When Numbers Changed The Words

[kiwi_abroad]

Snip

I'm 26, and had much the same things to say about being disregarded due to my age whilst (performing rather well I might say) at high school. I thought it was ridiculous to discount my opinions due to lack of 'life experience'.

In retrospect, I understand it much more clearly.

Take a poll of 100 people, and ask them to rate their own intelligence, 1 to 10 scale, as compared to general society, 10 being 'clearly smarter than the average bear' and 1 being 'I have a sign in my bedroom saying "Pants first, then shoes"'. I suspect you'd be hard pressed to find more than 3 or 4 people who didn't rate themselves as of at least median intelligence. Truth be told, it's human nature.

This probably sounds a little patronising, but it isn't intended to be at all, I know you're a smart cookie who I'm reasonably certain is going to go on to do very bright things with her life, but when all is said and done, you're 16 years old. When you hear from someone,

"Do something with your life, then..."

what I suspect you are being told is akin to,

"Try and see the world as less clear cut than you do".

It's very easy to see things as polar extremes when in one's teens, as you haven't yet gained full use of the reasoning centres within your brain, which means that it's VERY easy to lose sight of the fact that the world is full of exceptional circumstances. Cutting sarcasm is often appropriate, but that doesn't mean it is often appreciated. It's a lot easier to see what's wrong than it is to identify what should be done to make it right.

Add to this the very human trait of endeavouring to identify with foreign things by grouping them mentally with familiar like things, and you find you are battling with the perception of your peers by society in general (who I propose be identified not as the i-generation by the press, but instead as Generation TL, DR), many of whom are [WILD GENERALISATION INCOMING] wholly self-obsessed.

When you feel like the world is treating you like a child, take a trip to somewhere patronized by 10 year olds, and eavesdrop. Remember that as far as they are concerned, they're old enough to have fully formed, reasoned opinions too, and that the world should take them seriously. But, of course, it doesn't, because they are 10.

Does it make sense to discount your opinion because of your age? No, it doesn't really. Is it always going to happen? I suspect so, for better or for worse. I suspect this was really more about catharsis than anything else, and I am aware of the fact that for much of this I rambled, but it's hot here, and I'm not thinking that clearly, so I apologise.

 

[Spleeni]

Taken from my usual studying of the wild things that I call my classmates, I can surely assure all of you that everyone thinks that they're smart, sexy, and mature.

Of course, this is only true for myself.

 

[prefectimo]

*SNIP*

I would have complained to the head teacher around about that point. Seriously, that's bullshit. Not only was she unjustified in the original complaint, she punishes you for being too good? Talk about tall poppy syndrome.

The teacher couldn't read words sometimes in books and would make spelling mistakes on the board. I didn't care because when I thought about it I realised that a letter A doesn't make me any better than I already am.

 

[Labyrinth]

"Try and see the world as less clear cut than you do".

It's very easy to see things as polar extremes when in one's teens, as you haven't yet gained full use of the reasoning centres within your brain, which means that it's VERY easy to lose sight of the fact that the world is full of exceptional circumstances. Cutting sarcasm is often appropriate, but that doesn't mean it is often appreciated. It's a lot easier to see what's wrong than it is to identify what should be done to make it right.

One of my all-time most used phrases is "..it depends on..." I use it habitually because I rarely see something as polarised. I realise it may seem this way, so don't take my distaste for the pin personally. I'm a huge fan of the grey area.

 

[Chiasm]

For me all the time when I do presentations asking(begging) for donations. Always ends up a room full of older members of the community. Business owners,School department heads,and any friends of the two, As well some times I can get the Lion's club or Rotary club. But they hate giving any cent to me.

Basically I have to get up there at 20 years old, And give a presentation explaining why they need to give money to the abuse shelter as well as how to help out the disabled in the city,For business and in school system. Luckily I have some of the best people who help me out and are not afraid to get up on stage with me or a amazing guest speaker.

All of which helps show people disabled and abused victims and children can all live a fulfilling life and be productive in our community and most of all make a good presentation.
One thing I have learned the older you get and the more money you get the more you end up loving presentations,Go old rich men.

 

[Peach_hat]

As long as I can remember most people have listened to my opinions seriously.
Could be because I don't speak in the third person.

*/Peach Hat belittles widdle intynetshzz lulz*

 

[Dommyboy]

I can walk into bars and I am underage due to my height, looks and voice. Every attempt I have made at trying to get into a club or bar has been successful. Tis weird. Though of course the advantages are numerous but younger people and really anyone seems to be scared of me.

One of my all-time most used phrases is "..it depends on..." I use it habitually because I rarely see something as polarised. I realise it may seem this way, so don't take my distaste for the pin personally. I'm a huge fan of the grey area.

I am also a huge fan of the gray area. Unfortunately some teachers don't find it to be a suitable answer when it's not a yes or no backed with some information.

 

[howard_hughes]

Every time I mention what my age really is everyone is shocked so I've stopped freely offering the information. The part I find most amusing about ageism is that everyone's guilty of it. Although I do think highly of myself and my skills currently I know that I always have and most likely always will, at the same time I look back on my life and can't stop thinking how stupid I was when I was younger. It's important to remember that no matter how competent or gifted you are there is someone more so and that you need to keep learning and growing in order to outmaneuver those rivals.

 

[ThePoodonkis]

When I was in year 11 I had to do an essay on something, I can't recall. The essay was done only in class and was done in 1 sitting. This was all fine and so when I finished I handed in my essay. A couple of days later the teacher held me back after class to have a little chat.

