Old and Mouthy

At what age is it that people suddenly decide that it's OK to just speak their mind. To say what ever they want to say, to whomever they want to say it to, regardless of whether or not it's appropriate. I'm speaking specifically of the elderly here. We've all met them, and perhaps even have one or two of them in the family. They are the ones that blurt out things that, had they come from a younger person, would normally incite a fist-fight, particularly since the recipient of the barb is often a total stranger.

"Oh honey, you shouldn't wear that, it makes you look fat."

There are, of course, those people that have been out-spoken their whole lives, but those individuals tend to be the smaller percentage and are in a different category all together. They usually come with a reputation, built up over a life-time, and are often the local 'old coot' or 'bitter spinster'. They work hard to maintain this reputation as it keeps the unwanted at arms-length.

"My goodness, you're as black as the ace of spades, aren't you?"

No, the people I'm curious about are the ones that seem to flip a switch, waking up one morning and deciding that they have nothing left to lose. They fear not for their jobs because they no longer have them, they fear not for their personal reputations because they're old enough to not give a shit about status, and they fear not what others will think of them because they seem to be able to focus purely on themselves and their own needs.

"Are you pregnant, dear, or just spending a little too much time at the buffet?"

I remember watching Tina Turner on television with a room full of people when my Grandfather caused me to nearly swallow my tongue by announcing to the room, "A nigger with red hair? Now I've seen everything!" Try as I might, there was no way I could impress upon him the myriad of social taboos he had just unleashed.

"Heavens, you're so short you must have a hard time finding clothes that fit."

I have a theory about this. I believe that our world shrinks as we age. We need less space, we consume less, we do less, we see less, we hear less, we begin to create a smaller and smaller world around ourselves. I think that eventually, we judge everything by how it affects us and our shrinking world. We pay less and less attention to the opinions of the masses, the pundits, the press, the family, social mores and political correctness and comment loudly and clearly on those things on which we have focused our microscope.

"Don't bother bringing me coffee unless it's hot enough. I don't like coffee that isn't hot enough. Is it hot enough? I hope it's hot enough."

Perhaps these folks long for a time when the aged were venerated and given elevated status. Or perhaps a culture where us young'uns line up to hear them dispense the wisdom of their times. Perhaps I too will long for such a time when I am shuffling and mumbling.

"When I was your age..."

Is it wrong of me to tell them to shut up?