A Chicago Area Characterization Of People (Wheaton, Orland Park: mortgage, income, home)

[HOWELL_STREET]

In the Chicago area - - and probably elsewhere - - young adults have characterization terms such as "Yippy, Hippy, Yuppy, Puppy and Dink". A 'Dink is 'double income and no kids'. I am also the each generation has invented their own characterization language that I know nothing about.

Also characterized are usually older retired men. They are usually referred to as a 'Dinasaur'.

Hollywood has given us such a characterization and several others. - - I am an older retired man who looks like a very nice father and even acts like one too. - -

However, in reality ... an older retired man is merely interested in talking with you or sharing his past expereinces - - that in reality - - are quite fascinating. It is Hollywood who has characterized a "Nasty Old Man".

So with this 'OP' I am trying to encourage young adults to be more friendly in your daily walk - - and to open up in face to face friendship with everyone. This is what we what desperately need in America, today.

A good way to characterize an 'old man' who might expect as being 'nasty'... is to first live and hike in a safe community.

Then notice how the person is dressed --- then his facial features - - and then is a smoking a cigarette?

If you can pass your instant / silent judgement in a positive way, then take the 'initiative' to say 'Hi'. After all, if the person resembles your father in a generic way... then he will probably act like your respectable father as a new friend.

Perhaps you do not agree with everything I suggest since I generalize. But try it some time to find a new friend rather than finding one in a local tavern. After you have had a few too many... then you cannot characterize anyone. You could be surprised of the results here in the Chicago areas.

Carter Glass

[HOWELL_STREET]

Since I messed up a little with missing words - - I later tried to edit the 'op' to straighten out its meaning. I did an 'edit' function hoping I could do that but then got kicked off the line from my ISP.

Is it possible to edit to straighten out missing words? Or perhaps that won't function? Any one have ideas on this?

Carter Glass

[ahava]

Originally Posted by HOWELL_STREET

Since I messed up a little with missing words - - I later tried to edit the 'op' to straighten out its meaning. I did an 'edit' function hoping I could do that but then got kicked off the line from my ISP.

Is it possible to edit to straighten out missing words? Or perhaps that won't function? Any one have ideas on this?

Carter Glass

If you send a DM to a moderator they can fix it for you. There's a limited amount of time in which you can edit a post after posting it.

[sunsetcliff]

A safe neighborhood in Chicagoland will cost --Orland Park is hot these days.

[xxJoyfulxx]

I think I'm in that "young adult" generation you are referring to and I have never heard of most of those terms. Except "hippie" and "yuppy", neither of which are used to generalize the older population, whether it be male or not. If those are "hollywood" terms like you say, they must not have made it all the way out to the Chicagoland area yet!
I do agree that everyone could benefit from being a little friendlier and reaching out to people who they may not have normally befriended. I don't know how i feel about the generalizing you have done with your OP, but I whole heartedly agree with the suggestion and hopefully everyone will keep it in mind and reach out. It's very hard for people to get over their pre-conceived notions they form about people, individually and as a group; we could all use a more open mind.

Joy

[HOWELL_STREET]

Hello Joyful:

Thank you for your very nice thread. I suppose one could say that it is a communications gap between my generation and yours. Obviously, each generation has their own language. I am 66 years of age but I have four young adult children. Many times, I have to ask them to explain what they are saying because young people - - at least my own kids in the 30 year old range - - tend to use abbreviations and terms that I have never heard.

A number of years ago, I was taking a walking - short - cut through the band shell park in my home of Wheaton, IL. At the time, I wasn't feeling in a good mood and didn't want to say 'How Do' to a young lady who was approacing me. So I looked towards my feet and inadvertantly gave her the wrong message. As we passed, I heard her say... "Put your eyes back into your head, you old dinosaur." Since I was a father of already three of our four children, I absolutely had no romantic interest. However, she assumed otherwais since it was a warm summer day and she was somewhat scantly clad.

When young women are scantly clad - - what else can they expect of younger males? It is just a normal reaction for males and so this gal has no 'right' to say 'Hey this is okay' of one young male... but not okay of another'.

This is how some women get into trouble. But that is just my opinion as an 'Old Dinosaur'.

