Age Barriers

When you guys talk to people who are different ages, do you treat them differently? Have you had any experiences where it's caused a block between someone you could have been friends with? Are you intimidated by age? Have you ever guessed someone's age and gotten it completely off and felt like an idiot?

or to be simpler:
[03:16:02] Keith: how do you feel about your generation
[03:16:06] Keith: how do you treat people younger than you
[03:16:18] Keith: how do you treat people older than you
[03:16:38] Keith: uh.. particular situations regarding misconceptions about ages or generations you want to talk about


uh... I've been on the internet regularly since I was about 8? I was an idiot. And because when I was an idiot when I was a kid, I usually treat most people more than a year or two younger than me similarly. I'm not dead set in my ways and I'm not overly prejudiced, but if someone were to say there's an eleven year-old on the forums I'd probably avoid them to a degree unless I was told something specifically positive about them.

However, I've been fortunate enough that people have never told me I'm too young for respect or anything. Despite being a kid, I've always been given respect and a right to speak and even though I've been an idiot(like... wow. I'm genuinely ashamed of stuff I've done and said) I'm still in contact with... 3 people I've known since 8-10 age range?

I was 10 when I joined ZU. My friends joke about it a lot, my OP. I don't have much to say about this since ZU was much the same as any place, I got the respect I didn't deserve anyway and everyone was welcoming.

People who are older than me? I don't know. I do respect most people anyway for existing, being people on the internet, being friends of friends, being respected in communities etc. anyway. However when I meet someone who's mid-twenties+ I usually afford that person more respect, and sometimes I can feel intimidated by them? I guess it depends what I know of them. More often than not my worries stem down to the idea that I'm like half their age and why would they want to talk to me?

In real life, I tend to hang out with people who aren't my generation. Like, as amazing as we are, as intelligent/polite(in my community, it seems like my generation are the last good ones and I've been told by more people than I can count on my fingers) I still can't get along with any of them.

I respect everyone of all ages. Even working around babies for a bit I respected them, despite the fact that they couldn't walk or talk yet. However, I do show more respect to the elderly than anything else.


Age doesn't intimidate me at all - if someone is younger or older than me. I like to judge them as a person than their age because I know for a fact that some people may be more mature than others.

I've always seemed to have an affinity for people alot older or younger than myself. I often find that I don't relate as well to people my age. (I'm 24 now). In some ways I'm wise beyond my years but in other ways I'm very innocent and childlike.

On this forum I have a tendency to perceive people as older than they actually are. Oftentimes someone writes a highly intelligent, well-thought out post and demonstrates alot of emotional maturity and I'm surprised to find the person is a teenager and not an adult.

Less commonly, the reverse has happened where someone is legally an adult and they have the maturity of a 10 year old at best.

From what I've noticed from friends and family and such, the older you are, the less you care about the age barrier? Like in the age differences between couples that is.
When, when you're like 10 or something you feel sooooooo much more superior to someone a year younger than you.
There's always been a huge age gap between my sisters and my nephew and I, so I really don't care about it.

Age isn't really an issue, no. A close friend of mine is fourteen years old, and I don't see him as being a kid or something. He's my friend.

Unsurprisingly given some of the activities I partake in, I am friends with people much older than me. Like, late 40's, early-mid 50's. They aren't old or anything like that to me, it really seems like the age barrier disappears and we're just a bunch of friends hanging out.

The only real issue I would encounter is, generally speaking, younger people can be immature and not have the same interests as me. Similarly, older people generally will be socially conservative or Reagan-worshipers and it's just hard for me to befriend people like that.

But I can totes be friends with someone regardless of age so long as our personalities connect.

When it is a friend of mine. That's just what I think of them as. Friends. I don't treat younger ones as lower life forms, because I have a friend who is 11 years old, and I don't treat him any less than I would treat someone my age. Age is just how long you have been alive, and if people don't act their age, and act much younger, then you probably won't see me hanging out with them often, if at all.

I must admit that I have slight prejudice over the ages of people. I try to stray from making assumptions of people (mainly those who are younger than me) based on their age, and to look at how they act and their maturity. The Internet is a good place for people to act while leaving their age anonymous. Based on how you act and even your grammar, other people could think you're in your thirties or you're ten when, in reality, your age could be different. I've talked with people on the Internet as though they are my age when they are a few years younger than me. I'm sure members who know me could guess how old I am, and even though I am now legally an adult, I keep my age anonymous in my ZU profile as a way to tell people, "You should judge me based on my posts and how I act instead of my age."

