Tina Bishop
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03:53:09 pm on February 13, 2010 |
Thumbs Up for Our New “Old Generation.”
“Senior Citizens.” Whoever dreamed up that dreary description of much of our present population?
Sounds better than “old folks,” I guess. How did this happen? It seems that suddenly people began living longer. A whole new class of potential consumers was born: people who were still buying cars, attending theatres and restaurants, and going on world cruises. They may be “seniors” but they’ve got the dough.
Recently I went to a matinee performance at a suburban theatre. It was one of those experimental sort of plays with only two characters. I can tell you that the “experiment” was a flop. Within twenty minutes at least half of the white-haired audience was sound asleep. Very politely, mind you, no snoring. It must have been truly daunting for the actors to emote in front of row after row of nodding heads. At play’s end the curtain went down swiftly. There was no bowing, no call for the cast. One sensed that in their dressing room the actors must have sighed, “Phew. I’m glad that’s over!”
After the show, energized by their naps, the people piled into their tour buses, and happily discussed the “wonderful show.” They had enjoyed what they came for- a pleasant outing. Never mind the play.
Go to any afternoon performance and you will see the same scene. The same elderly folk are also filling the tour buses to the gambling casinos and the Broadway shows. The financial impact of “Senior Citizens” is astonishing. In former times these people would be stay-at-homes, busy with their cross word puzzles, needlework and TV programs. Now they’re browsing the internet, shopping for new wardrobes, looking for bargain hotel rooms, plane tickets, and seats for football games.Let’s stop patronizing our older friends. They’ve lived prudently, saved their money, and now they’re ready for a good time. Don’t tag them as “Senior Citizens”. They’re simply a little smarter than most of us.
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