Monday, March 2, 2009

Age Discrimination

Age discrimination. You do it. I do it. My dog even does it. (Kelso only barks ferociously at teenagers.) 

Disclaimer: This is not an age-basher. It stems from a handful of individuals that have no clue what they're talking about, but they assume they do because they're older and "wiser." As well as a few twenty-somethings that show a lack of maturity.  And some teenagers that really have me stumped.  

It's one of those things that just annoys me..as much as, if not more than, smacking and slurping.  If you know me at all, you know that is saying something. I have a "thing" when it comes to bad table manners. Just like bad table manners, the habit of assuming someone else's knowledge/character is also curable. Teenagers aren't all whiny.  Twenty- somethings aren't all selfish boozers.  And those over-the-hill aren't all pompous.  This blog, however, is about the ones that are.  

Being in graduate school, there are several classmates that are older than I am... I don't think they're as discriminatory as the older classmates were when I was an undergraduate...However, there are constant references to age that gets my blood uh boilin'.  

Because we're a decade or two younger than you, does it mean we don't know how to be respectful? Does it mean we can't "understand" or "grasp" the full concept of a situation or topic? Does it mean we don't know what a freaking lace doily is?  

No. It doesn't. First of all, is it truly necessary to use a lace doily in a "but youuuuuu wouldn't know what thaaaat iiiiiis" situation? No! How ridiculous is that?

Maturity levels depend on life experiences.  I know there are truly ignorant, disrespectful people my age. That doesn't mean I should be automatically in the same category as them just because we were born the same year.  

In many situations, I get along with older people more than people my age...so don't think I'm an old people hater. I just happen to be fortunate enough to have come in contact with some obnoxious older classmates.  

I can't say I'm innocent in the age discrimination thing. It's a habit for me to assume that if you're older and back to school, you probably wear hideous sweaters, have a rolling backpack, and laugh maniacally at whatever the professor says just to prove "oh, yes, Iiiiiiiii remember that. of course, Iiiiiiii know who you're talking about and what you're referring too."

As for early twenties give or take a few, I have come in contact with some that I have to resist the urge to shake them and inform them that it is not necessary to find something negative in everything and speak only the language of whining.  Really. Is your life that bad? No. It's not. There are so much bigger things out there than your friend marrying your ex-boyfriend from junior high. And don't whine about being thrown in jail, if you were drinking and driving!! I mean, come on now. You have GOT to be kidding me. 

Teenagers, well.... I can't rant about them, really. They're trying to find their place in the world...who they really are...and battle acne and puberty all at the same time. 

However, the group that randomly meets with a lone and willing participant in the school park behind my house and proceeds to beat the crap out of that lone and willing participant for some kind of stupid, wannabe gangster initiation, gets my complete confusion.  It's a suburban college town in Oklahoma, for Heaven's sake... not Harlem. And the fact that they (including the "victim") wave and smile at me as they're running away from my screeching, makes me feel more than a little befuddled.  One day I hope I catch one of them in time to ask what in the hell they're thinking...

So, that's all.  I'm all riled up thinking about those kids fighting.  

Until next time...

"Good day." (Tribute to Paul Harvey!) :)

5 comments:

Cynthia L. H. said...

Wow! Quite the impassioned rant! Hope that doesn't include a certain 51 year-old back-to-college-person who specifically does NOT have a rolling backpack, thanks to some pretty savvy info from the folks-in-the-know! ;^)

Frankie said...

I love that I know who some of your rant-subjects are...makes me feel like I'm in an exclusive club or something. oooo, we should so START a club! A blog/library/wehateWednesdaynights club!

it'll be biiiitchin.

James Antonio Mittelnsteiger said...

u wrote sometihng great. i have the same problem actually. it seems im not the only one. i am 22 years old (actually its 23) and i am a graduate student too. i have a lot of fresman friends. but somehow when i hang out with them, it always seems something's wrong. i believe they dont give me anything new. i font understand people a 18 years old boy, and just plays computer games in his room and doing nothing. i was not expecting that before i moved in the USA. i guess i could not find that maturity. i dont understand, most of the students have skateboard here in the USA. but in my country they are just toys that kids play with. here, they are everywhere. i decided to hang out with just graduate or phD students who are like me. because, we don't have big differences. i think i should not make an ''age discrimination'' but this place changed me. for example, an 18 years old Turkish kid, and 18 years old American kid are completely different. maybe it makes a difference for me. i cant have serious conversations with some undergraduate people, because they are still like little kids. so i just wanted to say i have the same problem here.

that's all i wanted to say about it, sorry for the essay. i just couldn't stop. visit my blog sometimes and comment me back what you think, probably we are like similiar...

Scriptor Senex said...

As one of the definitely older generation I try not to discriminate on any grounds (except against supporters of Everton Football Club and that's something I cannot help). One of the things that I have learned from blogging is how amazingly knowledgeable, mature and skilled many young people are. I say amazingly not because I am surprised that they should be like it at their age but because they would be considered remarkable whatever their ages.

Scriptor Senex said...

I wonder if Lace Doilies are in the dictionary of Gran Slang?
(He asked, with waggish humour.)