Except for Bryan Ekers comment, all other comments here, as far as I have seen, have used the usual qualifiers “some Seniors…” “those who have Trouble with Technology, but …” and so on.
How is sharing of personal anecdotes by People, observing an apparent General trend, bigotry not based in fact? Especially since very quickly it was pointed how some middle-aged ppl also have Trouble, or many Teens?
To me, it sounds that the complaint from one old woman showing behaviour typical for many - not all - Seniors (and impacting many People because it’s parents or grandparents who demand help) very quickly went broader by showing that middle-age and Teens also have clueless Segments.
Seems to me that the point of the OP was a complaint about the crappy service at Apple, not about his relative who was having trouble understanding how to manipulate her phone.
As for your second paragraph, what general trend are you talking about? Do you have access to data that reflects this trend? Seems more like confirmation bias than observations of the general aging public. Most of the people in my age group that I know have little trouble using current technology. Go to a concert where the older demographic shows up in large numbers: the place is full of lit-up smart phone screens.
Older folks are largely invisible in American culture, other than to their own families. I can count on two fingers the number of times I’ve gotten on public transit and someone has actually un-assed from the senior/disabled seating and offered to let me or my wife (or anyone else, for that matter) sit down. Not much I can do about that, but I don’t have to let snotty and casually cruel remarks on this board go by without challenging them.
My O.P. was about both, to clarify. I’m 55. Mom’s 82. It wasn’t about ageism as much as about the approach of orienting people who have not lived their whole lives with extremely powerful technology as a part and parcel of their existence.
I agree- the ageism remains an invisible and untended issue here. As it is in daily life, at least in America. Before I had to start using a cane, I routinely got up from my subway seat to offer it to those who needed it, or appeared to need it. Now, my physical issues ( temporary as I hope they are ! ) cause ME to be on the receiving end of that largesse. And you know what? Here in NYC at least, people stand up or at least catch my eye and offer. Older folks. Millennials. And on a few heartwarming occasions, loudmouthed obnoxious hordes of teenage boys. One will notice and pop up, gesturing for me to sit down.
Dunno what to do about the ageism here on the Dope, but I’m glad you are pointing it out. My OP, like all threads, meanders and takes on its own life.
Doesn’t mean we have to like some of it. :dubious:
That’s exactly why I said “Apparent” trend. But sure, if you ignore qualifiers, you can confirm that People are ageist.
Do you have data for that, or is it a personal Impression? Also, is this only allowed to be about US culture? Since Nava and I have also shared personal experiences from non-US People…
Isn’t that more because of the skewed demographics in US of People who use public Transport in General?
Also, I don’t automatically offer my seat, either, to “older” People. (Aside from that I almost never sit in the designated seats anyway…)
That’s because I don’t know about the People. Person A has White hair and Looks 70+, but does sports 3 times a week and is fit, Person B is in their mid-20s, but has MS or some other invisible disease.
That’s why People who Need the designated seats use their words and ask “Could you please let me sit down”? *
You mean, instead of reporting one post that was out of line, generalizing the whole thread by ignoring qualifiers? Okay, if it helps you…
*Jo Hans Rösler, who write “slightly funny” stories in the 50s, many of which are simply puzzlingly today, wrote one Story about why he, as a man, doesn’t stand up when an older women enters the tram, but offers his seat to a younger woman: because he knows both of them. The 50+ woman works half-days at the Cinema cashier - sitting the whole time; the 20+ “Girl” works whole day as a sales-person in a store - Standing the whole time. So he figures, she Needs much more to sit down.