I have often criticized older generations for not being with it. As one looks at people today, it becomes clear that adeptness with technology drops considerably with age. But that isn’t what I really mean when I talk about oldness.
Oldness to me means a rejection of what is new because it is new. It means an irrational anger at younger generations. Just take a look at the local newspaper. How many articles have we all seen that tell parents to keep their kids away from those new-fangled computers? Or what about when there is vandalism and it is assumed a few teenagers just got out of hand?
None of this is to say that there isn’t value in getting away from the computer or that teenagers aren’t often the culprits in particular types of crimes. As anyone who has spent more than a week reading FTSOS knows, I love hiking and traveling, and so I value being out of the house. And as anyone who has spent more than a week in high school knows, teenagers are no strangers to vandalism.
But there are problems with these views. Let’s start with those new-fangled computers. How many parents have encouraged their kids to go outside not because they see value in being outside, but because they don’t see value in computers and other devices? Just think about all the times your mom turned off your Nintendo even though you hadn’t saved in the past hour. How many parents would have disassembled a half-finished puzzle? There was no value in our newer technology for the generations that missed out.
And the vandalism. Yes, teenagers do often engage in it, but that does not justify assumptions. After all, don’t minorities make up a majority of our prison population? Is it okay to assume a given crime was done by a black person? So why the double standard with young people?
I bring this up because of Fred and Joanne Wilson. They are a tech-savvy couple who has done everything they can to make sure their kids are up-to-date:
The parents and kids publish a combined nine blogs. They bring a duffle bag on family trips just to carry all the cords, adapters and batteries for their electronic devices. Mr. and Ms. Wilson, both 49, write almost every day on their blogs, which cover everything from financing start-ups and music (his) to entrepreneurs, family and the key to cooking a prime rib (hers).
Jessica, 20, and Emily, 18, have two blogs each; Joshua, 15, has one, plus two Xboxes. When Josh expressed an interest in building websites, his mom hired a graduate student to tutor him in coding.
And no one in the family is fat.
While Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are both nearly 50, neither one is anything close to old. They embrace what is new. They aren’t afraid of technology, nor do they devalue it because they didn’t grow up with it. This recognition of exo-generational products is refreshing.
I just hope my generation will manage to rise to the same level of youth.
Filed under: Politics and Social | Tagged: Emily Wilson, Fred Wilson, Jessica Wilson, Joanne Wilson, Josh Wilson, Old people, Technology, Young people |
For the Sake of Science 
Here we go again…….attack one’s age because they are “old”. I’m surprised you still blog this peculiar bias as yours where you deliberately lump all people over a certain age as “old”. You define old as a “rejection of what is new”. ..as if one’s age is an automatic threshold for a rejectionist state of mind. It is not. I know many “old” mentalities who are in their 30’s. And I don’t know one who is in their 70’s that say a computer is a bad thing. Oh we might gripe it’s a new fangled thing that keeps parents from communicating with their kids but these are parents who would have problems with inter-generational communication with or without the computer.
Age is a state of mind. It’s a shame you reject oldness as you will one day walk in older shoes. Prepare your defense now when a whimper-snicker in their 30’s. labels you, with all it’s nuances and insinuations, as being ” old”.
You might find a foray or two into the Social Sciences as well as Biology is needed to round out your education as from where I’m sitting, you need it.
I’m going to stop you right there. Read my post:
Oldness to me means a rejection of what is new because it is new.
I don’t consider the prepositional phrase you inserted in Italics for my much needed emphasis ( perhaps because my attention span must be limited as I am old)… “because it is new” in any way changes the meaning or the context of what followed.
Are you saying that “newness” becomes a problem with ageing? …whether your an artist, athlete, or writer as you categorize as “old” anyone who cannot grapple with newness? When, in fact, the common assumption of “old” pertains to age. It brings with it assumptions or biases of being weak, infirm, dependent, irrelevant and a host of other derogatory biases. Now we can add another….”rejection of newness because it is new” ( I didn’t have the ability to put this in italics…as you see I am old and lack the technological expertise to properly express myself).
Youth is a quality lauded in your headline “STAYING YOUNG”…as if youth is an elixir for all our problems….staying peak, prepared, and fit for any endeavor is all that is needed. I would have much preferred, other than this boast propelled by youthful exuberance..”Staying young despite your age”… but again , this would be beyond your ken.
As it happens, people do tend to dislike it when new generations replace things from their own generation. I see it with people my own age when they talk about how great all the shows were on Nickelodeon when we were kids but now they somehow are terrible. But the point I’m drawing here is not that physical oldness equals oldness in any circumstance. Hell, Betty White must be 88 or 89, but she’s one of the youngest actresses out there.
So I agree with you when you say age is a state of mind. In fact, that phrase crossed my mind when I wrote the post. (I just like to avoid stock expressions when I recognize them.)
The shows today do suck. No kids show today comes close to loony toons, and don’t you dare suggest otherwise.
First, that isn’t a fair comparison. Anything that is anchored by Bugs Bunny has a constant advantage. Second, that is before our generation, so I don’t think that counts as the sort of oldness I’ve been describing.
I’d say it’s timeless. These heretics are trying to supplant Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny with that little illegal immigrant girl and her monkey.
If aliens come… They will come for Bugs Bunny… I’m prepared to fight.
They can have the monkey girl.
Hell, I’m full of stock expressions…try to avoid them myself…try to see the evident truth behind them, and then express them in my own words ( and to soothe my own ego). I’m sure if you gave it sufficient thought, you would have overcome your bias.
“Like the guy who watched The Simpsons back in 1994,
and won’t admit the damn thing isn’t funny any more.
They’d none of them be missed,
They’d none of them be missed.”
–Stewie Griffin, “I’ve Got a Little List”–