Useless, depressed and ugly? Let’s hear it for Kurt Cobain!

 I came across a somewhat depressing little piece on Google’s highly commendable Ageism Alert. According to a blogger called Julian of ‘The Tattler’ (sic), ‘there are nine known major stereotypes that reflect prejudice towards senior citizens: Illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, mental illness, uselessness, isolation, poverty, depression’. I don’t want to be accused of ageism in reverse but I know a good many young people to whom those labels would fit very well.

Like so many other prejudices in life, the antipathy towards older folk is mostly born out of fear. Young people know they will inevitably have to face the negative features of growing old at some stage (completely overlooking the positives) but by ridiculing those who have already arrived at that time of life they can pretend it will never happen to them.

There is also the element of difference which is at the root of so many human prejudices I liked a story from another blogger who said that when he turned 60 he had more time to focus on his passion for rock music. He wanted to go to a live gig but fearing the trendy young things would poke fun at him, he had a T-shirt made bearing one of Kurt Cobain’s more memorable sayings: ‘You laugh because I’m different. I laugh because you’re all the same’. Says it all, really.

BBC’s treatment of Nick Ross is an ageist crime

The BBC have put themselves well and truly in the firing line by removing Nick Ross from his 23-year tenure as frontman for Crimewatch. Although it has not been officially stated, there is apparently little doubt that the Beeb consider Ross to be past his sell-by date at the age of 59. The fact that Ross has become something of a national institution has not been taken into account; neither have Ross’s charisma, charm and amazing ability to cheat the years, all of which are surely major factors in attracting and retaining viewers. It is the powers at the BBC who should be appearing on Crimewatch, charged with carrying out a monstrous exercise in ageism.

Ageism makes London’s Olympic logo a no-go

Former Olympic champion Seb Coe, or Lord Coe as he is now known, put his athlete’s foot in it when he said that the controversial logo for the London Olympics in 2012 was designed for its street cred and was aimed at younger people. I am surprised that chairman of the Olympics organising committee strayed into the murky waters of ageism because that is exactly what his sentiments represent.

 Ironically, a recent poll of younger people showed that 68 per cent think the logo is awful. I wonder what those in the more mature age groups think? If Coe wanted to alienate the older members of our society he has certainly made giant strides in that direction. The man who was arguably our greatest middle distance runner spoke about the logo’s ability to unite the nation but he is on the wrong track this time.

The Zimmers – you’ve been framed?

I am gratified to see that there has been a world-wide response to The Zimmers releasing a single which is a re-worked version  of The Who’s My Generation. The Zimmers were featured in the final programme of the recent BBC three-part series Power to the People highlighting the isolation of old people who feel marginalised by society. Any publicity drawing attention to this blot on our national landscape can only be a good thing but I seriously question whether The Zimmers will achieve what they set out to do – or exactly the opposite.

 The combined age of the 40 members of the band is 3000, with the lead singer, Alf, a wel-preserved 90. However, if I am brutally honest, watching them perform made me cringe. Old people singing Who songs are simply not cool; if anything their rather contrived rendition of this classic rock song reinforces stereotypes. I’m all for breaking down age barriers and taboos but, realistically, there are limits. Growing old disgracefully is something to be encouraged but am I the only one feeling more than a little uneasy about The Zimmers?

Don’t let Saga get away with it

I hesitate to admit to schadenfreude but there was certainly a degree of smugness when I read that Saga are facing a possible disaster because of government legislation against what might be termed ‘reverse discrimination’. Saga have been offering cruises and coach tours exclusively for the over-50s for years but legislation banning all discrimination in the provision of good and services – including on the grounds of age – means the company might have to open its doors to all comers thus allowing young people access to their ’silver tours’.

 Saga was originally told that the law would require them to offer all cruises, resort and touring holidays and numerous financial products to everyone irrespective of age. They have responded by claiming that their brand name would be jeoparidised and their business could collapse if trendy young things are allowed to ’pollute’ the sedate and rarified ambience of their traditional activities. The government have since hinted that they might be prepared to compromise to help Saga out of a potentially deep hole. But why should Saga receive special treatment? If they can get away with what is quite simply an ageist policy why shouldn’t others? To allow Saga to circumvent the legislation would make a mockery of everything the anti-ageism laws are supposed to stand for. Saga should sink or swim along with the rest.

I’m all stood up

A good friend got much more than he bargained for when he took a bus ride during the rush hour recently. A young lady, around his daughter’s age, noticed him standing up, smiled, got to her feet and offered him her seat. My friend was mortified but I told him he shouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions because there were three possible ways of interpreting her action: 1 She was being polite and respectful. 2 She was thinking ‘Poor old git; he’s about to keel over’. 3 She had a thing about mature men and was trying to pull him.

Life is all about perception and so is our individual take on age - in ourselves as well as others. So, let us know what you think – was my friend being pandered to, pitied or pulled? His self-esteem is in your hands.

Can’t get no satisfaction

Sitting in the London sunshine reading through a daily paper, I was struck yet again by our  – or should I say the media’s – obsession with age. Why does everyone automatically have that ridiculous, mandatory tag placed after their name, e.g. Mick Jagger, 62, as if leaving it off would somehow deprive us of a vital piece of information?

I do not have particularly strong feelings about Mick Jagger one way or the other but one thing I do know – I couldn’t care less if he is 101 or 21 and I certainly don’t want to have it rammed down my throat every time I see an article about him. I take people as I find them; I don’t base my perceptions or my opinions on what I am supposed to think as dictated by some artificial construct of our society. As Patrick McGoohan used to say in cult TV show, The Prisoner, ‘I am not a number; I am a free man’.

Don’t mention the seesaw

A big thumbs down to the Germans for building new playgrounds for the over-60s.
The play areas will not feature roundabouts and bouncy castles but they will include large chess boards, a corner to play cards, a place to play boules, padded surfaces for badminton and possibly – wait for it – seesaws.
Horst Forther, Nuremberg’s Sports Commissioner, said: ‘It will be a place where the senior generation can find a refuge from younger people.’ 
Andrea Weber, a social worker, said: ‘Retired people need a space to be themselves without someone coming along and spilling ice cream on their trousers or breakdancing.’
We say ‘Stuff it in your lederhosen!’ This is just the kind of mindless segregation, age discrimination and stereotyping that perpetuates myths about the older generation. We want to be the ones spilling ice cream and breakdancing, not shoved away in a corner to ‘indulge’ in wild games of bridge or boules. 
Limits and restrictions are not words in our dictionary. In our book, living life to the max means anything, any time, anywhere!