This is the 4th part of a 5 part series on elder hate groups in Facebook. You can also view part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 5
Today, I will examine some of the more hostile groups and discussions toward elders on Facebook. I will provide uncensored quotes in this post as usual. The Elders Tribune does not promote or sanction these ideas. I say this because out of the 1.7 million webpages on this topic, The Elders Tribune is now listed as the #2 elder hate group on Google, just behind Freydblog. Ironic, isn't it? This must be because of my posts on ageism day after day recently. In a way, I think this is good because people searching for information will find these anti-ageism stories first.
After our overview of more than 20 hate groups yesterday, today I have ventured into about 10 additional groups with even more hostile headings. Here are a few samples that I would like to bring to your attention.
Severe Hostility
Group: If this group reaches 2'000 people, i will push a old lady down the stiars
Size: 161 members
Although the messages are sparse, there is actually a discussion in this group by about 5 or so people. It's obvious from reading their messages that this is a joke to them. A few new members who joined are against the idea and voiced their concern. One of them asked, “yo thats fucked why would you fuckin do that are u fucked in the fuckin head.” (see my previous post on the use of extreme language) The next day, someone replies, “... for the guy who is against pushing old ladies down the stairs...guess what....your gettin' pushed next. watch out.” This same person threatened to push another girl down the stairs too for asking the same question.
So who is their target? Surprisingly, this has been discussed. The consensus seems to be their teachers. Resentment towards the education system on Facebook is common. Earlier in July, a few high school students from Toronto are suspended for labelling a staff member a pedophile on Facebook.
From reading more about this group, I would say that this is a group of young people being rebellious and trying to impress each other. I think one of the messages captures their sense of sadistic humor and vanity very well.
"If I was an old lady, I would feel honoured to have Brandon Graham throw me down a flight of stairs. It would be magical."
-- from the same chap who threatened other people
Group: I Beat up old people
Size: 53 members
Again, members think these ideas are funny. A person wrote,
sometimes i see old people in wheelchairs and i have a strong urge to push them down the stairs.
is that wrong?
Someone replies, “lmao” (laughing my ass off)
Group: asking old people for a quarter then throwing it in there face.....hahaha!
Size: 143 members
These hate group are often formed because some people think the title is funny. This group in particular is an example where the idea did not catch on and the members are now trying to think of another name for the group.
The purpose of these elder hate groups
From my investigation in the past three days, I think the purpose with regard to the elder hate groups on Facebook is clear. They are formed for:
- discussion of sadistic humor
- display of vanity
Maria of small change says it better than I can, "it’s about the sense of belonging by acting up, not acting on ..."
Why target seniors?
Since many subject matters are deemed socially unacceptable, the last safe haven for lampooning and discrimination seems to be the elderly. For this, I think the media is taking full advantage of and leading this movement against older people. My reasoning? Simply because they can afford to. Who is going to complain or stop them? The advertisers don't mind because you aren't where their money is coming from. And there's no PETA for the elderly. So why not? They need some subject matter to feed our sadistic minds, which, conveniently, they helped to shape.
Sadistic minds
We are often encouraged by the media to derive pleasure from inflicting pain. In fact, there are movies such as Jack Ass which does nothing but display stupidity that results in injury. And I'm not referring to some one-off show either; many like Jack Ass are big blockbusters and are ridiculously popular among young people.
Another piece of evidence is the recent prevalence of YouTube videos on school fights and even vandalism. Hundreds of thousands of people watch them. A few are even “made for YouTube." Some school children would initiate fights and perform illegal acts just to be popular.
A sad truth
In the end, those who get hurt the most by these hate messages are not the older people but ourselves, the younger generation. Our perverted values and mindset need to be corrected soon. Otherwise, I can't imagine what kind of society I will be living in when this generation of people who like to push people down stairs for no reason or beat up people to be popular would become the fabric of the soceity. Would something such as depicted in the video (not for kids) below happen? Somebody, please help us!
Fri, 2007-08-17 11:31
I came here from Big Fat Deal via Freydblog.
I hate to say it, Paul -- sidebar: I'm in my mid-twenties -- but you haven't said much in these articles on the Facebook elder hate groups.
You essentially say that the media and our generation's extreme culture are responsible for the posturing and idiocy one sees on Facebook. You plead for the older generation to help us, and suggest that we may soon live in a society where it will be OK to push the elderly down the stairs, which is alarmist at best.
