Yes, yes – I have a vested interest in age discrimination. But even if you’re enjoying the delights of youth or even middle-age, you should be mad as hell and raise your voice to say it’s just not on in this age of equality.
Did you know that if you’re old(er):
1. You’d better move to Britain or the south of Ireland. Because there they don’t allow age discrimination in terms of goods, facilities and service (GFS). In our little corner they do.
2, Politicians will make a cod of you. The Stormont Executive in 2011 said they were committed to getting rid of age discrimination injustice. It’s as well the oldies are patient, not to say alive four years later, because it still hasn’t happened. The parties in the Executive can’t agree on how to do it.
3. You can be denied life-saving treatment for, say, cancer because of your age. Your reaction to this could be “Ah sure, isn’t it better going to someone young?”. Alternatively you could ask “Why am I being handed a death penalty because I’m old?”
4. An insurance company can refuse to give you a quotation if they decide you’re too old. They’ll not say that. They’ll just mumble about company policy and the system, but in the end it’s because you’re old. So try changing that ‘old’ to ‘black’ or ‘Jewish’ or ‘Irish’. Get the picture?
5. In shops, supermarkets and and in stores, young women will call you “Dear” and “Love” and “Pet”. You must not mistake this for some kind of come-on. It just means they see you as harmless and maybe a bit half-witted. Look deep into their eyes and you’ll see that behind them they’re thinking “Will this old coot start shouting or have a heart-attack if I’m not nice to him/her?”
The Who were wrong when they sang “I hope I die before I get old”. But only just, only just.
Well Jude…I intend living until I’m at least 120, soi reckon that only makes me about
middle aged now !!!
A now, Jude, come on ! Everybody including those well informed mutts on the street know young people have bore the brunt of cuts over the years.
Ná dean dearmad/Do not forget:
is ciúin iad na linnte lana/ still waters run deep.
One can die socially before one dies biologically and only dead fish swim with the tide.
It is the older members of society that endured the ‘troubles’ and this is their reward as part of the ‘peace dividend’, to be refused by the NI Executive the same protection under the law as that enjoyed by older people everywhere else on these islands.