Do we actually like old people? And why (or why not)?

Kenneth Lopez19 said:So, by that I mean 70 and up. What’s your take on this—do the older generations get in the way of the younger ones?
Thanks!

It's an interesting topic and feels like one we haven't touched on yet, so edit:

Ageism (ageism) refers to prejudices based on a person's age, though we usually focus on biases against the elderly.
It stems partly from gerontophobia—an irrational fear or hatred of aging and older people.

When explaining ageism and gerontophobia, Terror Management Theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., 1986) is the dominant framework. Put simply, older people serve as a reminder of our own fragility and mortality, highlighting the limits of our lifespan. Out of fear for our own deaths, older individuals trigger anxiety in us, which we attempt to manage by rejecting them. It's a way to distance ourselves from what we might eventually become.

Ageism is just a prejudice against our own terrifying future selves. (Nelson Mandela, 2009).

We can distinguish between benevolent and hostile ageism. Benevolent ageism involves viewing older people through stereotypes rooted in pity or a fear of aging. Hostile ageism involves active dislike or repulsion, viewing the elderly as worthless or otherwise negative.

To be perfectly honest, I believe the whole thing works in reverse.

You finally reach retirement. You actually have the time to sit down, read, and experience everything you missed out on while you were sprinting through that frantic life of yours. You can just lounge in your recliner, wrapped in a blanket... absolute bliss.😍
And then come the leeches: your sons, your daughters, all their kids... everyone wants something. Someone needs money, someone needs advice, one kid is going through puberty, another is having a midlife crisis. It’s absolutely exhausting. And that’s why I constantly hear older people sighing, "I can't wait to go." But they would never say that if it weren't for the younger crowd—those people who are constantly making noise, running around, perpetually whining about every little injustice, climate change, or the situation in the Middle East... give me a break.

Naturally, you start feeling like dying is the only way to finally shake them all off.

But dammit, they won't even let you die in peace...🙄

😉😁

Some folks are just old. Long before they actually hit that age.
Others? They’ve aged in ways I can’t even wrap my head around... lol 😁
I'm surrounded by old people...
Body's gone old, unfortunately...
But the attitude and the personality? Still right there... always. Especially when you get up there... the body stops cooperating, but the mind stays stubborn as hell. 😁

Kenneth Lopez19 said:So, by that I mean 70 and up. What’s your take on this—do the older generations get in the way of the younger ones?
Thanks!

It's an interesting topic and feels like one we haven't touched on yet, so edit:

Ageism (ageism) refers to prejudices based on a person's age, though we usually focus on biases against the elderly.
It stems partly from gerontophobia—an irrational fear or hatred of aging and older people.

When explaining ageism and gerontophobia, Terror Management Theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., 1986) is the dominant framework. Put simply, older people serve as a reminder of our own fragility and mortality, highlighting the limits of our lifespan. Out of fear for our own deaths, older individuals trigger anxiety in us, which we attempt to manage by rejecting them. It's a way to distance ourselves from what we might eventually become.

Ageism is just a prejudice against our own terrifying future selves. (Nelson Mandela, 2009).

We can distinguish between benevolent and hostile ageism. Benevolent ageism involves viewing older people through stereotypes rooted in pity or a fear of aging. Hostile ageism involves active dislike or repulsion, viewing the elderly as worthless or otherwise negative.

What's with this whole "why not?" attitude lately? Has hating on older people actually become the new "it" thing or something? Seriously, like, how are we supposed to stay young forever if everyone’s just waiting around to write us off?🤣
Honestly, I’ve always had a soft spot for the older generation. There’s just something about them, you know? It actually brings me a huge amount of genuine joy to have that kind of wisdom sitting right there next to me, being able to share the same space and actually soak up that presence. Is there anything better than having that kind of history around you? I truly value the honor of being in their company.

Look, maybe I’m a bit of a misanthrope, but I just don't like them.
In my experience, dealing with old people has been pretty much nothing but a headache, and honestly, none of them have ever gone out of their way to be kind.
They smell, they can barely follow a conversation—so you end up having to yell at them just to be heard since they're practically deaf—and their views are incredibly outdated. Whatever nonsense they picked up back in their twenties is basically set in stone for the rest of their lives. Plus, they'll keep you on the phone forever talking about absolutely nothing, not to mention when you're stuck dealing with them in person. You just sit there taking it until you run into one of those bitter, childish old men who hates everything in existence, yet somehow still needs your help because he can't even move a finger due to being immobile.

I have way more respect for those seniors living in the cities—some of them still go jogging, hit up the theater, stay active in local clubs, and actually bother to learn how to use technology...
But those folks out in the rural areas? It's like they're permanently stuck in the past. It's always, "this is my land, and I'm staying here until the day I die."

That's just how it's been for me, obviously, not everyone is like that—honestly, I actually look forward to meeting an old timer with an open mind who can actually have a friendly chat about all the crazy stuff they've lived through.

