| When someone points out that "you're old"..
Posted: 4/5/2008 1:35:40 AM | | Every once in a while I will have a younger person, usually women in their mid-20s who I am NOT trying to pick-up, say to me "You're old". It happened here on POF. I was debating someone in the forums when a girl in her late 20s not liking what I was saying started calling me "Old man". How do you respond to something like this? It apparently seems like a put-down but it really dosen't offend me. Am I expected to crawl away in embarrassment because of my age? I really cannot think of how to respond to someone who says this to me as it just seems childish and rude. After all, I would not look at a person in a wheelchair and say "you're crippled". How would you respond? | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 2:06:39 AM | | I always reply with something like "that's right, I old enough to have had every thought you've ever had at least 5 times. So, just give up on getting the best of me. I eat kids like you for breakfast" | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 2:41:20 AM | | I like Scoundrel's answer. I agree. Tell them, yeah, you are old and you have thought the same things they are thinking now and you understand the fallacy in their thought process. Tell them thank you for realizing that wisdom comes with age, not youth. | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 4:11:16 AM | During the summers, I volunteer at a camp- in a staff of over 100, there are about 8 of us over 50, maybe 5 between 25-50, a majority between 14 and 21, and a few filling in the 21-25 gap. The demographics are important only because it's a very tight knit group of people.
I've been called 'Old Man" more times than I can count, other favorites are 'Old Timer', 'Gramps' (ouch), and 'grey beard'. On the roster, I get listed in the AGE column as 'experienced' (up until I complained about it- now it just says OLD in there  Any response to being called 'OLD' varies with who says it and why. With some, it's a bonding ritual- I'm the old fart, they're young punks. There's one young man who's called me an old hippie and I regularly call him a long-haired-commie-pinko-hippie-freak (our hair is about the same length, he just has more of it).
I remind my own staff that "Age and treachery beat youth and skill" and proceed to out-shoot them (yes, I have a rigged rifle just for laughs). The couple of times I was called Old man as an attempted insult I reminded the young lady that while "I may BE old, BUT I'll keep getting older, you're as pretty and smart as you're ever going to get (look at watch) right about now". :sigh: she didn't get it. | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 5:13:50 AM | | I would say...Yes I have the numbers to back that up, along with the wisdom I have amassed through the trials of life. But I am far from old in my thinking. | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 6:01:36 AM | ~Hi OP,
...."You're old". How do you respond to something like this? I laugh and say "yep", and feel proud.
After all, I would not look at a person in a wheelchair and say "you're crippled". How would you respond? I'd laugh at that one too, and say "yep", and feel proud. | |
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TLC_
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Joined: 1/26/2008
Msg: 11 | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 6:41:37 AM |  Every one of the first 10 answers is GREAT! First of all, NEVER crawl away in embarrassment over your age! You KNOW that in 20 yrs....they're going to realize (probably the hard way) that you were RIGHT.
Think of the movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes"...when the 2 young girls whipped into the parking space that Kathy Bates was wating for...they get out of the car and smirk..."Face it...we're younger and have better reflexes"....and as she's ramming into their little convertible and they're standing there screaming....she replies, "Let's face it! I'm older and have better insurance!"
I don't think that I'm all that rare in having been a child who totally idiolized her grandparents. They weren't "educated", and they didn't know much about technology, or math...but I should only live long enough to know the things that they knew! The insights, the experience....things that my grandfather told me 40 yrs ago...and still today, something will happen...and I think....well, I'll be danged....my Grandpa was RIGHT! (Who'da thunk it!)
Not to in any way defend the rude 20 somethings, but just to acknowledge that we (older folks) do also need to be careful to NOT expect younger folks to always learn from OUR experiences either. Sometimes we just need to shake our heads and walk away....realizing sometimes the experience has to be experienced to truly learn it.
LOL! Me, being me though.....I think if someone said to me ..."You're Old!" I'd reply with , "Yup, I'm ugly and mean too!" Meaning that it's all irrelavant to the point. | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 7:23:44 AM |
I was debating someone in the forums when a girl in her late 20s not liking what I was saying started calling me "Old man". How do you respond to something like this? It apparently seems like a put-down but it really dosen't offend me. Am I expected to crawl away in embarrassment because of my age? I really cannot think of how to respond to someone who says this to me as it just seems childish and rude
My response:
"But I am still young enough to kick your ass if you ever say that again!" | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 7:49:23 AM | "…calling me "Old man". How do you respond to something like this?"
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Well, one day you'll be old, or you won't. | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 8:11:05 AM | "Yes I am older and wiser. You can only hope to be that fortunate."
When I was in my mid 20's I was shopping with my niece who was around the age of 6. People always assumed she was my daughter as she looks quite a bit like me. We ran into someone I knew who made a comment to my niece about looking like her aunt. My six year old niece replied with "She's pretty so it's ok if I look just like her when I'm OLD!" lol | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 8:32:17 AM | | Look, these young punks will be "old farts" some day too. You don't even have to respond. Just smile, and realize that with age, comes wisdom and experience. I remember when I was 20 something, I looked at every 40 something as being an old fart. Now that I'm 52, I'm sure the folks that would hear me say "old fart" are having the last laugh. | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 8:47:11 AM | It would depend on how irritated I was at the moment what I would say.
Sometimes I would completely ignore the statement. Other times I would say yes, and what is your point?
The thing is, she is not very bright or she could come up with a better argument than you are old. That is childish at best...so why waste your breath arguing with her? | |
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| When someone points out that you're old..
Posted: 4/5/2008 8:52:39 AM | How about responding with.. yes.. thank you for noticing my age as being "much" different from yours.. now.. if you'll also notice my "post/s".. and realize that with age comes wisdom.. I would be grateful.. and you might stand to learn from me! | |
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