Are The Elderly More Likely To Be Racist?

[jd_1984]

The elderly members of my family (70+) are the most wonderful, kind and on most issues, open minded people I know.
But, the way that they talk about foreign people, different cultures now seen in many areas of the UK and asylum seekers, is bodering on what people my generation would label as "Racist".
They have clearly seen more changes to this country and see it as a very different place to how it was when they were growing up. So, can we excuse their views? If I talked about "the new muslim family that moved in next door" the way my grandad does for example, I would be branded a racist. But he doesnt think he is being racist, its just how he sees the world today.

[bhg481]

I remember as a little boy, back in the 50's, my dad jokingly accusing me of jewing (cheating) when playing games. It was 50 years later, when I worked with a Jew, that it was pointed out to me that it was Jewing (capital J) and was racist.

[rabet]

^ *** = N*****

[Stockethill]

I was telling my granddaughter the other day about during the war when my father brought me home a darkie doll from India, I never even thought about being racist but she told I couldn't say that nowadays.

[starone]

I reckon I can have a say here, since I am the oldest inhabitant. I have friends of all races, black, white and many shades in between. I do not notice what colour they are, to me they are people. They have many jokes about race and colour, for instance one very black man who was supposed to be working to rule but opted to use his car, referred to his action as white legging instead of black legging and thought it was hugely funny. Would laugh like a drain every time he repeated it. His laugh would make me laugh so that we laughed and shared the same joke together. Pity it can't be like that for everyone. I never use the n word - it seems pretty pointless when it is obvious - or should be - we are a multi-racial nation and had better recognise it and get on with it. I heard us referred to as a polyglot lot. I don't know what that means but it sounds about right. And, incidentally, when I was young I never even saw a different coloured face in my town.

[woofgang]

I think that the problem has been exacerbated by the mixing up of good manners with PC. words change in their offensiveness quotient and language and attitudes change and its good manners to (in general) keep up with these changes. Whatever people say, the words that jordy has used are rooted in disparaging names and a time when that disparagement was considered normal and should no longer be used. Most old people who I know are quite capable of keeping up with such language changes, I would suggest that those who choose not to are guilty of bad manners, and those who are unable to should be pitied as showing the first signs of dementia.
so jordy.....which is it???

[Dee Sa]

yes I suppose we are but not intentionally though, we used to be able to speak our mind, we would also like to see our country back as it was in the 50s & 60s its just wishful thinking of course.

[pixie373]

It's mainly difference in upbringing and changes in language, i think. It's a big generalisation, but i think racism is gradually, slowly, decreasing.

[Canary42]

This post is ageist. I am 71 and racism has no place in my views. The same applies to many of my contemporaries.

The blight of racism exists at all ages, possibly barring the very young.

[starone]

I consider I live in the best of all possible worlds (for the moment). I have lived through tormented times and do not want to do so again, so to go back to the fifties or sixties in untenable to me. I have reached this old, old age and am contented with what I have, which is not huge but enough for me. If only everyone felt the same, regardless of creed or colour, it would be an even better world. Pie in the sky, I expect. In case you are wondering, I am 86.

[Dee Sa]

rabet the famous legless flying ace Douglas Bader had a dog with same name, it used to wait on the airfield for him to return, I believe it was quite common at the time, also now a lot of black haired dogs are called Winnie.

[Sqad]

Dee Sa...Douglas Bader's dog was called "Grace"...........Guy Gibson's dog was called N1gger.

[sandyRoe]

I'm sure I used to buy brown shoe polish with a similar name.

[paddywak]

Dee Sa I don't know about Bader but Guy Gibson certainly had a black lab of that that name that was killed shortly just before the raid and was buried at midnight at the estimated time Gibson would have been over the dams,the code word for the sucessfull breaching of the dam was the N word.*** grave is still looked after and can be seen at RAF Scampton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Scampton_022.jpg

[FredPuli43]

You did Sandy. We had tins of it at home. Not very helpful as a description, since negroes have different shades of brown skin, but it sufficed. I had a paintbox which included "Chinese white", which was much more puzzling.

[Mammar]

Ratter - I didn't find your post was offensive but maybe Sainsbury's might

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2477153/Disabled-pensioner-banned-using-Sainsburys-home-delivery-service-calling-driver-coloured-gentleman.html

[woofgang]

so there was no immigration before 1939???????