Gransnet forums

Chat

Age is no excuse for rudeness is it?

(44 Posts)
Soutra Thu 27-Nov-14 20:44:58

So often we hear moans about the manners or lack of manners of the "youth of today" but I am encountering more and more rudeness from the elderly! Last year I remember posting about serious walking stick rage from a dowager in Stratford, while today I moved a shopping trolley(empty) which was blocking my own trolley in at the supermarket coffee shop and unluckily moved it in front of another. An elderly man bore down on me and before I could move it or apologise or explain he barked "Thank you very much!" On my way out of the car park a grey-haired aspiring Lewis Hamilton drove the wrong way up a one way lane and hooted at me while I was backing out (going the right way). Do some older people think common politeness or the rules of the road don't apply to them?

pompa Thu 27-Nov-14 20:50:02

Rude young people often just become rude old people.

Teetime Thu 27-Nov-14 20:57:21

I wish I had a found for everytime an older person knocked me flying in a supermarket.

Ana Thu 27-Nov-14 21:00:30

Goodness, Teetime, you sound like some sort of human skittle! grin
Where on earth do you shop?

vampirequeen Thu 27-Nov-14 21:26:07

This is a true representation of some of our local OAPs.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygy7UDADXDg

absent Fri 28-Nov-14 09:26:32

If an individual is bad-tempered/rude/thoughtless/insensitive/self-centred, growing old will not make him or her a nicer/kinder, more courteous/more gracious/more likeable person. I have never accepted the idea that I should respect someone just because he or she has reached a certain age. Respect is something you earn in life; courtesy is something everyone is entitled to expect.

KatyK Fri 28-Nov-14 09:33:21

When I was younger and working in the city centre I was often astounded at how rude older people could be. I was bashed with shopping trolleys with no apology, elderly people would often go directly to the front of the bus queue, sometimes saying things like 'I'm 85' confused I used to say to my DH 'when they get their pension, do they get a passport to ignorance with it?' However now that I am a pensioner myself I find MOST older people to be lovely, reasonable folk smile

pompa Fri 28-Nov-14 11:24:58

If you google "Don't mess with my granny" you will find some great videos.

This is one of my favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPIYXpxjL1w

glammanana Fri 28-Nov-14 12:25:32

On Monday whist waiting for my bus back from the local shopping centre a car with a young mum & baby had to stop on the double yellow lines by the bus stop (not a bus lane) as baby was being sick in the car,the young mum got out and ran around to the rear door and started to clean the baby and cope with the sickness, a bus driver brought his bus to a stop directly behind her and began to press his horn to make her move away (she was not blocking him in) a older gentleman started to berate the young mum saying she was a danger to traffic and sided with the bus driver and tried to give me his opinions about thougtless people parking until he got short shrift from me as to how easy it was for a child to choke and that the driver could have easily reversed a short way to drive around this poor mum,I asked him how long he had worked as an unpaid traffic warden which went down very well I must say !! What an absolute horrible and uncaring person,I just hope that this man never needs assistance where a vechicle has to park on double yellow lines in order to help him.

mollie65 Fri 28-Nov-14 12:46:16

was reading this thread on mumsnet and I think we should all bear in mind how unacceptable it is (*age is a protected characteristic* according to the equality act) to cite the age of a person as necessarily having any bearing on behaviour. there are old, middle aged and young rude people - it is the person not the age group that is at fault
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2246746-To-be-shocked-at-the-ageism-on-here-tonight?

Riverwalk Fri 28-Nov-14 12:56:17

Good for you Glamm for not going along with the intolerance of the self-appointed traffic warden!

I reacted the same way when a neighbour was complaining about the traffic chaos caused by the 'selfish' actions of a young man who was about to kill himself by jumping off a bridge! shock

glammanana Fri 28-Nov-14 13:10:30

Riverwalk how awful sad

Nonnie Fri 28-Nov-14 13:53:19

I think rude people are rude people no matter what age. Recently on holiday I couldn't ignore a lad of about 14 positively demanding a smoothie from you young woman making fruit plates for us. I was embarrassed for my country so when he did the same the next day I suggested that a 'please' might be nice. That night we were sitting quite near him and he looked at me and was then very polite to the waiter. I saw him a few times after that and he was much nicer. Shame his parents apparently never suggested politeness matters.

We have quite a lot of older people living here and I have never in 5 years seen any of them be impolite and everyone seems to help the elderly and not get impatient with them. I do recognise that I live somewhere very special.

POGS Fri 28-Nov-14 14:35:24

Ignorance is ignorance.

Age, gender, colour or faith doesn't make a happeth of difference.

Nonnie Fri 28-Nov-14 15:35:09

It is not always ignorance, sometimes they know what they are doing and continue to do so. sad

rosesarered Fri 28-Nov-14 16:20:11

soutra was is it about you that attracts these people? grin
Agree with others, it's not old people 'per se' but these people were always rude and have now grown old.

Nonu Fri 28-Nov-14 16:51:10

Some of them do play the AGE card !
Men seem to get more irascible, IMHO.
hmm

pompa Fri 28-Nov-14 16:58:57

No we bloody well aren't, how dare you cast aspersions angry.
IMHO What a load of tosh.

wink

Nonu Fri 28-Nov-14 17:05:59

Right back at you Pompa.
smile

janerowena Fri 28-Nov-14 23:19:41

I was been told that women get more forgetful, men get more rude and irritable. Which is very useful as the women forget what rude old gits their OHs have become. My grandma told me that and she was ALWAYS right.

annodomini Fri 28-Nov-14 23:33:41

I found myself getting irritated in a queue at the Post Office where an even older woman was faffing around and holding things up, I suddenly remembered this thread and resisted the urge to mutter my opinions under my breath!

Nonnie Sat 29-Nov-14 09:53:11

I like your grandma Jane!

Soutra Sat 29-Nov-14 10:10:42

More seriously, is it a symptom of diminishing mental faculties (pompa excepted) a reaction to feeling less visible or valued, and a sort of misguided assertiveness? Or could it be because the older generation were brought up to respect defer to their "elders and betters" that some people feel it's their "right"? We laugh at "Grumpy Old Men/Women" on TV but in reality they are often pitiful people.

pompa Sat 29-Nov-14 10:13:29

Mrs.P wouldn't except me. hmm

Stansgran Sat 29-Nov-14 11:02:37

I was holding a place in a bank queue for MIL so she didn't have to stand. I was talking to someone else in this rather long wait. Suddenly I felt a thump on my side . MIL had decided I wasn't paying attention to her/or I was enjoying myself and poked at me with her walking stick. She's been dead a long time now but I still think it's one of the rudest things an old person could do.