You make some pretty facile arguments -- I mean, targeting Marilyn Manson, of all people? He looks the most extreme, which makes him an easy target, but he's intelligent and well-spoken; hardly the mindless violent threat that the media makes him out to be.
Saying that we all follow the media like clones is also a bit suspect, I think, as is the idea that the media usually portrays the elderly in a negative light. If anything, there is a penchant for "dear little old lady just trying to survive, isn't it awful that XYZ happened" stories on the evening news, certainly as opposed to "old man terrorizes neighborhood children" stories.
Now, I have no deep-seated hatred of the elderly -- I get along rather well with both my surviving grandparents (each of whom lives over 3000 miles away), my parents are in their sixties, and I can socialize with their friends just fine.
But. You want to know why there is so much vitriol aimed at the elderly? Yes, I'm sure part of it is fear of the unknown, mixed up with fear of one's own mortality. (From now on I'm going to use "you" to refer to the presumably older audience of this blog, and "we/us" to refer to the generation which includes Paul and myself. This is to clarify my arguments using broad generalizations.)
For those of us without regular contact with the elderly, on the road is where most of us see you the most often. Most of you learned to drive at a time and in an environment nearly unimaginable to the average teenager or twentysomething today. Even if we exclude any mention of those elderly drivers who perhaps should no longer be on the road due to lessened faculties (I understand that in our car culture of little public transportation, driving = independence -- and that's a different issue), your priorities while behind the wheel are usually quite different from ours. In general, we value speed, you, safety. This is bound to cause resentment. Neither side can argue the other into submission, so it gets expressed via road rage.
Speaking of resentment, let's talk about finances. My generation can, all evidence to the contrary, do the math. There are a lot of you. There are not as many of us. You're all not only growing older, but staying alive past retirement at a rate unheard of in history (not blaming you, obvy; beats the alternative). But that does mean that, when we look at an older person with whom we have no personal connection, it's hard to see them as anything but a looming tax burden.
We come from a generation that has never in its adult(ish) life been able to trust or respect our government. We think the concept of privacy as an inherent right is hilarious, as we've never seen it in action. We're the ones who will be sent to war by the leaders you elect (we're well aware of who holds politicians' attention, which contributes to our voting apathy). We think about information and morality in completely different terms.
Wow, this turned into kind of a rant.
I can't solve the problem, obviously. I'd be a lot richer if I could just have the answer to societal issues.
Communication is important. Show us *why* manners and politesse are important. Remembering the violent emotions that controlled you at our age will help. Ignoring the worst of the nonsense, as you would ignore a kid's tantrum while still loving the kid, will help; eighty per cent of it is driven by a need to show off or fit in, and isn't personal.
And, er... if you're not going over 75, please don't drive in the fast lane.
Fri, 2007-08-17 17:03
That's a great rant. I agree with you that typically a young person's only chance of contact with older adults is on the road and that our values on the road are very conflicting. However, I don't agree that the elderly is a tax burden. There were the decades when the same retired person would have been paying taxes, even before we were born. Not to mention that our society today is literally built by older people. Also, I think both the very young ones and the seniors are at the mercy of the middle aged people. They are the real power in the political and financial worlds.
As for my Marilyn Manson reference, I picked him because he's the most famous and the first of the "extreme" type as far as I know. (moral and taste aside, I think he's creative for starting a new trend) There are plenty more examples, 50 Cents, Paris Hilton, etc. Basically, I think any of the younger idols try to out-do each other with extreme behaviors. Which I think you'll agree with me, is what made them famous in the first place. Anyway, I'm not trying to point fingers at any particular celebrity, but I'm merely commenting on the trend that I don't like seeing.
I agree that most of these hate groups are young people trying to express vanity or fit in. It's one thing to be impolite or bad mannered, but another to be expressing hate and hostility based on stereotypes.
Thanks for taking the time to voice your view. I'd love to hear more from people with different opinions.
Tue, 2007-07-31 10:22
Thanks for your research and for a thoughtful analysis of what you found. I haven't read the rest of your series yet, but you did a really nice job on this.
Tue, 2007-07-31 11:13
Hi Betsy, thank you for your words of encouragement. I am glad you find this useful.
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