Old people are bad

If you think black people are bad you’re a racist. Not a good look these days. If you think women are bad you’re a sexist, and likewise. Gays are no good? You’re a homophobe and sad. Old people? Well now, here we have a popular prejudice at last.

If we just locked up everyone over 70, or let them get killed off if they won’t accept imprisonment, we could all get on with our lives and forget about lockdowns and related nonsense. Anyhow, oldies are all take and no give.

Am I being a wee bit extreme? Not very. I’ve heard these opinions and more from “high level” sources – not always so blunt but sometimes right out there. Often though it’s “nicer” than that, what’s been called “benevolent ageism”: taking away your rights and respect because we care for you old dears.

Here’s something I enjoy saying to people to help them see that disrespecting older people is a mistake that will come back and bite them: “If you were a white racist and I showed you that for absolute certain and very soon you and all your family and friends would be black, and there’s nothing you can do about it, might you think twice about disrespecting black people? Well here’s the news: you and yours will absolutely, definitely and very soon be old”.

I know I don’t have to list for you all the ways we older people make life better for everyone. What I can do is suggest that you get to enjoy the facts of older life by going to Ashton Applewhite’s  https://thischairrocks.com/ and https://oldschool.info/ We are a world changing generation, and we’re not done yet.

Age UK Lambeth and MYsocial are getting to work on overcoming ageism: not by moaning about it but by all of us acting together. We’re going to offer ways to join forces for us older people to deliver the help, services and support older people and all ages need.

I think I’m a pretty resilient and productive old bloke. In fact I know that really in myself I’m not old. From the outside I’m a little wrinkly old person. From the inside, like you, I’m nothing of the sort. Wrinkles in the mirror. No wrinkles here. My inside story is visibly ageless. Still…

Playing at being old now that ageism is rising has been a challenge. I’ve had moments of almost buying all the growing ageist nonsense. Give up on all my stuff about our generation just getting going? Whistling in the dark? I had to consider it. Can we really get together and make great new use of our life stories and lifetimes of experience, give others what we already know, gain new skills, qualifications and ways of making a living or volunteering, open up new possibilities for ourselves and everyone?

When in doubt, find out. What I’ve found is that Age UK Lambeth, MYsocial and its members, and all aspects of the Borough are united: this hard and increasingly ageist time to be old is a great time to make discoveries together, transform our lives and use isolation to end isolation. Join us. On the MYsocial calendar you’ll find a Together” meeting every Wednesday at 2pm. You won’t be bored.