is age the be all and end all?

[Kanel Johnson1]

I wanted to get the opinions of the people in the forum on this one. I guess what I wanted to find out is whether a person's age is really the be-all and end-all that our society makes it out to be. Take me for example, in a few more months I will be turning 23, some may even consider me old, or assume this, that, or the other about me based solely on my age.

But what do you think? Does a person's age define who they are? Is it right to make assumptions about people based on their age? Is our society too obsessed about the subject? What's your view on the subject?

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

let the hollywood brother tell you something boy! You as young as you act. Now can you dig that? The hollywood brother knows for fact that if you feel old then you act old and beat down. If you act young and wild and free with some hollywood brother approved rock and roll then you can be young to you die brother and that is the bottom line because the hollywood brother deems it to be

 

[Yet_One_More_Idiot]

As a man once said to his son, "Son, you're only as old as the woman you feel". LOL 😛

Given the nature of this forum, perhaps a better phrasing would be "you're only as old as the person you tickle"? 😎

 

[Cbarton]

There is a big difference between grwoing older and growing up. I've seen 19 yo kids more mature than their 40-ish counterparts...

 

[His Divine Shadow]

There is a big difference between grwoing older and growing up. I've seen 19 yo kids more mature than their 40-ish counterparts...

AMEN. A thousand times Amen.

 

[morgandee]

i have a michael jackson joke that a friend told me

what do michael jackson and caviar(sp?) have in common

i'd say the answer but some might be offended

anyway age obviously implies level of material life experience, material in the context of tangible or real, not talking about materialism like madonna's song

and who you are is built through experiences and how you treated and will treat those experiences, and sometimes the brain damages and whatever other elements that impair you 🙁 frownies

however the correlation between behavioral age and mental age is weird and only gets tossed to heuristics, which too many people pay attention to, because they love that fucking bell curve because that's easier to follow than making decisions for yourself, fucking posers

fucking conformists

anyway pedos like to say age is only a barrier against true love and that true love is timeless and then you want to punch them for saying such a thing only to realize you were arguing parallel to that in the first place but you punch the pedos again for confusing yourself

but back to the story, is that people get so pompous about behavioral age because they're so uptight about what they perceive as an immature but destructive threat to their environment, and age argued at any level beyond physiological is really ridiculous and pretentious anyway

people go through different experiences in life to become who they are and many people react in a variety of ways, or sometimes they forget what they learned, so measuring this mental age too is dumb

have a pleasant day

 

[MistressValerie1]

... but back to the story, is that people get so pompous about behavioral age because they're so uptight about what they perceive as an immature but destructive threat to their environment, and age argued at any level beyond physiological is really ridiculous and pretentious anyway

people go through different experiences in life to become who they are and many people react in a variety of ways, or sometimes they forget what they learned, so measuring this mental age too is dumb

have a pleasant day

I agree. I have learned that people vary so much as individuals that physical age is not a useful estimate of emotional maturity. I have met 18-20 year olds who are more mature than some people in their fifties. As the late Aaliyah used to say, "Age ain't nothing but a number."

Cheers,

 

[Ignatz]

Well...

Is Society obsessed with age, you ask. Of course, as the other members have pointed out, age is no guarantee of maturity. But in our discourse we use age-related terms as shorthand for assessments of mental and emotional savvy. '"Don't be childish!" we say. "Stop acting like an old woman." Everyone knows exactly what you mean, without denying that there are sensible children in the world as well as old women who are daring and lively. With that disclaimer made, I'll proceed.
The vast Engine of Commerce in our country benefits enormously from keeping consumers at the emotional level of a teenager with his first paycheck burning a hole in his pocket. And, of course, keeping the small children screaming for toys. There are still calls for mature qualities like thrift, restraint and deferred gratification, but they are often drowned in the sound of the great Organ of the Mass Media. (Yes, I believe in free enterprise and free speech, but I'm not blind and deaf to the ignoble uses to which these are often put.)
Likewise, it is in Government's interests to foster dependence on the state rather than self-reliance. Then voters can be better wooed with promises of largess than with common sense and high principles. And Education must be dumbed down (and the Founding Fathers demonized or marginalized) to keep the future voters greedy, ignorant and pliable. To a great extent, it has always been like this...but it's getting worse.
And, of course, the Entertainment industry can be used for the unsavory and paradoxical purpose of making teens and even children sexually active while remaining emotionally immature. Like fishermen stocking the ponds with fingerlings to be caught later.
Needless to say, other powerful forces in Society are arrayed against all these activities. So, yes, you could say we are all obsessed with age!

I don't usually foam at the mouth like this, even when I'm on my soap box.

Maybe I'm just getting...old. (Heh!)

