Poll: Is it okay to pardon racism from a very old person?

[krazykidd]

Edit : What's up with the polls lately? Option 3 and 4 are both : i don't know

Especially old ladies . Iv'e been wondering this for a while . Usually people talk about racism in a negative light ( obviously ). But when it comes to old people, especially old ladies , it's kind of okay . Like people saying: " my grandmother don't like black people , but it's okay , she's from another age " and things like that . While it's true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks , it's it okay to just leave that be because it's how they were brought up?

This isn't limited to racism either , homophobia and sexism are also included . Many ( not all )people from the older generations have pretty narrow minded views when it comes to these things . And yet no one really cares because they are old and it probably would required to much effort and change very little .

Now this doesn't apply to anyone in "power" such as politicians and employers andwhatnot , just regular old people . It's as if they get a free pass because they are old and never get called out on being racist/sexist/homophobic .

So what do you guys think . It's it okay to pardon racism from old people?

 

[Darken12]

Nope. I might not bother to argue with them, but my opinion of them will still be affected negatively. Just because an ism is part of a culture doesn't mean I have to be okay with it. There are plenty of modern cultures I want nothing to do with, and an elderly person holding antiquated views because that's how they were raised is pretty much just like someone from a highly misogynistic culture (not gonna name names) saying women should do this and women should do that.

 

[JDLY]

I didn't answer the poll because I don't feel the answers are totally suitable.
First of all, it is not true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Both figuratively and literally (for the literal version watch mythbusters)

But it is completely possible for an elderly person to change their worldview. As for if them being racist is ok, I think it depends on the situation. Obviously in any situation where it is actively harming somebody, then no it's not ok.

What I'm trying to get at is that, while I don't think old people should get away with being racist simply because their old, I also think that young people should keep in mind that these people are old, and they did grow up in a different kind of world, and that it's hard to change things that have remained with you your whole life.

In short, no it's not okay, but I don't think people should get angry or offended if it happens. Trying to calmly educate the person about how things have changed will most likely wind up better than openly calling them a racist.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Old people are like children. We feel obligated to forgive them because they're uneducated and their brains aren't fully functioning. My grandma is a cesspit of racist and sexist bullshit. I usually call her out when she starts spewing that nonsense but never to any avail. It's impossible to argue with her and if she feels I've "disrespected" her too much she spits on me. It's like trying to reason with a fucking llama. So while I don't think it should be pardoned there's not much you can do other than tolerate it.

 

[Jamieson 90]

I don't think it's okay but I think people are more understanding; the whole their generation grew up in a different time so it's understandable argument, with many people believing it's not worth the effort arguing with them, or pretty much as the poll says they'll be dead soon anyway so it's not that big of a deal, not to mention people probably don't feel too comfortable calling old people out because they're susceptible to mental health illnesses and such so you never know if they're all there or not.

 

[geK0]

It's not a very good thing for them to be racist, but who's really listening to them? : \

Better to just tune them out, smile and nod than it is to give any weight to their rants.....

I'm glad my grandparents aren't like this, they have surprisingly modern perspectives.

 

[bananafishtoday]

No, no excuse. Just because some old people refuse to change doesn't mean their opinions or behaviors are acceptable.

That's not to say we should necessarily act with the same kind of anger we would if our peers held such objectionable beliefs. Old people might be more likely not to understand why their opinions are fucked up. The primary goal of anti-racism/sexism/etc should be changing minds, so yeah, maybe some of them require a softer touch. (There's a lot more to it than this ofc, like how anger can be effective at demonstrating behavior is unacceptable to members of your in-groups, but people of different generations are more likely to view you as belonging to an out-group, but I'm getting off the point.)

Anyway, education is the primary goal, so whatever approach you need, go for it. If you have to pretend like their ridiculous beliefs are reasonable so as to establish a context in which they can be challenged, awesome, the ends are worth the mental gymnastics.

But being old doesn't excuse you from being a decent human being. And it's not like they suddenly woke up one day, and everything was different. They, at some point, stopped developing with the rest of society. No excuse.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I didn't answer the poll because I don't feel the answers are totally suitable.
First of all, it is not true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Both figuratively and literally (for the literal version watch mythbusters)

But it is completely possible for an elderly person to change their worldview. As for if them being racist is ok, I think it depends on the situation. Obviously in any situation where it is actively harming somebody, then no it's not ok.

What I'm trying to get at is that, while I don't think old people should get away with being racist simply because their old, I also think that young people should keep in mind that these people are old, and they did grow up in a different kind of world, and that it's hard to change things that have remained with you your whole life.

