I AM being a grown up …

[blamebrampton]

I'm trying to read and comment more on LJ in a bid to support everyone's mission to keep the LJ-based fandom going. I just had a quick skim through a commentary on part of Deathly Hallows and despite the writer raising loads of interesting and a few excellent points, I am now obsessed with one line, and I paraphrase: 'Rowling minimises our experience of the torture of this old man.'

The writer was talking about Xenophilius Lovegood. HE IS MY AGE OR A LITTLE OLDER OR POSSIBLY EVEN YOUNGER!!

I am so filled with righteous indignation! I ride hundreds of kilometres a month! I could do that a week if I didn't have to go to work! I have all my own teeth! In a fight with Snatchers I would probably go down because they are Wizards, but I would go down biting and they would seriously regret their life choices!

Bloody young people today! Where's someone Gen Y or younger so I can patronise them? I bet you can't do long division without electronic assistance! There! That'll show you! Bah!

Excuse me, I require a cup of tea and a good lie down.

*Exits, muttering.*

Comments

[celestlyn.livejournal.com]

Can I share your righteous indignation? Ageism is rapidly becoming one of my pet peeves. I'm definitely older than Mr Lovegood. Unless he and his wife had Luna when he was over 40 he could hardly be called an 'old man' and even then I'm leaning toward still middle-aged. With children at Hogwarts the parents are likely to be between 30 and 50. Hardly old. Perhaps the commenter actually meant 'old-ER' man. Yeah, that's it. And even if he was 50, which I doubt, that is apparently not old by wizard standards.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's so wacky! In the real world I have good friends half my age and we get on super well: they come to me for recommendations of old music and loans of authentic 80s gear, I go to them for new music and shopping tips. We ride, bushwalk, play music and do stuff, like normal people.

But take it onto the internet and suddenly it's all 'OMG! People in their 40s having sex! EW!!! In their 50s? EEEEEWWWWW!!! Older than that? No way!'

I did have a junior once who was all 'There is no way people my mum and dad's age still have sex!' and since the age group on the mag ranged from 40-55 we did a quick check of her parents' ages and then laughed and laughed and laughed.

As we gently pointed out, once we had calmed down enough to speak, the alternative would be a sex life that lasted a maximum of about 20-25 years, and while she might currently think that was plenty, in a few years, she would definitely change her mind!

[nenne.livejournal.com]

"Old man"? *shrill voice* That is just rude!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

SO outraged!

Kind of laughing a lot at the same time, but still, outraged!

[sinden.livejournal.com]

I'm planning to grow old disgracefully -- BUT I AM NOT THERE YET! *hurumphs*

[ashindk.livejournal.com]

Really? Old man?
My daughter will be Luna's age in.... 5,5 years. And I really don't plan to keel over dead any time soon.

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

Isn't it weird? I've actually been making notes to write a blog post on this. I'm weeks off being 38 and while I am really fine with that, and don't mind turning 40 (or even 50!) at all, I also read something the other day for a skin condition I seem to have and it says that it develops in 'middle age', and I thought, 'bugger. I guess that's me, then.' And then I wondered, why do I hate the idea of being 'middle aged'? It has such negative connotations, doesn't it? What is it we dislike about it, so much?

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Giggle snort. Ah younglings

I always like the stories where hermione is described as being over the hill at 25.

[sassy_cat]

Ageism is prevalent and one of the few prejudices that people still excuse away. 'Oh, they don't know any better, they're young.' I think they know but see no value (beyond mooching off their relatives) in older people.

Amazingly enough, when they're called out, they always seem to be the same people who start babbling about checking privilege... because they couldn't possibly have any privileges of their own.

[germankitty]

*joins the general outrage*

This is quickly becoming one of my pet gripes in the HP fandom -- that anyone over 40 is basically "old", or "elderly" at best. Granted, I found my first grey hair on my 19th birthday, but even now when I'm much closer to 60 than I'm totally comfortable with, I haven't completely joined the Silver League yet. (And yes, I dye my hair; I'm way too young to go grey!)

Supposedly, wizards/witches live an estimated 25 years longer than non-wizards (given that Dumbledore, at 110+ years, is considered quite old, a roughly 100-year lifespan on average sounds reasonable); going by that, middle age should start in their sixties or thereabouts. Certainly not with the Marauders' generation, though; even Molly and Arthur would only just edging towards middle age ... despite weight problems, glasses and thinning hair!

