Chloe Oliver
Chloe Oliver of Foxworth writes a community column for the Marion County Informer. Her column appears each Wednesday.
By Chloe Oliver
In the aging process, many people observe more and participate less. Even though I am not oblivious to all things youthful or modern, some who read this may believe that my observations and opinions place me out of touch with the times.
Although I may not be the paragon of fashion, I can keep my pants from falling to my knees. This fashion statement is one that I do not understand. I constantly see young men holding their pants in place with one hand as they run, walk, or try to talk on the phone with the other hand.This seems a disadvantage. If it became necessary, how would they defend themselves with only one hand? If you can’t walk or run without needing one hand to hold your pants up, it might be time to buy a smaller size pant.
While young men want us to know the brand of underwear that they buy, many young women are doing just the opposite. Their jeans are often so tight that I honestly wonder how they ever got them glued to their bodies. This also must be a disadvantage. Standing statue-like has to be uncomfortable. Surely, it is difficult to bend when internal organs are so compressed. Equally boggling to the brain is how difficult it must be to get the jeans off-especially when the weather is warm. It seems to me that for comfort’s sake, the health of internal organs, and the panorama to which the viewer is subjected, a larger size would be appropriate.
Neither do I understand why I must be subjected to hearing other folks’ phone conversations while I shop at a store or dine at a restaurant. Many of these conversationalists have the audacity to delay transactions in stores, banks, at traffic lights, etc. They suffer from the delusion that we all must stop the world while they finish their phone discussions.
There is something equally vexing as having to listen to other’s phone conversations. I prefer to make my own music selections. Therefore, when I am in my car or yard, I’d rather not have my placid environment disturbed by unwelcome music. I use the term “music” loosely because most of this unwelcome noise just masquerades as music. It is as pleasurable as a root canal. I would not want small children to be subjected to such filth and flarn or the curse it, stalk it, stomp it, kick it, and kill it lyrics that accompany. It is an assault on the ears and spirit. Yet, like an unwanted disease, it envelopes me as I travel in my car or work in my yard.
An old expression states: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Perhaps I should observe less and participate more. If you see a middle-aged baby boomer with her underwear showing or someone with fat bulging over the sides of her skin-tight jeans while she talks on the cell phone and listens to extremely loud filth and flarn music-you will know it’s me. Just don’t expect me to acknowledge your presence. I’ll probably be too busy holding up my pants and phone to be able to wave at you or shake your hand. If not, I’ll be too deafened by the music and short winded from the tight jeans to speak or say hello.
Great column. My thoughts exactly,it is a shame to see young people doing just that. Hope to hear more from you.Keep up the great work.
love it. . i couldn’t have said it better than myself. . and i consider myself somewhat in the younger generation.
my mother (61) and I (35) were shopping yesterday and saw a size 3 young blonde girl in the early 20’s that pulled across a parking spot, blocking traffic on the lane, to wait on an ederly 80+ yr old woman to pull out of a parking spot. This was at a mall that had parking spots everywhere. . but she insisted on blocking my car from passing through just to save herself about 10-15 feet of walking distance to snag the spot from the elderly woman.
Reason for my short story. . .the youth of today is ultra LAZY, inconsiderate, and SELFISH. . . I would say thank you Dr. Spock for pursuading the mom’s of this generation X (I believe they are calling them) into Time out for punishment instead of hard labor and ‘whoopins’ as my folks would threaten me with.
Just food for thought. . maybe you can add it to a column sometime to enlarge the thinking of these lazy – spoiled “youngin’s”
I LOVE it!!!
you tell the Ms Oliver it start wilt the older guys who come back from jail not tell the kids what sagging really mean, and if they only knew what they look like go looking for a job and can’t even get hire for the way they are looking in some states thehy get fine for sagging we as peoples do need to do betterno one excluded
Black nor white young are old
Funny!
Soon the older generation’s time will be up and change will occur, just like it has in every generation past. Change is coming whether people like it or not. Eventually you’ll be too old and powerless to resist. Then the same thing will happen to the younger generation as they get older. It’s a fact of life.
To each their own. Freedom of speech… and not ALL of us young people do it. And not only that, a lot of stuff you older people do annoy us younger people too.
Denek,
That’s a well thought and well expressed reply; I’d be interested to see it expanded upon and replied to here. We all seem to be blind or oblivious to our own faults and sometimes need to be made aware of them.
“Too soon we get old and too late we get smart.” – Old Yiddish proverb.
Yes, but freedom of speech can certainly be carried too far.
BTW, the whole “freedom of speech” and “freedom of expression” arguments generally get brandied about way too often by those whose desires to express themselves usually interfere or in some way offend others. Otherwise, why would they even need to bring up the argument? It has become a catch-all phrase unfortunately.
