Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Pete and Beulah Mae

This delightful youtube clip was brought to my attention

Old Swingers Peter and Beulah Mae

I put up some comments in the response area regarding the ageist posts that others were making about how they could not be 'old' as they were too flexible, they were made up to look old etc. In reading through, I found a post from 'Pete's' daughter where she told that her father was dying his hair gray in order to appear old.

I then, in youtube, received an email from 'Pete' telling me his real name, and that he is age 70 and his wife is age 50, and they love dancing and have no intention of giving up for a long time to come.

I had my own ageist treatment a few weekends ago when a caring son came to 'organise' me. He and his wife were very kind in what they did, and I have appreciated the ongoing effects of that, but not the overarching impetus that I 'needed' fixing. I imagine this debate will be ongoing as my very competent and caring sons will always care for their widowed mother, but as I am yet to reach the age of 55, is it yet necessary?

You're only old once!

I have just acquired this book after seeing it in class. It is subtitled 'a book for obsolete children' and takes a man through the medical tests that are imposed upon him and then the "pillifcation" that he is left with. Here is the beginning of the two pages:

For your pill drill you'll go to room Six Sixty three,
where a voice will instruct you "Repeat after me
This small white pill is what I munch
at breakfast and right after lunch
I take the pill that's Kelley green
before each meal and in between.
These loganberry-colored pills
I take for early morning chills.
I take the pills with zebra stripes
to cure my early evening gripes......
finishing with
This long flat one is what I take
if I should die before I wake
A highly entertaining book for those being treated as old before their time