Best Regards,

Carter Glass

[xxJoyfulxx]

Well, I guess it can also depend on how you were raised - and where. Since my grandfather was THE most amazing and prominent male figure in my life until he passed at age 79 when I was 23, I obviously had - and still have - a very different opinion on older generations than what you describe.
But the media tends to portray older men as "creepy old man looking for younger women to exploit" in movies and TV (and especially politics! they don't set the best example) - and it has got to be very difficult to be in that generation.
I was always taught to be respectful of my elders and I deeply miss my grandfather's wisdom, humor and conversation. I have some very close male friends who are 20+ years older than I am - and they have very functional lives and families ( no ulterior motives at all ) - and I truly appreciate their friendship and conversation. I've often heard comments like "what do you talk about?" or "but he's so old!", people just can't fathom a relationship like that. Which I think is just rude. Age is nothing but a number when you are open your mind and heart to friendship.
I'm 30 and I see value in everyone.

So Carter, I think it just depends on the person. I would like to think that not EVERYone in my generation is closed minded and downright rude to older generations. It's a sad thing that you have felt such prejudice for something that is so innocent and NORMAL. Your "suggestion" to younger generations to basically lighten up, is very called for.

And when you said "How Do", it just warms my heart because that is an exact phrase my grandfather used all the time. Thank you for the memory.

[mdz]

Originally Posted by xxJoyfulxx

I would like to think that not EVERYone in my generation is closed minded and downright rude to older generations. .

Absolutely right, and of course, it goes both ways. For crying out loud, let's all just be nice to each other.

There, I've just solved all the world's problems

[HOWELL_STREET]

Thank you for staying with me and my comments, Joyful. Sometimes I write on controversial subjects so that I may encourage people to think for themselves.

Back in the 1960s television scene, there were two well known TV comedians known as Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton. Gleason had his own program separate from his also famous, "The Honey Mooners".

So one time, Jackie made a movie that was entitled, "GIGOT". In French, I suppose it would be pronounced, "DJEE - GO". In the movie, GIGOT meant "Garbage In, Garbage Out".

So Jackie played a simple minded man who searched around some forgotten junk yard - - looking for his means of survival. The movie was excellent. It was quite interesting because Jackie Gleason was a master at commedy. Incidentally, so was Red Skelton.

So how do we related to GIGOT, today? In my view point, it is the garbage in and garbage out of our current television market in the U.S.

Now, obviously, this is my personal opinion that I express and you may not agree with.

However, you as "Joyful" of Belvidere, IL - - I sense from your excellent widsom of your grandfather - - that you have superior kowledge and wisdom that maybe some people in the Chicago area do not possess. In fact, in all areas of the U.S.

So as mentioned above, I try to encourage people to think for themselves. To do so, I go off on a tangent many times.

Is it far better to sit in a screened in - porch some beautiful summer evening - - to chat with husband or a date? Or is it better to watch some contemporary "GIGOT" on television in the form of junk information that corrupts one's mind? To me, the answer is obvious. But to others, maybe they form their own opinions as their 'tangent'?

Once again, this is my opinion and maybe not 'yours'. I use the word 'yours' , generically, as anyone who is reading my thread.

Since you are from Belvedere (sp?) you probably also know a lot about Cherry Valley, IL. So I would like to encourage you to visit the City - Data Forum of "Mortgages" and "Education". Similar to "Chicago Suburbs", people on those forums sometimes ask questions about similar towns such as Cherry Valley.

Since you have a lot of wisdom from your grandfather - - I kind of wish that I could have been your grandfather. Have a very nice day !

Carter Glass,
Wheaton, IL &
Cortland, IL

[Lookout Kid]

As a still somewhat young male (early 30s), I would love to have more of a connection with the older generation(s) in my area. But I am finding that our entire society is lacking the concept of community that once existed. People move in and move out, and rarely get to know their neighbors anymore. I find that this is true in both the city and suburbs--but mostly with the middle and upper-middle classes. Our existence is constantly wrought with movement and temporary living conditions. Most Americans now move more than every five years!

I live in a dense area of the city, and am making a stronger effort to get to know my neighbors. My building has residents of all ages, and it has been a great experience to get to know them all. Perhaps the next thing I will do is volunteer at a nearby nursing home. I find those places sad and difficult to visit, but we will all end up in one some day!