Things that really .. really piss me off: part II
Old people who think by virtue of simply being old entitles them to just do what the fuck they like!
This is not an attack on all old people, only the cantankerous, miserable, canniving, arragant, conceited old bastard variety that I seem to meet all of the fucking time!
I was a better person than most of the miserable old bastards the day I was born, and they've had a forty-year head start on me.
They know nothing of simple courteous salutations, budging a single inch to let you get by either on a road on bike or in a car or on foot on a pavement.
They think that they can just queue-barge like a bunch of piss-heads outside a nightclub.
The moment they sense even the slightest descent, regardless of whether you're right or wrong, they will reach out with their grey, gnarled old hands for that well-worn stick of wisdom-through-age to beat you with.
And if you persist, then they'll tell you about how they fought a war so that you could wear your hair long, drink too much and listen to silly music.
They play stupid when it suits them to and then come over all smart and holier-than-thou when they sense they're getting less than what they see as their fare share.
That really pisses me off!
posted by Wayne Smallman at Tuesday, February 15, 2005
12 Comments:
I was a pissed off teenager, a pissed off twenty something, and I though that life would "sort itself out" as I became older, and I would just sort of become "middle-aged". But as I got older I didn't become any less discontent, and my likes and dislikes didn't change (as much as those around me). I'm 41 now and my favourite band is Cradle of Filth, I ride a motorbike and I love Manga, Anime, Goth, Sci-Fi, Role-Playing, etc... the kind of stuff Angst-Ridden Teenagers are supposed to like - not middle-aged men! What is it with me - I really piss me off!
Sorry to blog off the point - which is - I agree that a lot of old people think the world owes them something, they're selfish, stupid and annoying. But guess what - a lot of teenagers are the same and they're less right about it than the old people.
Old people are more likely to move out of my way that a gang of teenagers. Old people don't leave bikes lying all over the pavement when they go into shops, and old people don't hang around the shops at night intimidating people trying to shop (at least not round my way).
I think what I'm trying to say is that if old people piss you off for doing what you've just accused them of doing, then everyone (at least every social group) should also piss you off, because they're just as bad. I'm not saying you're not right, you just need to cast your net wider!
Hey! Onkroes, thanks for posting.
To be honest, just about everything pisses me off when I'm that way out. So old people seemed like an easy target.
I did make it clear it's the vindictive, venal types I was targeting, not the likes of Carrie, a neighbour of mine who worth her weight in gold, and those like her.
The kids around where I live are a waste of good food and air and most of them don't have the good sense they were born with.
So, the only good to come out of that is they're so stupid, they might not see thirty-five.
Just to allay fear you might have, my: 'Things that...' series of posts are usually tongue-in-cheek.
The moral of this story is -- if there is one -- even the bastards of this world get old, and age often doesn't do much to smooth off the sharp edges of their personality...
I have met several old people, who are really nice. I think they expect (and in most cases, deserve) some respect. And they appreciate when they get that respect, and behave in a much saner way. But lets face the facts... most old people know that they are about to die (at least earlier than most of the other people they meet).. if that does not make you cranky, I dont know what would! Especially if you live alone, and dont have the support of a wider family network/friends.
"But lets face the facts... most old people know that they are about to die (at least earlier than most of the other people they meet).. if that does not make you cranky, I dont know what would!"
That's funny!
The prospect of living unsafe in the knowledge that there are far fewer days in front of you than there are behind is enough to make you mildly incontinent even if your shagged-out lower bowel doesn't...
I bet you love old people who slurp and drink and dont give you the right of way :-D.
isn't it interesting that in many cultures, old people are venerated as 'keepers of wisdom', whereas in our culture, they're viewed as redundant!
Anyway, my dad, bless 'im, has got himself a computer and now spends most of his time playing computer games! He's in his seventies for goodness sake! Welcome to the information age!
And that brings me to the thought - what are we going to be doing when we're in our seventies? I don't plan to change my taste in clothes to tweed and flat caps, and I don't plan to start liking bingo and whippets. The one thing I think is going to define me when I'm that age, is that I'll be as out of touch with the my generation as I am now!
"The one thing I think is going to define me when I'm that age, is that I'll be as out of touch with the my generation as I am now!"
I'm not sure about that. Look at it this way: we're among the few few generations to have the options and the freedoms to choose a lifestyle and to be able to exceed socially and economically above our supposed station.
That really wasn't the case with our parents. They were more or less tied to the traditions and the values of their parents.
Today, we have so many choices and are able to pursue just about any lifestyle we want because society is much more permissive.
I think that when we get older, there will be a whole gamut of venues, such as nightclubs and bars just for our generations.
I say this because if we accept that as we grow older, our desires and tastes vary little, then we're still going to want to socialize. Given that there are so many of us, and we being among those people who keep nightclubs busy right now, there will be a desire to chase the money all the way down the line.
Not nearly as many people are marrying and the number of relationships people have these days is increasing.
Plus, we're living longer, healthier lives. So the logic is that when I'm in my forties, I'll still be physically late twenties / early thirties.
And when I'm in my seventies, I'll be physically late forties / early fifties.
We're seeing this now...
30 years ago, age=70 was really old. Now, people regularly live upto 90+. Perhaps when we are 70, we will treat 100+ people as really old, and kick them around? When we are 70, 100+ people are of our parents' age! They will still be rooted in traditional stuff.
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"When we are 70, 100+ people are of our parents' age! They will still be rooted in traditional stuff."
My dad and his generation were fearful enough of their parents and their elders alike to resist the temptation to buck traditional values.
By and large, all of you in here would only really do that if the tradition was antiquated and lacked value today.
So, taking that forward, and given that we're all likely to have our own value system -- much as it might owe a lot to our parents values -- we're still free-thinking enough to know what mind set to avoid.
Yes, we will have traditions, but we won't be standing by them like our parents and our grandparents did...
I've found that my mentality is aging without me even realising it... I already moan about things being more expensive than they used to be, kids being more horrid and thick, standards of living declining, the sorry fact that I'm not able to party as hard as I used to.... and I'm only 27!
I am utterly convinced that by the time I'm 50 I'll be a fully paid up member of the grumpy old git club. I'll remember the halcyon days of 2005 and think that the world should get out of my way because, frankly, I was here first ;)
27!
You already old, luv!
"I'll remember the halcyon days of 2005..."
The year is still young. Plenty of time for the damn thing to go pear-shaped...
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