CNN, bimbos, and ageism

[Mari333]

On Thanksgiving day, as I awaited the arrival of my family and my riffraff friends , I was surfing the channels on my pitiful television , attempting to watch some semblance of news.
I arrived at CNN, and , as I checked on my dinner cooking, I watched a bit of a segment with a vacant eyed large haired 20 something woman speaking

OMG! her face seemed to say OMG! as tho she were some kid on reddit all excited about the news. She was evidently supposed to be a news anchor, but I was struck by her nonchalant demeanor, as tho she might yell "OMG! there was a drone attack in Afghanistan and OMG!! so many people were killed EWWWW!!"
no, she started her segment off like this:
"Is there life after 50 for women??? yes there is!! keep watching"
commercial came on. I kept watching to see if there was life after 50 for women. (which, by then, had pissed me off to even hear someone say that)

THEN, she proceeded, after the commercial, to show a segment on the Red Hat Ladies, this organization of older women who wear `red hats and meet for tea and tap dancing, which is nice, but her words in the segment were thus:

"There really IS life after 50 ladies!! the RED HAT LADIES show us that even women who have reached THAT age can find meaning in their lives! "

I was then afforded the absolute joy of watching a lot of women over 50 as they smiled and waved at the camera in red hats and as the segment ended it showed them tap dancing and the 20 something 'news anchor' ended with this assinine verbiage

'ARENT THEY CUTE!??'


Well, you little bitch.


I am almost 60, so I am well fucking over 50, and I dont need a goddamned red hat, you obnoxious little tw*t, to have meaning in my goddamned life.

Perhaps we ladies over 50 or 60 should hire people dressed as the Grim Reaper to follow us around with a scythe all day to remind ourselves about our lack of meaning and impending doom?

Cute? Cute? Kiss my ass, you brain dead Muffy.

Yeah, this is ageism. and it pisses me off.

[katkat]

1. what mari333 said n/t

[seabeyond]

2. lots of stupid going on. i have often and quickly turned on nieces and asked

are you purposely doing the stupid thing.

the upside, or downside? i see as many young guys embrace the stupid thing too.

[enlightenment]

3. Thank you.

My sentiments, exactly . . . :)

[NYC_SKP]

4. Great Rant! K&R!

Who knew as we were growing up that Barbie would be anchoring the news?

Of course, some of them have brains, are very articulate and intelligent and worked hard to get there.

But I think about the different standards for men and for women with respect to age and beauty, and I KNOW it's fucked up.

It's a miracle that Greta VanSusternenenen got a gig, but there's an exception for every rule.

Most of the men are butt fugly.

:toast:

[left coaster]

9. " But I think about the different standards for men and for women with respect to age and beauty,"

Yeah, this news anchor subject, it isn't just about ageism.. there is, of course, a sexist double standard at work.. surprise surprise!

[seabeyond]

19. we women promote it and the men love it. an then say it is biology. nt

[JDPriestly]

121. Great dear has conservative lineage -- and has had some strategic surgery

over the years.

[NJCher]

147. yeah, well even she got a facelift

eom


Cher

[AlbertCat]

148. and I KNOW it's fucked up.

Not really. It makes sense in biological terms. Women who are fertile and healthy looking grab attention. Men who look experienced, strong and able to provide grab attention. (Alas there's no accounting for the stupid.) It's 34 million years of evolution and biology you're mad at.

Man.... have you seen the news anchors on Univision?????

[seabeyond]

149. "34 million years of evolution and biology". and here it is. dna.... biology.

ya gwen, just makin it up

has nothing to do with gender that has control and makes the decisions.... conditioning society

[NYC_SKP]

165. If that was true, Men wouldn't Long For Frail Weak Clueless High Maintenance Types.... Instead, Men

Men would go after women who could keep up with lots of kids, have some muscles on them, and actually take up the hunting, etc., if the man ever was injured.

So, there goes that old "evolution causes it" rationale.

:toast:

[seabeyond]

174. too many wholes in this 'theory" but it works for males ego so they promote it hard. nt

[Mopar151]

198. The thing is, a lot of us males (with an ego) want a counterpart

Just 'cuz this guy (Ron White) is an uncouth lout, does'nt mean he can't pack a lot of truth in this short bit..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gxKStPXyn8

Beauty is skin deep, but stupid goes clear to the bone.

[seabeyond]

202. stupid is forev...ah. ya

i like ron white. he grew up in fritch. not far from where i live.

i know what i was replying to is not all male. really is a minority. small group that try to pass that off.

oooosh, and what a painful, painful typo too. wholes/holes. and past edit time. hate when i do that.

[noiretextatique]

228. what about women who are experienced and strong

and healthy-looking? :eyes:

[Darth_Kitten]

236. How many old dudes look virile, strong and experienced?

You know, the old dudes over 50? I mean, they look ancient at 50, because they REALLY start letting themselves go at about 40.........

:sarcasm:

[debbierlus]

5. In the MSM, women are valued for their looks and youth, in sum, how physically appealing they are

To men...

Don't worry. Ms Vapid bitch will be judged and thrown off the cliff as every woman who allows herself to be defined and objectified by that part of American culture.

That is really the insanity of it, women perpetuating disgusting stereotypical myths that will make them obsolete in a few short years.

Value through how much men want to fuck you.

Forgive the pun, but SCREW THAT

[Warpy]

6. Seconded

I could never understand why my mother would ball up her fist at the TV whenever one of these vapid bimbos would do a promo for stuff she'd have murdered us if we'd tried to tune into when I was young, but I sure as hell understand now.

The only thing a young woman has over an old woman is viable eggs, and we old broads are glad to be relieved at that burden and to be able to thumb our noses at the fertility aisle of the supermarket as we pass it by.

The arrogance and ageism of these idiotic blow dried bimbos the networks consider attractive is absolutely astonishing since they're going to get old someday, too.

If we let them live.

[Mari333]

8. LOL

[csziggy]

7. But is there meaningful life for bimbos under the age of 30?

From what I see on the pseudo-news, the answer is a resounding "NO!" The vaporheads they put on instead of paying for real journalists suck the meaning right out of current events.

From another nearing 60 women who has meaning to my life without a goddamned red hat.

[havocmom]

41. Yes there is. They are meant to be easily impressed and tricked

That is how the species has survived. Gullible, nubile pretties, shy on life experience but high on health and vitality, getting talked into the furs so the birthrate stays up. Then the grannies keep everyone alive with the knowledge and life skills acquired over many years (without many thanks in too many cultures these days).

Trouble is, we are not a species living off the land in small bands. Our group think has not kept up with our other innovations.

Yeah, some :sarcasm: but only a little

[pengillian101]

200. Yeah, some sarcasm but only a little

HA!

[demigoddess]

164. yes, as a slightly over 60 woman, I wonder what these girls will do when they

pass 30 or 35. Do they read anything, make anything? Do they do anything except turn themselves out so they look beautiful? Do they clean their own homes?? garden?? anything?? I see no sign of it.

[csziggy]

245. They just seem clueless about real life, don't they?

And so ignorant about so many things it is frightening. I don't know what they do when they are not onscreen, since they obviously do not research or write the news they read on air.

As a woman who supported equal rights and women's causes all my life, I am appalled at the empty heads of some of the most visible women in this country. What did we fight for all these years if these are what the next generation will see as successful females?

[Deja Q]

10. Here's a great article about one of today's more known media makers and ageism:

http://www.onrec.com/newsstories/9879.asp

(snip)...could benefit from the wisdom of age. In an era of low birth rates, increasing life expectancies and a rapidly increasing workforce, age is not something any of us can afford to discriminate against in the future. Over the next two decades the number of people of employable age will decrease by 15% - there will be, for the first time, more people over the age of 40 than under. The challenges of this demographic shift will impact on... (snip)

Recent research from the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) found that attitude, not age, counts

[HCE SuiGeneris]

11. Spot on!

:kick:

[asjr]

12. You are so right! This is the stuff

that passes for news these days. 50 is not old, 60 is not old. 70 is not old. We are only as old as our thoughts. And my thoughts are not old. My thoughts are that some of the crap we see and hear these days are not worth the time taken to produce it. I really get tired of being talked down to. And those red hat ladies should go back to kindergarten.

[av8rdave]

13. As a male over 50...

I have no life. Thank GOD for that segment!