The teacher held me back to tell me that she had thought I had cheated and had got a Uni student doing journalism to do my work because it was of such a high standard. This was a lie and I pointed that out to her by recalling the events of that class.

I had entered the class without a pen and without the sheet of possible essay question and I had to borrow both off the teacher. She admitted to remembering this and, wait for it here is the kicker, she gave me a B+. I protested saying how could she acuse me of cheating one moment then the next she is giving me sub-par grades for what I was acused of. She told me that I should be happy with what I got and that I was lucky that I wasn't in more trouble.

Similar thing happened to me, but I didn't rewrite an essay. It stayed as a D for "Cheating/Plagiarism".
I honestly think my mind id broken. No matter what age, race, social group, etc.
I don't go "Hey an old person, I'll bet he's a bad driver!" or "I'll bet that Jewish guy's rich!".
Stereotyping is something I don't normally do. I don't know why, but I personally get disgusted with someone when they negatively stereotype people for anything. It just seems arrogant to me.

 

[Avatar Roku]

When I was in year 11 I had to do an essay on something, I can't recall. The essay was done only in class and was done in 1 sitting. This was all fine and so when I finished I handed in my essay. A couple of days later the teacher held me back after class to have a little chat.

The teacher held me back to tell me that she had thought I had cheated and had got a Uni student doing journalism to do my work because it was of such a high standard. This was a lie and I pointed that out to her by recalling the events of that class.

I had entered the class without a pen and without the sheet of possible essay question and I had to borrow both off the teacher. She admitted to remembering this and, wait for it here is the kicker, she gave me a B+. I protested saying how could she acuse me of cheating one moment then the next she is giving me sub-par grades for what I was acused of. She told me that I should be happy with what I got and that I was lucky that I wasn't in more trouble.

Similar thing happened to me, but I didn't rewrite an essay. It stayed as a D for "Cheating/Plagiarism".
I honestly think my mind id broken. No matter what age, race, social group, etc.
I don't go "Hey an old person, I'll bet he's a bad driver!" or "I'll bet that Jewish guy's rich!".
Stereotyping is something I don't normally do. I don't know why, but I personally get disgusted with someone when they negatively stereotype people for anything. It just seems arrogant to me.

Damn, that's rough. Did you challenge the grade?

Anyway, I rarely encounter this. Most teachers in my school are cool, and will at least pretend to see us as adults.

 

[WolfThomas]

Do I think I'm old? Fuck yes I do.

Pretty much the truth, at any point in time, you always think that you're old and that you were stupider when you were younger.

This isn't to say people are stupid when their young, if your clever at 15year old, good news your only gonna get smarter.

This was a lie and I pointed that out to her by recalling the events of that class.

Not to be pedantic but its not really a lie, more a misunderstanding. A lie is an untruthful statement most often with the intention to deceive others. Truth can be relative, she believed she was right, hence she wasn't lying. She was wrong but not a liar.

 

[Credge]

I'm 21 and I don't think I'm old. I still feel and act like a kid. I'm pretty indifferent about it.

 

[Fightgarr]

I'm young but I have an old soul. I take solace in that.

 

[Easykill]

Meh, never had to deal with it. Not the type to chase respect anyway.

 

[Metonym]

Well western culture is perpetrating agesism as an integral component of the bureaucratic system (where it was first seen), and the peddlers of our age has since followed suite dividing people into consumer categories and so on and so forth ,creating ways of thinking of ourselves that is convenient for mass marketing and consumption and bureaucracy.

But throughout history classifying people by age is more of an exception than a rule.
A lot of contemporary cultures does infact not class people based on their age or project meaning into age cohorts in the same sense as western cultures tend to do. Adolescense is a relative modern invention, and a consquense of having a lot of young people "tied" up in the gap between adulthood and childhood, that was practically non existant in history before industrial times.

Childhood as adolescense also varies with culture, as is very apparent if you look further than the western perspective.

 

[corporate_gamer]

I often get mistaken for a student at work. But this has the advantage of very few people jump on me to fix their computer. Where as everyone else in the department gets grabbed just walking the corridor.

In answer to the OP, there are advantages and disadvantages to ageism. I have never found any of this to be really prevalent in my life, no-one has disregarded my opinions based on my age (however they have based on my immaturity).

However, i am dyslexic and i for a history module we had to write a 3,000 word essay on a topic of our choice. I did the East India Company and spent the 3 months researching hard and really getting into the subject. Did myself a draft essay and handed it in to the teacher. It got a borderline U, i gave it to my sister who changed that to which and fiddled with the sentence structures, without changing any of the content. The essay then was handed in and got a A.

I felt it was a case of ignoring the content for the delivery. And this feeds into what you're saying about Agism, they are ignore what you are saying based on where it came from. But after i calmed down, i could understand why, the delivery is just as important as the content (as most modern politicians show) and like it or not who you are is part of that delivery. In the same way you wouldn't go to a job interview in a tshirt and jeans you might have to change your appearance to change how you are perceived.

 

[Mr. Squirrel]

I think that I'm both more mature and more childish than my peers (e.g. My peers (teenagers) act all mature by drinking and smoking and taking themselves to seriously, where I, noticing what I just stated, never smoked and have never been drunk, but I just act as me, which seems to be childish to them, but more mature to me. ), but people seem to think that I'm just childish and therefor don't think that I have good ideas.