He seems like such a wonderful man. Now- the idea “older people” are bigoted comes from a couple places which may or may not be valid.
You have to remember that even back into the 1950’s or the 1920’s or the 1700’s that not every person felt hate or held negative or patronizing beliefs about groups that were widely marginalized or hated at those times. An old bigot is just a bigot that got old and stayed a bigot- if they weren’t considered a bigot in their time or place that is largely due to being surrounded by people who thought like them at the time. So not ever older person is inherently bigoted or “conservative.” The 1960’s was Americas “hippy height” and also 60 years ago. Do we think that the “free love” liberal hippies mostly all decided to start being bigoted in their old age? Probably not but…. Maybe….
We run into the second main reason older people get that label- In a largely sum total progressive society, what was once liberal or admirable often becomes problematic. A lot of conversations can happen over decades of time. So even someone progressive in their day who isn’t politically invested in keeping up with issues and may not have many of any acquaintances from a given group can easily fall behind the times on what is acceptable and seem “problematic” to younger generations. There are also some factors as we age that can contribute to bigotry, mental decline can make learning or relenting difficult or cause people to grow more fearful and averse to change as they struggle to cope with just the pace of life. Things like that. But all that said- those aren’t excuses for being old and bigoted.
At the end of the day someone who has lived their life with manners and dignity will, barring degenerative cognition or other illness, have treated people with respect and courtesy from a young age. By and large those things don’t change. If we are being introduced and I believe your name to be “Larry,” the son of my friends Al and Jo- if you correct me or introduce yourself as “Jenny, Daughter of Al and Joe,” basic respect and manners would have me apologize for any gaff and proceed to address you as you’d requested just the same as it would be rude to keep calling someone “Mikey” who had requested to be called “Mike” or to meet a woman named “Xue” and insist upon calling her “Zoo” or “Zoe” without any attempt to use her proper name after being corrected.
A polite person doesn’t know or care who you choose to have consensual adult relationships with and a person of dignity who respects personal freedom is going to support when two adults want to consensually engage in the manners of their mutual choosing.
Sir Patrick is a man of dignity and manners most certainly.
No one is perfect and we all have biases or room to improve, we all fail to live up to the standards we set ourselves unless we set our personal standards so low as to be easily achieved.
When it comes to old people being bigoted it’s a misconception that most are and it’s certainly not true that it is not something that can change. The subject of how to deal with it feel towards older bigots is a separate matter that I won’t touch here lol.
You have to remember that even back into the 1950’s or the 1920’s or the 1700’s that not every person felt hate or held negative or patronizing beliefs about groups that were widely marginalized or hated at those times. An old bigot is just a bigot that got old and stayed a bigot- if they weren’t considered a bigot in their time or place that is largely due to being surrounded by people who thought like them at the time. So not ever older person is inherently bigoted or “conservative.” The 1960’s was Americas “hippy height” and also 60 years ago. Do we think that the “free love” liberal hippies mostly all decided to start being bigoted in their old age? Probably not but…. Maybe….
Sir Patrick is a man of dignity and manners most certainly.
No one is perfect and we all have biases or room to improve, we all fail to live up to the standards we set ourselves unless we set our personal standards so low as to be easily achieved.
When it comes to old people being bigoted it’s a misconception that most are and it’s certainly not true that it is not something that can change. The subject of how to deal with it feel towards older bigots is a separate matter that I won’t touch here lol.