# Is it rude to ask your age? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2018, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935 "2018-04-23T03:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/21 "2018-04-25T09:26:46Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Maybe not base your evaluation of our opinions on our age, but our experience instead. I’d prefer evaluation on our expertise but YMMV. (deferring to **kam** who is much more padded with experience and then running away!:p) ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/22 "2018-04-25T11:03:59Z")
I think in American culture it is considered inappropriate more than rude. While there are certainly situations where knowing the accurate age of someone will help with some decision, by-and-large how old a person is is irrelevant. An example. I am an election precinct inspector (age 64) and my crew ages from 20+ to 80+. Do I need to know precisely how old they are? No. On the the other hand, when our county migrated to a laptop computer to hold our election roster I was pretty much required to let an elderly member lapse because “I’ve never had to use one”. When I recruit new precinct workers (usually by telephone) I now ask if they are conversant with a computer keyboard. Most are, but I’ve had some tell me they weren’t interested “if I have to use a computer.” Right or wrong, anyone telling me something like that gets pegged instantly as a much older person. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/23 "2018-04-25T11:46:06Z")
> [@nexopia](#): > > Why is it that the default gender for people on the internet is always male? I could make a thread about my boyfriend and people will just assume I’m a gay dude. Sexist af. “Dude” is not gender-specific. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/24 "2018-04-25T11:46:46Z")
I’m 329 years old. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/25 "2018-04-25T11:47:42Z")
> [@nexopia](#): > > Why is it that the default gender for people on the internet is always male? I could make a thread about my boyfriend and people will just assume I’m a gay dude. Sexist af. “Dude” can refer to women, too, from my experience. Or at least that’s how it was 20 years ago. It obviously comes from a male etymology, but we would use it for women and I’d hear it between women even in the mid-90s, as “dudette” was kind of a stupid word (that was kind of used tongue-in-cheek back then, as well.) ETA: I see that I’ve been ninja’d by **Darren Garrison** , but at least there’s some extra support that “dude,” at least in some circles, is not gender-specific. In the meantime, looking up the Wikipedia article on [dude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude), it says the same thing: “The female equivalent was “dudette” or “dudess,” but these have both fallen into disuse, and “dude” is now also used as a unisex term.” Which is exactly how I know it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/26 "2018-04-25T11:55:59Z")
Oh, and to answer the OP, I would guess the median age of people around here is somewhere around 45. When I first joined this forum, I was 24. I suspect that when I joined, the average age skewed much younger, like early 30s, and simply a lot of people hung around, more than new active members joined, but that’s just a theory and I simply might have just thought that when I first joined everybody was younger, because there’s a natural inclination for me to assume I’m talking to peers my age on relatively anonymous boards where we don’t know personal details. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/27 "2018-04-25T12:11:15Z")
I’m as old as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth. Glad to help. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/28 "2018-04-25T12:25:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > In the meantime, looking up the Wikipedia article on [dude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude) That article must be seen, if just for the photo of the King of Dudes. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/29 "2018-04-25T12:31:41Z")
> [@nexopia](#): > > Yikes, a lot of rude babyboomer style responses. Couple normal responses tho thank u What’s rude is suggesting it’s a problem if the board trends to 50+, and introducing “babyboomer style” as an insult. I like to think of myself as 36. Make of that what you will. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/30 "2018-04-25T12:55:53Z")
> [@nexopia](#): > > Why is it that the default gender for people on the internet is always male? I could make a thread about my boyfriend and people will just assume I’m a gay dude. Sexist af. We have the finest cheese for your whine if you’re interested. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/31 "2018-04-25T13:22:03Z")
It tells me that, whether you realize it or not, you’re age prejudiced. When people ask someone his or her age, they do so because it helps them typecast a person. For them, it’s a vital data bit needed to put you in a slot, so to speak. No matter what your abilities, they are going to think of you differently if you say 55 rather than 35. Mozart was writing music when he was five years old. My SiL has a friend who decided to start a new career at 80 years of age and then retire at 90. As far as I’m concerned, who you are and what you can do is far more important than your chronological age. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/32 "2018-04-25T14:29:48Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > “Dude” is not gender-specific. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/33 "2018-04-25T14:57:56Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > “Dude” is not gender-specific. I refer to certain types of the female persuasion as a “dudette”. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/34 "2018-04-25T15:54:01Z")
I live in Israel. Here, it’s not rude to ask anything, and people do.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/35 "2018-04-25T16:59:41Z")
I have a birth certificate that ‘proves’ I was born in 1958. That’s all I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/36 "2018-04-25T17:58:25Z")
> [@nexopia](#): > > Yikes, a lot of rude babyboomer style responses. Couple normal responses tho thank u And where is your own normal response? > [@RealityChuck](#): > > I’m as old as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth. Merry Christmas! I consider it rude to ask a stranger’s age, weight, income, or most other personal things. Anything someone needs to know about me to be able to interact with me they can find out by interacting with me. Same applies to this board or IRL. It’s not that my age is some big secret, but why would you need to know? Same with any other personal information. The better you get to know someone, the more they are going to share. An anonymous name on a message board, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/37 "2018-04-25T18:09:49Z")
> [@Delicious](#): > > I am as old as the trees. Then shouldn’t your name be Deciduous? 🆒😛 Regarding the OP, when a new poster shows up and their very first posting is to start a thread asking a personal question, I just might be a bit skeptical. ETA: This thread began with their fourth posting; my bad. But still skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/38 "2018-04-25T18:13:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Most people think it’s rude to ask, but it doesn’t bother me telling random strangers my age. I’m 29. I had always thought you were in your 50s or a retiree, maybe it is your posting style 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/39 "2018-04-25T18:13:32Z")
I am 44 but I have been here since I was 26. We have some high school (and younger people as members as well). The minimum age is 13 IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935/40 "2018-04-25T18:19:08Z")
@ the OP. It’s not rude, but I would definitely want to know why someone asking the question, wants to know. I’m 30. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-rude-to-ask-your-age/812935.md?page=3)