The Insults of Age
themonthly.com.au
themonthly.com.au
I do find, strangely, that I'm way more attractive to women now that I'm older, even though my looks have (objectively) declined. Adolescent men are unwanted, invisible, and generally disliked by society unless they're in the top 5% for social skills; things get better at 25 and a lot better after 30... although I'm still glad that I married young because I'd imagine that the dating pool shrinks considerably.
it actually doesn't, in fact it grows continuously, but you'll just be shamed by older women and married men for dating younger women.
Select every argument about why it is none of their business to outlaw/shame homosexuality, Ctrl-C, Ctrl-P.
Why would it? If anything the number of single adults keeps growing each year.
Confidence and the way you carry yourself. In our teens and early twenties we tend to dress and act for others. As we get older that becomes less common, or we become better at selling our appearance (attire, demeanor, etc.) as ourselves and not a façade. Whether that's a hoodie and jeans and converse sneakers, or a suit and tie, or something in between doesn't matter (mostly).
Also, in your twenties you're still putting on muscle mass and filling out some. If you maintain decent physical conditioning you won't have that scrawnier look that a lot of teens have. You probably have broader shoulders and a fuller face than you did in your younger years, it looks healthier and more attractive, even if it's paired with gray hair and wrinkles.
and this shouldn't be surprising to anyone. yes, there are a few out there that are able to stay strong even in that age bracket, but they are few.
Said respect tends to disappear once I tell people I'm only 24, so I stopped doing that.
The city is Melbourne, the author Helen Garner [0] and the casual racism is pretty accurate. Yet the response should not be condoned. If you switch a 70 year old woman, to a 70 year old man, the man would be detailed and assault charges laid.
As ugly as the racism is, using this kind of force shows a level of entitlement you often see with people who have had authority. [1]
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner
[1] Garner was a High School teacher till '72.
Or pretty much anybody other than an elderly white woman (in a "western" country). Anyway, I don't think the physical violence was necessary but I do admire her intervention on behalf of a stranger against an obnoxious (probably racist) act.
Over-reaction. The lesson shown here to kids and those watching, if you feel others are being threatened, physically strike back. There is no immediate threat, words would have done the job.
I think Garner's point is that we live in a society in which other people's regard for your worth is a function of your age.
She is typical of "me me me" and the continual flow of sexism we see from Australian journalists. The last few decades in Australian media have been a dark spot. This author is sexist, arrogant and takes pride in yanking a strange girl's hair (which is tantamount to assault).
"In two strides I was behind the schoolgirl. I reached up, seized her ponytail at the roots and gave it a sharp downward yank."
"My only regret is that I couldn’t see the Asian woman’s face at the moment the schoolgirl’s head jerked back and her insolent grin turned into a rictus."
"The armed child behind the police station counter unable to conceal her boredom...."
How we are regarded is largely a function of how we allow ourselves to be regarded. Rejecting other people's regard when it is based on faulty premises is one of the gifts of age, that, sadly, not everyone acquires.
Self regard is the cure for the disregard of others.
Earlier than that. The original "Never trust anyone over 30" was already a saying by the mid-sixties as a consequence of FSM: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement
The movement itself was just another step in the protests of the civil liberties movement, and to some degree HUAC. I'm sure we could go back farther, but that's just off the top of my head.
Essentially, every new generation denigrates the older generation, and each older generation thinks the newer generation is going to hell-in-a-handbasket.
There is nothing new under the sun.
I am Not an American. Can you point me to any more info on this.
"The Hidden Persuaders" - Vance Packard ISBN-13: 978-0978843106 is a good start. He's a bit crazy but it's a good read.
Then people discovered the internet and learned what the 40s/50s were actually like, what they did, and what we are now saddled with. Those old wise men are now the emperor's new cloths.
Edit: I originally said "those old wise men/women" but lets not kid ourselves. Most all the horrible decisions in those decades were taken by men.
It's easier on men, I guess. It does wound my vanity a bit when young women on the bus offer me a seat. But otherwise, being on the large size and generally glum looking, I don't get people baby-talking me or condescending much.