At the BlogHer conference in New York one of the panelists commented that “even” her own mother blogs. She called her mother “one of those elder bloggers.” Meaning, she said, “anyone over 50 who blogs.”
I pried my gnarled fingers off my Underwood, slammed down my Ensure and quaked, “Say, what, girlie?” That’s a joke. I would never say anything so ageist, but I did gulp and turned to my daughter to ask, “Might she be talking about moi?”
I am well over 50 and my daughter is well under and yet, blogging wise, she is the senior one. Someone might call her a hottie blogger. She probably wouldn’t object.
But, elder blogger really pushed my buttons. I do often focus on issues that might interest women over 50 and 60 and on and upward. But I don’t think my readers call themselves elders. I dont.
Is Maya Angelou an elder poet? Is Annie Leibovitz an elder photographer. Is Madonna an elder rock star?
Not surprisingly, the blogging world is dominated by youngish people. A story in the New York Times said that 53 percent of bloggers are between the ages of 21 to 35. Only about 7 percent of bloggers are over 51. In the world of blogging the young are old hands, the old are newbies.
At the BlogHer conference there were more than 2,400 women bloggers and clearly the under-50 demo outnumbered the over-50. And over 60, like me.
It could be worse, I guess. They might have called us “geezer geeks.”
I asked Beth Blakely, who organizes bloggers for Vibrant Nation, what she thinks of the term. Beth says it can be helpful to identify a blogger by her subject just as you would any writer with a particular focus. But the general tag of elder blogger doesn’t work for her.
The problem is the word. In some cultures “elder” is a sign of respect, as it was once in our own and might some day be again. But in our mainstream youth-happy world it creaks.
I will embrace my gray hair, my funky sore back and that I know most Beatles lyrics. But elder is a description I am not ready or brave enough to own. It makes me feel old. Blogging makes me feel like a player.
Pattie Heiser has the website 50 Fabulous and doesn’t consider herself an elder blogger. “It gives me hives to think of it.” She has the same problem I do with the word. “Our culture does not revere our elderly and to be so means that you will be disregarded and discarded.”
On the other side, Joan Price is fine with elder. Joan writes books about sex after 60 and blogs about it at NakedAtOurAge.com In her mid-60s, Joan calls herself a senior and considers her audience boomers, seniors and, yes, elders. She credits her late husband with putting the right spin on elder, as someone who had “the wisdom of a lifetime of experiences.”
Were elder to deliver such a strong, respectful vibe it would be something to aspire to. It would be a designation that you earned, not something automatically granted when you become a certain age, like Medicare and movie discounts.
Then, if someone called me an elder, meaning that I was experienced, wise and worldly, I would flaunt it like a new Pashmina.
But elder as in elder blogger? No, in the blogging world I’m pretty much a juvenile.
other blog entries from »
I’m with you on this one, sticking with boomer thank you…TRACK
I agree. Labels are tough ones to own.
We’re most definitely BOOMER bloggers. No way in hell am I an “elder” blogger. (What’s this woman’s name, anyway? I’d like to go kick her.)
L.O.L….Cough…L.O.L….TRACK…stay near me and behave…
Well all right TRACK, but only if you insist. (grin) It’s the migraine, dontcha know. Makes me very crabby. (Oh wait, I didn’t have a migraine yesterday. Never mind then.)
Maybe we need to start a movement to redefine the word elder to its original definintion, that of one who has gained wisdom and is to be respected. Who can we write to?
I, too, embrace my gray hair and know most Beatles lyrics, but can’t even fathom being called elder or a senior! But, I can’t wait for those senior citizen discounts…
We are the “elders”…We worked hard and put in lots of years to earn the title. We are now in the second stage of our lives… no matter how you look at it or what you call it. We may have a more youthful look, more vibrant attitude than generations past but the reality is…We are now the ELDERS. Don’t like what the title implies? We have the power to change it with our writing, actions and most importantly, our PASSION for life!
Elder??? That’s scarey…… Wish it still meant we are wise and that demands respect.
For me it’s way too close to “elderly”, and that word doesn’t have positive connotations for me in terms of my age. At ALL. ***shudder***
Remember what your Mama told you way back in the day? “People will respect you as much as you respect yourself, Dear!” In almost every society except 21st century America, the term Elder is a mark of respect. And the “Elders” wore the term PROUDLY. They did not cringe, cry, protest, or get insulted when so labeled; they took it as their due for having lived and learned. It’s not up to the kids – what do THEY know? – it’s up to US, the ELDERS to make it so again. Not with annoying, unsolicited “advice, nor with a can’t-cut-it-anymore air of defeat, but with a quiet pride in our wisdom and accomplishments. That “strong, respectful vibe” has to come FROM us or it will never come TO us.
Hi VRich: I agree. We can all strive to earn back that designation that comes with age of wisdom and respect while we have the Boomer numbers and visibility. And then we can wear our years proudly and not get sidetracked by ageism. It’d be a fine legacy.
I figure that I own my age and my attitude and I feel very free about this. I also think that I am a teacher for others that this is what elderly is and can be. I won it. If they are lucky, they can reach this time too.
I hate labels of all sorts, especially if I consider them personally demeaning, but my reality is that I am in the third and last portion of my life. I accept this and don’t worry about descriptions and labels. People who insist on putting down older people will find themselves in my place soon enough and then their eyes will be opened. No one ever thinks that they, themselves, will ever be old until it happens. It’s kind of like trying to imagine what it would be like to be pregnant; you just don’t know until it happens to you.
I hate labels, will never embrace gray hair, have no aches or pains and never liked the Beatles..I am 63, but feel 18.
Lin, If GOD should grant it, cause Michael Jackson didn’t make it, Beanie Mack didn’t make it, and quite a few more and they wish they were here!…TRACK..growing older is a gift, 30 score and 10
Thanks for this post. Words are important. I love that we’re paying attention to how we talk about ourselves…at this or any stage of life. While we’re looking for other words, I agree Boomer works.