old people suck
June 28, 2004
After reading Why So Many Old People Are Stupid at Dyske.com, I’ve come up to some of my own conclusions.
Old people suck.
Here in Osaka, although Japanese people in general tend to be polite towards each other (but not necessarily towards foreigners), the older population behaves quite erratically. They seem to hold themselves to a different standard and demand the younger generations treat them with undeserved respect.
Personally, age means nothing to me. Age leads to experience but not necessarily effectiveness – intelligence and adaptation leads to effectiveness. Adaptation I find, is not one trait that is common amongst the old. In fact, I dare say a LACK of adaptation is one of the biggest problems facing old people when dealing with younger people. Many fear new technology and reminisce about the Good Ol’ Days. Some bore the youth with pointless stories of poverty and starvation (I mean, what lesson is it to sadden the youth? Do the youth not know of the value of money?). Perhaps they would like to remind the youth that they have things much better but guess what? Progress has been around for a long time: the old people had it better than the old old people, who had it better than the old old old people. In time, the youth of today will be thinking that conditions are much better than when they were young.
That is not to say that old people don’t know anything relevant to today’s society. Many of life’s hard lessons are learned from experience. Virtues such as patience, self-respect, and tenacity are sometimes are fine wines which develop over time. I enjoy talking to jubilant, positive senior citizens as I learn a great deal from them. I hope I can take the easy way out and learn what they learned without going through the burden and hardship.
The most disgusting things that some old people do in Japan (and probably Canada) are the behaviours in public that counter all social rules of etiquette. In Japan, a blanket non-smoking ban was legislated not too long ago (yes you could smoke on train platforms before). As a former smoker, I agree wholeheartedly that people should not smoke in an underground, poorly ventilated area. Since the ban, the majority of the people have stopped smoking. I still see some middle aged business men and uneducated-looking types smoke but on the whole, they’ve stopped. However, it’s the old, scrappy looking senior males who continue to persist. The most alarming thing is not that they sit next to no smoking signs and throw their butts on the floor. No. The most alarming thing is that the train attendants continue to let them smoke when it is their duty to stop them. This society fears confrontation.
Some other general disgusting things in public include the very explicit and obvious loogie hocking. Everyone’s hocked a loogie before – we do it when we’re parking alone or when it’s late at night. The old men, again, have no qualms about blasting full volume when they hock one up. It’s rather unappetizing after hearing them.
Let’s not let the old woman off the hook too. The old woman ride their bicycles expecting right of way. On narrow side walks, when they ride up behind you, they’ll start blasting their unforgiving bell until you move over to the side. I cannot remember the number of times I’d wished to just clothesline the old bitch as she crashes by. The advent of that bicycle bell downgraded social politeness. No more do people say, “Excuse me” or “Sumimasen” to strangers when they need them to move aside.
Also, the old birds seem to love to cut in line at fast food restaurants and stores. I’ve had to hold back barrages of punches because some bitch blatantly cuts right in front of me. They don’t even seem to be in such a big rush as when they reach the counter, they order very very slowly and delicately.
This report has reached the final word on old people: they suck.