Kenneth Lopez19 said:So, by that I mean 70 and up. What’s your take on this—do the older generations get in the way of the younger ones?
Thanks!

It's an interesting topic and feels like one we haven't touched on yet, so edit:

Ageism (ageism) refers to prejudices based on a person's age, though we usually focus on biases against the elderly.
It stems partly from gerontophobia—an irrational fear or hatred of aging and older people.

When explaining ageism and gerontophobia, Terror Management Theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., 1986) is the dominant framework. Put simply, older people serve as a reminder of our own fragility and mortality, highlighting the limits of our lifespan. Out of fear for our own deaths, older individuals trigger anxiety in us, which we attempt to manage by rejecting them. It's a way to distance ourselves from what we might eventually become.

Ageism is just a prejudice against our own terrifying future selves. (Nelson Mandela, 2009).

We can distinguish between benevolent and hostile ageism. Benevolent ageism involves viewing older people through stereotypes rooted in pity or a fear of aging. Hostile ageism involves active dislike or repulsion, viewing the elderly as worthless or otherwise negative.

Speaking for myself here.
I stopped by to see my old biology professor today.
Turns out she's near the end of her road and isn't doing great health-wise—she's about eighty now.
Her mind is still incredibly sharp, though; we had a great talk.
It doesn't bother me that she struggles to get around—I felt the need to help her out with some small things around the house. We actually made a plan for me to drop in every once in a while.

My grandfather was born in '26, a man with three college degrees under his belt. He's battling galloping dementia right now, which is heartbreaking.
I love visiting him, even if it’s always a bit heavy—you get this feeling like a wonderful person is just fading away right in front of you. I often ask if he could stay with me for a few days, but that’s not happening (my uncle and aunt are looking after him and my grandma).

With my other grandfather, I was his only company for quite a while before he passed—we were very close.

So, yeah—there are elderly people I truly care about.

I work for a private employer who is in that 70+ bracket.
He's perfectly healthy, unfortunately—mostly because he's the most corrupt and dishonest person I've ever met.

Honestly? If he collapsed at my feet tomorrow, I don't think I'd even offer him a glass of water.
I'd probably just walk right past him and keep moving.

Bottom line: how much I care about elderly people depends entirely on whether they actually act like human beings, rather than just shells that happen to look like them.

Kenneth Lopez19 said:So, by that I mean 70 and up. What’s your take on this—do the older generations get in the way of the younger ones?
Thanks!

It's an interesting topic and feels like one we haven't touched on yet, so edit:

Ageism (ageism) refers to prejudices based on a person's age, though we usually focus on biases against the elderly.
It stems partly from gerontophobia—an irrational fear or hatred of aging and older people.

When explaining ageism and gerontophobia, Terror Management Theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., 1986) is the dominant framework. Put simply, older people serve as a reminder of our own fragility and mortality, highlighting the limits of our lifespan. Out of fear for our own deaths, older individuals trigger anxiety in us, which we attempt to manage by rejecting them. It's a way to distance ourselves from what we might eventually become.

Ageism is just a prejudice against our own terrifying future selves. (Nelson Mandela, 2009).

We can distinguish between benevolent and hostile ageism. Benevolent ageism involves viewing older people through stereotypes rooted in pity or a fear of aging. Hostile ageism involves active dislike or repulsion, viewing the elderly as worthless or otherwise negative.

What gets on my nerves is how stubborn they are—and their ability to shove nonsense down young people's throats. It's always some "you can't do this" or "you can't do that, or God will punish you" crap. Most of them are just packed with prejudices and there's absolutely no reasoning with them.

Gary Cox2 said:I’m definitely one of those people who just gravitates toward older folks. I have a massive soft spot for them... probably because I lost my grandparents way too early. Man, I’d give anything to have a grandma or grandpa I could rush over to after work, just to sit on a porch swing together and look after them. For instance, when I hear a coworker—who's a mom of three—get a call from her grandmother asking if she dressed warmly enough so she doesn't catch a cold, I honestly just feel so envious 🙂 it’s beautiful. To that grandma, she’ll always be her little girl.
The bond between grandparents and grandkids is something else... at least, it should be.
Since I don't have mine, I try to fill that void with my neighbors. I’ve got a couple of dear neighbors I walk with and stay in touch with.
I live for their stories about the "good old days" and how they recount everything.
And that grit and wisdom they’ve picked up just by surviving life.
The other day, I was riding the bus and this elderly woman in her 80s was sitting across from me. It was one of those brutal, sweltering summer days. She was dressed in black, with this tear in her eye... just the sweetest, most gentle soul. We hopped off at the same stop, and seeing how much she was struggling to walk, I asked where she was headed. She told me she was going to a friend's funeral.
I told her, "Look, lady, you aren't walking to the cemetery in this heat. I'm calling you a taxi, and I'm not taking no for an answer."
She looked so genuinely happy, so incredibly grateful.
When she reached out and patted my face, she said, "Thank you, sweetheart," and honestly, my heart felt huge. 😍
👍 My heart goes out to the elderly.
God, I really miss my grandma. 😢
Having a grandma or grandpa is just the best thing ever.

