question about being treated condescendingly

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When neurotypical people, especially fifty-something-year-old embittered women, perhaps with not too much education, come across, say, a young man in his early 20's, who is not attractive, who looks like a blue-collar guy, who doesn't look very intelligent, but who struts around with a bit of an attitude, with his brow wrinkled and his lips pressed tightly, do they have a tendency to deliberately treat this type of person condescendingly, in a conscious effort to upset them for thinking, or at least appearing to think, that they are better than people?

I've been treated condescendingly many times, by the type of people I described. Could it be that they treated me condescendingly precisely because they disapproved of my 'attitude' and not so much because they felt eager to demonstrate superiority over a seemingly unintelligent target?

I think that particular generation (people who are in their 50s and 60s now) lived in a culture where being older than someone gave you a higher status, when kids were still supposed to be "seen and not heard". That viewpoint clashes with our current belief that "young is good", so people who bought into the idea that "older means authority" will naturally clash with those who are younger and believe that they are superior because they are younger. Enough practice, and they look down on anyone of a certain age--just as, with enough practice, people our age will look down on people their age for being "old".

Generation gaps like that are, IMO, really quite an obstacle. The generations can learn from each other--the new things and ideas the younger can teach the older; the experiences the older can share with the younger--but when they don't connect, the information is lost in the middle.

Haven't you ever seen the Diet Coke Ad that was so popular a few years ago...the one where all the women in a corporate office
building all rush to the window to catch sight of the young guy taking a mid-day break from his construction worksite job?


No one can make you feel "inferior" unless you let them...

Old people have treated me like total s**t in the past. Especially as a child.

I'm regularly treated condescendingly by people of all ages and types. I just ignore it. I do agree that it's frequently intended to be disrespectful, but I don't value other people's opinions enough to care - I know I'm wonderful I just try to minimize future contact with them once they identify themselves to me by this behavior.

One thing I've learned in dealing with people:

Age does not necessarily equal wisdom

and

Having money doesn't mean one has brains.



Just my .00002.

Being disrespected is something I have endured my entire life! it comes from my elders, my peers, & people who are younger. I have learned that it's just my lot in life.

I knew a lot of those in school, who thought that their views were unquestionable because they were older and were therefore unpracticed in actually defending them. I had fun messing with such people. Thankfully, I haven't run into that since high school ended, though.