Geezer Bashing

I've noticed a lot of geezer bashing lately. Mostly I haven't commented on it because there are so many more important reasons to be outraged, but this article in the American Spectator made me very angry.

FTA Seems like every time you turn on the CNN there is Barack Obama in his shirtsleeves or John McCain and his sidekick Sarah Palin (or is the other way round?) visiting a small town diner and pestering some poor retiree who's just trying to drink his coffee before it gets cold and gum a piece of lemon meringue before it congeals.

Is this supposed to be funny? Poor retiree? Are there any such creatures?

Sheesh I thought retirees were rolling in money extorted from the youngsters among us who are slaving away to keep us in the lap of luxury. We're so rich surely we can afford some decent dental work after all we're talking diners in Trenton, Bloomfield, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia here, not the dental wastelands of the UK.

The rest of the article is just as silly.

Naturally candidates go where they think they will be well, or at least politely, received and that means they stay away from fast food joints where the younger set is unlikely to be photogenic, able to speak coherently and/or receptive to the media or non-rock star political candidates.

This trashing of the geezer set isn't confined to foolish young "reporters." Yesterday I was astounded by the crass rudeness of a middle-aged woman at a Pain Mgt Clinic who in a very loud voice talked past a venerable lady obviously in great pain and told her son that he would have to manage her program because she obviously can't remember what she's been told and she, the health care provider's surrogate, doesn't have the time to continuously remind her.

This scene didn't take place in the privacy of a consultation room, but right out in the waiting room for all to hear.

I was so stunned, my head shot up from book I was reading and this cretin was given the benefit of my blackest look perfected over years of dealings with arrogant fatuous faculty. She had the sense to lower her eyes and look away. The lady in question gave me a brilliant smile and walked out of the room with the grace of a duchess.

I was already having second thoughts about my treatment at this facility and seeing their attitude with their most vulnerable patients, I think I'll keep my next appointment and then let them know why I would not be returning.