Bitch, please. My actions and demeanor now are the mark of my generation and the hard won result of youthful stupidity. I'm only 26 now, but I wince when I think about things I said when I was 19 and I look forward to a time of increased wisdom, sensibility, and not giving a fuck about whatever the facebook equivalent of the future might be.
Okay, I think that her advice is great for the workplace. People who are 50+ (like my mom) can have a hard time communicating with their younger colleagues. If they drop the watch, shorten the emails, and make serious attempts to get up to speed with technology, they are less likely to be left behind, fired, or denied a job in an interview.
I don't know if it counts as ageism. I think it's more about how to stay on a level playing field with your potential replacements.
Waitasecond... she says that "negative or cynical or bossy or complaining" is associated with OLD people? Boy, have I got a teenager or two she should meet.
Ways to "act young":
* Not know how to balance checkbook, call mom in a panic asking for $60
* Shrink brand-new dress because you don't know how to launder things except throw them all in the hot water and slosh in some detergent
* Get into a fender-bender coming out of the Starbucks parking lot. Immediately burst into tears and be unable to talk to the other driver.
* Be Jon Gosselin
You know, I'm really tired of this, and I haven't been on the planet that long. If ageism weren't almost as rampant as sexism in this country -- and I'm not even going to get started on how the two of them are handcuffed together; don't have time for that rant today -- books like that would not sell and the argument would have no teeth.
185 ways? Nothing else to do with your time, pseudo-author? Please try fiction. You seem well-suited for it.
Yeeez.
Also, didn't we just see this? Oh, right, that was "How Not to Look Old". Also directed at women. Sorry.
*massive eyeroll*
You authors, get off my lawn. Before I Tweet you off.
I can't wait to get old. My grandma was a fabulous bitch who wore gold lame shoes and visors and had these kitsch-tastic insulated cups. She was also all about the jogging suits covered in anchors and ropes. She spoke her mind and people hated her for it - but she was the matriarch, so what are you going to do? There are a lot of things you can get away with when you're older that you simply can't when you're younger. And I can't wait.
Oh for the love of God. I am about to turn 40. On my 32nd birthday, I went to a work function in which a bunch of people in their late 40s and 50s tried to convince me life gets better with age. I thought they were liars just trying to make me feel better.
But they ended up being right. I feel better, I am smarter, I am better looking and I am worlds more confident now than I was in my 20s. I would not trade the myriad compensations, both material and intangible, of being older and wiser, for the insecurities of young adulthood.
And one of the lovely things about being older is that I don't feel the need to take asinine advice from people who tell me to pretend not to be myself. Sorry, I've had 40 years of honing the art of being me, and no experience being someone else, so I'd rather not start over.
@willwriteforfood: This is so beautifully put, and has brightened my outlook considerably. My 20s have been a time of turbulent insecurity and tense frustration, so it's genuinely lovely and reassuring to hear someone smart say good things about life as an adult beyond one's 20s. Thanks for the encouragement, man. I needed that.
@Kivrin: Hey, as I've said, I'm all about making fun of, eg, Orly Taitz's hair and eye make-up. But as we just saw with regards to Deamonte Driver, dental health (let alone orthodontically beautified teeth) is a huge class issue in the US. Also, plenty of independent reasons to hate on this woman.
love that when they are advocating that Olds get on facebook, they show a computer with the URL being typed in "thefacebook.com." Look it up on The Google, folks!
incidentally, as a 30something I find I am way more positive than I was at 22. Old and grouchy is one thing, young and bitchy is another. Both to be avoided when possible.
@LVA83: No, I started using facebook in 2006 and it was definitely facebook.com. So I guess using that url could age you? Whatever, it just reminds me of my mom referring to Hot Topic as "The Hot Topics".
@thebizz: note: I am apparently too old to know what "the facebook"'s original URL was, because I was no longer in college when it started.
as you were.
@Blueberry26: Wow ok, I'm really old then...cause it's seems like it was just yesterday...haha but I guess Virtuous Vixen had it right - I missed her comment first time around.
My 74-year-old grandma and 51-year-old mom seem young to me, mostly because they wouldn't be caught dead trying to be anything other than what they are. They don't give a shit about fashion trends, haven't invested $3857934 in face creams or surgery, but have a youthful attitude about them, mostly because they're willing to learn new things and explore all the time. That's what keeps you young.
Definitely, don't display any of the wisdom you've gained in your years. Don't act like you've accrued any power by being a woman living on this earth. Giggle like an 18-year-old and don't make anyone uncomfortable. Christ.
When will people understand that "not getting older" = dying! Aging is victory over death!
Edited to add: I use a change purse and order nightgowns and old-fashioned candy from the Vermont Country Store catalog. Also, I want a Jitterbug phone. That is all.
I am 20 and I watch Seinfeld AND Sex and the City, which I have done since I was a teenager.
While Sex and the City isn't brilliant, the show does make a few solid points on annoying things that young people do. Gee. I forgot that acting like a whiny teenager was something you should look up to?
@Betsy: I think Pamela is really dating herself with this one by seeming so out of touch! So many people in their twenties love those shows and a twenty eight year old would definitely get a soup nazi or Manolo reference, unless they grew up under a rock!
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I don't know if it counts as ageism. I think it's more about how to stay on a level playing field with your potential replacements.
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* Not know how to balance checkbook, call mom in a panic asking for $60
* Shrink brand-new dress because you don't know how to launder things except throw them all in the hot water and slosh in some detergent
* Get into a fender-bender coming out of the Starbucks parking lot. Immediately burst into tears and be unable to talk to the other driver.
* Be Jon Gosselin
08/12/09
185 ways? Nothing else to do with your time, pseudo-author? Please try fiction. You seem well-suited for it.
Yeeez.
Also, didn't we just see this? Oh, right, that was "How Not to Look Old". Also directed at women. Sorry.
*massive eyeroll*
You authors, get off my lawn. Before I Tweet you off.
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But they ended up being right. I feel better, I am smarter, I am better looking and I am worlds more confident now than I was in my 20s. I would not trade the myriad compensations, both material and intangible, of being older and wiser, for the insecurities of young adulthood.
And one of the lovely things about being older is that I don't feel the need to take asinine advice from people who tell me to pretend not to be myself. Sorry, I've had 40 years of honing the art of being me, and no experience being someone else, so I'd rather not start over.
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;)
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incidentally, as a 30something I find I am way more positive than I was at 22. Old and grouchy is one thing, young and bitchy is another. Both to be avoided when possible.
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as you were.
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When will people understand that "not getting older" = dying! Aging is victory over death!
Edited to add: I use a change purse and order nightgowns and old-fashioned candy from the Vermont Country Store catalog. Also, I want a Jitterbug phone. That is all.
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While Sex and the City isn't brilliant, the show does make a few solid points on annoying things that young people do. Gee. I forgot that acting like a whiny teenager was something you should look up to?
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