:sarcasm:

[Demoiselle]

14. And who, exactly, does this Bimbo think she's talking to?

Last time I checked, CNN's viewer demographic favored people considerably older than 30. "Aren't THEY cute?" Yes, honey. We're adorable and growing more so. Grrrrr. Excellent rant.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

15. ROFL...K&R

What we women over 50 must endure from these vapid, obtuse, beatches is unbelievable! ! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[pipi_k]

16. A truly excellent rant!!!!!

And you know, I'll tell you what else pisses me off...


Young snots who think they know everything and I know nothing. Like my being on this earth 15...20...37 years longer than they have means shit.

The fact that they show NO respect at all for someone older than they are.


And I'm fucking sick and tired of being told I should "act my age" if I decide I want to be silly. I've been on this earth nearly 60 years too, and I've lived through some shit that would curl some people's hair. I figure I am entitled to act however I want to whenever I want to. If I want to be silly, I'll fucking BE silly. If I want to be dignified, then I'll be that, too. If I want to be cranky, deal with it.

It's the same thing I told my MIL who lived to be 93...she earned the right to do and say certain things and fuck anyone who didn't like it.



Oh, and I firmly believe in the words to this poem:


Warning - When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple

By Jenny Joseph




When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple

with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired

and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

and run my stick along the public railings

and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

and pick the flowers in other people's gardens

and learn to spit.



You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

and eat three pounds of sausages at a go

or only bread and pickles for a week

and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.



But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

and pay our rent and not swear in the street

and set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

[Mari333]

17. amen and that reminds me of last week

when I took 3 of my woman friends with me to a Blues concert here in town.
It was a blues band and they played some damned good music.
we got up and danced, and my 70 yr old friend was rockin. she is incredible.

but what happens? some guy comes up to us and says

"where are the men dancing with you gals? dont you have husbands?"

um, we are widows.

and I looked right at him and said " wild women dance, get used to it."

he backed off.

idiots.

[pipi_k]

140. Hah! I hope that taught him a good lesson!!!

:)

[scarletwoman]

49. You do realize, I hope, that it's this very poem that gave rise to the "red hat" women.

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple

with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

Just wanted to point that out, fwiw.

sw

[pipi_k]

111. Yep, I do know that...

I'd join one myself if there were any nearby, but there aren't.

And I would DARE anybody under the age of 50 to look at me like I'm just this cute little old kittycat wearing a red hat for the amusement of other people..."Oh, isn't that cuuuuuuuute?"

Don't mess with us over-50 gals....

:7

[caraher]

91. As I'm sure you know that poem is the "inspiration" for the Red Hat Society

but they tend to suppress the full meaning of the poem and in particular the "rough edges." "Learn to spit?"

In my small town the Red Hat ladies are quite visible, and the local paper stories on them emphasize their being a bunch of Christian ladies having conformist fun.

[PatSeg]

114. That was my thought as well

I love the poem, but the Red Hat Society ladies are hardly my cup of tea. They turned the "red hat" into a symbol of conformity. It is just a mindless woman's club with red hats.

[pengillian101]

264. Do you think the red hat ladies started because of the poem?

"When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me."

My friends and I loved the poem also when we first read it. Far as I know none of us turned into the red hat ladies just yet though. ;-)

[Neecy]

18. Yikes!

I turn 50 in January - and far from bringing meaning to my life, the idea of wearing a red hat, attending teas and tap dancing fills me with dread.

Talk me down!

[seabeyond]

20. lol, like that is gonna happen. the hats and tap dancin that is. nt

[Mari333]

21. the commercials on TV for anti wrinkle cream, for instance

NEVER MENTION WOMEN OVER 50

they always say "Ladies! if you are over 40!"

its like WOMEN OVER 50 OR 60 OR 70 DONT EXIST..

the only women I see in commercials my age are in MOTHERFUCKING WHEELCHAIRS AND SCOOTERS ON MORNING TV

[Neecy]

24. Those commercials made me feel decrepit at 40

I didn't expect to look like a dewy young teenager at 40, nor did I want to. But the constant bleating of advertisers to shape up, color my hair, whiten my teeth and renew my skin made me wonder if they even know what a 40 year old looks like. I certainly didn't feel broken-down and hideous.

Now at almost 50 I'm expecting to get a whole new round of insults about how old and useless I am, unless I take up tap dancing. Ack!

[Darth_Kitten]

237. I'm just over 40 and college aged guys hit on me.....

I'm serious..... :)

Age is really a number.....

[guyton]

65. it's because...

the women over 50 don't fall for that b*llsh*t

[StatGirl]

72. So true!

As I get older, I realize that one of the major features of "wisdom" is that my bullshit meter is running better than ever.

As to the original post, what I want to know is who *wrote* that drivel for that poor young woman to spew.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

168. Right, my creep detector has never functioned so well

I can spot the liars, the manipulators, and the "dance-away lovers" at 100 yards.

[Le Taz Hot]

210. And the models for the "over 40 wrinkle cream?"

They're all like 22. :wtf: And why do I NEED wrinkle cream? Why do I NEED to color my hair with just the right amount of highlights? Why do I NEED to be a size "0" again? You know what? I'm 54. I look 54, I have wrinkles, I have grey hair and I have a body that's going south rapidly. I DON'T CARE!!! I'm SUPPOSED to look wrinkly, I'm SUPPOSED to have grey hair and I'm SUPPOSED to be a little (OK, a lot) thicker around the waist. It's called aging and I'm perfectly fine with it. It's only Madison Avenue pimping this shit, just to sell more shit. At 54 I'm waay too smart to fall for that kind of manipulation.

[morillon]

53. I'll be 50 four Aprils from now, and it's metal all the way for me.

I won't be tap dancing unless I could do it to house music or metal. :-)

And I have wayyyyy too much hair to wear a hat. I look stupid as all hell in hats.

[Maraya1969]

73. You can wear halter tops and hip hugger jeans if you want. I still dress

like a 30 year old and sometimes I think it doesn't suit me, (only because my weight isn't were it is going to be!). But I'll be damned if I put on the clothes my mother picks out for me, with embroidered flowers in pastel colors. I keep telling her that if she would wear it I don't like it.

Not that there is anything wrong with those colors or clothes. I just want to wear jeans and flip flops and the occasional ratty T shirt with the arms cut off.

Wear whatever you want.

[wellstone dem]

155. I'm 53 and this year, so far, I've

biked 3212 miles. I started biking at 51, and haven't stopped since.

For the first time in my life, this year I was called: Strong, stunning, buff, and skinny.

For me, life began at 50.

[Rozlee]

183. So don't tap dance. Much better idea: learn to pole dance.

It gives you confidence, agility, makes you feel sensuous, turns on your hubby, significant other, or current prey; and above all, causes your kids to pass out.

[Bette Noir]

219. Congratulations!

Your 50th b-day party will be the best of your life.

And you don't have to join a club and dress like other people unless you want to.

I only wear a red hat if it's cold out, and I'm wearing a red sweater. I get my "meaning in life" from my volunteer work, and my personal relationships.

Funny that a poem about noncomformity spawned a conformist organization.

[noiretextatique]

229. ii'll be 51 in a few weeks

and though i own a red hat, a beanie, i only wear it when i ride my motorcycle :thumbsup:

[CrispyQ]

22. Another thing that pisses me off

is the casting of young women in roles where they clearly would not have the experience to be in the position in real life. Denise Richards as the physicist in James Bond movie, "The World Is Not Enough" comes to mind. Oh, & working in an underground facility in hot pants? You've come a long way, Baby! NOT.

Righteous rant, Mari!

[abelenkpe]

23. I thought this would be about

businesses that were hiring only people under forty like Nickelodeon. That is ageism.

The point of life is to live a long healthy happy life. Youth is fleeting and highly overrated.
Good thing they didn't throw out Georgia O'Keefe or Margaret Mead after they turned 50 huh?

[sarge43]

25. Mari333, you mustn't hold back. Let it out.

Coming up on 67 in January and yeah I too get pissed when some airhead condescends about surviving and thriving for seven decades. Bite me sweetie. I'm only sorry I won't be around when you hit the big five oh. I know that will call for some popcorn and a big ole helping of schadenfreude. I'm betting no one will call you cute; you'll be a ghastly mess.

