[GEN] Age Discrimination on the Boards

I just registered but I have lurked for a few months.
I have noticed several issues on the boards where the age of a user is attacked.

The age discrimination often comes up in a political discussion where a member will say something to the effect of "What do you know? Your a teenager."

I have also noticed this sort of discrimination in several threads in the movie forums.

These attacks on users age are all over the JC.

Now the easy solution is that if a user does not want to be discriminated against they should not fill out their age for the profile. YES this does work.

However I was wondering what is done to those who do discriminate because of age. Is there anything being done to these problem users?

I just wanted some more information on the topic.

Thanks for any help,
TARATR

 

There's no discrimination based upon age on the boards.

Some things are expressly forbidden by the law (e.g. registering of users under the age of 13).

Some things qre questionable under the law, but aren't actionable by the staff unless a complaint is made (e.g. someone with a listed age over 18 making unwanted sexual advances to someone underage on the boards, etc.)

But folks claiming in posts of someone's diminished capacity because of their age isn't age discrimination; it's rude Internet behavior. You either defend yourself or not, it's up to you. If you feel you've been flamed (which, more often than not, you haven't), contact a mod. But "age discirimination" on the boards would be the staff, rather than the users, inflicting it...

 

Please point us to a specific thread, the user's UID who made the discriminating remark you cited, and we will deal with it. But generalities that there's age discrimination all over the place and what are you going to do about it is imposible to solve. We will help you, but we need to do it on the post-level. You have a responsibility as a user to help us when you see an offense like this and alert us to it. Thanks.

 

Wether you want to realize it or not, there is some age discrimination out there. I don't see it happen as much as it used to, but every so often i'll see something like that going on in a thread.

I mean, i'm 16 and i've been bashed on and off of the boards simply for my age. It's not my fault that i was born in 1987, but i mean, it happens. Just keep in mind that we're all here for the same reason and you'll get through it, TARATR.

 

AS for being a teenager, from memory, there are quite a number of mods who are in their teens.

 

Age is a legitimate factor in one's awareness of the world and understanding of history. For instance, it's difficult to explain to a 17 year old how terrible stagflation was during the Carter Administration, because he or she didn't live through it. Therefore, if I see a 17 year old kid trying to tell me that the Carter Administration was anything but terrible, then I'm going to explain to him that had he actually been alive then, he would most likely think differently.

Is that age discrimination? Call it what you want, but Carter sucked.

AYBABTU

 

Sweet, finally a Comms thread about me.

 

"I mean, i'm 16 and i've been bashed on and off of the boards simply for my age."

I doubt it was simply for your age. I'm sure other factors were involved too.

 

If it bothers people so much, they can remove their age from their profile.

 

The profile isn't the only giveaway. Using AOL-speak, poor grammar, and rosey assessments of the Carter Administration are sure traits of a teenager.

AYBABTU

 

Or maybe it could be a not-so-smart adult.

 

AYBABTU: Not all teenagers use AOL talk and/or have bad grammer and actually I've talked with a few people over the age of 30 that type incorrectly. The rosey assessments about the Carter Administration is probably the only one that would most always be a teenager.

I haven't found that anyone discriminates me because of my age. I think it really depends on your maturity and how you handle situations.

 

I don't think I've ever been picked on because of my age.I think it's just a thing that happens sometimes.I don't see it happen much exept for once in awhile.

 

Don't be too worried about age discrimination here. You can have your age on your profile. Really, your maturity is only reflected by your posts.

It's really the registration date that gets people on the wrong track.

 

AYBABTU, you can't see things in black and white like that!
I mean historians can write hundreds of pages of history over things that never happened in their life time. Yet they will still be able to fully understand it.

As I said to you before, things are not one way. To say Carter is terrible all around is to ignore things that he did well. You can say that he was a terrible President most of the time. But to say he is nothing but terrible is to ignore historical facts.

Not being alive during the time in question also has a plus to the debate. You are an unbiased observer. You can read the history and make your own decisions on what Carter or Nixon or any of them did and then judge for yourself how good they were.

There are good things and bad things to everything.

AYBABTU: I think that a lot of the age discrimination in YJCC comes from you. I know you have "discriminated" against me twice in that forum because I'm 17. As Sapient advised I did defend myself and my age. If you have to attack someone for their age in a political debate, it is only evidence of your argument's flaws.

In another forum someone told me I could not understand the OT because I was not alive when it first came out...like that has anything to do with it.

-Seldon

 

I've found that most people discriminate on maturity, not age. I've met some very mature teenagers, and some incredibly immature adults, and the mature teenagers always get my respect. At the same time, though, it's good to be aware that there are others out there who have more life experience than you, and probably do know more than you about some issues. "True wisdom lies in knowing that you know nothing" or something like that. Just act like a mature person and you should rarely have to worry about people bringing up your age in a negative manner.

 

Not being alive during the time in question also has a plus to the debate. You are an unbiased observer.

I totally disagree. How can an opinion based entirely on secondary sources of information have the advantage of someone who was actually there ?

Personally I don't think there is any age discrimination on the boards, and if you are calling Rhett out then I hope you have links to the posts to support your claims.

Children should be seen and not heard, however the internet gives everyone a voice. There are some extremely mature teenagers on this site, however it sometimes gets spoiled for them because another teenager will post with an know-it-all attitude leading to justifiable questioning from older members of the board. You interpret this questioning as discrimination which is entirely incorrect.

You cannot fully appreciate the influence the OT had on the movie industry during its original release because you were not around to witness it.

 

Age is a legitimate factor in one's awareness of the world and understanding of history. For instance, it's difficult to explain to a 17 year old how terrible stagflation was during the Carter Administration, because he or she didn't live through it. Therefore, if I see a 17 year old kid trying to tell me that the Carter Administration was anything but terrible, then I'm going to explain to him that had he actually been alive then, he would most likely think differently.

Well, that's exactly how it's supposed to go, isn't it? Why else do you think that there are such events in schools nowdays called History Classes? Now of course young people can't get the true experience of a point in time unless they've lived through it, but we can get at least educated on it, and i think that alone gives us the same right to discuss the issue as someone that actually lived through it.

I doubt it was simply for your age. I'm sure other factors were involved too.

Well, Jefffff, somehow i knew that was coming.

The profile isn't the only giveaway. Using AOL-speak, poor grammar, and rosey assessments of the Carter Administration are sure traits of a teenager.

Well, generalize why don't you?

 

Incidentally, a 16-year-old was the head administrator of these very boards at one time.

 

Don't complain about it now. Someday you'll want to make fun of a kid for being too big for his britches, and if you complain now you'll be a hypocrite.

And the Carter Administration had no redeeming qualities.

 

im 14 and I know my age is always brought up when I discuss " adult " topics .

 

And the Carter Administration had no redeeming qualities.

As opposed to the most perfect reign of Reagan, hallowed be his name.

 

For the love of all that is good and holy, please let's not turn this thread into a pointless political debate.

 

comet: im 14 and I know my age is always brought up when I discuss " adult " topics .
Do you wonder why, or what?

 

Do you wonder why, or what?

you dont have to be an adult to have adult knowledge .