General Chat

Being of the older generation (although at 65 I don't consider myself yet to be elderly), I don't think i am guilty of bad manners. Sometimes elderly people can be 'in a world of their own' and sort of drift to the front of the queue without meaning to be rude. Sometimes they get confused and yes I agree, sometimes they are downright rude. But i think it is not age that makes them that way, they will always have been rude people. Sometimes I, and i suspect others, are guilty of not getting out of a younger persons way when they are in a hurry but that is because I am hard of hearing and, because traffic noise is painful, i don't wear my hearing aid out to the shops and I often don't hear a murmured 'excuse me' or a bicycle bell (when i and the cyclist are on the pavement.. I always hold doors open for people with buggies (and often don't get a thank you for it). There are just a lot of ill mannered people about and it has nothing to do with age. Ann Glos

I agree with every single one of you. There are some smashing Recycled Teenagers out there (meant in a nice way!), but unfortunately some pretty grotty ones too. Ooh Elizabeth - you swore! Ooh. Sorry, I had a chuckle to begin with, but I would've been angry too. x

Let me ask you that again only in broad Belfast.... So,did ya spell it rite er wat ? :~)

Got it wrong twice!! Had to update!! ;o)) <<<KK>>> XX

so...did you spell it right or wot ?

Elizabeth!! I ended up looking it up in the dictionary actually!! You Bad Naughty Girl!! PMSL <<KK>> XX

KimKat,take note. eggs.add.your.ate. :~))

LOL Elizabeth! You tell em gal! I agree with earlier posters: Rude young people grow up to be ruder old people!! They say that your personality traits (good and bad) get exaggerated with age!! KK XX ps how the heck does one spell exaggerate? Oh well - you get my gist?

Anybody ever go into m and s .........I dont often go in there,but my son asked for one of their chocolate puddings instead of an easter egg.Shear ignorance is what I call it.These so called 'ladies',pushing and shoving.I got whacked up the arm,on the leg,on the back and if you believe it,on my ear !!! They shove and push with shopping baskets.My feet were trodden on and when I had had enough of this I actually started shouting at them.'Wheres the bloody fire',when I got no answer from them,I shouted again, 'is there a half price sale on in the knicker department'. Know what one shit said to me.....dont be so common dear.stop shouting.I just eyeballed her and asked was she going to apologise for whacking her basket into me a number of times.She didn't even take time to answer.When I saw her at the check out,I couldn't help myself.I had to ask her,'was bruising my body with a metal shopping basket,worth the packet of pre packed sandwiches'.I never did hear an apology but I think she finaly felt a bit of embarrassment.

When I was a child my mother always taught me to wait for others to get off the bus before I attempted to get on. A while ago, I was getting off a bus and an old lady who was getting on pushed past me and a young woman carrying a child. When I said to her it was good manners to wait until others had got off the bus she replied that she was old and could do what ever she liked. I think bad manners exist in all ages, but the elderly do seem to try to 'pull rank' in the name of age and with rudeness too. Margaret

Yes manners of elderly people are sometimes awful the think they can get away with anything. About 12 years ago we were shopping in Tesco and an old lady pushed my son who was 10 to the floor and said get out of my way sonny. I was absolutely fuming and tore a huge strip off her in front of lots of customers in Tesco! When Id finished the customers started applauding me because they had seen what the impatient old lady had done to a small boy. Davex

Its sad to say but my dad turned into one of the obnoxious pensioners you all mention!!! He was very bitter and nasty to the whole world, inculding us at times!! I think becoming infirm made him frustrated and angry that he was failing to cope well!! Karen

It's surprising how many times an elderly person has let a door close on me when Im obviously struggling to enter a building with a grandchild in a pram! Yes Len, deffinately more about their upbringing, I think people sometimes forget that the older a person is, dose'nt necessiarily mean they are better mannered! Lib:))

The manners people have when they are elderly have been with them since their formative years. Its more a case of upbringing rather than age. I am only 81. Will let you know if things change when I get old. len

Last Monday I had been waiting for my bus for 20 minutes, after being in the hospital for over two hours due to an infection in my foot. I was first in the queue and as the bus pulled in an old woman run out and onto the bus first dragging her husband behind her. When I got on I was so angry, also in a lot of pain and I asked her didn't she have the letter Q in her alphabet, her face was a picture, she started to apologise, but I told her what to do with her apology as by this time I wasn't in the mood for her falseness. M.

I used to wait for a bus at Oxford Circus. Every evening there would be one or two in the queue. When the bus came there suddenly appeared about two busloads from the shops. All thinking they should be first. On the tube queuing to go through the ticket machines, there were always many who thought they had the divine right to go to the front of the queue. Dave

First of all may I say that I am not saying this because I am a Pensioner! I once worked alongside old people and I spoke to a Gerontologist (hope I spelled that right) and he said that if someone had been sweet natured and charming when young, it was likely that they would end up that way. The same if they had been nasty or rude when young, they would turn into nasty old people.. I would hazard a guess that the rude pensioners encountered by the people who replied here, were once upon a time...rude young people! lol BC

I remember when my son was 10 months old and I had to get a bus from town to my mum's. I'd just missed one so had to wait half an hour for the next. When it came there was a big queue, most of them pensioners. Although I was the first one at the bus stop if I'd tried to get on first I would have been trampled in the rush. Not one of them said to me you're before me. Instead I struggled on last with my son and a heavy pushchair. However, having said that I've also talked to a lot of elderly people who have been polite and friendly. Juliexx

Just back from a hotel with Russian and Polish staff. The tea girl says that the difference between the young and old holidaymakers is that the oldies say 'please' and 'thank you'. I teach my grandchildren the same thing. Their mum tells them there is no need to say please and thank you. I accept their are some grumpy old people, bur often this is down to pain or feeling that they are infirm and have no life to look forward to. Obviously we must speak as we find. Happy days

I live in an area that has a high proportion of 'over 70's'. For the most part, they are all very nice but like any community, there are a few rotten apples. Seemingly though, these rotten oldies were also rotten youngsters. I don,t think age makes a person rude and obnoxious. They,ve always been like that.