Talkin bout my generation
This afternoon I interviewed a 74 year old man for Basic Aspects of Aging class. Afterward, I felt horrible about my generation. He had a lot to say about people today; he said young people are greedy and selfish, they want instant gratification, they are disrespectful (specifically, they liter and use "private property as a public restroom"), and they have a poor work ethic. I mentioned that we aren't all like that, but I couldn't really argue because he's right. Unfortunately, his negative perspective is magnified by his window which looks out onto a downtown ally way.
So, despite any signs that I might be part of the younger generation, I've decided that I'm an old lady. Here's why:
1. Knitting. I like to knit; old ladies like to knit. That's what old ladies do with their spare time. They knit scarves, hats, socks, sweaters, anything knittable. Likewise, I've knitted several scarves and potholders.
2. Just like old ladies, I walk around hunched over with one hand on my hip, complaining about back pains. When getting up from the couch, I groan and curse about being stiff.
3. I go to the same places that old ladies do, such as the fabric store and the recycling center. Seriously, every time I got to the recycling center, there's at least one (other) old lady there.
4. I wear blankets around my shoulders like shawls and if I had a shawl, I would wear it.
Note: This point may have more to do with the fact that our house is very cold than my being an old lady, but the correlation is present.
5. I was born on June 11, 1925.
So, despite any signs that I might be part of the younger generation, I've decided that I'm an old lady. Here's why:
1. Knitting. I like to knit; old ladies like to knit. That's what old ladies do with their spare time. They knit scarves, hats, socks, sweaters, anything knittable. Likewise, I've knitted several scarves and potholders.
2. Just like old ladies, I walk around hunched over with one hand on my hip, complaining about back pains. When getting up from the couch, I groan and curse about being stiff.
3. I go to the same places that old ladies do, such as the fabric store and the recycling center. Seriously, every time I got to the recycling center, there's at least one (other) old lady there.
4. I wear blankets around my shoulders like shawls and if I had a shawl, I would wear it.
Note: This point may have more to do with the fact that our house is very cold than my being an old lady, but the correlation is present.
5. I was born on June 11, 1925.
posted by melissa at 8:57 PM
4 Comments:
Young people have always been regarded as greedy, selfish, disrespectful, and lazy, for as long as some old people have been cranky. I'm convinced that every generation goes through the same stages- childhood, lazy adolescence/early adulthood, 'snapittogether' adulthood, and then curmudgeony geriatric years. Also, I was totally with you on how you were an old lady until that last point. :)
-Alexis
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There is a middleground. Yes, every generation is seen in a negative light by earlier generations. On the other hand, ours is a generation raised with instant gratification. We've always been provided with what we need without struggle. We've had no depression and struggled through no wars. We value the freedom of the individual more than responsibilty in society.
Stumbled upon your blog...
The old guy was born in 1932. The wonderful young people of his generation favored segregated schools, water fountains, and movie theatres. Growing up, he saw people killing one another over Prohibition. Lee Harvey Oswald was of his generation. So was James Earl Ray. He's the same age as the soldiers who committed the No Gun Ri massacre. Men of his generation opposed allowing women to work in any but a select few fields.
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