I’m participating in a scavenger hunt, where one of the tasks I have to complete is to take a photo of me with someone who is over 90 years old.
I don’t know anyone personally who is over the age of 90, and trying to find a stranger who is over 90 to take a picture with me strikes me as kind of creepy and borderline offensive. I’ve toyed with the idea of calling up the local senior center, but can’t think of a way to phrase the request that doesn’t end up making me sound like an asshole.
(An entirely separate question is how the photo is going to “prove” that I’m standing next to a person over the age of 90. I think the organizers are just going to have to take my word for it, which is less than ideal. A poorly designed task, IMO.)
Anyhow, assuming that I have no interest in cheating or making a jerk of myself, any thoughts as to how I might complete the task?
See if there’s a “Read to the elderly” type program you can join. Or go to a local cemetery, grab a selfie next to an appropriately aged topmbstone. Or a museum with a wax figure. Or a statue.
What’s the exact wording of the task? Someone “over 90” could be over 90 cm. Someone “over age 90” could be anyone standing over a sign that says “age 90.”
“Someone who is age 90 or older” gives you less wiggle room, but I’d bet if you went to a local senior center someone would be glad for the attention.
Everybody knows what a scavenger hunt is, and regard it as harmless fun in which people are often required to be less than dignified. Go somewhere there are old people and ask. Most people over 90 are quite proud of it, and will gleefully volunteer.
I was once aroused from my evening by a couple of girls who needed a baseball autographed by a major league player. Some neighbor speculatively directed them to me, and I loaned then a Gary Carter.
What’s the purpose of the scavenger hunt? If it’s connected to a cause, then there are probably plenty of people who would get a kick out of it.
My grandmother is 97, and is already planning her 100th birthday party, and would probably get a kick out of doing this for you, but you can’t count on that-- there’s the odd person who might be offended for some reason.
Ask your friends. Someone is bound to have a great-aunt, or grandparent, or family friend with a sense of humor. Do you know anyone who goes to church or synagogue?
What I would not do is volunteer for a program where you agree to visit people, and then just do it once, and never show up again.