[Individualist]

26. Brava. Mari333

:applause:

[MuseRider]

27. Pardon me but FUCK yea there is!

I do not wear a red hat because I choose not to. I tap danced as a kid but not now and I am NOT cute but I am a beautiful mature woman (at least my husband says so). Jesus H Christ. Life only got better for me after 50 when I finally realized, and I mean finally, that I need not give a flying you know what about what these stupid, vapid people think. I love the older women who do the red hat thing and yes they are cute but not in a patronizing way. They are cute because they are and they are doing things that they want to do. I can't even put my thoughts together after reading about this.

Rather than say what I really want to say to the woman who had the nerve to do this segment, or else did not have the guts to say no to it, I will make a wish that she grows old gracefully enough to be able to do these things when she reaches the best years of her life.

[treestar]

28. I saw one very pretty young girl on CNN

And thought about it. It seemed wrong, just because, how much can she know and how much experience can she have?

Shows how shallow we are as a culture. Only experienced people should end up on the national news - the women should be as old as the men.

[Mari333]

29. Network ratings and no substance

I agree. I see people on those news shows who look like teenagers. They must have just graduated from journalism schools and I sort of laugh when they try to look serious and have opinions on world events. I am , like, "Okayyyy, you just graduated from Harvard and you are still using pimple cream and you are so thoroughly informed about the disparaging economic situation and poverty and worker's rights and armed resistance and war and blue collar angst and cognitive dissonance and class structure and.."
yeah, they just got out of Harvard and never worked at a Burger King or used food stamps.
They are put on as eye candy and think they are journalists.
Its a cheap culture, really. shallow.

[unabelladonna]

90. puhleeeeeze

these idiots never went to journalism school, chances are they majored in "communication" or "marketing". when i was young i couldn't imagine life over 40, but having grown up during the 60's and 70's was fortunate enough to know that i could do anything. i've been through times when abortion wasn't legal, when women were still working for job equality. i honestly don't envy the trials and tribulations of kids approaching adulthood, who are their heroes?????people like kim kardashian?...gee, what a soul deadening time we live in... my idols were women who won the nobel prize in physics or the first female supreme court justice.

[seabeyond]

92. yes. nt

[Missy Vixen]

260. It's not just the networks

>They are put on as eye candy and think they are journalists.<

I was HOWLING with laughter over an interview with a local sports reporter about a month ago. She's not smart. She's gorgeous, she has an incredible body, but she's dumb as a post. She was being interviewed about the Erin Andrews situation. The journalist asking her questions asked if she thought her looks had anything to do with her job. She was irate. She said it didn't matter what she looked like, she was there to do a job, which made me laugh.

The TV station in question has bios for each of their personalities on their website. There's nothing about her, besides the fact she was hired as a reporter four years ago and is now the weekend sports anchor. Of course she got the job because she's qualified...

:eyes:

edited to name the correct journalist... LOL

[NoSheep]

189. God help attractive women. I guess you think they should ugly themselves up so you can respect them.

:think:

[Le Taz Hot]

211. The complaint is about ageism.

Apparently you didn't get that. :eyes:

[NoSheep]

242. One would think the OP would be against generalizations in all forms.

Apparently you didn't get that.

[NoSheep]

244. You also apparently didn't get I wasn't responding to the OP.

[dustbunnie]

248. If it had been a singularly unappealing woman doing that news bit there wouldn't be a problem.

It's because the woman was pretty that it irks so much.

[old mark]

30. Of all the AM news/ BS programs, I like to watch Good Morning America - Diane Sawyer

is not stupid, and has the good sense to have been born in 1945. She is older even than ME!!!!

Sad, when the best thing I can find to say about someone is that they are not stupid, but compared to the rest of the faces on morning TV, she leads by a mile.

CNN's morning show hosts are horrible - no-brainers of both genders; HLN (Or HLN News, which = Head Line News News) also suffer from the big hair-little brain TV syndrome.
Then there's Matt Lauer :rofl:

I guess we over 60 types don't buy anything , so we don't count to the TV big shots looking for new generations of suckers - I mean "consumers".

Mari333,
:yourock:

mark

[lunatica]

31. What the bimbettes don't have a clue about

Is that we older women have evolved past the terror of aging only to find much more meaning and downright contentment in our lives. It's like we have this secret that only those of us past 50 (I'm 61) have discovered. My 50s were the best years of my life up to then. My 60s are feeling very good too. I wouldn't go back for anything. Not being seen and judged as a brainless sex object anymore is totally liberating.

If bimbettes everywhere are lucky enough they'll live past their 50th birthday.

[seabeyond]

33. find much more meaning and downright contentment ... dmn, isnt that the truth

i tried to explain it to the young, or to hubby who is still battling (he is younger than i), but truly, until one is there, people dont get it. i start younger than 50. i saw it coming and didnt want to live what i was feeling, so 43, 44, 45 i did my little journey to come out in bliss.

[NoSheep]

193. I'm happy that you have found what I have in aging-but do you really think we

should be disparaging beautiful women, of any age? Bimbettes? Really?

[lunatica]

222. Who said anything about beautiful women?

The OP's message is of a Bimbo reducing two older women to being just too cute. If that doesn't move you to respond in kind, to that condescending bimbo, then you're far too obliging. Beauty has nothing to do with it and I'll thank you not to put words in my mouth.

[seabeyond]

223. i am seeing a lot of girls playing the stupid game and they arent beauties.

this isnt about beauty, .... it is about being stupid to be "too cute", lol lol and promoting the worst of who women are suppose to be, conditioned adn conditioning society. good point.

[NoSheep]

243. I don't like the word bimbo.

[lunatica]

249. Then don't use it.

Free choice you know...

[Gwendolyn]

246. For some reason the OP doesn't want to acknowledge that those Red Hat ladies love it.

Not sure where you're getting "two" women from... perhaps from the same place the OP got her own context out of what was probably an innocuous fluff piece.

FWIW I'm sure the Red Hat ladies completely disagree with the OP. They wear those garish purple clothes and over-the-top hats because they adore the attention. They take part in parades and ham it up for any camera around. A lot of them say that before the Red Hat Society, their lives were empty and basically over. They love being called wacky, madcap, etc... and I'm sure they don't mind "cute" either if it gets them exposure and more members. Which was the point of the segment I'm sure. Well, I'm told in this thread, old fart would've been a better label, but really, big deal.

[blogslut]

32. To be fair

The woman is required to read what's put in front of her. If you are looking for someone to blame, odds are good the correct target would be the program director or news editor - they decide what stories make it to air.

[NoSheep]

188. Agreed. Let's lay the blame where it begins instead of women selling out other women (Bimbo?)

Bimbo? Wow. That label completely negated any respect I have for the OP. Even though I get the point entirely, the use of the word "bimbo" is exactly the kind of thing the OP seems to be against.

[phasma ex machina]

34. Some payback for the ladies in the thread

Who would believe you were a beauty indeed
When the days get shorter and the nights get long
Lie awake when the rain comes
Nobody will know, when you're old
When you're old, nobody will know
that you was a beauty, a sweet sweet beauty

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/07/24/mick_jagger_lead_narrowweb__300x431,0.jpg

[leftstreet]

35. OMG You need to post a warning with that

:rofl:

What a drag it is getting old...

[Mari333]

39. rofl@!!!!!!!

[Mari333]

37. I like the old Mick better

:)

and than, there is Tina Turner, who doesnt need a red hat does she...

I think shes almost 70

[phasma ex machina]

51. Even at their age, both Mick and Tina got more moves than most.

"Why can't we start old and get young?"

[seabeyond]

52. i am tellin ya.... couple years ago, seeing him superbowl half time

gave me hope.

all the drugs and livin he did and still have that energy..... i took note

[phasma ex machina]

58. Ergo the thread ironically circles back to the OP's "tap dancing"...

:rofl:

Despite the irony physical fitness ensures a better lifestyle in one's old age.

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas

[seabeyond]

40. but dontcha know, some guys on du tell me this is hot and the 20 yr old gal gets turned ON

by that.

young and studly just doesnt do it for the young gal.

[treestar]

93. OMG I know he turns me on much more now than he would have then!

He has so much more $$ now and that makes him so much sexier!

Do I need a :sarcasm:?

[seabeyond]

96. ya. you did need the sarcasm. i have been on TOO many discussion where money made the guy HOT

no, money made him doable. but never hot.

but seriously have had back and forth, forever conversations with a handful of men on this board that just swears to me, biology, caveman, dna make the young GIRL want to fuck the old fart cause he is more sexually arousing.

straight faced and seriesly

[Gwendolyn]

113. Guess you're making the point for the OP she doesn't want to face. Over 60 = old fart.

I don't think anyone, guys included, have eluded to any such idea that young women are attracted to 60 plus men, but you love the drama and hyperbole, so don't stop now. You're on a roll and there's no one here on a Saturday night to refute your silliness.