(Related rant: Most of HP fandom used to complain loudly that the actors chosen to play the adults were "too old". A while ago, I looked all of them up, and lo and behold, with the exception of Alan Rickman, pretty much everybody fell within 5 years or so of their character's supposed age. Hardly "too old", IMO, and it's not Gary Oldman's/David Thewlis' fault that they had a certain lived-in look about them, and thus did not fit the Hollywood-glamourized stereotype of sex gods in leather pants thirtysomethings. Hmph.)

[valkyrie17.livejournal.com]

Makes me laugh, because so many very young women consider Alan Rickman very sexy. Some have conniptions when they find out how old he is:)

[coolblue67.livejournal.com]

Ha Ha! I wonder if those same youngsters will remember the naive comments they're making now when they reach our 'old age'? Don't they know they're no where near having even started living life yet. ;)

[incandescent.livejournal.com]

I always did have the impression that Lovegood was an older man - perhaps because of the way he acted in the book. But I don't think I ever knew his age. How old does Rowling say he is?

Hi. I'm Gen Y. Feel free to patronize. Seems like a lot of people do it anyway. :/

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I can't really, I'm a big fan of the majority of Gen Y: on the whole, you're a socially engaged and engaging lot. But I must say that when one of you goes bad …

We're never given an age for Lovegood, but most people father children when they are aged between 20 and 40, and Luna is 17 in DH. Since Rowling never draws attention to the fact that he is unusually old for a parent, and OK-ed Rhys Ifans to play him (an actor at the lower end of the expected age range), it's logical to assume that she imagined him as not being one of those rare men who decided that 70 was a good age to have their first child.

[incandescent.livejournal.com]

Pfft. Yes, 70 would have made him an 'old' man. Though he certainly is quirky. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Aaah *chuckles* at least he had what looked like white hair. I've started every single mention of me anything doing in life with "back before you were born" and hope they think I'm kidding (I'm not). And I couldn*'t do any of your feats of strength *holds onto cuppa*

[sassy-cissa.livejournal.com]

Being considerably older than you - I share in your indignation. Or I will after I take a nap. :P

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

This brought me laughs.

*joins you on the lawn shaking fist at whipper-snappers*

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

I remember the days when 40 seemed old.

*guffaws*

In some ways, it still does, but that's because I forget how old I am.

I think I'm 12.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Perception of age is an odd thing. When I first read the Anne of Green Gables books and met the 45 year old character Miss Lavender I thought her quite old and was surprised when she got married. Now that I am 47 (and one of my lovers is in her 20's) I realize that, actually, people in their 40s are quite young. Well, most of us.

[ldydark1.livejournal.com]

Lol, I share your sentiments.
I too have all my own teeth, and can get around without a cane.
I don't hang out on the porch with a cup of tea and the cat.
I think age is just a number. A lot of it is in your mind, and how you handle everyday life and being in the 'now.'
I too am trying to check in on my friends list more often.
*is there a mission to keep the Lj fanbase going?
I didn't know that.* I don't dress like someone who is 14, but, I do take care of myself. As I am sure all of us here do.
Your post was a welcome one, made me grin. :D

[azurelunatic]

Why, I'm Harry Potter's (actual) age, and my own little fishdaughter is Luna's age (in book time) by now...

[mrsquizzical.livejournal.com]

there is this groundswell of fandom who are growing up. i have seen more commentary on the youth-centricism in fandom more in the last week than ever. and it's been on my mind a lot since i was already old when i joined!

so lovely to see your posts. :)

[fragrantwoods.livejournal.com]

Oh, so much agreement on the ageism thing! Most of the time I am blissfully spared of being aware of it, as my fandom's have beloved main characters who are upwards of 50. Then I spend time on tumblr...

An older friend of mine pointed out that the younger folk need to have space that they feel is theirs, and asked me how realistic was my view of elders when I was 25--ouch!

I think what gets me is younger folk asserting that the reason someone they know in their 40s 50s or 60s is being racist or homophobic, etc. is an inevitable result of the times they were raised in. Of course someone in their 50's is naturally racist, anti-feminist, etc. because "the late 70s were all "Leave it to Beaver" and segregation" and they just didn't know any better, poor dears...

Having said that, my lovely RL and online friends in their 20s never act like that, so I'll just give my walker a couple of shakes in tumblr's direction :-)

[valkyrie17.livejournal.com]

I think I'll join in the chorus. I'm not as fit as you (but I never was), but I am not yet in my dotage:)

[zeitgeistic.livejournal.com]

'Rowling minimises our experience of the torture of this old man.' How could anyone think he was an old man? He's a parent of a teenager (not that that is mutually exclusive, but it's at least more common). Was it written by someone in junior high who thinks everyone over 29 is old?

I'm not sure what Gen I am. I think Y. :|||||