 

[BBWticklee1973]

I do think society judges people based on age, I used to get comments from people because I was younger and sometimes still do because people say I don't look my age (unless of course I have all my kids in tow, lol). I agree with what others have said though, I've met some younger people that are more mature and driven than people in their 40s and 50s. Everyone is different and has different life experiences. I prefer to try to get to know those based on their personality and maturity without regard to their age, but no one's perfect.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

No its not. But I generally have a rule of thumb. The woman I'm dating or planning to marry can't be more than 5 years younger or older than me. I think any more of a space gap, in either direction is enough to create inconsistanices in a relationship. If she's younger, her needs may be different than a woman your own age. If she's older she may be set in her ways and will expect you to conform to her lifestyle.

It seems like it would generally be better if a couple was about the same age and there wasn't a significant age gap between them.

Some people may be comfortable with more than 5 years either way, but for me 5 seems about right.

 

[morgandee]

wiseman says of the internet; "If the inquiry is neither something that can be proven nor disproven, the answer is irrelevant, unless you're a stalker."

the only reason i argue against age on the internet is because it is irrelevant unless you're 1) trying to compare yourself to someone else which is a self esteem motive or 2) trying to hit on someone

3) is legal technicalities in viewing material

but people will get wound up some way about it because of pretentiousness and lying and deception and decepticons and autobots and gobots

they don't realize their own shadows

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

they don't realize their own shadows

Sort of like groundhogs, no?

 

[aenglish]

... ... I generally have a rule of thumb. The woman I'm dating or planning to marry can't be more than 5 years younger or older than me. I think any more of a space gap, in either direction is enough to create inconsistanices in a relationship. (snip)

IMHO, personality (yours and your partner's) is far more important to the success of a relationship than age. I used to have a GF who was only 10 years younger than my mother.

 

[Goodieluver]

Age is a construct of society to keep control. Society is always working to maintain order and control over something so they have given the world the impression that youth is reckless and needs to be watched. Problem with this is there are reckless old people too

Another issue is age means different everywhere, in russia and European nations, its not uncommon for youth to have some form of alcohol with meals(or as ive been told, those in Russia hit the vodka pretty hard young) yet here its frowned upon and said "No No, bad bad" I like the hypocrisy that my friend who is enlisted and is 19

Me-dude, im 21 but you cant be drinkin that stuff outside
Him-Dude, im old enough to kill people, im old enough to drink, besides, no cop is gonna bust me cuz i got a military ID

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

IMHO, personality (yours and your partner's) is far more important to the success of a relationship than age. I used to have a GF who was only 10 years younger than my mother.

I know that. I'm not shallow. Not that you're saying I am. Thats why I said "general". There would of course be those exceptions. But that was just a general comfort zone for me as far as age is concerned.

 

[mart]

I wanted to get the opinions of the people in the forum on this one. I guess what I wanted to find out is whether a person's age is really the be-all and end-all that our society makes it out to be. Take me for example, in a few more months I will be turning 23, some may even consider me old, or assume this, that, or the other about me based solely on my age.

But what do you think? Does a person's age define who they are? Is it right to make assumptions about people based on their age? Is our society too obsessed about the subject? What's your view on the subject?

Yes. When there is too much of it, it ends all.

 

[Redhering]

I wanted to get the opinions of the people in the forum on this one. I guess what I wanted to find out is whether a person's age is really the be-all and end-all that our society makes it out to be. Take me for example, in a few more months I will be turning 23, some may even consider me old, or assume this, that, or the other about me based solely on my age.

But what do you think? Does a person's age define who they are? Is it right to make assumptions about people based on their age? Is our society too obsessed about the subject? What's your view on the subject?

I've never found age to be a defining factor in most people. I have trouble guessing ages in person (except in broad terms) and most of my socializing is done online on talkers where you don't know the age of the people you're talking with unless someone brings it up (most of the time). We are who we are whether young or old or inbetween.

I've heard the saying "You're only as old as you feel," which can certainly be true. Maybe I should invest in a cane..
🙂

 

[morgandee]

one time this little girl had a good personality that combined with my creepy cold exterior and we could have married and it would have worked out great despite our big age gap

IN JAPAN

but then i said no i do not want to be arrested for statutory rape

she claimed she was just a midget

so i kicked her in the shins because i have a personal vendetta against midgets

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

They prefer 'little people' or just people. You have to remember to be politically correct at all times....like....Bill Cosby.

"We must remember not ta doin' with the Ozzbornes, and the provanity and the drugs and the al-key-hol and the permisquity and the rap music and the ignorant talkin' with tha pricey sneakers and hoop dreams but no edujumakation and da Jello that Isa sellin' and ma show."- Bill Cosby

 

[ShadowTklr]

I would LOVE to see society place just a little more importance on age. Perhaps then, older people would receive just a little more respect from a younger generation who believe that everything was made just for them, and maybe childrens' shows would be produced for content, rather than by how many fart and burp jokes could be crammed into them. Maybe kids would learn that life is an ongoing journey, and that it isn't necessary to do EVERYTHING before you're 25. If society put a little more importance on age, perhaps our seniors wouldn't have to worry so much about getting sick and not being able to pay for adequate health care, or wonder what they're going to do about retirement.