[seabeyond]

125. hey gwen.... you are wrong AGAIN. geeesh, how do you do that so consistently without trying

or

do you really work hard at being wrong every time

the reality is.... we age. all of us. both genders. doesn't mean we dont have a life, worthless, useless or throw away

but good of you to play the same ole tired game every single time, wink

[Gwendolyn]

129. Is that a Palinesque wink?

Explain to me how I am "wrong." Mick Jagger is over 60. You called him an old fart. I'm guessing, since you keep saying you aren't a "man-hater," that when you mean old fart, you're referring to both sexes. Obviously, you think all people who are over 60 are old farts, do you not?

If you meant something else, I'm sure you'll clarify for those who always get what shows up on the screen as words, wrong.

[seabeyond]

135. well yes, gwen

i do feel that at a certain age we are old. all of us are old. not a big deal to me, nor the end of the world. i dont see old as bad, useless or throw away. i place a lot of value in old..... i am loving old. some would challenge me saying i am old, but when i was 20, i thought 50 was old. i am working toward 50. so????

a lot of old people like to say they arent old so i try to kinda respect that, but when one doesnt see an issue with a word, hard to pretend it is a "dirty" word.

you want to make old bad. like i should have issue with being old. like i should feel bad about who i am because i am old?

i dont

not a gender thing. an age thing. mere numbers. that is all

now are you really tellin me, i might be suggesting a woman at 60 isnt old and a man is old? is that really what you read in my post. or are you just being stupid.

[Gwendolyn]

139. Well I don't think equating seniors with the gas that comes out of our asses is particularly nice

I never use that kind of language when referring to a segment of our communities, and it certainly isn't because I think aging is bad.

Would you care to explain then, the difference between referring to a club of older women who wear ridiculous red hats as "cute" rather than "old farts"? Apparently the first is insulting beyond all get out and women are sick to death of it, whereas the latter is just "being real." Did I get that right? Or maybe we just like to make a mountain out of a mole hill when a dumb blonde bimbo bitch says it.

[seabeyond]

142. are you fuckin series.... your offended by fart. bah hahahah. lol. ok, whatever.

no gwen you didnt get it right. you never get it right.

i dont give a shit about the club thing or the cute thing and not what my posts were addressing. didnt know it was a blonde and not thinking i called anyone a bitch. so didnt get that right. and the issue for me is not one particular person but a conditioning of society that i am speaking to, so you got that wrong too.

[Gwendolyn]

146. I know what your point is. You make it in every single thread.

I know that for you it's all about how society has completely disintegrated since the 70s when women were completely equal to men and had just oodles and oodles of respect heaped onto them. In fact, you make the point so religiously on every single thread I think you usually don't really even bother reading to figure out whether it's appropriate... anytime there's an opening you'll take it, even though half the time you end up looking :crazy:

The fact is, this thread is about a blonde bimbo bitch who called a group of women "cute," and apparently this is a thousand times worse than women calling the over 60 crowd "old farts," and at the same time, it's also perfectly fine for women to call each other bimbos and bitches. If you're so worried about societal conditioning, there's a good place to start. Women hating on other women.

And I don't believe for a moment your spelling of serious is facetious.

[seabeyond]

239. are you in advertisement? nt

[AspenRose]

157. Yikes, do you have a stalker?

:wtf: :scared:

[seabeyond]

161. always... lol lol. nt

[pipi_k]

227. Bwahahahahahah

Mr Pip calls himself an old fart. I call him an old fart.

And I call myself an old fartress...



Farts are funny

:7

[Gwendolyn]

234. You older folks need to make up your minds.

I agree it would've been a lot funnier if the dumb blonde bimbo had said "is there life after 50? Why yes, just look at these old farts in their wacky red Auntie Mame hats GO!" :)

[treestar]

134. I've heard it

I don't know how many times men have informed me that we preferred them to have money rather than look good and that they, as they got older, would be able to choose younger women, yet that option would not be available to us, due to "biology."

[katkat]

71. health and taking care of yourself

I'm the same age as Mick Jagger and he looks twice our age. That's what happens when you live on drugs.

[treestar]

94. He and Keith Richard

are lucky to still be alive at such an advanced age.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

169. Wait, Keith Richard is still alive?

He sure doesn't look it.

[Le Taz Hot]

212. Looking young seems to be important to you.

Personally, I took full advantage of the 60's & 70's culture which included LOTS of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. I'm 54. I look 54 and I wouldn't change a goddamned thing about my life. And one more thing -- lots of things make a person old beyond their years. Self-righteousness is one of them.

[CrispyQ]

85. Best post of the day!

:applause:

[Skittles]

112. he still has great hair and teeth!

[Honeycombe8]

251. Yes, definitely a WARNING is needed for that! nt

[NYC_SKP]

36. This Post is NOTHING without Miss Teen USA 2007 South Carolina Contestant YouTube.

Because America Celebrates Stupidity and Cute Youth over Genuine Warmth and Intelligence.

And cuz it's fun to watch a train wreck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww



I actually feel sorry for her, but can't help but lol.

:P

[Mari333]

38. lets pray she isnt that stupid when she is over 50

I sometimes read the crap I wrote when I was in my 20s, and I was an idiot. I laugh at myself, but I was never as dumb as that gal. I was in some pregoth angst back then, and thought I knew everything (I didnt), and I do know a lot of 20 and 30 yr olds who are wonderful young men and women who have a lot of wisdom.
Nonetheless, we need a good comedic older woman to shake up the system . Maybe I should do stand up.
George Carlin was great but Id like to see an old woman kick some ass on stage and throw out some truth.

[NYC_SKP]

42. We used to have Joan Rivers & Phyllis Diller, but Joan, especially, lost me with the plastic surgery

Phyllis, at least, made light of it throughout her career.

Lily Tomlin's good, and who doesn't love Meryl Streep, she gets better and funnier with every film.

Joan, before and after:



Perpetuating the myth...

She was more beautiful before any "work" on her face.

:cry:

[Mari333]

48. Roseanne Barr comes as close to anyone with an attitude

but why they all seem to think they need to get their faces lifted is sad.
Jeneane Garafalo, as she ages, might be a contender. I like her humour. and Wanda Sykes is one of my favorites.

I have a feeling there are some great older women comediennes out there, but they are not getting the exposure.

Thats why I loved Absolutely Fabulous on BBC. Other countries dont seem to have a problem with older women.

Or "Waiting for God" on BBC..another older woman with an attitude.

[katkat]

76. Penelope Keith, God bless her n/t

[NJCher]

150. I loves me some Stephanie Cole

My husband and I are on our second round of watching that series, which is available at Netflix. In this picture, "Diana" has that look of contempt she shows just before she slices someone in two with her lacerating wit.


Didn't you just love it when she tried to get a job in that shop and a bimbo interviewed her?

:rofl:

And she'll take on an "older bimbo," too--Daisy, who she pretty much kicked up one side the solarium and down the other. With Daisy, though, it was more of a dispositional issue. Daisy thought everyone always had to be "cheery" and "fun."


Cher

p.s. I'll be checking out Absolutely Fabulous.

[Spinzonner]

238. A bit ironic

that she was much younger than the parts she played and the fellow actors.

[phasma ex machina]

61. Women mutilating themselves to chase the fountain of youth

provides a very sad commentary on the state of America's dysfunctional culture.

[katkat]

74. noses

Why do women get those tiny little noses? No one has a nose like that. They always look odd.

[JVS]

130. She's starting to look like that cat lady

[unabelladonna]

184. is she for real?

we're growing them stupid nowadays.

[Enthusiast]

214. Obviously she is part of the 1/5th. nt

[RKP5637]

43. +10, n/t

[snot]

44. Yeah, I guess if they want meaning in their lives,

Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Jane Goodall, Oprah Winfrey, Laurie Anderson, Jenny Holzer, et al. need some red hats.

[snot]

45. [self-delete -- computer hiccup]

[asdjrocky]

46. "Brain dead Muffy."

Lady, 21 or 61, you fucking rock. As a side note, I've stopped watching almost all TV news, just hate dumb people trying to entertain and lie to me.

Wish I could rec this ten times.

