Are you getting cantankerous?

There is a stereotype of the cranky over-60 that is just mad at the world. While, of course, some fit that bill there are millions more just like you that might just get annoyed with some current trends.

You might be one of those that will see a small child standing next to their parent in the shops with a full cart of groceries crying because they can’t get a special type of sugary cereal while thinking to yourself “we had to go without a lot more than that when I was young.”  It’s only natural to think that.  Of course, times change and things today are better or worse then they were depending on the item and whom you speak to.

A topic of cantankerous was asked on Senior Forum with one user summing it up by saying “I get more cantankerous the older I get. This doesn’t bode well for the future….”. What is setting people off?  Probably the same things that can set you off. You could be like one user named, Camper6, who writes “Inconsiderate people anywhere get me going. Especially on the highway driving.” 

There seems to be a common thread with the responses, as Lon writes, “I really get pissed when people don’t do what they say they will do and when scheduled appointments continually reschedule or just don’t show up.” That seems pretty inconsiderate. Is it because they are inconsiderate or because they are distracted because many of the responses centred around that people are on their phones too much. The common complaint is that people are sick of seeing people on their phones in the car, texting and running into others while walking, and generally ignoring human interaction because they are being social online.

Then the area of cantankerousness focuses is on the internet. Lara believes that the internet and technology is “getting scary.” She adds, “Drones can peek in our windows (I’m guessing). Anyone can google your name and find out your phone number and where you live. Google maps lets a person virtually surround your house. Your smart phone tracks where you are at every minute (great for tracking kidnappers though).” The discussion turns to the point that there isn’t really any personal spaces with technology as someone is always documenting something with many giving away their TVs and limiting their computer use.

Perhaps, the source of your possible cantankerousness could be your significant other like user Iodine who writes, “I get cantankerous being home all day with a guy in his 10th year of retirement who is having trouble remembering he isn’t the boss of a large crew now, he’s not running everything at home.” She adds,  “We love doing things together but sometimes now really get on each other’s nerves. I know it’s better than being a widow so I don’t want to complain too much. Thankfully we have a big yard and he has a shop out back so we can get away from each other periodically. And he has his fishing trips and I have my trips to visit relatives so that helps some. And to be honest I think I get on his nerves more than he gets on mine. Hard to believe, huh?”

What sets you off? Do you think that you are generally getting cantankerous or are there societal changes that are pushing you over the brink?