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I think that I tend to agree with this. He (or she) has always had definite ideas about a lot of things and as the years pass, He (or Me) doesn't seem to want to be bothered by being polite about expressing those thoughts.
LOL I can relate. So often life seems like an endless re-run of The Emperor's Clothes. We're all supposed to pretend that we're just so dumb that we don't see the nonsense that's going on. At first you tell yourself it's harmless to go along with it. Why not let a fool parade around being a fool? But I'm reaching the age where, after 50-60 years of such foolishness you get sick of it, and you start saying the truth about what you really see.
Not quite there yet, though. I think the trick is to be clever. And brief. When I can post a single "common sense" remark then I am ready to join the ranks of Highly Honored Curmudgeons. But even then I'd probably use my curmudgeonly remarks sparingly. They're like jalapeno peppers--a little bit here and there is oh so good--but too much is oh so bad.
Curmudgeon has a few different definitions, but all of them seem to have something to do with getting older. Something about reaching the 55+ level in life makes people get cantankerous. Or maybe they just reach a point where they figure a few crusty comments might bring people back down to Earth (or at least get a laugh).
Some of the greatest wits of modern literature take great in being called curmudgeons. They use their wit to pop the bubbles of absurdity and flakiness that they see in the world around them. Other people say a curmudgeon is the grumpy old man who yells "You kids get off my lawn!"
So... what do you think? What is a curmudgeon? And, are you one? Are you becoming more so as you get older?
Also, can women be curmudgeons? Or would that be a curmudgeoness? Do you have a favorite curmudgeon, or maybe a few favorite curmudgeonly sayings?
And most of all.... what is it about reaching retirement age that brings this out in us?
If at 20 one is not an idealist, one does not have a heart.
If at 50 one is not an realist, one does not have a brain.
I like to consider myself to still be an idealist, but one with a large dose of reality....LOL
I've posted this before but it's obviously time to do so again.
"A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a serviceable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor." ~ JON WINOKUR
It's part of what drove me to retirement several years earlier than planned and optimum. After working almost 20 years in state politics I absolutely knew how it worked/didn't work too well, and why, and could no longer hold it in or play the game. Right-think, aka: political correctness, in which I never indulged anyway, had become a tumultuous roar and rather than get angry, as opposed to bemused and merely disgusted, I chose to leave.
My boss once "accused" me of terrorizing legislative staffers with my honesty and outspokenness for the sake of accuracy. I like to think he was right.
I guess curmudgeonliness as a condition became ingrained then graduated to an identity.
What's wrong with speaking your mind when you are older? No one can stop you- you are going to die anyway- sooner than most...Today I was helping my son work on his motorcycle..There is this young guy who imagines himself as a mechanic- He sticks his face in our business...He smiles like a little weasel when he approaches- is known as a thief and drug addict....I just look at the guy coming and say " Hey- what's with the weasel smile? Didn't you get your fill of bothering us yesterday? How about you get lost for a while" Yah- I am a curmudgeon.
"A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a serviceable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor." ~ JON WINOKUR
I have this book! LOL, how cool to recognize a quote from something I've read, especially since it's not a particularly well known book (just a really good one). I like Winokur's definition at the front of the book, too. I'll have to post it when I get home (depending on how long it takes me to find my copy. )
Free of the constraints of having to stay within the rules that govern their conduct to bosses, children, and other parts of society that we required to survive, those of us who are now comfortable no longer feel any impediment to expressing our opinions
All thoughts are well stated folks. You have expressed it better than I could have. At this age, I now say: I have no personal, professional or political aspirations and am finely free to be a curmudgeon.
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What is a Curmudgeon Anyway?
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