[phasma ex machina]

77. Count on eternal props from me for any and all dissing of M$M.

OTOH my situation may call for a detente. A "live and let live" New Year's resolution to atone for my sin of damning to hell everything the M$M says.

My trade occasionally takes me into other people's homes and exposes me to second hand M$M propaganda, so to speak. Been my experience that Faux Noose's tight 5 minute loop of talking heads can destroy neurons faster than distilled Everclear.

[NJCher]

151. yeah, I gave up on it, too

But I like to occasionally read a thread like this to remind myself how wise I am. :)


Cher

[TankLV]

47. What about the idiot HIMbos?!!!

They are even WORSE!

Clueless men who just sit there an look PRETTY and don't have a clue!!!

The one HIMbo here in Vegas on Channel 8 is so bad I have to turn it off when he opens his moronic pie hole...

[Mari333]

50. yes, there ARE those! I saw one on CNN

so much makeup one would need a trowel to put it on. clueless.

[NJCher]

152. Sean Hannity would be a himbo

total effing idiot.


Cher

[Lydia Leftcoast]

170. HIMbo?

:rofl:

[scarletwoman]

54. k&r.

:)

[Odin2005]

55. Wow, just wow. What a dumb "news"-woman.

:banghead:

[NYC_SKP]

56. "Good Day LA": Crusty old dude with two bimbettes. Typical.

[seabeyond]

75. hugh hefner.... oh no wait, not. look at positions and body language, geeezus. nt

[phasma ex machina]

84. "Crusty old dude"

:rofl:

Makes me ponder the relative revulsive ranking of young and fugly :puke: versus old and crusty :puke:

[lumpy]

57. It amuses me that so many young people believe that 'life'

ceases to exist after a certain age. I will be 81 years this month; I've had my fill of 'life';the innocence of a childhood, the process of fitting in, the romance of sex, the marvel of childbearing, the joys grandparenthood, now finally the serenity of knowing I have contributed to experiencing a good life and have shed all illusion, the best part of growing old. Ready for the next chapter.

[Mari333]

62. +10000000000000000000000

[sarge43]

68. ......

:yourock::applause:

[Gwendolyn]

69. Happy, happy upcoming birthday!

:party: :toast:

[emilyg]

80. Bravo. I'm 71.

[otherlander]

115. Let me just say something.

I'm nineteen. I don't think life stops at a certain age, except whatever age you die at, but I'm involved in political organizing with a group of fairly radical folks and sometimes it scares the hell out of me to look at how people stick with that with a few years and then drop out, and think to myself, what if hope is just a youthful delusion that most people seem to get over by the age of 40? We have some older people who work with us, and I guess part of it is just that college students have more time on their hands, but there's more to it than that; I can tell. And about the thing someone else said, about being glad they're no longer viewed as a sex object, it's really depressing to think that I'll have to wait until half my life is over for that to happen. I wish I was invisible or didn't have a body or was a tree or something.

[seabeyond]

126. love your post

thanks

[truedelphi]

178. Hve you had your organization cross-connect with the Grey Panthers in

Your area? In most larger metro areas, they exist and have a great deal of experience in getting legislation to happen and know how to organize protests media projects etc.

[otherlander]

182. No, but thanks for the idea.

I'll keep it in mind. There are some pretty cool, progressive Quakers in the area whose meetings I attend sometimes, but the thing is, even though they're really open-minded I've never gotten the feeling that they know what I'm talking about when my questions involve economics, class conflict, etc, so then when I'm trying to figure out that stuff I have to go back and talk to people I've met through straight political organizing, which is okay too, I guess, I just... I don't know, there's a disconnect. There are a lot of disconnects. Like between the spiritual goals and the political tactics. Disconnects between ideological labels and human desires. Between things happening in my head and things happening in the world. Maybe my entire life will be a series of attempts at impossible acts of reconciliation... but only by attempting impossibilities do we find out what's possible, right?
Peace.

[truedelphi]

186. There are a lot of disconnects in this era of ours.

All part of the Big Conspiracy to keep us dis-connected, I guess.

But I do think the Grey Panthers are pretty hip when it comes to class warfare, social conflict and all that.

[eridani]

195. Early retirees and many college age folks do have more time

For me, time was much harder to come by in grad school, early career building and family raising years. There are med students and working doctors in our local PNHP chapter, but most of the actual organizational work is done by retirees.

There is a certain percentage of young activists who will stick with it, and they are being joined by retiring baby boomers with more time and less to lose. Maybe we can make things happen.

[truedelphi]

258. I was clueless about local issues till kid went off to college

Also clueless about pesticide, the corruption of science, GMO's (I thought Rifkind was a total nut case) and the amount of inter-connection between the two parties.

[Dystopian]

158. Lovely...

:loveya:
Have a beautiful birthday~

peace~

[CLANG]

173. I only hope I get there someday. Happy early Birthday!

[Le Taz Hot]

213. 81?

Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Ready for the next chapter." Ain't it the truth? :applause:

[Orsino]

59. Don't forget the sexism.

The alleged story was about women, because no one felt the need to wonder what the men over fifty are doing.

[Mari333]

63. DOH!! yes! you are correct

I guess I am so used to the sexism I now think of it as a norm. ack.

[Gwendolyn]

64. Everyone knows what they're doing.

They're in powder blue seersucker shorts showing off their varicose and spider-veined legs in white knee-socks on the golf course. They sport greasy Just For Men mud colored comb overs, and set their wristwatch reminder timers for the 2-Vee mini-meal. Viagra and Vitamins. And the Lipitor. They talk to their friends about the young chicka clubhouse waitresses they want to bang, but secretly fear prostate cancer.

[CLANG]

176. Wow.

Somebody tell me she's kidding...:wow:

[TwilightGardener]

89. Well, clearly men over 50 are valuable members of society whose lives have meaning.

No news story needed.

[spooky3]

136. exactly - and notice that the average age of the CNN female anchors

seems just a little different from that of the male anchors.

Age for men = wisdom, gravitas, and all other good things that make a journalist credible
Age for women = time to quit so we can get another young one in here

[Vinca]

60. Red hats and tap dancing after 50? No thanks.

The idea makes me shudder. As for the "news" readers, a weather person, while giving the forecast this morning said it all. He said he would talk about the bad weather in one part of the country "later in the show." It's a show to them, not news.

[stevedeshazer]

66. You just pushed my anger button, big time.

Well, not you personally, I like your posts.

But, my incredible wife is 61.

I love her unconditionally.

I'm a bit younger. Try finding a decent job when you are over 50. Good luck with that.

Ageism is quite real. The smarmy (can't use this word) that are on TV are simply spokesmodels who don't know shit from Shinola. And no one younger than me even knows what Shinola is.

Good post.

[NashVegas]

67. I Saw Her, Too!

Christine Romans?

I didn't see the story you're talking about, I just remember seeing her act like a 7th grade cheerleader while discussing something that should have been a serious subject.

I don't blame her for giving CNN management what they think they want.

[DAMANgoldberg]

78. If it is Christine Romans

She should know better, she isn't a 20-something anyway. Closer to early/mid 30s. The women @ CNN who get me excited are Soledad O'Brien (41) and Fredricka Whitfield (43). Both have been around the block in the TV news game and are very underutilized.

[seabeyond]

82. Soledad O'Brien (41) and Fredricka Whitfield (43). ...very underutilized

ovr the hill

dont play the game no more?????

[Mari333]

102. she had huge blonde hair and looked sort of vacant

I have no idea what her name was.

[NashVegas]

217. Sounds About Right

The thing to remember:

it was a management decision to put her in there. She didn't get in that chair all on her lonesome.

[guyton]

70. People still watch CNN? Even in passing?

Am I the only one that thinks the male CNN anchors are also "bimbos" (what's a good term for them ... maybe "mimbos"?)

Brainless, idiotic twits, especially the ones that have delusions of being "journalists". Hmmph.

I'd sooner watch static ... the information content would be higher.

[CrispyQ]

87. "Mimbos." I like it!

And yes, you are right, the young men are as vacuous as the young women.

[treestar]

137. They'll still be there at 50

With men, aging makes them "distinguished" doncha know! :sarcasm:

[eridani]

196. The older ones still feed us bullshit fluff, too n/t

[NikkiN]

79. And just who comes up with these fluff pieces?

I keep thinking of the old adage, "youth is wasted on the young." Obviously, youth is being wasted on this bimbo. But, just who is responsible for even coming up with the question "Is there life after 50?" What a stupid thing to ask. We see a lot of this kind of thing and sometimes it just slips by us as being the norm. I would love to fast forward her to, say 60, and replay what she just said. I wonder what her response would be.

