For the "old people" complaining argument -- I've worked at my father's small business since elementary school (gotta love Italian-American families and their disregard for child labor laws) and I've seen pretty much every type of person there is, and I feel that I can chime into this conversation.
I think the issue is less that older people are rude, but rather that their attitudes are something that was totally acceptable in the 70s-80s and prior, but not so much anymore. As a teenager, nothing stresses me out more than the 65 year old who takes three millennium to clear check-out (whether it be because they're putting their receipt away, looking for their keys, etc.) but I can understand that doing stuff like that wasn't weird thirty plus years ago. People took their time. (And this isn't just an assumption either. My parents had me late -- 41 and 38, respectively -- so I have their first-hand accounts of how things used to be).
While my natural instinct as a person who grew up in the "instant internet age" is to screech: "PLEASE MOVE AWAY FROM THE COUNTER, SIR!!" I can understand the generational gap between myself and the customer and always make a point to simply make polite conversation with them as they clear the way, while shooting apologetic glances towards the next person in line (who usually is equally understanding and waves it off.)
This attitude carries over into how older folk tend to be more vocal about things they dislike. My favorite examples are the people who come to me, a lowly cashier, and demand that I lower the price on products that they think are "rip-offs." Nothing is more rude, imo. But again, there's that generational gap. If you did the same thing thirty years ago, chances are you'd get a discount. Whenever I'm confronted with a customer like this I direct them to my father (who sometimes gives those discounts, being as old-fashioned as he is.)
I'd say the same thing is happening with the Bette absence situation. People feel ripped off, so they complain about it because that's the only way they know to get results. Unfortunately for those people, that's not how the world works anymore. I'm in no place to say if that change is for better or worse, but it's just a simple fact.
I do think that both sides (old and young) would do well to acknowledge that they've basically grown up on different planets, though. My father is pushing sixty now and he's an open enough person to understand how people my age work: quickly, efficiently, and often impersonally. Does this mean he doesn't take his sweet time at the store, or complain loudly and publicly when something upsets him? No. Just last week he exited the theatre of a popular Broadway show shouting: "THAT WAS HORRIBLE!" at the top of his lungs. And did I briefly contemplate running away and denying any relation to him? Of course. My dad and I hardly agree on anything, but we both agree on mutual respect, which is something I think everyone needs to work on.
Updated On: 7/20/17 at 10:29 PM