In short, no it's not okay, but I don't think people should get angry or offended if it happens. Trying to calmly educate the person about how things have changed will most likely wind up better than openly calling them a racist.

I pretty much hold this view, except I went with 'who cares, they're going to die soon anyway'. I can't say their opinions really bother me too much.

 

[sextus the crazy]

no, but it's kind of hard to get old people to change their views. Don't bother, wait for them to die.

 

[the darknees abyss]

It's ok to pardon them it just how they grew and it was ok to be like back then and not like there at age where they would change the way they behave.

 

[bastardofmelbourne]

I don't know. Racism is bad, but it's also hard to avoid conformity of opinion when growing up in a racist society, and even harder to change your attitudes as you get older. In many ways it's not their fault - they were told one thing by their parents and authority figures when they were growing up, they trusted it, and now popular opinion has changed and they suddenly have to think something different in order to be socially acceptable. In that respect, I can understand their reticence to change.

To be honest, as long as they keep it to themselves I'm not bothered. If they go around beating up black people with their canes and Zimmer frames, I'll get bothered about it.

 

[Dead Seerius]

Interesting question. No, I don't think you should pardon them for being racist - anyone can change their worldviews. If you live in an environment where you have access to all kinds of information that can be used to enlighten you and teach you of new perspectives, the fault is entirely yours if you choose to ignore it.

In this case, learning that no ethnicity is superior/inferior to another.

That being said, I wouldn't go as far as to argue with an old person over it. Arguing rarely changes an opinion.

 

[The Night Angel]

I think that it's fine if it's just saying things that were considered PC back when they were younger, but wouldn't be considered PC now. These mistakes aren't born out of maliciousness or hatred, and the people would be just as critical of what they consider racism as us. When it is genuinely born out of hatred, it isn't forgiveable...

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Edit : What's up with the polls lately? Option 3 and 4 are both : i don't know

Are they cutting off if you put a single quote (') in them? That is what it looks like.

OT: There was a culture difference, but I still don't believe it is right to dislike someone based on what they look like.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I only pardon if the old person is senile (as in crazy talked).
Just because the whole "can't teach an old dog new trick" doesn't mean it's apply to every senior people. I have know a few old people who have at least understand the concept of changed (the new generation are lucky etc) or that they old ways are no longer relevent (that is depending on what it is).

 

[Xarathox]

Old people are like children. We feel obligated to forgive them because they're uneducated and their brains aren't fully functioning. My grandma is a cesspit of racist and sexist bullshit. I usually call her out when she starts spewing that nonsense but never to any avail. It's impossible to argue with her and if she feels I've "disrespected" her too much she spits on me. It's like trying to reason with a fucking llama. So while I don't think it should be pardoned there's not much you can do other than tolerate it.

Pretty much the same for my grandmother. My father's also racist, due to having grown up in the mountains of North Carolina which to this day is still slightly backwards. He's also a firm Baptist Christian, which is beyond hypocritical when you think about it.

There's also nothing that can be done about it, either. Both are absolutely set in their beliefs from life times of having it drilled into them, so it's just shit that I have to tolerate. And in many cases, that's all anyone really can do, no matter how much "calm, logical talking" you do. You're not getting through to older generations.

 

[Raikas]

How old is "old" - Are we talking 70 or 95? Are they still all there mentally?

Because people with dementia will say things without knowing what they're doing, and I'm 100% "Who cares?" on that one, but if we're talking about 75-year-old who is fully sane then I would totally call them out on whatever it is that they're saying. I have a 90-year-old great-aunt who had a colonial upbringing and she knows that the world has changed, so I have no problem holding other people of that age to the same standard (again, if they don't have dementia).

 

[Lilani]

I don't know about "excusing" them, but there is the question of whether or not it's a battle worth fighting. If they're just spouting nonsense to nobody in particular and not hurting anyone apart from making a rude racket then just let them be. You aren't going to change their mind, and neither of you will leave the situation any more happy or enlightened than when you entered. But if they're harassing a specific person or actually threatening to cause harm, then I think that is a time to confront them. Again you definitely won't change their mind, but at least in this case you are defending someone, so at least you'll have that positive aspect. They'll still be a bigot so you won't exactly leave with a net positive, but at least the person they were haranguing didn't have to go through the situation alone and without support or validation.

And I'm not trying to say people who are subjected to racism are helpless flowers that always need help. I'm just saying when you're in a situation like that, it's good to know you aren't alone and that somebody is in your corner.