[snake in the grass]

81. I like this one!

Just when you think they couldn't lower the bar on stupidity and banality any more, they surprise you with this gibberish.

[classof56]

83. As an almost 72-year-old writer who publishes now and then and

BTW love my DU "fixes", I submit for your consideration:

PORTLAND, OREGON -- Author Katherine Dunn, 65, managed to fend off a purse snatcher about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday in Northwest Portland.

<snip>

Dunn is best known locally for her 1989 book "Geek Love" and has a following in the boxing world for her essays on the sweet science. She is a familiar figure among the Portland literati. Dunn said she had just come out of the Trader Joe's store and was walking to her home. She turned to go up some steps when she was yanked around by someone grabbing her purse. Dunn clamped down on the purse with her left arm (by a 25-year-old woman).

"She said 'let it go, let it go"! Dunn said. The woman then started kicking Dunn in the shins and slapping her face. The blows to the face triggered a reflex to fight back, Dunn said. "That's what gave me permission to hit her in the face."

Her only regret at the moment was that she was wearing flip flops and that kicking seemed futile. "Next time, Doc Martens," she said.

----

For the full article, go to www.kgw.com/news. This is the first time I've posted something like this, so hope I haven't broken the "four paragraph limit" rule. Just wanted to weigh in on this thread with a story about a 65-year-old woman who was not, it appeared, wearing a red hat. She was however, wearing flip flops in Portland, OR in November, noteworthy in and of itself.

By the way, some of the best writers around are "older" women, several of whom live in the Northwest. Ursula Le Guin and Katherine Dunn are prime examples, and I have a feeling neither of them tap dances. Oh, and they're not "cute" but to me are more than beautiful.

Blessings!

[yellerpup]

86. Nice rant.

I share your pain and your anger. A decade ago one of my best friends when we were teens told me, "Now that I have grandkids, I don't really mind that my life is over. I'll go on living, but they are what it's all about now." I said, "I'm still living MY life and that won't be over until I die." It's so easy to shuttle us off to the side and try to make us irrelevant--I also get a lot of 'sympathy' because I don't have children. When asked if I regret my childless state I reply, "Not yet." I'm not cute either.

[unabelladonna]

88. here! here!

some of us old bags are beautiful, have great careers and are not waiting with baited breath for a patronizing little bitch to give us props. i won't wear a red hat and i won't tap dance.it's pathetic how dumbed down the news has become,we're a nation of idiots.

[Sherman A1]

95. Another point of view....

Could it be that the older (and probably senior) members of the news team at CNN had Thanksgiving day off and were at home with their families? Is it possible that this younger (and one would suspect junior) person was working the holiday as part of the time honored tradition of "payin' your dues"?

Could it be that this "brain dead Muffy", is actually someone's daughter, possibly a nice young lady if we had a chance to meet her?

I appreciate that you might not have liked the story or the presentation, but your comments seem mean-spirited and I know I wouldn't appreciate my daughter being referred to in that manner. :wow:

[seabeyond]

97. could it be that women have been having this shoved in their face for just too long

and are calling bullshit on it?

that it is not just this one time event. that we put the young and stupid out to "educate" us.... as a society, valuing youth and looks over substance

[Gwendolyn]

98. This thread is both sad and funny.

Filled top to bottom with posts by women who don't hesitate for a second to call other women bitches and bimbos.

[Mari333]

101. gender neutral, really. men can be bitches and bimbos also.

If a man had been doing the report I would have also called him a bimbo airhead. In fact I think I would have been even more angry.
But, they dont give the male news casters such idiotic stories as much.

[Gwendolyn]

104. Oh the people responding here have a specific kind of "bitch" in mind and she's all female.

I think you know that. You probably also know what you get when you watch CNN or some vacuous blather-filled morning show. The few times I watch, I see "himbos" embarrassing themselves as well. Don't know about you, but my local news station has both men and women adequately meting out the news... none of them are god or goddess-like in appearance, and there's only one fresh-faced newb at the end of the hour who gets the saved kitten stories.

On the other hand, I'm not sure what the hell one can do with a story about the Red Hat Society. I despise that stereotype of "madcap" senior ladies dressed up in outlandish mou mous and glitter sunglasses hooting it up in Boca Raton. The Red Hats aren't far from that and it's they who perpetuate the vile stereotype. Calling them "cute" was kind. If I ever lose my mind in mid-life and go for something like that, I hope a good samaritan just goes ahead and shoots me in the head.

[Sherman A1]

119. Didn't come across that way

[Sherman A1]

118. Bingo!

Someone GETS IT!

[Heidi]

207. And don't forget this part of the OP: "you obnoxious little tw*t."

And I don't think the OP meant "twit."

[travelingtypist]

220. This.

Since it could be interpreted as "twit" and not that other really sexist word,
I didn't hit alert. But the sexism on this board is sometimes astonishing.

[Gwendolyn]

235. Yes. Bimbo, bitch, tw*t.

It's amazing that anyone would think such a mentally deficient 20 something creature/bodypart would be in charge of programming and content for a television show in the first place to heap such venom her way.

[treestar]

100. Sure she's someone's daughter, but that doesn't mean that stuff she

was saying was something we should just suck up.

Even Palin has a mother.

[Mari333]

103. yeah, Im someone's daughter

and if I had a daughter who said that I would take her aside and advise her to knock it off.
:)

[Sherman A1]

141. And I close with this quote.....

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. " ..........Eleanor Roosevelt

[seabeyond]

143. and i think the majority of the thread is discussing ageism and sexism. nt

[Sherman A1]

122. Well,

There is that little remote to change the channel thing, so one doesn't have to "suck up what she was saying". If one disagrees with the selected stories or pov that is their choice, but why does it need to come down to name calling?

[treestar]

131. It's more pervasive in society than just changing the channel

Any woman of 50 or near that is bound to be annoyed by this idea on a frequent basis.

Or even younger, being a woman, you know you have to look forward to being an older woman if you live long enough.

[pipi_k]

230. Thank you...pretty much the thought I was going to express

It doesn't do any good to change the channel if this stuff is also being peddled to people who aren't going to change the channel. They'll just sit there and suck it up and believe it and keep perpetuating the same crap on and on.

[valerief]

106. CNN shouldn't put intellectually handicapped people in charge of any news, even fluff. nt

[katkat]

123. sorry, Sherman

but this crap is pervasive. Not just one day a year. If you think this is an isolated event, I suspect you are young.

[Sherman A1]

124. I don't think it is just one day per year

and I "get" the packaging of what we call the news. It's not the same as when I watched Huntley Brinkley or Walter Cronkite. (so you can suspect whatever you choose to).

My point is that the name calling serves no purpose and is mean-spirited.

If folks object to a pov or a story, that is their choice and they have the means to contact the provider of that story (in this case CNN) and let them know, but where is the prize in calling the young lady names?

[NJCher]

154. don't care about that

Could it be that this "brain dead Muffy", is actually someone's daughter, possibly a nice young lady if we had a chance to meet her?

She has a responsibility to stand up to this kind of crap and she didn't, so therefore it is right and proper that we kick her ass.


Cher

[Chorophyll]

224. All women are someone's daughter, friend.

Hopefully you've taught your own daughter that she'll still be a functioning member of the human race after she's ceased to resemble a Barbie doll.

[Chorophyll]

99. Speechless. K&R. nt

[valerief]

105. Well said! CNN and its brain-dead twinkies suck big time.

:puke:
When there's no news but shit news, turn to TCM.

[mistertrickster]

107. Absolutely right. Nobody under 40 is doing anything as important as the people over 60.

Except maybe having kids . . . that's important.

[Daphne08]

108. Yes, I turned 60 this year...

and my life ended. I don't know why I even get up in the morning anymore.

:rofl: :rofl:

[swilton]

109. Precisely

Why I said good riddance to the television when the big conversion was made in June but moved up (I think) to the fall. I do use the radio - NPR is still good and the community supported radio station. I watch the movies that I want to watch through netflix for mere pennies compared to some cable package. And finally I get the news through DU, Michael Moore, and Democracy Now + a few others.