As many people should know, age doesn't equate to maturity. Some adults can act like kids and some kids can act like intelligent adults, and vise versa. And I find it funny when anyone looks back at how much they've grown and how silly they acted, as if they knew everything now, because I'm sure that, along the road, they will think the same thing about themselves now, and the cycle will continue until, or at least if, they acknowledge this cycle. But I'm sure many people acknowledge this cycle already.

In some ways, I expect older people to act maturely, but this expectation is usually thwarted some way or another. Graduating high school, I've noticed how idiotic the freshmen act, which has caused me to assume that people their age tend to act this way, but I'd rather not categorize them, or anyone based on their age. I know a handful of bright people their age, and I know a handful of downright immature people who are at least reaching the mid-points of their lives. Categorizing people is something that I hate.

Age is obsolete when I talk to people. The only time if I would make it seem like I would treat you differently if I would talk to a younger person younger than me is probably my word choice. I don't really cuss in front of someone under 12 for some odd reason. (probably cause their minds isn't corrupted then or something) if you are like my age or older, I will use more vulgar language. (if necessary)

Idk if that makes any sense. But yeah, that's how I see it

I'm so bad at judging age that I just decided not to care.

Found out someone I know pretty well (whom I thought was my age) was actually 32.
Thought she was 19. Yeah, i'm that bad.

So I don't treat people differently based on age, because clearly I have no ♥♥♥♥ing idea how to guess someone's age.

I am often intimidated by people older than me, I am very young myself. Usually I will treat them with more respect. I don't really meet people on the internet, and I don't think I have met someone younger than me on ZU. Usually I try to be nice to everyone, but sometimes I feel stupid because I'm only 13, and I feel that I don't know as much as other people I see.


I don't think I belittle people younger than me. I actually love playing games with my toddler cousins, and I actually have had conversations with people several years younger than me at school. Some people say things like "uhh... why would you talk to them?" Sure, these people may be only 11 or 10 but they are barely younger than me. I just love talking to people I meet, I find it hard not to start up a conversation.


I also haven't seen anyone been mean or rude to me in any way on ZU. Maybe it is because I don't really say my age unless it has something to do with the subject. Either way, in real life, I have had many adults talk to me as if I were their age. It feels good to be treated in that way, and the same probably goes for everyone else.


Oh wait I'm 14... I keep forgetting my birthday was like a week ago.

Since im a bit of an old coot, there are some slight barriers. Most of the time its just pop culture ♥♥♥♥ though like, a lot of my friends here arent gonna be all remembering the Fall of the Berlin Wall or Tianamen Square actually happening. But most of the time, they are well-read enough to know that this stuff happened.

Ive had friends who were easily ten years younger than me even in real life. It doesnt matter as long as they are intelligent people. There are a lot of smart kids out there.

Depends on how much older than me. A full generation or so I kind of get uncomfortable talking to people. Idunno, I just feel like everyone at that point has some kind of inherent bias against people my age so I'm afraid of stepping on their toes with something I say for one reason or another. Though if they're like ten years older than me while I'll probably be more polite than usual I'm more or less comfortable talking to them.

People younger than me... fmeeeeeeeh. I don't feel superior to people younger than me, but I'm still kinda fresh out of high school so I still sort of have that stupid paranoia where I'm afraid to be shown up by people a couple of years younger. In general, though, I don't really notice any difference with people my age unless you're talking actual kids and stuff. I'll make stupid jokes like "ewwww kids" and stuff but I haven't necessarily felt drastically different between now and when I was maybe 14 so I have no reason to perceive others at around that age very differently.

Age doesn't really matter to me, no. I have never noticed that I'd treat people differently based on their age.

But just as Gamzee or Willow-chan, I very, very often feel much better around older people and I'm likely to be found among people who are older than me. Primary reason is that I went to school earlier than normal kids, so I'm always the youngest in the class, but this is pretty much an excuse... Most of the time - if I can help it - I choose to stick with older people. Mostly because I enjoy talking about mature stuff and also because I feel that I can learn a lot from older people and I don't think the same could happen to the same degree when it comes to my generation.

Idunno, oldies are better. I like being the youngest as long as people treat me according to what I am and not according to how old I am. :]

I'm gonna be different and say

AGE DOES MATTER TO ME.


But not as much as that implies.
I have friends all the way from 15 to 35 that I enjoy spending time with, but I still judge all their actions by their age.

Age don't matter to me anymore. Ever since I went to college, all of the people I hang out with are way older than me.