Yeah, I'd love to see more importance placed on age. It's funny how the majority of people who find age to be nothing more than a "state of mind" are those who simply aren't OLD enough to know better.

 

[TickledToDeath]

It's not what you are but WHO you are, inside.

TTD

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

I would LOVE to see society place just a little more importance on age. Perhaps then, older people would receive just a little more respect from a younger generation who believe that everything was made just for them, and maybe childrens' shows would be produced for content, rather than by how many fart and burp jokes could be crammed into them. Maybe kids would learn that life is an ongoing journey, and that it isn't necessary to do EVERYTHING before you're 25. If society put a little more importance on age, perhaps our seniors wouldn't have to worry so much about getting sick and not being able to pay for adequate health care, or wonder what they're going to do about retirement.

Yeah, I'd love to see more importance placed on age. It's funny how the majority of people who find age to be nothing more than a "state of mind" are those who simply aren't OLD enough to know better.

The problem in America is that we don't revere, respect, admire or place any kind of importance on the elderly. Asian cultures, as well as others, hold their eldery in high regard and they take care of them personally until they die. These individuals command a great respect from those younger than them and they are treated as they should be. Although, a great portion of these societies are either indigenous, nomadic and don't have a complex ecomonical system as we do. Its more about family that economical viability.

Its not to say a good portion of well-intentioned americans don't think this way also and do this, its just that on the whole we see seniors as a drain on society, especially economically. We don't hold them with a particular value other than they vote in record numbers. They're often taken advantage of by political interests especially, and a portion treat them with contempt.

Its as if people forget they are even human beings. They treat them like trash and second class citizens, no, lower than that.

They're no longer economically viable so they're disregarded like refuse.

So when it comes to health care and take care of them and getting their benefits, the system fails them. This is really a shame, and it makes me angry.

 

[morgandee]

I try to keep my political views to the emotional level, because I think that's my job as a forum user, and not to make speeches--kind of like what I was subtly implying in earlier posts. My job on writing another post on some other forum was just to, you know, draw a portrait of what it feels like to be a teenager who had a friend who went through an abortion. That could be construed as either side of the fence, and it shouldn't be a political statement. It should just be a human statement. And the same thing with the Muffylan story, or there's a post I have somewhere else on another forum, and it's a pretty sarcastic post. But it never really...the audience, I think, because my audience is really young, the only complaint I have is I feel like people at 18 to 25 years old oughtta be a little more idealistic. And I feel like we're getting a little more jaded. Like, I'll get hit on, by like, a random person on AOL Instant Messenger pretending to be a female on the internet, and I'll talk about what's going on in the world, or something, they're likely to go "Uh, don't you know all politicians are corrupt, so that's just the way it is." You know, like grow up. And I think, you're 18 years old, how do you know that, first of all? And don't you think you should try to do something about it, second of all?

Supposedly, that's better than, "Bush is a genius, and we think he's a god."

It's not better, that's more dangerous I think, because if you just go, "okay, well we know he's...well, he's... yeah, we know what he is. And that's okay with us, because that's just the way it is." I think that's worse. I think it's more dangerous because it's like, it's just a total write-off--you're giving someone a blank check. They're dismissing politics alltogether because they feel like it's out of their control, and they think that somehow he's looking after them, and he's being crooked on their behalf. And you wanna say he's screwing you, and it's not on your behalf. It's on his behalf and that's where the problem is.

--but really, us young people play life off like they already know something we don't know, and it's really hypocritical because we haven't experienced life enough yet, and we talk down to the older guys like we know what's going on anyway, but they don't even get involved because they're so cynical about the others, older, who are involved in that kind of thing, so they don't see the full picture. and it's really ridiculous how they just come up with all these jaded opinions about other people and forsake what an older person might have to say about something, and we take them for granted as old and useless because we're so young and full of energy even though we never do anything with that energy except complain and avoid doing anything to better the situation

i'm not trying to say age is a big matter and that young people don't have valid opinions, but they really push away the older generation by trying to replace them, as they wanna grow up so fast with their own uneducated opinions and of course, sexuality, to include the fetish of tickling

 

[ShadowTklr]

Well, I think you're right. And let's not forget that the older generation didn't do a whole hell of a lot to instill security and trust in the younger generation when THEY were at the helm, either. It will take another 1 or 2 generations to find a happy medium. By then, if the younger generation has its way, we'll all have chips in our heads so that major corporations can advertise to us in our dreams, so age won't much matter anymore.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

"With the superchips up in the brains with the destruction of the morality and the old folks being thrown to curb and the trash with the glittery glue and sneaker shoe with the profanity and the fat cats in the upstairs offices with the hundrend story buildings and the money being blown away and the wanton dreams poisoning the future."- Bill Cosby