But thank you for letting me know what I'm missing.:kick:

[Skittles]

110. I'm 52 and can kick bleach blonde bimbo CNN anchor ass any fucking day

yes INDEED

[mike_c]

128. I'm 54...

...and I'd PAY to watch! :rofl:

[PatSeg]

116. On Thanksgiving

I needed a news fix and for the first time in months turned on CNN. I'd forgotten how annoying and mindless their coverage is. Fortunately I missed the bimbo. I had to turn it off after a few minutes as my mind was turning to mush.

[BrklynLiberal]

117. Ditto!!! Well said.

[JDPriestly]

120. When I reached 50, my male boss said to me, "There's a reason men

divorce wives over 50." He had told me I looked like Ali McGraw and promoted me just a few years earlier. I may have looked different, but I hadn't changed. He had just changed his attitude toward me. He suddenly saw as "old."

And, no, there was no sex involved beyond the Ali McGraw remark -- not that I noticed anyway.

[spooky3]

133. if he's old enough to remember Ali McGraw, he's well past 50 himself

Hey, Pot! Who you callin' a kettle?

[JDPriestly]

187. He was older than I was. Sexism is especially hard on women.

[mike_c]

127. you're just bitter because the bimbo still has all that gravity to look forward too....

Rec'd by the way. Mari, this was one of the best rants I've read on DU today! I'm sure you know my comment in the subject line was pure snark, just for the halibut. :yourock:

[spooky3]

132. A pet peeve - lumping people who are 50 together with those who are 90

by the Brain Dead Muffy types and others.

Do we group 10 year olds with 40 year olds? 30 year olds with 70 year olds?

I am not arguing that it is ok to stereotype 90 year olds, either. I'm just saying that if age is somehow relevant, then whoever the idiot is that is making this assertion at the very least should group together people who are similar in ages.

[eridani]

197. If you are going to go by dancing--

In a few years the 70 somethings will be doing the Twist and the Boogaloo, and the 50 somethings will be slamdancing.

[pipi_k]

232. They're in for an interesting couple of decades in the nursing homes...

When the patients start demanding music from the 50s, 60s and 70s.


I can see it now...gramps and grandma doing the Twist, the Monkey, the Frug, the Watusi, The Hustle, etc. in the rec hall.


I watched an old video on You Tube the other day...kids from my generation doing the Jerk. I thought, Holy cow...if I tried that now, I'd either put my back out or seriously kill myself...

:7

[Uncle Joe]

138. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, mari.:thumbsup:

[peace frog]

144. YEAH baby!

k/r :thumbsup:

[pink-o]

145. LOL, love the prose Mari!!!

Of course, the real reason this society kicks us over-50's onto the scrap heap is because they can't successfully market to us anymore. When you reach our age, you don't have to buy every last product to promote yourself, prove yourself or elevate your self-esteem. So in revenge for your actually being content and secure in your own skin (even though it is sagging by now!) the System ignores you or condescends with the "aren't those little Apple Dolls adorable" bullshit.

Well I'm 3 weeks shy of my 55th birthday. I'm 6'1" and a Size 4. I run half-marathons, I bike half-centuries. Here's Pink-O NOT knitting, NOT tap-dancing! (Although I am wearing a red bike helmet..)

Suck it, News Bimbos!!!

<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>

<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>

[wellstone dem]

156. Biking women unite!

I'm 53 and biked 2 centuries this summer, and a total of 3212 miles. If I'm on the trail, get out of my way. :-)

[pink-o]

162. Oh, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!

I remember when I was little and would ask my mom to go bike riding or play basketball with me, her stock reply was "Oh, honey, I'm too old for that". Of course, she had a ciggie in one hand and a highball in the other! But so many promises you make to yourself as a kid, the ones I'm happy to keep are that I'll never be too old to indulge in physical activities!

Congrats on your centuries. I'm always so happy on my bike, totally different from when I get frustrated in my car behind a bunch of idiot drivers!

[AspenRose]

153. Right on, sister

Over 40, fabulous and not ashamed!

[Dinger]

159. K & R Mari333!

You kick ass, and YOU should go on CNN. I'm gonna copy and paste your words and send it to CNN. You've inspired me!

[MsLeopard]

160. As another nearly 60 year old woman

I stand in solidarity with you in not needing a freaking red hat to demonstrate the worthiness of my life. :toast: and K&R

edit: syntax and spelling

[alp227]

163. This has either gotta be a joke or the beginning of Corrupt News Network

I hope that her bosses read this and FIRE her if she really was acting as bad as you put it. I tried looking for a video or transcript and found nothing.

[MissDeeds]

166. "Well, you little bitch" indeed

Women over 50 made it possible for her to blather on CNN and play in the big leagues. Mindless little twit. Let's swamp them with emails.:grr:

[Canuckistanian]

167. Good thing she wasn't in the presence of any Red Hat Ladies

They probably would have applied the boot to her well-toned ass.

[onlyadream]

171. I LOVE YOUR POST!!!! OMG - it was great! nt

[NBachers]

172. I love this thread

Man, I love what I'm reading . . .

As a 60-year-old guy: Yeah, I look at the hot little cuties that make my blood vaporize. But I deal with the public all day long, and the ones who melt my heart are the women who've got some time and stories and experiences behind them. I see women from all over the planet in my work- and I marvel at the ones who've made it this far, and are still going strong. I just feel more comfortable; more able to relate to someone more my age. And the REAL Grownup women who are way beyond my age- It's a total privilege to walk and talk with 'em.

And there've been some people at DU who like to cite Boomers as the cause of all today's problems. There's a definite segment of people here who are always putting Boomers down. Thank god for the ignore button.

[Dystopian]

175. Perhaps!

>Perhaps we ladies over 50 or 60 should hire people dressed as the Grim Reaper to follow us around with a scythe all day to remind ourselves about our lack of meaning and impending doom?<

I loved that line...That's who I see whenever I look over my shoulder!
The entire post is awesome.
Recommended!

:yourock:


peace~

[cleverusername]

177. Great rant!

I totally agree with the rant about news bimbos. Headline News is worse than the other CNN station. Faux News porns up the female anchors the most and offer more leg shots. Personally, I like the guy with the broken nose who was the only one in the streets of Iraq reporting. Christina Amanpour is good, too. She takes a shell blast like a pro and doesn't even blink. These people are real reporters.

I'll qualify for the Red Hat society soon, but you won't find me there. I aspire to become a Raging Granny, and I've already informed my family members that they will have to come bail me out. In between activism and arrests, I'll continue weight lifting and the other physical activities I enjoy.

It's hysterical that a poster has chastised the women here for not being nice. I suppose that we're not lady-like enough for that person's taste. I ain't no lady! The days when you can tell a woman to shut up because they are not being lady-like are over! :spank:

[Nothing Without Hope]

179. CNN & its advertisers need to hear that we over-50 women have purchasing power

and we will not give our support to products advertised on shows like this demeaning, degrading dreck. It's not only infuriating, it actively perpetuates that poisonous view of women.

[Clear Blue Sky]

180. You tell 'em. Well said.

[a la izquierda]

181. I saw that too...

and I yelled at the TV. My mom's 54 and has a hell of a lot more fun and meaning in her life than most people in their 20s and 30s. I can't wait to go meet her and her group of Jersey Girls in Mexico next summer. Talk about "not having a life after 50"-gimme a break.

[femrap]

185. You're buying into the

'Divide and Conquer' which pits young women against older women.

There you are yelling at a young woman who has grown up with no analytical teachings....she was taught to have breast implants and smile.

I wasn't taught that. Were you? See how the MSM has taken over the Youth?

The Enemy is TPTB....not the poor 'little bitch.'

Do you get it? I beg that you do.

[katkat]

215. femrap

I was brought up to believe women got married and quit their jobs. I didn't buy into that crap, why should I excuse someone else from buying it, male or female?

[Chorophyll]

226. Sorry, but there are plenty of young women

who don't buy into this bullshit. Can't blame the MSM for everything. Some of "The Youth" do know how to think for themselves.

[femrap]

241. The Patriarchy/TPTB

run this place. Just look at what is on TV. Where's Roseanne? Murphy Brown? Designing Women, etc?

Women are taught today to be nothing but Eye Candy.

I Blame the Patriarchy for EVERYTHING. Who do you think hired her and told her what to cover????

Some of these young women who do make it to 50 years of age are going to face a very hard time because all of a sudden she will invisible.

When I saw Ellen doing commercials for Revlon, I knew our culture had reached a whole new low. Shit, when lesbians start pushing makeup and trying to look youthful, I know the end is near.

