Who was gonna pick her up and who was taking her out for breakfast, lunch or dinner and WHERE she want them to take her. She was fine!! Got the call the next day that she passed peacefully in her sleep. I guess it was her time and my great grandpa was tired of waiting for her to join him!
@tinamarie1974 What a wonderful woman!
@callow @tinamarie1974 What a great lady! How lucky to have a grandmother like her!
@callow @Kyeh thanks. I was blessed to have her and to enjoy her company as long as I did!
@tinamarie1974 Now that woman had style!
The other day I was standing in line at a fast food restaurant and the person in line in front of me looked a me and said, “Wow, you are tall!” Which may be true, but…if I was short or fat or old or any other personal characteristic I could have told him off because commenting on anyone’s personal characteristics is rude and/or offensive. Except for the one I happened to get, and I had literally nothing to do with it. It’s genetic, like every other one except maybe fat and that is at least partly so.
Either let me tell random strangers things like, “Wow, you are short/fat/old,” or add me to the list of unsafe targets for usasked for personal comments.
@algae1221
@blaineg That doesn’t bother me, in those cases height is relevant to something. It happens once in awhile, the asker is always polite, and I’m generally glad to take half a minute to help someone out. It’s the irrelevant comments that are annoying.
@algae1221 I’m 5 feet tall, so I got teased all through school. I don’t get many comments about it any more, but now and then, someone will say something along the lines of “Wow, you’re short. How tall are you?” I agree that it is tiresome to have people comment on something you have no control over, especially since nobody has anything new or clever to say.
@algae1221 @lisagd what’s also tiresome is “wow, I love how you talk, say something, oh say that again, repeat what you just said, I love your accent”
People think it’s a compliment. It is not. It is never fun having to repeat oneself just for someone else’s amusement.
@algae1221 Well, being tall is generally thought of as a good thing in our culture, I’d say (I’m a short person myself.) I’d consider it a compliment!
)
/youtube Randy Newman - Short People
(I knew someone who was seriously offended by this song!
@algae1221 @Kyeh That song played a big part in me meeting my now-ex husband.
@algae1221 @lisagd Tell me more!
@Kyeh Since I had nothing to do with my height I don’t think it should be a compliment, any more than telling someone they’re short should be a compliment or insult. It’s just stating a fact that I already knew.
@algae1221 But people say stuff like that all the time - like “your blue eyes are beautiful” or some such.
I suppose you could tease them - say, “yes, I’m so proud of this accomplishment” or “It took a lot of effort to get these genes.” I don’t know.
The thing I find annoying is the people who say they’re so proud to be an American as though they actually made that happen. I say “I feel lucky to be an American.” My mother on the other hand had to qualify for citizenship after having married my father.
(Sorry, side rant!)
@algae1221 @Kyeh I attribute a lot of my success (including being 6’ 2") to the careful selection of my parents.
I’ve got a friend that towers over my mere 6’2", and I don’t know how tall he is. Every time he’s asked he gives a different number. Including stuff like 5’ 16".
@blaineg Haha! I’m kind of fascinated by tall people - like Wilt Chamberlain or Victor Wembanyama; I can’t take my eyes off of them when they’re on TV.
@blaineg https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/10/05/141009438/whats-a-smoot
This is my favorite way to measure height. IMO 1.13 Smoots sounds more interesting than 5’ 16".
@algae1221 @Kyeh I have yet to meet someone who was anything other than flattered when complimented on their eye color. 👁
@algae1221 @blaineg
@algae1221 @Kyeh @PooltoyWolf agree. I often get compliments on my eye color and I always appreciate the sentiment.
“Age is just a number…my number happens to be a very large number, relative to society in general.”
@tohar1 Age is just a number and mine is unlisted.
@tohar1 I identify as a smaller number.
KuoH
@kuoh @tohar1 As long as you don’t identify as “your days are numbered”…
I’m an Old Person. What’s wrong with that? I would think everyone would want to be an Old Person someday. There’s a way to avoid it, but …
@rockblossom Exactly! Getting old is WAAAAYYY better than the alternative as far as I can see!
