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April 24, 2009
Damn kids
Sen. Corzine visit to Long Branch Senior Citizen Center, originally uploaded by Corzine Campaign.
Back in Lancaster, where I grew up, the main place to hang out was the shopping mall. I imagine it was like that in a lot of places. Predictably, the older folks in town decried the presence of the teenagers, especially on a Friday night. They look weird, they talk disrespectfully, they're not doing anything.
I never really thought much about it, until I stopped at a McDonald's on the way to work this morning. As I stood in line for my Southern Style Chicken Biscuit, I noticed an odd crowd of people in the room. Old people. Lots and lots of old people. Some of them were reading the newspaper. Some were drinking coffee. And some, by God, were just hanging out.
It was truthfully a little intimidating, being surrounded by men in khaki pants, white sneakers and "VETERAN" trucker hats. I didn't fear for my life or anything, but it did feel strange to be the one younger person in a sea of gray.
But, I thought, aren't they doing exactly what teenagers do? Going to a place where people like them gather, and wasting time? Most of them had merely spent 99 cents for a cup of coffee, yet there they were, walking around like they owned the place.
Sure, they read the newspaper instead of texting. They talked about politics instead of MTV. (Or whatever kids talk about nowadays.)
Maybe gathering is a human instinct. I don't want to be alone, I'm bored, there's nothing happening. I'm going to find some people like me!
Old people, I guess, aren't as threatening as teenagers. But now I know they have the same impulses.
entry no. 1361
Posted at April 24, 2009 07:55 AM