[Chorophyll]

250. Heh. I blame the Patriarchy for everything too, but...

I still maintain that not every young woman buys what they're selling. I've got three nieces, all in their twenties, who are anything but man-pleasing bimbos. I went to grad school with another bunch of independent-minded young women. I agree with you that the MSM is almost completely devoid of positive images of women these days. My point was that many young women are aware of that. (It's not fair to base your view of an entire generation of women on one CNN anchor-babe.)

[seabeyond]

253. they arent in my world

i ask my son if he is meeting these girls in school. he tells me there are some, generally in the AP courses. but man.... there are a lot fo girls falling for this shit.

it is like the female is submissive to man bullshit of the time past, only now female is a thing for male entertainment. just switch from one control to another.

but as my son gets older, and starts bringing girls home, and i am able to meet some of these youngins i am hoping i get to see some of the generation fo female that is not buying into this.

[femrap]

255. Whoa....you're

taking this too personally. I'm not talking about your family. But you have to admit the attitude/environment is very different from the college days of the 'late '60s and early '70's when Consciousness Raising Groups were everywhere.

Your family members are in the minority IMHO. I see 4" heels and little whore outfits at Walmart for little girls.

I talk to young women and they think I'm nuts.

Hell, we have a lesbian (Ellen DeGeneres) doing commercials for makeup and looking young. SHIT!

[Chorophyll]

259. I'm not taking it personally...

...just reporting my own experience. I should also point out that I teach writing to college freshmen at a small, fair-to-middling liberal arts college. Yeah, there are a few young women around who dress for male attention and don't seem to have thought about it much, but they're the minority. Most of the young women I teach are outspoken and don't take much crap from the guys. We've had some spirited debates about all sorts of issues in my classes.

My school is right outside of NYC -- don't know if that has any bearing on things.

[seabeyond]

252. yup. dont know if end is near, .... but agree with rest. nt

[femrap]

254. I guess I meant the end of the current

paradigm. I'm hopeful for the Age of Aquarius. Pisces is about over....thankfully. I know this may sound 'new agey' but I do feel that our culture can not continue in this violent, macho, competitive way. It will kill itself.

[seabeyond]

256. again... i agree. and the destruction is moving so quickly. kinda

like how quickly the bush years took over and porn took over. i guess with the net is making everything happen so much faster.

[ooglymoogly]

190. KR good post, good read and a good analysis;

Keep it up

[DeSwiss]

191. K&R

[totodeinhere]

192. I wouldn't necessarily blame the young anchor.

She was probably just reading copy written by someone else.

It's a sad fact that pretty faces on newscasts get better ratings. And since ratings and profits are what the news networks are in it for, that is what you are going to see. Fox News is even worse than CNN. All of their female anchors are real babes.

Also, isn't it reverse ageism to call an attractive young woman a "bimbo" and to assume that she is not intelligent in her own right? No age group has a monopoly on intelligence.

[katkat]

216. totodeinhere

Let me know which intelligent person you can imagine reading that copy without puking.

[pipi_k]

233. Well, as far as I'm concerned, anyone under a certain age who also

hasn't experienced a lot of life's horrors and sadnesses are Bimbos, no matter how intelligent they are.


Some young people, by virtue of the fact that they've had rough lives are NOT Bimbos.


So that's my yardstick. No Life Experience = Bimbo.

[Cronus Protagonist]

194. Don't watch it if you don't like it

Best thing you can do.

[pengillian101]

199. Well, you little bitch.

No matter who ruins the day - that's a great sentiment!

[pengillian101]

201. How weird.

I never posted that.

[Cali_Democrat]

203. K&R

Well said.

[ShamelessHussy]

204. lol

thank you for sharing, i need that :toast:

[Norrin Radd]

205. KO calls them "newsmodels."

[Missy Vixen]

261. I really like Keith Olbermann, but he's not one to talk

He lives with a woman half his age.

He's as susceptible to "young and gorgeous, good, my age and smart, bad," as any other person.

[Raine]

206. Thumbs Up

from another "over the hill, over 50 and nearing death's door" woman. :argh: I'm not ready for some fucking red hat either!!!! :mad:

[cmd]

208. Too bad that as young as she is, she has already lost her mind

I'm almost 68, but when people want something done, I do it. That bimbo has a lot to learn.

[Swamp Rat]

209. k&r

[Captain Hilts]

218. Only 2 out of 15 top film box office stars are women. People aren't much interested in women. nt

[Darth_Kitten]

247. Really?

Hmmm, wouldn't be those lousy, unimaginative, sexist scripts being tossed at women, would it?

[DailyGrind51]

221. It isn't only FOX, it is "show business" in general!

Pierce Brosnan, at 50, was replaced as "James Bond" and Elizabeth Hurley, at 36, as spokes-model for Este' Lauder, both for being too old, and these are just two examples of a youth-obsessed industry which continues to relegate talented attractive middle-aged actors to roles of eccentrics and curmudgeons.

[mckara]

225. Tell Us What You REALLY Think!!!!!!!

[ChiciB1]

231. I'm a Little Over Sixty & Recently Went To An Outside Party Where There Was

a "live" band! After MUCH coaxing I got the host to get up and dance with me. A FAST DANCE, and he kept saying I can't dance! I told him just "do something" as he was younger and didn't seem to be "with it!"

As the night wore on I danced most of the night with my husband and others I could drag out there with me! I was completely amazed at how many "younger" people who actually don't even get up and dance, UNLESS it's a SLOW dance! I was having a great time even though I knew that the next day I was going to feel a few muscles I don't normally feel every day! I pride myself on doing my exercises and keeping my weight down, AND keeping active. I can even still sit down and touch my nose to my knees which my granddaughter thinks is amazing! I do know women my age who have let themselves go physically, but their "brains" are VERY sharp and they can beat almost all the "young-uns" at SCRABBLE and other brainy games!! Perhaps we all aren't up to snuff with the techie stuff, but we sure can keep up with the best of them!

I wonder what THAT 20 something will be like when SHE turns 60??? I see far too many younger "lazy, over-weight" young people these days and it's indicative to how easy it has become for so many young people of today. Way back when Ronnie RAY-GUNS said we could have it all, too many people went right along with him, and NOW too many are having to pay the piper! Credit card crash is just a small part of it, and the Corporations couldn't be happier!

So, here's a HUGH HOLLER OUT to all of us 60 AND OVER!! There's still a lot of living to do! Unfortunately a lot of THAT living is being nipped by the demise of what the American Dream once was!

Thanks for posting!

[pengillian101]

257. What a refreshing post!

I'm getting close to 60 and admire your spunk!

Have fun for all of us old farts!

:hi:

[spanone]

240. it's the 'today show' 'reality teevee' mentality that america adores these days, the dumbing down

[Missy Vixen]

262. Mari, this will make you crazy as well

Have you seen the ads for a new show on TNT "Men of a Certain Age"? After all, men have to give up allll their dreammmmmssssss after 40. I was pissed just seeing the commercials.

http://www.tnt.tv/series/menofacertainage/about/?contentId=52922

MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE explores the unique bonds of male friendship among three men experiencing the changes and challenges of mid-life. They have been best friends since college but now, in their 40s, are navigating through the second act of their lives. Joe (Romano) is a friendly, slightly neurotic, recently separated father of two who had dreams of being a professional golfer. Now he owns and runs a party store. Terry (Bakula) is a laid-back, handsome actor who seems to breeze through life (and women). Lately, he’s spending more time working as a temp than as an actor. And Owen (Braugher) is an overstressed husband and father of three who endures constant criticism from his father, for whom he works as a car salesman.

Just a question: What "dreams" are these guys giving up? Seriously. Women are busy with childrearing from 20's to 50, and then we're told that our lives are unimportant. Women are invisible after age 40, unless they're "hawt". Any man that has the financial wherewithal can do pretty much whatever he'd like till he dies, and he's considered "manly". Women who have the temerity to follow their own path or date someone younger are "cougars", "desperate" or worse.

I'm just AMAZED by this.

:eyes:

[KansDem]

263. I believe it was Robert Browning who said...

Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made.

I know one particular over-50 woman who I've know for over 40 years. Thinking of her always brings a smile to my face! :loveya:

[defendandprotect]

265. What they hope is that older women who know something will keep dancing -- !!!

And stay out of the political arenas --

Where what they know can sometimes make a difference!!