I completely agree with you Derek…and grouping ALL of the “younger” generation together is certainly not fair to the group as a whole…I think before you go making judgements on a group as a whole you should look at the WHOLE group… I am 22 and I know plently of people who are around my age that dress decently and don’t subject everyone to their music or conversations on the phone. However I also see plenty of “older” people who carry the phone attached to their ear and don’t respect others when having their conversations… It is ironic to me how we always hear of the negative things my generation is doing or has done but what about the positive? Maybe people should take those things into consideration before acting as if every young person is the same as the next. What ever happened to being considered on account of your own individual self and not the “group”? People young or old will do as they please regardless of what anyone else thinks or says,and those very same people that criticize are often the very ones that don’t show respect themselves.
She did not say that “all” young people do the things listed in the article. The exact wording was “many.” I think we can all agree that many is not a far stretch….else these things would not be considered ‘trends’.
Nothing in this article concerning pants or music said”ALL.” As far as the cell phones and younger people, the first few lines of the article referred to youth and also things “modern.” The article never implied that those guilty of cell phone abuse were all young. I believe that the words”other folks’conversations” could be anyone of any age.Read and understand more closely.
I’m sure that what some older people do is annoying. My mother used to annoy me at times. Difference is, when your annoyances bother other people-such as music with curse words played loudly enough so that everyone else has to hear. What if everyone did that? Would you really like to hear some 60 year old’s Bach or Big Band music at decibels loud enopugh to wake the dead? If I teach my child not to curse, then I and my child should not have to listen to someone else’s music at aa stop light that has such words. That infringes upon my rights.
I agree, mom. I am only 30. So, much of this started with my generation. Yet, I share your lack of understanding for the trends. Underwear are called “under”-”wear” because they go underneath your clothes!
The pants sagging originated from jails and prisons. It was ment to let the other inmates know that “Hey im easy” LOL i guess the next fab will be wearing a mop head and lip stick!!!!!!
That is most correct, It did originate in prison and jail and for that same reason. They think it makes them look cool. And majority of them don’t really care. It makes them look stupid. Who knows what the next fab it gonna be? God Help us!
I being part of the younger generation (24) AGREE with this! I deal with the public everyday and usually get very disgusted with many people. It seems to me that common courtesy and good manners have completely left most of society. Between the clothing, inability to hang up the cell phone, and yelling at each other in public its no wonder some people can’t function in the real world.
Advice: Wear clothes that fit, hang up the phone, discipline your children, and air out your dirty laundry at home. Life will be much better for you that way!
“Advice: Wear clothes that fit, hang up the phone, discipline your children, and air out your dirty laundry at home. Life will be much better for you that way!”
Words to live by:)
one thing i see that bothers me with this age group is why the heck they cannon take their sunglasses OFF when they enter a building. it is so rude when i am dealing with a customer and they do not take off their sunglasses. i dont know if they are looking at me, the door behind me, or the merchandise on the shelves!
i also wonder where these kids took their english classes. some of the words i hear coming out of their mouths are not even plain english. sometimes the kids dont even speak loudly enough for me to hear the half-english words they are speaking, either. it is like these kids took a course in ‘mumble’ when they went to school. i guess this kind of goes along with the whole laziness thing…
btw: i’m 32 yrs old; just so ya know i am not some old fogey who just likes to complain about everything
If I look stupid before leaving the house, I expect someone to speak up, hurt my feelings if you have to.
Also, I would like to note that people can’t carry on a conversation anymore or write a proper sentence. Texting is contributing to the dumbing down of America.
I certanly agree with Derek!!!! Some people need to just mind their own business and stay out of others… Old people wear their pants up to their heart dang no1 wants a yeast infection…
Chloe you are the bomb keep it up now I’m gonna be hooked on the informer for real. If I know you, you will always tell it like it is!!!
I do not understand the younger generation either. I surely do not go for these young people with their pants hanging around their knees. I think it all boils down to respect. They just don’t have respect like we did when we were young. I don’t know if they were not taught to have respect or what.
It is sad that the younger generation seems to have no respect for themselves. That is something that everybody should have. R.E.S.P.E.C.T
Easier for the cops to catch them.
The “pants sagging” craze is like the Energizer bunny….it just keeps going and going. Guys started it as a fad in the late 80s-early 90s and still doing it! I bet some guys who were doing it in high school & now have kids of their own “sagging” in high school!
However, I disagree with the youth’s music. NO, I do not drive down the road with Soulja Boy bumping, but I am sure I do NOT listen to music that is pleasing to others either.
NO person can say that the music of their day was good and clean music OR that the music performers of their day was whole-heartedly accepted by all. I believe Rock-N-Roll in the 50s was the devil’s music and Elvis Presley could NOT be filmed below the waist when dancing! The performers of the 60s-70s were for the most part hippie drug addicts, and the 80’s were the Heavy Metal devil-worshippers.
I thought Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) was good because my 9 & 10 year old nieces loved her until I saw her “Party in the USA” video!
Well, she ain’t an innocent little tween star any more!
Each generation swears that their generation was the best! If you don’t like it, do what I do when country music comes on…turn it!