View comments by: Most Recent - first / last | Most Popular - first / last | Replies - hide / show

The Millennium - stereotyping of both elderly people and young students

I missed so much education when I was young as I had to start work in a flour mill at the age of 14 when my school and home were bombed during WW2. After a lifetime of work and caring I was at long last able to take up studies in my 70s. Then I became Age Concern Cymru's senior learner of the year in 2000 after my autistic son and I had studied information technology at a local college. My son named me MillenniMum and BBC local radio ‘phoned me to appear on their morning programme.  When my son and I arrived at their studio it was obvious from their facial expressions that I was not what they expected.  I felt I ought to dash home, have a blue rinse and a perm, and put on pearls and a skirt and cardigan (if I had possessed them) as I was wearing my usual jeans, zip-up gilet and trainers.   I realised they had already decided what their hoped-for dear old lady was going to say in the interview. The well-known BBC interviewer was very pleasant, but I soon felt that I was being channelled into what I was supposed to say. That had the opposite effect so, for instance, when he asked me what I thought about computers, I could not help saying, ‘Well you know how the saying goes – to err is human, but to really bugger it up you really need a computer’. Although he seemed taken aback at first, at the end of the interview he laughed and said 'Thank you Cyberwrinkly', the name I told him I used on the Web. On the way out of the young lady sound engineer looked stunned and asked 'Did you really say that on air?'


Created By on 11/09/2015

Not a member?

You need to be a member to interact with Silversurfers. Joining is free and simple to do. Click the button below to join today!

sooz888
12th Oct 2015 14:31:35
0
Thanks for voting!
*Chuckle* Well said Cyberwrinkly! Yes, all my life I think I had preconceived ideas about what 'elderly' folk should be like and now I am one they have all gone out of the window. I saw some pics of my college reunion this weekend and thought, 'Goodness, who are all those old people?' I never had kids and can honestly say I feel like the same person I was at 19 when I studied with all those 'oldies.' I wonder if people ever do come to terms with being 'old,' or if it's just me?

Community Terms & Conditions

Content standards

These content standards apply to any and all material which you contribute to our site (contributions), and to any interactive services associated with it.

You must comply with the spirit of the following standards as well as the letter. The standards apply to each part of any contribution as well as to its whole.

Contributions must:

be accurate (where they state facts); be genuinely held (where they state opinions); and comply with applicable law in the UK and in any country from which they are posted.

Contributions must not:

contain any material which is defamatory of any person; or contain any material which is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory; or promote sexually explicit material; or promote violence; promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; or infringe any copyright, database right or trade mark of any other person; or be likely to deceive any person; or be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence; or promote any illegal activity; or be threatening, abuse or invade another’s privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety; or be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person; or be used to impersonate any person, or to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person; or give the impression that they emanate from us, if this is not the case; or advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.

Nurturing a safe environment

Our Silversurfers community is designed to foster friendships, based on trust, honesty, integrity and loyalty and is underpinned by these values.

We don't tolerate swearing, and reserve the right to remove any posts which we feel may offend others... let's keep it friendly!