@rockblossom @tohar1
Humpty Dumpty to Alice:
‘Seven years and six months!’ Humpty Dumpty repeated thoughtfully. ‘An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you’d asked my advice, I’d have said “Leave off at seven” — but it’s too late now.’
‘I never ask advice about growing,’ Alice said indignantly.
‘Too proud?’ the other enquired.
Alice felt even more indignant at this suggestion. ‘I mean,’ she said, ‘that one can’t help growing older.’
‘One can’t, perhaps,’ said Humpty Dumpty; ‘but two can. With proper assistance, you might have left off at seven.’
@rockblossom Years ago I was talking with a friend that was around 90. He said: “Don’t ever get old!”
I made the joke about it beats the alternative. He looked at me very seriously for a few seconds and said: “Some mornings I’m not so sure.”
@blaineg @rockblossom My mother agrees with your friend. She keeps saying she’s lived too long. Her favorite quote is “old age is not for sissies.”
@blaineg @Kyeh @rockblossom My mom jokes that all of her is wearing out (it is also clear she doesn’t think that joke is all that funny). Her loss of mobility, the ability to do things she likes to do, etc. is really hard on her.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @rockblossom My Mom would say: “It’s nothing that a good death and resurrection won’t fix”.
At one time, I said I wouldn’t be “old” until my youngest was 30…Then, as they approached that point, I decided 40 would be a more appropriate point…Well, now, I’ve just decided that point will definitely be reached when the youngest reaches Social Security age. At that point, I’m afraid I’m going to have to admit to it…maybe!!
@beachhead What you just say to that kid, “I can’t believe I am old enough to have a kid X age old. I’m not that old.”. Of course your kid might then say to you, “But you are Y age (some “old” age). How old is old?”. My mom’s answer would be 104. I am not sure I’d want to live to 104 unless I was one of those rare people in good shape with enough money to even be able to take care of my needs.
Re old
My mirror and I used to argue about it. But finally my mirror just got rude. So now i avoid.
@f00l I know - my mirror’s gotten that way too!
I was 30yo when I was 9, I’ve remained 30yo for the past 47 years. “Old” is 10y past my Dad’s age, and anyone who tells me to turn my music down.
GenX
@Clumber The dad of a friend of mine celebrates the Xth anniversary of turning 29. His problem now is that the anniversary number is larger than the number 29.
@Kidsandliz That’s not a problem, that’s a goal!
It’s a lighthearted joke on a deal-a-day site, not a serious insult or criticism.
I can’t believe I had to say that.
@PooltoyWolf Also, it’s marketing and it worked. I rarely go to Side Deal but when I did recently I clicked through the old people stuff
@callow @PooltoyWolf I must not be old, I didn’t buy anything.
What a relief!
@blaineg @PooltoyWolf Haha! I didn’t buy anything but I looked
@PooltoyWolf Yes I know they thought they were being funny and in line with being meh, however age stereotypes are still inappropriate are race, gender, etc. stereotypes. The Progressive insurance commercials are equally insulting to older people with their unattractive, stereotypic, tech stupid, way out of style clothes with belts pulled up to the armpit, etc. type of characterization of “becoming your parent”. And I had to comment because, after all, this is meh and snark is the norm here on many threads.
@Kidsandliz @PooltoyWolf “Age stereotypes are inappropriate…” Yeah, we can’t be selling stuff for babies. It might offend them.
@PooltoyWolf @zhicks1987 There is a difference and both of you know that.
