Wisdom of the ages
It isn’t so much the nomenclature that bothers me as a person who can be termed an “older adult” (“Age-old stereotypes”, October 30). What is annoying is that, despite my height, I have become invisible.
When I went to buy a new computer, my daughter, who is in her twenties, happened to be with me and the whole time the shop attendant talked to her about the various aspects of the computer until she said, “It is my mother who is buying the computer.” It didn’t penetrate, and he continued addressing my daughter with the technical details, although I was quite astute about its applications. He was happy, though, to accept my credit card.
But salespeople should be aware that these “older adults” will get their revenge. When I was in a womenswear shop and no one would take any notice of me, I went to the shelves and rearranged all the sizing so they were completely muddled. Then I walked out.
As the article said, “Ageing is part of our journey and of our story.” We did not drop from the sky aged 66, 75, 85 or 105. We got there through living our lives. I don’t mind my grey hair and I have certainly earned every single line on my face. It is called experience.
Rae McGregor
(Auckland)
The article reminded me of the folk who believe the Earth is flat. The desire of all age groups to be homogeneous in the way they are