That is so beautiful. Your post actually moved me to tears. I wasn't lucky enough to grow up with grandparents on either my mother's or father's side, and I know deep down that I missed out. That's why today, I try my hardest to make sure my kids stay incredibly close to both my parents and my husband's parents, so they can truly soak up all that love.

Thumbs up to our elders and the beauty of growing old!

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Tanita lately—not just her music, but that specific kind of soulful, effortless connection she has with an audience. It’s rare to find an artist who can carry such weight with such simplicity. There’s a certain honesty in her songwriting that feels almost too raw sometimes, which is exactly why it works. You don't see that kind of unvarnished emotion much in the mainstream anymore—everything feels so over-produced and polished nowadays—but with her, you really feel like you're sitting right there in the room while she’s pouring her heart out. It’s one of those voices that stays with you long after the track ends. kaže:
What is with this whole "why not?" attitude lately? Has hating on older generations actually become "in" or something? It’s getting ridiculous—like, seriously, we’re always going to be the young ones at heart, regardless of what the calendar says.🤣
Personally, I just love being around older people—there’s something about it. Honestly, I feel pretty lucky that I get to have them by my side more often than not.

I went ahead and updated the thread title. 😉 I figured I'd jump in here because the original post felt a little bit cluttered to me—please don't take that the wrong way, author!—so I thought I’d try to smooth things out.
In the opening post, you can actually find some interesting ideas regarding why younger generations might have a love-hate relationship with the classics—plus, there’s some actual science behind it all to back it up. 😉

I mean, honestly—now that you mention it—it might actually be "in" right now, though probably not in the way people usually think. in Whether it’s a specific style of clothing or even just a haircut—it really all comes down to that. I truly believe the climate and the general era we're living through play such a massive role in how we perceive any group of people, including the older generation. It’s all interconnected, you know? Our surroundings and the times we inhabit shape our lenses.
You know, if you look at Japan—and really most Eastern cultures—there’s this profound respect for the elderly that we just don't seem to grasp here in the West. It’s a massive cultural divide. I honestly think it all stems from how we perceive death. In our society, we tend to view it as this absolute, terrifying end—a hard stop. But for them, it’s seen more like a transition—a shift from one form of energy into another. That perspective changes everything about how you value a person's life and their wisdom as they age.

I love her. I absolutely adore my grandma; she’s easily my favorite person in the family, so I try to help out whenever I can and just soak up as much time with her as possible. I used to be incredibly close to my grandfather and my other grandmother too, but they've both passed away, so now it's just my maternal grandma left.

Generally speaking, if there's any way I can help an older person, I'll do it—whether that's giving up my seat on the subway, holding a door open, helping with groceries, or letting them cut ahead in line. It's just small stuff, really.
Sadly, it feels like society has started to resent the elderly lately. Most of the friction comes from their own kids, who seem more interested in waiting for them to pass away just so they can inherit a house to move into with their spouses and kids.
I actually see this happening right in my neighborhood. There's a guy living in his father's house, but the family treats him terribly. His daughter-in-law, especially, is awful; you can practically hear her muttering things like, "When is this old man finally going to kick the bucket so we can have some peace?"
I just don't get it. You move into someone else's home, and instead of showing some gratitude, you act like a bully toward a helpless old man. 😕

And honestly, I think children and grandchildren put way too much pressure on the elderly these days—constant "grandma services," paying off their debts or other expenses, living under the same roof, and all that.
People should be allowed to grow old in peace, not under constant stress or being treated like a burden (not counting the occasional fun visit from the grandkids, obviously).

Drew Price67 said:That is so beautiful. Your post actually moved me to tears. I wasn't lucky enough to grow up with grandparents on either my mother's or father's side, and I know deep down that I missed out. That's why today, I try my hardest to make sure my kids stay incredibly close to both my parents and my husband's parents, so they can truly soak up all that love.

Thumbs up to our elders and the beauty of growing old!

🙂
Grandparents are just different. It’s a whole other level of love... something else entirely.
Let them spend as much time with them as possible.
I'm sorry you weren't blessed with them like I was, but hey, it is what it is.

I grew up surrounded by the older generation—grandfathers who spent their lives out on the Mississippi riverbanks with their fishing boats and gear... And I suppose that’s why I have always had such an immense soft spot for my elders.

Women are pure joy 😁

Women can be absolute trouble 😢

Honestly, if you ask me, they're all pretty much in the same boat—all age groups are 🤷

And let's be real—people like davež can be such a headache! They can be seriously obnoxious, whether we're talking about kids, teenagers, or even adults middle-aged and up