@Kyeh Yes this thread went a bit off the rails a bit. At this point I am addressing a reality that exists out there rather than what meh did (although it is a small symptom of the underlying issue). The reality is, due to stereotyping that results in discriminatory behavior older people take twice as long to get jobs than younger people due to age discrimination. With layoffs often it is the older workers laid off first (unless unions have rules to the contrary or the employer is one of the top ones to work for and don’t do that) because they are viewed as past their prime despite the fact that experienced employees generally have employees have deeper knowledge which allows the ones who know how to use that to see connections less experienced employees miss. To be experienced you need time. Thus you are older. It takes twice as long for older women to get diagnosed with heart attacks and many other serious diseases as their symptoms are written off as hypochondria or attention seeking… and the list goes on and on.
While what meh did someone younger thought was humorous, it is also a continuation of a stereotype. And often this kind of behavior is excused because it is funny (and it can be as long as you are not on the receiving end of it). The reality is though that there is a difference between what a comedian can get away with and the work place. And sure companies like Progressive are in your face with stereotypes, most of them negative which apparently is selling policies to the market target they are chasing but I’d suspect they are losing a portion of new customers as well who are turned off by that kind of stuff.
There are stereotypes as well that come across as praise rather than negative, for example all asians are really smart. And some asian heritage people then get offered things, advantages, opportunities, whatever (things that all actual really smart people could take advantage of, asian or not) they wouldn’t if it weren’t for that stereotype, including those who aren’t really smart. And of course asians who struggle in life may find it harder to get the help they need because of that stereotype and thus the assumption they don’t need the help.
When I teach business I try to get people of all ages to think about the stereotypes they hold (pos or neg), whether serious ones like racism or less serious ones that don’t have laws against them. From the point of view of the business, these kinds of things get in the way of businesses using their people resources to the best advantage of the company. That affects the bottom line.
It also pisses off some employees when they are subjected to negative ones and some are pissed off when they witness others being subjected to them. Pissed off employees will take action. What action you likely won’t know in advance but it can be anything from not working as hard to actively sabotaging something at work to revenge to quitting to theft from the company… the list is long. If what is going on is accepted as normal, etc. the work place culture is usually negatively affected by this kind of behavior as well. That increases turnover (which is expensive), decreases the odds of good employees will stay or even apply there… that list is long too.
Certainly on the old people stuff page, the knee braces, for example, there are some people who are athletes might be interested in them and are likely a bigger user of those things than “old people”. But it was put on the old people page because, of course, old people are all disabled. And some of the “dork” items there most people won’t like, including “old people”.
And yes I will use that page as an example of company stereotyping of customer groups without doing to market research to know if that market segment is even interested in that kind of stuff. No I won’t mention meh by name (and will redact identifying images/words) because I like the company, but that page, already printed for future use, will be used along with the progressive ads, and some other examples of behaviors that, in the long run, aren’t good for the company and the people who work there.
Well, I have some great news for many of you. If you are age-challenged, just start converting your age from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
First, subtract 32 from your age.
See, I told you this was going to be fun.
Then take that number and make it 5/9ths as large (or if you prefer, multiply by five and then divide by nine and round any any remaining fraction down).
Example: Suppose your conventional age is 68. 68-32=36. 5x36=180. 180/9=20!
Voila!
So, when asked your age, just say I’m 20…Celsius (or whatever).
Works for weight too.
If for some reason, you want to make yourself older, convert your age to “metric.”
Multiply your conventional age by 1.6.
45x1.6=72 “metric.” So you could qualify for “Senior Discounts” etc.
@Jackinga I see a problem here. Then you’d have to be 69.8 y.o.(USA) to be 21 y.o. (metric) to be old enough to drink. Some people are going to have problems with this.
@Kidsandliz Naaah. If you were actually 69.8 or 70 even, it isn’t likely that you would be carded. And if you were, then you would give your conventional age. Besides, the white hair would probably be a giveaway, a) if you had hair, and b) if you didn’t dye it.
So enjoy, your joke when giving your age, and wear your wrinkles proudly, for you earned every last one of them, and besides, wrinkles are about the only thing that doesn’t hurt as you age.
@Jackinga For weight, just go with kilos. Or stone.
@Jackinga Or give your age on Mars.
https://theplanets.org/age-on-planets/
@rockblossom I like it.