This would be my concern. If you can make the case for 3 months, I don’t see how you can deny anyone who wants to take advantage of the easier parking.
I’m 65. I’ve not yet ever taken advantage of an age related discount. I’m not sure if it would be worse if they demanded proof of age or accepted my claim without a second thought.
I went to the grocery store on a Tuesday morning a couple months ago. When I looked at my receipt after I got home, I noticed that they gave me a 10% discount which seemed odd. Googling told me that Tuesday before noon was senior discount time for those 60 and over so I have already received one without asking.
Some little while ago I was given tickets to a concert by a friend who couldn’t attend. Great. When I got to venue I noticed they were tickets for Senior Citizens, of which I’m not one. I was expecting to be hauled out of the auditorium at any moment for my crime - It really spoiled the first half.
I would take the shuttle.
You do what you are comfortable with. But IMO it pretty clearly is lying and cheating. Not a really big deal, but definitely not completely kosher. Many/most people are fine with doing a little lying and cheating when it advantages themselves.
I’m 62, and for several years have been surprised at how variable the ages for senior rates are. One place I encounter them often is golf courses. Many times folk will assume I’m older than I am, or will just ring me up as a senior. I probably have slipped up a handful of times by not correcting someone who charged me as a senior despite my not having reached that venue’s age, but I doubt I have intentionally misstated my age to obtain some senior perk more than a very few times.
If I were in your situation, I’d probably take the shuttle.
Me too. Not that I think it’s a mortal sin or anything, but there is always that off chance you bump a senior off the lot. Or handicap overflows and they need to use senior slots.
For me it’s more a matter of, if I go out and interact in public, who gets to decide the rules? If there are clearly stated unambiguous rules, but I can get some advantage by misrepresenting myself, do I? And should my decision whether or not to lie or cheat depend on whether I am going to be checked? If I lie about THIS, why not lie about THAT? How honest of a person do I consider myself? Which rules will I break, and which won’t I?
Like you said, far from a mortal sin. But an able-bodied person misstating one’s age to get preferential parking does suggest someone who is not overburdened by a scrupulous sense of morality.
wo chill he’s right yanno. Or is there history tween y’all? Oddly harsh reaction. Anyhoo it’s your birthday year and a fucking milestone so treat yourself.
I took exception to being called a disingenuous liar but ymmv. I do appreciate your response though.
With all due respect to your OP, you asked whether lying would be OK in this case. I don’t know if you had made up your mind about what you would do, but the proposal on the table was about lying, albeit a pretty small lie.
I was accused of lying about my motivations in the OP which I certainly was not. I hadn’t bought the ticket or lied. A couple of my friends thought it was ok. I was doubtful and wondered what people thought.
You described a situation a listed 4 actors, all of which supported going as a senior. You may feel you presented it neutrally, and I believe you when you say that was your intent, but I also read it as though you were leaning in the direction of misrepresenting your age.
I also read AlsoNamedBort’s post far more neutrally than you seem to have. I do not see where that poster accused you of lying. Your retort impressed me as somewhat out of proportion.
You post enough to realize that however carefully you phrase a post, it is likely someone will interpret it differently than you intended. When that occurs, you then have the choice of deciding how you respond.
I see your point but I’m not sure what you meant by actors. I specifically said that I am fit enough not to need an accommodation which would support not using it.
I vote with this being unethical.
Also, to those more or less in the white lie permission camp, I’d suggest if we’re going to cheat somebody out of dues and premium parking, or out of anything else, do we start with a music and arts festival? I mean, it must have taken them some sacrifice on their part to make parking provisions for those less able, right?
So here’s the full story of how this came about. I was at a brew pub to see a friend’s band. A bunch of my friends were there including my friend Cathy. She asked if I was going to the fest. I said that I was thinking about it. She then informed me about the parking/shuttle situation and I said “screw that. I’ll pass”. She asked how old I am and I told her I was 59. She said that she and her husband were also 59 but they were going to do the senior pass thing and told me how it worked. It seemed a little sketchy to me but I investigated it.
I called my exwife (57 years old) who was likely to also go to the fest and she said “hell no”. I called my good friend (55) who was planning on going and camping and she said it seemed iffy to her but more because she thought I might get caught somehow. Later I got a text from a buddy (31) who will be there and wanted to meet up. I told him the story and he said to definitely go for it.
I thought it would be an interesting discussion which it has been.
Sorry - factors.
The age cutoff is arbitrary, but the promoters wanted some accommodation for their older attendees. Based on how you’ve described the event (and from my own experience at music festivals), it will be mostly younger people in their 20s/30s, so you qualify. Use the special access.
Plus, if we’re talking ethics here, we have to talk about who is harmed by your decision. It’d be one thing if you were preventing somebody who was legitimately 60 from gaining access to the venue. But if that’s not a concern (and the OP said it wasn’t), then who is worse off because you decided to go? Certainly not the concert venue promoters who you will pay your money to, and certainly not the vendors who you’ll be buying stuff from.
I suspect that if you went in and used the “60 and over option”, and confessed that you were 59 and not quite to the cutoff, they wouldn’t even care. It’d only be an issue if space was at a premium, and there were going to be people who were turned away; at that point, I can see how “sneaking in” is problematic.
Use the older person access. They’ll be glad you came.
To me, it comes down to “what if everyone did it?” In that case, you’d absolutely ruin it for those for whom it was intended. If you’re willing to fib a bit on the age, how much us allowed and how much is too much?
If one turns the right age this festival year then why not enjoy the perks of vip parking and senior discount. Only for those turning the right age this year or older. Fair enough.
I agree but splitting hairs a bit, if everyone born in mid to late 1963 did it in this specific instance, it wouldn’t ruin anything. In general, you are absolutely correct and it’s the in general that probably matters.