It's Chinese New Year: Time to Respect Old People

The Chinese New Year starts this Sunday, February 18th. This is an excellent opportunity for all old people to remind everybody else just how little we are respected, compared to old people in China.

I am an Old Person-In-Training. My sons would tell you the training period is over, but they're much too young to know. As a trainee I have more opinions than before, and the ones I've always held are now stronger and less open to review. This is one reason why advertisers prize youth, when important opinions about what brand of beer tastes best are still in flux. But these things firm up by 30, as well as the less important stuff like politics and religion.

We are also much more willing to share our opinions with younger, less formed individuals, which is why old people are not so popular except in China, where they are well respected, according to old people in other countries.

I was told about this when I was young by old people, who told me about it to make me feel bad. I had other things to feel bad about at the time, and disrespect for old people beyond the Great Wall was a very low priority.

Now however, I believe young people not in China should definitely feel bad about it. They should also pay a lot more attention to my opinions. I have seen the world, and experienced life. They have not.

Once they realize this, they will want to know what I think about everything, and I will be happy to tell them. All they have to do is ask.

Hell, they don't even have to ask, I can tell that they want to know.