Elderly people assume teenagers are yobs
What is really very annoying is the self-righteous and sometimes pitying nature of some of this elderly people in society, particularly towards teenagers and youngsters.
After school, I get a public bus home which normally takes an hour; it's usually quite crowded so I often find myself standing up for most of the journey. I get the bus alone so I usually just listen to my iPod. However I am frequently greeted with frowns and angry faces by the elderly people on the bus.
I'm always polite to elderly people and often let them go past me and sit down. I remember my manners, but they always seem to have the attitude of 'Teenager, she must be a yob, want to steal from me or be rude'. This is something I would never do and its actually quite upsetting some of the comments I hear.
Earlier this year I was in a car accident. I was in the front seat and I don't want to go into long details, but my leg was partially crushed and my bones shattered. I now walk with a limp even though I'm fourteen and standing for long periods of time (even just ten minutes) is actually quite painful. The bones have not healed and recently I have got an infection from one of the leg wounds which makes it almost impossible to walk or even stand properly.
Whenever I can get a seat on the bus I always sit down, I feel awful sometimes leaving an elderly man or something to stand, but I have my own disability too. Just because I am a teenager, that doesn't mean that I don't feel pain in the same way that someone their age can. I quite often get berated for sitting down and on one occasion even grabbed on the shoulder by one of the elderly folk with a 'No respect' or 'How horrible and disobedient to leave someone else standing when you're fine'.
I always try and explain that I have my own disability, but often I am told that I'm just a yob and I must be lying. There was me thinking that a yob was someone who broke windows, stole cars, mugged people and was generally a nuisance. Apparently a schoolgirl in pain who simply wants to rest her foot is now a yob too!
If there was someone in terrible pain or more in need than myself then I would definitely offer up the seat, but please dont discriminate purely on the basis of how old someone looks.
By: Annaliese
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All I do on my bus routine is sit at the bus stop minding my own business, get on the bus, sit down quietly, spend the entire bus trip silent, get off and go to college or work. I don't do anything to upset anyone, I wear what I'd consider respectable clothes (Unlike some people I see sporting their lonsdale trackies and reebok trainers when they aren't exercising) so I don't understand why people seem to hate me so much.
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The Merry go Round - 5-Mar-11 15:40
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The RNID are expecting that the current crop of youngster will have far worse hearing that the current oldsters because of the damage done by having loud music constantly thudding in their ears.
If that isn't the case then I can't see why people would glare at you for no reason, can you? It does not seem all that likely. You could try asking politely if you have done something to offend them!
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I have noticed that now music can be played on mobile phones many young people no longer even bother using headphones. It's very anti-social and rude.
I am relatively young but I have never found older people glare at me in public - why would they? If you are being glared at then you are probably doing something to irritate people.
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People jump to conclusions wayyy to quickly, even the old and oh-so wise elderly people.
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They are glaring because it is too loud and the noise is leaking out. It is a very irritating sound in an already stressful world.
Turn it down please. If it is that loud you are actually causing damage to your hearing and will go deaf long before you are old.
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Newspapers have always preyed on people's fears to whip up suspicion and hatred and they probably always will. Most older people that I know have grandchildren and know that most kids are not troublemakers or criminals.
My point was that the people in charge of the media and most companies are not that old!
Don't fall into the same trap. Don't judge all elders the same just because a few have been nasty to you.
If you feel strongly about this why not consider a career in journalism and try to be a decent honest reporter ( there have to be some!) who tries to be fair to all groups?
"Happy slapping" is already illegal. It is assault. The truth is that most victims of these attacks are themselves young but that tends not to be reported much. It's been nice talking to you DSG, try not to let them get you down.
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It is very unlikely that the manager of Bluewater shopping centre or the editors of newspapers that print the articles that annoy you are OAPs! Most jobs at that level do go to people who are middle aged but not elderly.
You are picking an easy and vulnerable target for your anger - just like they do.
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Most older people don't have a grudge against young people. You are falling into the same way of thinking that you accuse older people of.
Just because some elders think that way doesn't mean that they all do.
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We haven't done anything wrong,like mug an old lady,or kick the crutches right out of an old man with a disabilty,and most of us teenagers have certainly not joined in the sick sport of happy slapping.Maybe they're jealous of our good looks?
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MerseysideAlice - 18-Jun-10 23:05
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Take for example, if you were to meet a girl in a night club etc, and she was acting all sketty and you thought "god shes ugly / dirty / smelly"... no matter how sweet that lass is, you would always see her as that horrid thing....
So the elderly who have had one bad experiance with all these Chavs on our streets these days do not make a good name the younger generation - therefore it is US, The "youngsters" who are tarnishing ourselves with the yob brush.
Have you ever sat with an elderly person and talked to them about how they feel about younger people?
I think you will learn alot.
oh and im not an elderly myself, im 23...
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