The people that I work with are a lot older than me too so whenever there's a gathering after work, I can't relate to what they are talking about (family, kids, wives, husbands). I always stay silent and blend in with the group. I don't speak unless they ask me something but I always listen to what they have to say. In fact, I learned valuable things from them. Sure, they don't share my interests but I get along with them just fine. And that is also why I'm here on the internet, to look and talk to people who shares my common interests.

Strangely, when I talk to young children, I make a conscious effort to treat them like adults. Talk to them like I would anyone else. Use big words, complicated (though concise) sentences. Not hold back when talking about important things. That said, I will sometimes be condescending if they're being bratty. This applies to anyone from ages 2 to 18.

If you're between the ages of 19-23, I'll probably regard you as similar to myself, and treat you like a friend or acquaintance of my own age. If you're female, the age group probable extends to 26 or so. I don't consciously set this limit; if you're significantly older than me (as interpreted by my brain) I will see you as an intimidating adult. I'll listen to you more, and speak less. Try to learn from you, in the vain hope that your years of experience will rub off on me in some helpful way (though sadly, people nowadays seem to have wasted too much of their time to be useful in this sense).

When I try to view adults as mental equals and speak to them as if they were my own age, it tends to end badly. I try and break the boundaries set up by my own brain, and it usually turns into a lot of awkwardness -- exceptions: my parents.

Oh well. I guess age is pretty important in my opinion.

Age matters a lot more than I want it to.

There are just some things I wouldn't do with anyone much younger or much older than me.
I could hang out with a 16 year old in a group. But I don't think I could be all:
" HAY, YOU CAN STAY OVER AT MY PLACE "

I'd feel like that old person that has a teenager in their apartment.

And, like Saúl said, I judge actions by age.
If someone is stupid and annoying when they are 17-18, I can sometimes think;
" Oh, they'll grow out of it. "

I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND CONDESCENDING, IT'S JUST HOW I THINK. D:
Because I did a lot of stupid ♥♥♥♥ when I was that age. Teen!Buu and Now!Buu feels like two complete different people, so I just take for granted that everyone goes through that sort of evolving.
I can look at some teenagers now and think;
" This person will probs be really cool when they come to their senses. "

I guess I see the teen years as a shaping age.
You're still a developed person, but you will mature so much more. Thoughts you are thinking now will be utterly ridiculous in a few years.

Not for everyone, though.
Some people are done. This is both good and bad.

For me it's how people act, not their age, that I take into account when I interact with them. I have met some teenagers and children who are very polite and kind but I have also met many adults who never grew up and cause drama just for the fun of it. I have friends who are very young, friends that are over 70, and friends who will always be young at heart.

Age only matters to me when I'm treated badly for looking young by someone who is my age or younger. It is very annoying to be talked down to about "When I get older" by someone who is my age or 6 years my junior.

If someone makes interesting conversation I'll talk to them - their age shouldn't matter. I wouldn't really say I'm a little children or babies person (as in children under 5), but I'm fine talking to people younger than me as well as older. In fact, I probably get on better with people who aren't the same age as me than those who are. I do respect people who are older (as long as they act their age), but people who are younger too - I don't like people being all condescending to me because I'm younger than them, so I do make an effort not to do that to others. It can really knock your confidence, knowing that people don't take you seriously just because of your age. You can't help how physically old you are - it's your mental age that counts, but a lot of people don't seem to be able to see past the first layer. I agree completely with everyone who has already said stuff about maturity depending on the individual rather than their age.

I really hate the hierarchies that you get between the years in schools - the younger years shouldn't ever need to be scared of the older ones, and the older ones shouldn't look at the younger ones down their noses. The older years can be so valuable to the younger ones for help and advice and stuff, and talking to people of different ages can really open your mind, offer you many different perspectives and points of view. The school I'm at now definitely has the 'cocky problem' - "omg she looked at me and I'm in the year above she's sooo cocky" and "I'm not asking her for help, she older that me - she'll call me cocky". Does that make anyone else's blood boil, or is that just me?

And as for ages gaps in couples...I know an awful lot of people who really need to grow up about that kind of thing. As long as they're happy together, age shouldn't matter at all. There are some limits, of course, but still. I told a friend once about an interest in someone just over 3 years older than me, and all she saw was the age gap. I didn't confide in her much after that.

I wasn't really thinking at the time of my earlier post, but I think I've realized that I've got some underlying hatred of the elderly. Like, senior citizen age.

In my neighborhood, I'll generally try to avoid the old people walking around. I don't like talking to them. I make assumptions that anyone who is a senior is some conservative fundamental christian who spends all their time playing golf and just really doesn't give a ♥♥♥♥ about this country or the world.