Conversations With Old People

[Ashley]

The prequel to the Buffy episode.

 

Anyone else find it difficult/tedious? The combination of having to filter out certain topics/language, typically radically different political stances and the fact that by and large they don't live interesting lives (and nor do I) it just becomes difficult.

 

And I'm currently living with a 74 year old who will chat all the bloody time about the most tedious of things. And not just to people. To dogs, "the wireless", inanimate objects...

[ReZourceman]

Anyone else find it difficult/tedious? The combination of having to filter out certain topics/language, typically radically different political stances and the fact that by and large they don't live interesting lives (and nor do I) it just becomes difficult..

 

Yes, its true. I went to see the grandparents the other day. Just had to stretch out everything that was said really. And theres no kind of... direct family link between them and I now (with sister moved away) so its just very "......" just a ritual of going through "How is X. How is X's work" etc.

 

It was actually good to see them though, so thats good. Took my Grandma down to Focus and she bought me some anti freeze. But yes. It is very difficult to strike up things to talk about with old people.

 

And filtering out the language just leaves me with very little to say anyway.

 

And I'm currently living with a 74 year old

 

Not my cup of tea, but I won't judge.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I rarely find myself in a situation where I have to talk to elderly people. And when I do, I'm generally good at the whole "danger-free small-talk" thing, it seems, so all's good.

[jayseven]

My grandad likes to ramble on about various things, and I mostly sit and listen. He's an old codger and he's had an interesting life - even if I've heard the story already/two minutes earlier, it's one of few joys he seems to have. My nan is sharp and doesn't do teh rambling thing, she just says things like "help yourself to the crisps, I don't need them" then after two packs she says "WHERE HAVE ALL THE CRISPS GONE?!"... My other nan had a stroke and most people don't seem to have to patience to talk to her but I think I do.

 

I like to think that most old people ramble on purpose, and are laughing at our politeness inside. If they're not related to me then I find it way more agitating... but I still nod along!

[Serebii]

You know, back in my day we didn't have computers, we had an abacus. Just the one abacus. We shared it as a village in Little Cucumberton. It was a communal thing when we did maths but my stupid friend Frank always got it wrong, but only when he had a hat. Frank was fun until World War I which we called The Great War. During that war, he was leading a troop to try and capture Kaiser Wilhelm, but he got distracted and had to chase some Russians across all of Belgium. This is where he invented the motorcycle. However, in creating the motorcycle, he lost the world waffle and had to hunt down and kiill Lenin in order to get the word back. The important thing with this story is his hat. His hat was a fisherman's hat which he got back in 1903 from a stranger from the new world when he was 3.

[EEVILMURRAY]

In my old job at a pub which rarely saw a youthful clientele, I heard numerous "stories" or opinions on many matters. Most people today keep things short and sweet most of the time. Maybe text speak is some form of secret protest. Or they're still lazy fucks.

 

Either way whenever there's an older person "in the house", the word 'yeah' has never been used so often. Although I like to keep things fresh with some 'of course/hell yeah/I don't blame ya mate' etc.

[Ashley]

 

 

Not my cup of tea, but I won't judge.

 

Nor is it mine, trust me.

 

But im also living with my best friend so swings and roundabouts.

[Frank]

My god, what's wrong with you people!? Talking/listening to old people is just brilliant. I love talking to them

 

Well, most of them :p Especially the loopy ones who ramble. Don't tell me I'm the only one here?

 

About a month ago, I think, I remember getting the train to Dublin and I was sitting in one of those train seats for 4. I was by myself and I was sitting beside 2 very elderly women and a middle-aged man. I had a great laugh talking to them and they were telling me all these interesting things and kept offering me sweets. I saw them again in the train station and they wished me well

 

Also remember a friend and I having a conversation with an elderly French women in France(surprise, surprise!). Lovely women who got awfully embarrassed when she asked if we were English, apparently most French think every Irish person hates all the English :p

 

You're missing out, I tells ye! Or maybe, as I've been told, I'm actually an 80 year old trapped in a teenage body.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Frank

[The Peeps]

There's only one old person I enjoy listening to.

[Paj!]

All my grandparents are dead, so don't talk to many old people now. But when I do, the combination of the fact they're often strangers/distant relatives I've never met means I just have "that smile", and like EEVIL mentioned, say "yeah" really emphatically after everything they say.

 

My grandma on my dad's side never went "elderly" mentally, she was as sharp as ever when she died.

[enchantress]

I find the majority of elderly people fascinating to talk to. They've lived for so long, seen so much, and experienced things in life that we never give a second thought to.

 

Above all though, I'd give anything to be able to spend just a few hours with my grandmother again. I never got the chance to meet my other three grandparents, but my nana on my mother's side was very special to me. The lady practically raised me and although I knew her health was failing and that she didn't have long left, there was a part of me that was in utter denial and didn't want to face the fact she was passing. Even now I think back on the times I'd sit with her while she told me scandalous family secrets, as well as in-depth family history, and about her experiences in life, and find it hard to believe I'll never be able to sit with her again while she relays those stories like they only happened yesterday. I'd love to just come home from work, sit with her, and listen to her talk about her day even if it's only about her tending to her garden. I miss her dearly and find it sad that many people take the elderly for granted, especially when it's their own family members :/

[Oxigen_Waste]

I don't want to die.

[Mundi]

I'm not really good with small talk, so talking to old people gets kinda tedious for me.

Also, always when I talk to the elderly I get awkwardly aware of how much I swear in my regular speech and trying not to feels strange.

 

I don't want to die.

 

I was wondering why your posts have toned down recently.

[Coolness Bears]

Oldmen are awesome.

 

I had this guy come into my work and go...

 

"£25!? WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY THE CINEMA COST ME 4 PENCE...

 

but that was a long time ago."

