What is meant when people say an old person "becomes irrelevant"?

[Amethyst]

I consider "relater of cautionary tales" to be among the most important parental roles.

Yes, and I suppose many of our past mistakes were just ours personally. Lessons that we sometimes had to learn the hard way. So sometimes I might tell DS something that I feel strongly about because I was so clueless in the past.

 

[Nemo2]

I consider "relater of cautionary tales" to be among the most important parental roles.

As a 'synthetic' grandfather, I attempt to instill a level of skepticism, (it might even border on cynicism in some cases), in my granddaughters.

 

[Arizona1]

I think it only means you are not contributing to the country to move it foreword financially through innovation or support. I like to call it not participating.
I decided to stop participating almost 20 years ago.

 

[Amethyst]

I like this thought. My only comment would be: Few of any age do much to innovate or move the country forward financially, other than by paying taxes (or are you saying you are exempt from taxes? I know some FIRees are).

If it's paying taxes, the Amethysts are doing a bang-up job of relevancy, even though one of us is "boomer" and the other is "silent."

I think it only means you are not contributing to the country to move it foreword financially through innovation or support. I like to call it not participating.
I decided to stop participating almost 20 years ago.

 

[jollystomper]

"Every generation wants to find out for itself that the stove is hot and can burn you"

 

[Gumby]

"Every generation wants to find out for itself that the stove is hot and can burn you"

I wouldn't say that is generational. In my experience, just about everyone prefers to make their own mistakes.

 

[nancyfrank232]

I don’t blame seniors for being slow to change, dismissive and irrational. They weren’t taught to know any better. And they pass this on to their progeny. It’s self fulfilling. That’s why this perception of seniors endures

 

[MichaelB]

Seniors have no monopoly on dismissive and irrational. If anything, those two attributes are widely and quite equitably distributed.

 

[jollystomper]

I wouldn't say that is generational. In my experience, just about everyone prefers to make their own mistakes.

It is generational in the sense that every generation (in a general sense) will complain about the preceding generation and tends to place the blame there and not learn lessons very well. And eventually every generation will be found irrelevant by a subsequent generation who will not see them as worth learning from. And the learning on both the "good" side and the "bad" sine.

In truth, every generation has issues, as we are biased. For example, the WWII "greatest generation" also had legal prejudice and racism in place much more rampant than today (one reason I disagree with an earlier poster than racism is worse today).

No generation is "irrelevant", in my view, as there are lessons to be learned from all of them, if one chooses to pay attention.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, and I suppose many of our past mistakes were just ours personally. Lessons that we sometimes had to learn the hard way. So sometimes I might tell DS something that I feel strongly about because I was so clueless in the past.

Most of those of us who make it to the SS and Medicare age realize that we survive so far, bodily as well as financially, by owing it to luck as much as to skills.

And not having much time left, we do not want to push our luck. And that's what experience is for, so that we can make new mistakes and not repeat old ones, from which we may not walk away in case our luck runs out this time.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Mr Shakespeare, in Hamlet:

Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew and dog will have his day.

Mr Armstrong, in What a Wonderful World:

… I hear babies cry,
I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more,
Than I'll ever know.…

If we were ever relevant, good for us. If we feel relevant no longer for whatever reason, we can perhaps enjoy still being along for the ride....

 

[Amethyst]

This would be a good rebuttal to some on-line accusation of "fading into irrelevancy." I love this post.

If we were ever relevant, good for us. If we feel relevant no longer for whatever reason, we can perhaps enjoy still being along for the ride....

 

[14thMed]

I thought I was getting irrelevant until my 21 year old grandson who will graduate with a accounting degree asked me to help him with his 401k.

 

[steelyman]

What is meant when people say an old person "becomes irrelevant"?

I thought I was getting irrelevant until my 21 year old grandson who will graduate with a accounting degree asked me to help him with his 401k.

I bet you’re VERY relevant there, as are many/most e-r.org members.

Just wait till it’s time to explain health insurance, social security/pensions... (actually, those are items about which I’m in need of advice from “irrelevant” experienced people too).

 

[Dtail]

I thought I was getting irrelevant until my 21 year old grandson who will graduate with a accounting degree asked me to help him with his 401k.

Nice post.

 

[Calico]

I wish more seniors would follow your lead

Many believe they are wise but once they open their mouth you realize that they’re just old

I don’t blame seniors for being slow to change, dismissive and irrational. They weren’t taught to know any better. And they pass this on to their progeny. It’s self fulfilling. That’s why this perception of seniors endures

Words fail.

 

[mbooth]

Dang, never realized Omar Sharif was in that.

aka Cairo Fred

 

[Nemo2]

aka Cairo Fred

Ah yes, Peter O'Toole.

 

[ejman]

As far as the flow of life is concerned I ceased being relevant once I did my final DNA transfer. As to relevance of my acts and deeds I remember something or other about an Ozymandias dude.

 

[nancyfrank232]

As far as the flow of life is concerned I ceased being relevant once I did my final DNA transfer. As to relevance of my acts and deeds I remember something or other about an Ozymandias dude.

+10

 

[Murph]

It means “I’m wet behind the ears and not aware that I will be old, too, someday”

 

[aebaeb]

I think when someone says an old person becomes irrelevant:

1.If you want to know what they meant, you should just ask them,

2.You should decide for yourself if the comment is irrelevant, and

3.When a general negative comment is made about a group of people, you can think of the comment as being exclusionary, anti-diverse, and prejudiced, rather than a comment that values diversity and people as individuals.

 

[morriss003]

As I approach 70, more and more internet surveys are telling me I'm too old to participate.

 

[aja8888]

As I approach 70, more and more internet surveys are telling me I'm too old to participate.

It's the internet....you can be ANY age!

 

[Sunset]

That’s why is included the word some. Wage inequality, partisanship, racism, sexism, national debt, climate change - but I won’t belabor the ways things are worse. My only point was seeing Boomers in a negative connotation shouldn’t come as a surprise.

racism, I think is better, heck we elected a Black president, no way that was going to happen in 1965.

I could go on and on, but frankly I'm irrelevant.

Then one thing I do believe is worse is climate, but it is a cumulative effect of all of humanity over the past, London back in 1700 was black with soot from burning coal everywhere. Can't simply blame it all on Boomers.

Every young generation blames the older ones, and the older ones think the young fry don't know enough...