 

*a small sigh and a look of regret*

[Ganepark32]

My only real conversations with old people come from those with my grandparents on my mother's side (I think I've met the grandparents on my father's side once when I was 4 or something. Don't know if they're still kicking around or not. Dysfunctional family FTW! ). My grandmother is very talkative and although she does ramble on slightly about her young days, she's still pretty sharp about most things. Whenever I go around, I'm usually there for hours as we end up talking and talking. It's kind of nice, even if there is the occasional overlap of stories.

 

My grandfather, on the other hand, isn't big on words. Not anymore anyway. There's been a marked degradation in the amount he actually invests in a conversation, as well as just generally in regards to his health. It's a shame really as we used to talk a lot about his days in the construction industry and stuff, especially when I was considering becoming an architect, but now he's become very quiet and only occasionally gives out a simple question or comment about how things are going.

 

There is the odd occasion where an old person may start a conversation while I'm waiting at the bus stop or something but like others, the word 'yeah' or 'I know' is thrown around throughout and it's not much of a conversation. Only met a few old people who ramble on and on about things occasionally although the strangest conversation I've had was with an old person with schizophrenia. Was rather frightening as she kept hitting herself.

[Frank]

Ah! Just remembered...hehe...

My cousin's grandmother (who I would still almost consider my grand-parent) loves to tell us all about her love life back when she was young. One story involved her rushing around town trying to go out with 2 fellas, at the same time, while simultaneously making sure they didn't bump into each other :p

 

Though I won't go into details, another story involved her being proposed to, by her now dead husband, they were happy blah blah blah then he had to move a little further away (just about an hour) so she had an affair, called off the marriage, got bored, decided to call back on the wedding :p

 

I love slutty old people, heh

[Emasher]

It depends what they're talking about. I like listening to interesting stories people tell regardless of age. Older people in a lot of cases tend to have more interesting stories to tell, especially if they experienced some great event or era. My grandfather who used to be a telegraph operator has loads of interesting stories from back then for example.

[Ashley]

It depends what they're talking about. I like listening to interesting stories people tell regardless of age. Older people in a lot of cases tend to have more interesting stories to tell, especially if they experienced some great event or era. My grandfather who used to be a telegraph operator has loads of interesting stories from back then for example.

 

True in theory but the people I know who did live through the war don't really speak about it or tell mundane stories. My granddad used to just say "join the army, learn Spanish, write a book". My landlady just prattles on about how in her day things were different (no specific or interesting examples, just it was different).

 

My nan (on my mother's side) is interesting, but that's because she's lead an interesting (in the dramatic sense) life. Although she was born in 44 so no war stories.

[Emasher]

I'd have to agree. My grandparents have for the most part had interesting lives. My other grandfather, grew up in west berlin, served in the US Army, stationed in West Germany at the height of the cold war, worked for a while in the World Trade Centre, and then sailed across the atlantic by himself. My dad's adopted father worked as a plane mechanic in London during the War as well.

[Ashley]

I'm sure my grandfather's life was interesting (he worked in the carpet industry apparently, owned his own factory or something and as part of it travelled the world) but all I ever heard was "join the army, learn Spanish, write a book." Which, yes, were things he wanted me to do to have a good life. I'll grant him that. But they don't make for interesting conversations :p

[Jonnas]

My grandmother tends to tell the wildest stories in an overly exaggerated manner, which always leaves everyone wondering how much of her stories is actually true.

 

Anyway, old people can be interesting to talk to. You just need to find the right topics.

[The Bard]

I know no old people, outside my grandparents and my Architexts lecturer from last year. I quite like talking to my grandpa even though he's a fairly needy dude who likes to do butt all other than play golf. I love the guy though, its really weird how sometimes male children tend to have an estranged relationship with their dad (such as I did throughout my teen years) probably because of some sort of fear of appearing un-masculine, but its sort of different with your grandpa. I guess paternal affection skips a generation.

 

As for my lecturer, everything he said used to have a perversely Freudian tinge to it, which was intriguing I guess, except every other response he gave was some sort of cryptic sexual reference.

 

I guess old people just feel really disenfranchised and alienated in the modern world. Fuck, even I feel old and unable to keep up. Actually, last time I was in Pakistan I talked to my grandpa at length about how the whole country had gone to hell in a handbasket. Not sure whether I was just humouring him.

 

Ramble ramble.

[dwarf]

And filtering out the language just leaves me with very little to say anyway.

It leaves you with nothing. NOTHING!

[Murr]

One time my friend and I were heading into town for a night out, we took the bus.

 

on this bus we sat right at the back (as cool kids do). I'm sat opposite my friend, and he had his feet on the seat next to me. There is a sign above us that say's keep feet off the seats.

 

a little later on in this journey and an old timer gets on the bus and sits at the back of the bus. sat next to us he notices my friend with his feet on the chair and then says "Excuse me can you see the sign there, please take your feet down!"

 

So my friend does, and nothing more is said for a while.

 

about 15 minutes later this old timer says to my friend "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, but it annoys me when people don't follow rules."

 

My friend replies it's not a problem,

 

the old man then begins to talk to my friend more..

 

Old man - "you know, it reminds me of a time when i was young, i had a toffee, and i opened it and threw the wrapper on the floor, well my father then clipped me round the ear and told me to pick that wrapper up......

 

(Insert 15 minutes of conversation that I cant remember, but didn't really go anywere....)

 

Old man - "and you see, i now know what my father clipped me for, he could see that i'd learnt my lesson, and he then gave me another toffee, but on this occasion i put the wrapper in my pocket. I learnt a lesson that day."

 

 

It was the most ridiculously long, pointless, all over the place story ever. all because my friend had his feet on a bus seat.

 

seriously it reminded me of the stories Grandpa Simpson tells...